What he said. Those of you complaining about shifting an MT in traffic or long trips should maybe have bought a Maxima? Sports cars = MT.

 

If a 5AT Z is not a sports car what is it classified as?

 

Whatever derogatory name the MT fanboys want to call it.

 

Be nice. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.

 

My 350z is the first MT car I've owned. My previous cars have been 1993 Mustang GT, 1992 300Zx, 1998 Camaro SS. I've never had so much fun so driving a car then I have with my 350z. Whenever I get bored, my first thing I feel like doing is taking the Z out for a drive. I feel like the car is a part of me when I drive it. The MT gives me a feeling of control I've never had before with my previous AT's. I would never buy another sports car with an automatic again. For years my friends always ragged/preached to me about how fun MT were. I'm a believer now. Thankfully Dallas traffic generally isnt too bad.

 

+1

 

How about formula 1 race cars? They use paddles/buttons with no manual clutch for their gear shifting. Maybe you should go challenge them. I'd love to watch you challenge their non-manual racing.

 

05 SB touring auto. No problems. Drove stick almost 40 years, felt it was time for a change. Enjoy both though.

 

F1 cars do not have automatic trannies.....

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have no desire for an auto, I was just curious how it compaired reliabilty wise to the 6.

Thanks

 

I completely agree. I've owned both an auto IROC-Z and an auto Stang GT (88-92, both in high school), then a MT Stang Saleen in college...that was all before my 'lift with large tire truck/SUV phase' crept upon me. I was looking for a AT Z since I drive in A LOT of Houston traffic daily, and after 4 months I can only PRAISE THA LAWD! that I ended up with the MT Z. I have never had so much fun driving a vehicle, not even the Saleen. This thing feels like I'm on rails, and I can't say sitting in traffic even bothers me, as I know when I hit the open rode...

It's on.

I'm more than happy with my choice.

No hate here for my AT Z brothers and sistas though. We're all family.

 

F1 cars are automatics. Here's the link from The Official Formula One Website describing the automatic transmission, the engine and the engine/transmission regulations for Formula One cars.

http://www.formula1.com/insight/tech...fo/11/467.html

Up until 2004, the F1 cars had fully automatic transmissions and launch control. As of the new regulations, the cars can not have launch control and the transmissions are not allowed to automatically upshift if the driver doesn't shift. Previously, if the driver didn't shift by a certain point the transmission would shift for him anyway. They now use what they call semi-automatic transmissions. The transmission will not shift unless the shift command is inputted. The 5AT in our Z's and G's in manual-mode work on the same principle, they will not upshift unless you tell it to and it will not downshift unless you tell it to or you are about to stall.

 

Read my post again, I never said F1 cars are auto. I was making a point that the racers uses paddles/buttons to shift instead of manually using a clutch and shifting grears. According to you, they must be less of a racer for not having a manual clutch and a manual shifter.

 

Allright you two, don't make me turn this Z around.

Oh wait the Z..... has no back seats:-(

Never mind.

 

So a Viper and a corvette with an automatic tranny isn't a sports car either huh?

 

F1 cars do not have automatic transmissions and have never had them.....they have been "allowed" in the rules until recently but nobody has actually used one.....the driver controls the every shift and has ever since the clutchless sequential shifting transmissions started being developed in F1 in the late 1980's. In F1 the drivers do their own shifting.....they just use the paddles instead of the shifter.

 

I was going to bring this up. Their "automatics" aren't entirely like the AT in the Z. I believe it is more of an SMG type thing. I really like the idea of AT, and might have opted for an SMG type tranny if Nissan offered such. A fully manual mode on the SMG with paddle shifters would have been cool. The idea of the "gear selector" AT just doesn't fit with me. However... I admit I don't have to deal with any type of traffic on a daily basis. I drove to UCLA the other day in my Z on the 405... It was pretty taxing I admit.

 

Edit: nevermind.

 

Shifting the gears is shifting the gears......it doesn't matter to me whether you're using a stick shift and a clutch or paddle shifters. The part of the equation that I'm saying doesn't belong in a sports car is the automatic selection of gears without driver input. Most AT cars with paddles or manu-matic control still use the automatic transmission and torque converter to do the shifts so you still get the drivetrain loss and lag in shifts. New technology like the dual-clutch setup in Audi's however is very exciting technology. I'm all for mechanisms that can shift better and more efficiently than a human and the Audi seems to do that just like the F1 cars can.....no drivetrain loss from a torque converter and no lag waiting for that next gear to engage. They don't however have a fully automatic that can actually select the gears better than a person and in a sports car choosing the right gear at the right time is essential.

 

F1 cars use a sequential gear box. The are not like the any street car "automatic" is that they do not use a torque convertor or viscous fluid. The are manuals with hydraullicly actuated clutches and shifters.

And yes -- the the 6MT will vastly outperform the 5AT. Come to Willow Springs or Buttonwillow sometime and I will show you. If you care about performance and are willing to sacrifice a bit of conveinence -- 6MT all the way.