mc4life

I know that I was just talking about like the features n stuff....same color, n etc...

dscheers

iTrader: (3)

What features exactly are you referring to ?

and to see that you just set off one those AT vs MT threads

mc4life

very true!!! I guess I should of signed up at this forum b4 I purchased my Z o well Ill just wait till 07 and just get the MT then till then ill "RIDE" in my Z

FLZ_Boy

Just consider it an expensive lesson. Your still young, so you can get the new Z's with MT later. When the time comes, you'll be ready for another automatic car.

Mtxzptlk

Ferreals?! omg lmao LINK pls.

Vick781

AUTOMATIC?????? lol jk man

BeyJer

iTrader: (17)

+1

my thoughts exactly

DavesZ#3

iTrader: (26)

Don't be too hard on yourself. You'll still have a LOT of fun in your Z - A/T and all.

cessna

The original poster sounds like a 16 year old whos off on a PD day.....
My question to you sir....... ''Who fking cares?'' If you felt that much difference, then you obviously didn't know how to drive a AT in the first place.....


Cessna (Hates these threads)

Fear Night

What the hell? Z's come in automatic?

97supratt

iTrader: (61)

Just install a high rpm install and a few mods and you'll have fun.

But 6spd RULES!

Joeys_z

iTrader: (-1)

There is no such thing as an automatic sportscar!!!

pavster

I was thinking about this on my way to work this morning, driving my auto GS430... all my previous cars were manuals. Here it goes.

What are the factors that make us choose manual over an automatic?

1. Comfort -- we are used to it and don't want to change.
2. Perception -- there is a cultural perception that manuals make the car more fun to drive. In Europe, sequential clutchless gearboxes (essentially automatics) are taking over the sporty perception.
3. Peer pressure -- it might be considered manly to drive a manual or to ride a motorcycle, and we are ostrisized if we choose the lesser option.
4. Control -- this is really where all the others originated -- a manual gearbox with a clutch definitely gives the driver more control of the car than any sort of an automatic.

Say you are truly open minded, and you ignore 1, 2, and 3, and focus on the one thing that really matters -- the control you get over the car.

Now, what sorts of control does a manual give you? (a.) Certainly the ability to disengage the drivetrain from the engine is a form of control. (b.) Selecting a gear ratio from the 6 available options is another. (c.) Having a firm connection between the engine and the transmission, where any little change in throttle position has a pronounced effect on the speed/acceleration of the car is yet another.

If we were talking about a race car, the most important points are (b) and (c), which is probably why Formula 1 and WRC have moved to clutchless sequential gearboxes. You areally aren't gaining anything by being able to disconnect the clutch manually, and in fact, all it does is slow you down since a machine can shift way quicker than you can.

Of course, in racing, the only objective is to be quicker than your opponents. On the street, you want to be involved in driving your car in the most mundane and boring moments. Like driving from traffic light to traffic light in the city or barely moving in bumper to bumper traffic. A manual gearbox, especially its (a) aspect -- the clutch -- will keep you very involved.

Of course, there is a downside. At some point, it wears on you. You just want to get to your destination without being exhausted by the time you arrive. Driving a manual car, especially in the conditions described above, can be a very demanding experience, both physically and mentally.

So, is there a compromise? My dream transmission is one that has a clutch pedal AND an auto mode. Unfortunately, no one makes it for the street. The closest available option is VW/Audi DSG. I test-drove it. Despite all the marketing hupla and technical details, it drives like an auto transmission with a manual shift mode. You can select the gear for yourself, and the car will hold that gear, but most of the fun involved in driving a stick -- all the little mistakes you can make as you shift from gear to gear -- is gone. You click up, it shifts up, you click down, it shifts down. There gear changes are so smooth, they are imperceptible. They make the car very boring.

It seems I have stumbed upon the primary reason a stick is fun for me personally. It's not so much the control as the danger of making a mistake and the skill needed to avoid making the mistake. The skill that is really never completely mastered, giving me the opportinity to improve it each time I drive a stick.

Funny thing, I drive an automatic V8 car now, and it has a similar element of skill. I shift it manually, although it's just a regular 5 speed auto with no sequential mode. So a given shifter position is really the maximum gear, while the tranny is free to downshift if it chooses to do so. It's been an interesting process learning to control the tranny using the two available inputs -- throttle and gear selector, and I have definitely gotten better at it. My next car will be a stick shift no doubt (maybe the Z), but for now, I am having fun with my automatic...

I wonder if this is the case for everyone, or if anyone will even read this post to the end it's kind of long (and perhaps boring?)...

-pavel.

hazmat

iTrader: (1)

Nothing beats rowing through gears around a sweeping corner on a canyon road. Auto will never give me that feeling. period. the end

Built2shredZ

Here's how you fix it, drive in rush hour traffic a few times with a MT and you will be cured

wooochang

iTrader: (2)

i drove AT all my life until i got the Z. decided it was time for my ********* to descend and finally learn how to drive MT, and its freaking awesome.

it is a little mentally taxing esp in cali freeway traffic... but the thing i miss the most about AT is the ablity to go out and get trashed and have someone else drive your car home for you.

though i must say i dont miss that enough to go back to AT

350Z007

iTrader: (1)

No one drives my car no matter what. AT or MT I don't care. Too many bad experiences with that.

aonic

I remember reading in one of the other million AT vs MT thread that some ferrari's are auto?

I've noticed most of the people who say "HAHA AUTO IS NOT A SPORTS CAR!!one!!111" are usually 1. new, 2. idiots, 3. immature

350Z007

iTrader: (1)

There is a big difference in the sequencial automatic gear box in a Ferrari or a M3 and the Auto in a Z. Not even the same thing.

aonic

I know, that was also brought up, but someone brough up some facts about it being a auto.

It was one of the recent threads. When I get home from work ill take a look.