So I'm assuming you've heard the same type of things? I could be completely wrong but i don't think I am. Plus I dont plan on taking it to the track, so an AT will suit me fine

 

Pretty much everyone here has heard it. It's a topic that gets debated to no end.

 

Ya. Now I just gotta find the right Z for me!

 

You're absolutely right on that. A high-rev neutral drop would raise hell with any mechanic after you are done kicking yourself in the ***. I just wanted to let him know that there were other ways to launch the car.

 

See the previous posts above. The AT does not shift slow or unpredictably. The Z 5AT can be manually controlled just like the SMG and the 5AT is faster than any human can shift.

I prefer the new ATs to the MT but what I prefer doesn't matter to the original poster. The original poster should really try both trannies and choose which he likes better based on his personal preference and the real facts.

There is so much misinformation and heresay floating around here that it's sickening. Please explain to us how a 200ms shift is slower than a 0.8 sec shift. Also, please explain how the method of shifting in the Nissan 5AT is different than the method of shifting in the SMG. They both have some type of input that tells the computer you want to shift and the computer controls the whole thing.

I guess we must all be using different criteria for determining what is a manual transmission and what is an automatic transmission.

Here is my criteria, if yours is different, please let us know what it is and why you chose to use that criteria.

To me and most of the world a manual transmission has to have these two criteria or it's not a manual transmission.

1. A manually operated clutch control
2. A manually operated shift control

The criteria for a modern performance automatic transmission should have these criteria

1. An electronic automatic clutch
2. An electronic operated shift control

A standard transmission has a manual clutch pedal and manual shift lever so therefore it is a manual transmission. It does not have an automatic clutch and it doesn't have electronic shift controls so therefore it is not an automatic transmission.

The SMG does not have a manually operated clutch and it does not have a manually operated shift control so therefore it is not a manual transmission. The SMG does have an electro-hydraulic automatic clutch and an electronic paddle shifter that is futher controlled by the Drivelogic computer so therefore it is an automatic transmission.

Sequential shifting also has nothing to do with being an automatic or a manual. A transmission with a sequential shift pattern is one that shifts in a 1...2...3...x...3...2...1 pattern such as the SMG and the Z 5AT. A non-sequential transmission is one that can shift from one gear to any other gear out of sequence, such as the open H pattern on a standard manual.

 

Suprised no one has propagated the myth about the MT being lighter than AT...

 

One thing people should take into consideration is modifying the car with an automatic transmission. Alot of the automatic transmissions reach the horsepower cap much faster then the manual transmissions. I am not making it up, just do a search for engine mods for cars that are automatic. 99 times out of a 100 FI mods are for manual cars only. Something to consider for people who want to modify.

 

LOL you're right.

Just so it doesn't get started. The Nissan 5AT is only 12lbs heavier than the 6MT but, it has less rotational mass.

 

Yes, that too..

 

Turbochargers work better on cars with torque converters because you can pre-load the turbos so that there is no lag. Also, because the torque converter has the ability to unlock and allow the impeller side (engine) to spin faster than the turbine side (driveshaft) it can eliminate or decrease turbo lag while shifting or accelerating.

Any engine or tranny with enough money and build up can be made bullet-proof. Pro dragsters are probably the ultimate FI/AT combos out there.

That being said, it is generally easier and less expensive to build up an engine with a MT.

 

Drag race cars are million dollar machines... Z's are 30k Big difference in transmission build to handle five thousand horsepower and 800 from a Z. If you are going 1-2-3-4-5... it would be stupid NOT to go with AT. I don't like drag racing.. so it doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

Aggro Al is the man with transmissions. Argue with him, and you'll most likely get laughed at when the facts are finally intelligently argued. I wish I was on that level.

 

Burn.

 

03 Enthusiast 6MT with 58k miles. No tranny issues.

 

Do you even know what a torque convertor is? You're obviously an intelligent person, I have no right to take that from you. Your display of intelligence is what makes you very convincing, but you don't know everything. Do you know why ATs are called slushboxes? There's a lot more difference between an MT and AT than the way they're controlled. Now there are SOME ATs that are actually MTs with an electronically controlled clutch, and gear selectors. They're called Ferrari's and F1 cars. Perhaps that's the SMGs that are referred to earlier? I don't know everything, either. But I know there's more drivetrain loss in ATs due to the nature of the torque convertor.

 

You got to understand the difference between facts and myths many manual drivers come up with that have been igorantly spread through most of the racing \ enthusiast community.

Of course there is a difference in the way in which an MT and AT are controlled ... isn't this the plain difference between them?

The whole point of this thread is useless, and arguing over the transmissions just keeps getting worse when people refuse to admit valid points because they hold an opinionated side. This thread just needs to get locked like all the other 1,000,000 MT vs. AT threads because both sides will never settle.

To me, I like both sides for their weaknesses and strong points. It's something I wouldn't mind having either way, but chose one.

 

This is one of the most retarded topic ever.... This is like the 50th thread on this topic? I think there should be a new forum rule that clearly stats "No new AT vs MT thread allowed!"

 

 

I do hope you are aware of the monster sized thread of 350Z MT owners that have had numerous issues with the manual trannies. It appears you are in the minority.

 

No, I don't know everything but I try to back up everything I say. I have no problem with people telling me I'm wrong or educating me when it comes to something that can be proven. But, please, instead of just telling me I'm wrong, show me or explain how I'm wrong and everybody learns from it. Saying I'm wrong without explanation has no virtue and nobody learns from it. So, please go ahead and tell me when I'm wrong or criticize me when necessary but do all of us a favor and tell how or why.

Also, I have no problem with people having different opinions than me as long as they are not deragatory or blatant personal attack on myself or others. So go ahead and speak your mind but just know that there is a difference between opinion and fact.

If you say that you hate the AT because you prefer the control of a MT or if you say that 9 out of 10 times you'll choose the MT, those are opinions and you are entitled to your opinions. If you say that you can drive your MT faster than an AT and can back it up that's fine. If you say that an MT shifts faster than AT and try to pass it as fact when in fact you can't back it up, that is just wrong and why shouldn't I have the right to make the info correct?

Yes, I do know how a torque converter works if that makes any difference. I also know that the AT and MT are different. The way that they are controlled is the most important difference. The MT has manual controls and the AT has automatic controls. That is why they are called differently. I never said they were the same or one was better than the other. I only tried to correct the misinformation.

I don't know why the MT fanboys call the AT a slushbox other than to tag it as something lesser than true to something they disdain. If you know why, please tell us. Calling something that is not understood or is feared a less than positive name has always happened and continues today.

In a post before, I put down my criteria for determining if a car has a manual or automatic transmission. If you want to use a different criteria please do but, explain what your criteria is and why. That way we are all talking about the same thing.

The Magneti-Marelli transmission is the F1 transmission used in the Ferrari. Magneti-Marelli even says that they took the parts of the manual transmission and automated it with a CAN and the gear shifts are acuated by the ECM with hydraulics. So, you are right, there are ATs that use the same parts as the MT. I never said that there weren't. The SMG is a perfect example. BMW added an automatic clutch and electronic controls to the regular manual gearbox to make it an automatic transmission. If you replace the automatic clutch with a clutch pedal and put the manual shift lever back in you are back to a regular standard transmission again. It's the fact that they automated it is what makes it an automatic transmission. Quite a few people have been calling ATs manual transmissions when they are not.

If you go back to my previous post I did say that an unlocked or uncoupled torque converter does have more loss due to the hydraulic nature of the TC but, I also said that an uncoupled or unlocked TC can torque multiply. I also said that a locked TC no longer has hydraulic loss because it uses a mechanical clutch.