Boomer

Tim, I got the AT for fun with full auto or manual mode. I don't race 1/4 mile or track, but I tire of the knocks on the AT because somebody doesn't like it and say its crap. We have had several threads on this topic and they have ended in flame wars and the threads closed. The last one that was closed by the Moderators said, anyone trying to revive this battle will be warned, the 2nd time they are out, banned for good. It would be a good idea to stay on topic instead of making hostile remarks which some think are funny, they are not and anyone seeking to revive the AT VS. MT WAR will be banned. Do a search, read the archives, go elsewhere if thats the fun you want to have here. You won't have it long.

Boomer--my advice, use it or lose it, I don't care.

spextar

MT is fun, but I think AT is much more practical for daily driving..
I've been driving MTs since I was 13, so for like 14 years, and my driving condition is very well 1000 time worse than new york's. I think at this point I'm kind of tired of MTs and sometimes I wish I had an AT so I could just relax while doing city-driving.

Damn I think my left calf is larger than my right one. seriously!!

2003z

iTrader: (7)

Smiothtown has now run 11s with a manual

anyway, I've got an auto G35c with the same tranny, obviously, plus my Z. Since the last auto-x was 2 hours away (it was on a road course, broken up with cones, but still faster than a normal auto-x) and I cant put my race tires in Z, i decided to try the G.

The manumatic sucks for autocross! To upshift, you need to anticipate the shift and do it about 1000-1500 rpm before you actually want to shift. For downshifting, you need to attempt it several times while trying to brake before cornering to get it into the gear you want, as it wont downshift until you are going to be well below redline.

For street driving, or going through the mountains it would be fine.

I will say, compared to our previous IS300, its a lot better. On the IS, you cant even get into 1st gear, as it automatically starts in 2nd. The only way to hit 1st is with the gear selector in 1st and manually shifting it through the gears. Additionally, IIRC, the IS wouldn't automatically go to its lowest gear at a stop, but stay in whatever gear it was in, but would automatically upshift, even if you didnt want it to.

jckolnturn

iTrader: (1)

Boomer, sorry if you took that as hostile i was just pointing out that there was a faster Z, and i'm not flaming anyone i just stated that the MT in my opinion, for me, was more fun. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer but i thought i had some good points for both tranny's. I know plenty of people that find MT's annoying and love AT's, it's just up to the driver. I'm sorry i wasn't aware of the previous 'war.'

N74DV

i can't beleive no one has corrected the name in this thread... it's not steptronic and it's not manumatic

it's TIPTRONIC

Boomer

You didn't read my earlier post. Triptonic, which may be copywrited, I can't remember, is the name Porsche/Audi gave their ATs and Manumatic is a generic label for ALL shiftable ATs.

N74DV

yeah Audi calls theirs a Tiptronic too but ours is also called a "tiptronic"

Boomer

Porsche/Audi invented the term "Triptonic". Nissan calls it a 5AT with a Manual Mode. Look it up on NissanDriven.com. We may refer to it as Triptonic-like, but that is not how Nissan refers to it and I think Triptonic is copywrited by Porsche/Audi.

Vlad

None. Sure it has some differences in implementation and way it handles the gear changes, but main principle is the same - it's an auto with pseudo-manual mode. Which is fun, but it's not a true manual, and way slower than true manual.

Steptronic is just a funny name. Every company seems to bring their own name for the same thing, just to confuse people. Like every company has their own abbreviation for 4WD, and for stability systems.

Real clutchless manual with auto mode can be found on BMW's SMG equipped M3, and on Ferraris.

jckolnturn

iTrader: (1)

I have a question for someone with the AT. When slowing from highway speed in manual mode, say 60+, to about 30 or so, do you have to actually downshift the car or does it automatically downshift even in manual mode or is it possible to lug the motor?

N74DV

you can do it either way.... you can just let the tranny automatically downshift or you can get an engine brake effect and downshift earlier than the computer would.

350zdanny

Boomer,

I was only joking with my comments. I understand that some people need manu-matic transmission and some people don't. Automatics will always be better for dragging because you can build boost at the starting line. That's the bottom line. You should have phrased your argument like that. At this point, the fastest Z is just the one with the most money dumped into it really. There is no Z that is at the edge of performance potential yet.

Similarly, The Ferrari 360 and several others are sold with a rendition of the clutchless auto trasmission, although I think you have to shift a 360 no matter what.

Take care.

Dan

SteveZzz

Dan-
Did you mean to say Manuals are better for dragging? How do you build boost on an auto?? There's no way to rev up the motor and then drop the clutch.

I've got the manumatic/steptronic/tiptronic/shiftronic and the only thing I miss is not being able to burn rubber at the start or at the gear changes. If someone call tell me how to do that with the auto, I'd be satisfied with it!!!

N74DV

you can burn rubber all you want with the auto. just power brake it..... you gotta undo the brake pedal wire first though.

see my sig pic

Vlad

Switch VDC off. Wait a second... enthusiast doesnt have VDC, right?

I'm able to do very nice screaming start with VDC off on my 5AT. Just enough to make the effect and save tires at the same time.

SteveZzz

What do you mean by undo the brake pedal wire??

No VDC on the Entusiast (just Traction control). I'm pretty sure I had the trac control off when I tried it, but I'll try it again.

N74DV

there is two wiring connectors that go to the brake pedal. I can't recall which one, but one has to be unplugged. I have also heard you can remove the brake fuse.

otherwise the ECU will zap the engine power if it "sees" that the brake pedal and gas are pushed at the same time.

Boomer

I don't know because I've never tried it. Manual mode works on all 5 gears, if you left it in 5th and didn't downshift, it might be possible. I'm not sure the AT will let you because it defaults to 1st when you get close to stopping, like 5mph. I use 3rd for all kinds of driving in town because it is so flexible, I can slow down to 10mph, give it some electronics and it will move out on light throttle w/o a whimper. With the default to first brfore a stop, lugging it would seem improbable.

I always downshift from 4th or 5th into 3rd, sometimes I double downshift from 4th to 2nd when the brakes are on, don't downshift to 2nd w/o applying the brakes, and NEVER downshift into 1st, the default is faster and saves you from a huge CLUNK. Trust me, you don't want to hear it more than once, and never is best.

Boomer

Nope, you don't have to shift a 360 Sequential Automatic Gearbox(SMG), you can push a small lever and it will do full auto shifting on your SMG. Forgo the Autoshift mode and you have to manually shift your manual transmissiom. Thats right, Ferrari's SMG IS a manual transmission that can be shifted manually, no clutch, or you can make it shift your manual transmission full auto. Messes w/your mind, doesn't it?

Actually, Dan, I didn't need the 5AT at all. I wanted a 5AT in my next new car, sports or luxury. After 38 years of MTs, I was BORED. A 6MT didn't appeal to me at all, but the new crop of Manumatics did, so I took a chance on the Z's, having owned a 240 and several Maximas. If I hadn't liked the 5AT, I would have sold it immediately and bought a 6MT RSX-S for fun and bought a G35 Sedan for my wife. The Z's torque works perfectly with the AT and I feel I made the perfect choice, manual when I want to make it roar and Auto when I'm lazy, or when I want to blow some unsuspecting racer into the weeds.

I went door to door from a rolling start w/a 305 HP SVT for over an 1/8 mile in full auto against his 6 speed, and he didn't ever get more than a door ahead when he shifted. Stupid, stupid, stupid, not again and I won't blow up my toy on a dragstrip either, but the 5AT is a fine transmission, like it or not.

N74DV

while we're on the subject of the 5AT....

I have outfitted my 5AT Z with a "paddleshift" system on the steering wheel.

I have one button on the backside of each side spoke of the steering wheel that I can "tap" to shift up or down.

It's sweet shifting in manual mode without taking your hands off the wheel