I bump into people saying Z is not a ordinary AUTO but a steptronic, if that is the case, can it be better control than a normal AUTO?

U see, I drive a mercedes Auto and is really frustrating that the Auto at times give u too much power or too less.

Does Steptronic give us the liberty of puting the apporopriate power when needed. Of course the best control is on Manual.

 

what year is your benz? lately they've been using the "steptronics" as well..... it does help, of course, but not a true manual as you said.

 

Steptronic=Auto.... it just lets you shift at a certain rpm you like, but the transmission is still an auto

 

Yes, the auto in the Z is a steptronic type. It's what I've got in my enthusiast and I like it for those times when I want to control my shift points, but it certainly doesn't give you the thrill or control of the 6MT.

I'd love to be able to burn some rubber, but it's just not going to happen with the auto!!

 

any other comment ? thanks...

I wonder the mercedes C class has steptronic? cause i own one but dunno does it call steptronic. it does can change to 1,2,3,4 with plus sign and minus

 

If it has plus and minus signs, it's a steptronic type.

 

It does has a + -, but how can i be sure?

Because my car only has Drive, Neutral, Reverse, and then those +- therefore, the +- might be just to take over the normal 1,2,3 gear like normal AUTO.

 

Steptronic is just a euphemism. It's an auto and it sucks. Owners of the steptronic are going to have to come to terms with that. I offer classes to help.

Dan

 

350zdanny your being kinda harsh. ive driven a 5at and there actually really fun to drive in manual (steptronic) mode. in addition, the times ive seen for them are only about a tenth of a second or two off of the mt. however, if the 5at was a sequential tranny like the mr2 spyder it would be a totally different story. and for the low low price of 2k-3k you could get one installed and have a 500hp+ capable machine.

 

I tested my car. I am not sure its a steptronic or not..

u see, it function exactly the same as normal auto, it has PARK, Neutral, Drive.

and in the Drive , it has + and - which give u the liberty to select 1,2,3,4, and then D for auto drive.


is this a steptronic?

 

Steptronic is a BMW title for their auto/manual which will shift in manual mode if you don't keep your foot on the floor. The Z's 5AT is a manumatic. When you put it in manual mode, it will not shift into any other gear w/o you doing it, except for a stop, then it defaults to 1st gear. Push up for a higher gear, push down for a lower gear. The manual mode is the most fun, but the full auto is fastest in daily driving. People who have never driven one should keep their stupid remarks to themselves since the fastest Z at the 1/4 mile track is a 5AT owned by Maxhax, who is about to put a supercharger on it. Read some of his posts. I have a very fast 5AT, so don't run it down by ignorant remarks. WE don't like it.

 

Had a great Run over Angeles Crest.. last week-end.

The 5AT was sweet but a lot of work running between 3.5 to 5K RPM through the downhills into Palmdale.

There were times I thought the new Audi 6AT - would have solved my Gear choices better. Or a add on Two Speed converter.

But for most of the road, I was happy.. The exception was the car slipped once with full throttle on a Freeway entrance.. It was 108 Degrees F. But one 6spd had to go around.

So as the Getrag company works on their product, we should be allright. An 6AT or an addon Split gear would be helpfull..

Cheers Amy -

P.S. go my new HA! a white 1981 280ZX Turbo for $1600 with a new battery and Head Job. Just for a Beater, But it doesn't perform like the "one owner 1981 280ZX Turbo Coupe" I have in the shop for Brakes.

Check my350z.com for the link..

Com Wan Ba

 

can anyone tell me is my mercedes C240 year 2002/2003 a steptronic or?

 

You sure about that? The transmissions coming on the M3's, anyway, are definitely sequential manual, since that's two-thirds of the name: SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox).

Maybe they use the cushier ones on the less performance-oriented models.

And I though I remember either MB or Porsche using the "steptronic" name first, many years ago when this was a very uncommon thing to have.

 

Porsche/Audi introduced "Tiptronic", MB calls theirs an automanual as far as I know. You change gears manually in MBs by moving the shifter from left to right or vice versa in "D" to go up or down manually. Its reported to work very well, but the Z's works extremely well also. The fact it will not shift up in manual mode(it holds the gear you are in) makes it different from BMW's Steptronic.

You are correct about the SMG. it is a manual transmission shifted w/o a clutch, but it also has a full auto feature, where the electronics will tell the trans to shift the gears for you. All of the transmissions I have mentioned are sequential, like a motorcycle, except you don't have an external clutch to use. This seems to be the wave of the future in manual trans(SMGs), and the Autos will have a manual mode for a company's sport models.

 

then what is the difference between MB automanual and Z's?

 

Thats telling them buddy! I beat my friends 350Z 6sp(CAI). He didnt realize my auto was so quick!

 

Nothing that I know of, other than its method of operation. Side to side for MB, up and down for the Z.

 

Alright, finally decided to get the manual rig.

Its a tough call as its 30k difference (US 8k)

I was given the choice,

a) Manual + Brembos

b) Auto and without brembos

all else are the same.

Oh well, i guess I will just leave my merc as leisure driving while Z for racing.

 

Andrew from Smithtown Nissan ran a 12.44 and is the fastest Z i know of but his is a MT, but in the real world for about 85-90% of drivers the AT will get you there faster and get you there faster more consistently. I got the MT just 'cause it's fun and i'm not worried about 1/4 mile times. The fastest car i was ever at the wheel of is my friends 87 Buick Grand National it rus low 11's and is an auto and i couldn't imagine driving that with a MT. I know i didn't make a point either way but it's just some observations.