E.F. VaBeach

iTrader: (2)

Agree with Mike.

My roadster is an automatic.

I'm also a Viet Nam vet, and have been in in more wars and life-threatening situations over the last 40 years than the author of the "*****" comment ever will. That comment exposes him as a wannabe weenie who has never been anywhere or done anything.

We all love our Z's and share different passions about them - that's part of the fun of this whole experience.

Posers and jerks need not participate.

SungNamZ

The "Tip Tronic" is awesome! Just ask a friend of mine, who has the 6 speed, stock Vs stock, who has the best track times.

CelticPride2

I absolutely love my manumatic...with all the traffic I hit on my morning commute, the luxury of being able to shift only when I want to is a major blessing.

zmann

In response to the "*****" remark, I continue to be amazed at the ignorance of some people and find it very sad that a perfectly legit thread with very interesting perspectives on the topic can be marred by the reckless and ill-conceived opinion of someone who would appear to need some counseling. I really hope that he was being a jerk facetiously; I would really not want to think he was serious.

But that being said, I'm intrigued about the comment of the alternative trans fluid. Also about the replacement fluid Nissan would use if service were needed. I would like to know if there is a fluid that would speed manual shifts w/o putting my car at risk. What is the risk with the Royal Purple, or whatever that was? I've never gone down that road before, so a little more specificity would help.

And I will add again at how enjoyable the manu-matic is. If you've never tried one, you owe it to yourself to do so. It is pretty darn quick.

shimz350z

i have auto and i love it!... brimaxguy(something like that-sorry for butchering your screenname) his auto hitting mid 13 1/4 mile=) stock. i do miss the feel of control of every gear like downshifting=)

but other then that i love this car....makes me feel a bit more lazy.comfortable because it's just as fast as manual(especially when you leave room for human error). don't need to try as hard lol

and i do believe leaving it in automatic rather then autostick is a tad bit quicker. But the option of using manumatic is nice.

waldoemerson

didn't know automatic is cheaper than stick, if so what is the price difference?

zmann

auto isn't cheaper. it adds something like a grand or so to base price.

swizzle

Wow... Grade 2 all over again. Apologize to Billy or else...

I don't give a damn how many AT owners are pleased with their transmission. I'm entitled to my two cents and I would NEVER buy an AT, sports car or not.

dchengmd

If you had originally expressed it that way, then you probably wouldn't have had all these people angry at you. You are entitled to your opinion, but not at the expense of the dignity of others - and your original '*****' comment was totally unnecessary and over the line.

Somebody ban this moron already. He just doesn't get it.

MY350Z.COM

iTrader: (2)

sure, that's cool that you believe in that, but it's not cool to go knockin on other people.

Reggi914

iTrader: (3)

I agree that a sports car should be stick, but today with all the new tiptronics and SMG's its different.

FairladyZ

I went from a six speed to now an auto. I love this auto.

lowrider

iTrader: (3)

In my opinion anyone who asks this question should get the automatic. Automatics are so good these days, that if you so inclined, get the auto, and you'll be happy.

There are those of us, however, who would never even give that question a thought. Automatics just aren't in our genes, we know who we are. We don't try to convince others, we just buy 5MTs or 6MTs. My last car was a very rare Lexus SC300 with a 5MT, if it was only avalaible as an automatic (like the current Lexus SC430) I would have given it a thought. Automatics are great these days, my wife has one. She can drive a stick, but perfers an automatic. More power to her. Drive what you like.

I have never owned an automatic, and I've been driving since 1956. Driven all kinds of manuals, on the 3 on the tree, 3 by the knee, 4 on the floor and etc. My truck is a stick, and of course my Harley is a 5 speed. For me, it's the interaction that I must have with the total driving experience, or I'm not happy. Yes, sometimes my clutch leg gets tired in traffic, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Lou

JonsilvZ

I'm happy with my tiptronic. If it didnt have the option to shift,then I wouldve regret it. Since its "drive by wire" it shifts according to your driving. When pushed,it shifts quick. When you want to skip shift, Like from 4th to 2nd pull the lever half way and all the way down to 2nd. It takes practice. In the future clutchless shifting(SMG) will replace clutch shifting.

joust75

iTrader: (1)

Swizzle is a moron, Glad hes gone. That said...

I have never owned an automatic and never will unless it is a truck or suv for a significant other that cant drive stick.

I bear no ill will to those who drive automatics but I still dont understand buying a sports car with an auto. A sports car is all about "driving" and I see an auto as a convenience, but something that disconnects you from the experience.
When I see a Z in auto I think its is because of one of the 3 below reasons

#1 the owner regards driving as a necessary evil (not a sport) but likes to look good doing it

#2 Person never learned to drive stick and does not want to.

#3 Person learned to drive stick but thinks they are so bad at it they are better off driving an auto.

No disrespect but I just feel an auto does not belong in a sports car. SMG yes auto no. If someone gave me a choice of driving a 911 turbo with an auto or an Z with a manual, ill take the Z every time.

Also all these people with autos say they can beat a driver with a manual, but thats either because they have mods or the driver is not experienced. I am not a pro but I am definitely a skilled driver, and If you line me up against an auto Z with the same HP hell lose every time! im not being arrogant just stating fact.

Another reason for my choice is that I have a lead foot. With a manual, thats okay. If I operate the clutch smoothly, shift nicely I can floor it everywhere and not have to worry about the tranny as long as I only floor it when the clutch is not depressed.
With an auto, flooring it means a jolting downshift and wear on the torque converter. Autos are not made to be driven hard. I would know. In highschool, my parents gave me an auto car to drive and I blew out the torque converter just buy flooring it everywhere. otherwise I treated the car like gold! BTW, its much more expensive replacing a TC than a clutch

Anyway I respect all Z owners, 5AT and 6MT alike as y'all are my brothers and sisters, but thats how I feel about auto trans.

joust75

iTrader: (1)

SMG is not clutchless. SMG is a clutch that is hydraulically controlled by a computer. A computer controlled clutch is far more efficient than a torque converter since when a clutch is engaged it is a solid conection with no give. All automatics use a torque converter which is two fans opposing eachother in a VISCOUS liquid. The fan spun by the engine has to spin a certain speed before the liquid can turn the other. That is why you can sit at a stoplight with your auto in drive and not have the engine move you. Since each fan is never mechanically connected, a great deal of kinetic energy is lost into the viscous fluid. One of the reasons autos suffer more of a drivetrain loss.
So clutches are here to stay. Its just a matter of the clutch pedal being there or not.

Chasw1269

I opted out of the manual when my roadster came in & took one with the auto. No regrets, but it's my daily driver. Would have went with 6spd if it was a 2nd car. Zmann, your car looked good at Frostywheels over the weekend, nice to see a ZR representing Middle TN Zcar club there! Can't wait until Tail of the Dragon in April.

AzNPhAtWeAr87

I have an auto. Drives great. No need to shift back and forth in traffic. Its also fast too.

Hey Ya

There are several more reasons why someone would get an auto over a manual, the following two are mine:

#4 Person goes to the dealer one day looking at Maximas (with the Z in the back of his mind) and ends up getting talked into Z, but the only ones on the lot are autos, a combination of impluse and impatience

#5 Person drives 66 miles round-trip 5 days a week in Dallas traffic.

You seem pretty confident in your driving abilities, so you are saying every time you race, you will perform flawlessly? Perfect shifts, every time? I'm not saying you wouldn't win most of the time, you "probably" would. But every time? I get criticism all the time from my friends for getting the auto. They say it's not as fast...but once they ride with me, they seem to shut up pretty quickly. I raced (and destroyed) a modded cl type-s and he had to actually look in my car to believe it was an auto.

I agree that auto repairs can be more expensive than manuals, but as for the jolting downshift, the auto tranny in the Z is very smooth. Plus if you use manual mode, you can downshift in anticipation of flooring it.

I'm not hating or flaming or anything at all, I just don't really agree with your generalizations about autos and sounding like us auto owners have a lesser car than you, there are positives to both trannys. Just my .02

Take it easy

dchengmd

I completely respect your opinion. Now, if swizzle had said what you said above, there wouldn't have been any of this flaming going on and he probably wouldn't have been banned.
I think over the next few years SMG will gradually replace the true manual transmission now that more of them are showing up in production cars and manufacturers are finding more cost-effective ways to put them in cars. It really is a superior version of a manual transmission - a hell of a lot faster than any human can shift gears. However, if you like the 'experience' of a manual and enjoy actuating a clutch, which some people do, then you might not like it as much.

Better check those facts again. It's pretty well known that stock vs. stock, in a straight line quarter mile the AT Z will beat a 6MT mainly because of closer gear ratios (5 versus 6 gears) and faster and more optimal shifting by the AT. No matter how good a driver you are, you won't be able to shift as quickly as the AT.

Just curious - have you had a chance to really drive an AT Z? Again, from most reports here and from my own personal experience I've found that the auto tranny on the 350 is one of the smoothest and most adaptive I've ever driven - meaning that when I'm at WOT the shifts are fast and smooth and at redline. When I'm taking it easy, it shifts sooner. In either situation, I haven't felt any jolts or jarring. It really is a great auto tranny.

It's all cool. I don't expect you to change your mind, and you shouldn't either. Personally, I probably would have preferred to buy a 6MT myself, except for the fact that my SO will only drive an AT (one of the reasons you listed above). The difference between you and swizzle is, of course, the respect you've shown for everyone here.