I won't be modding the hell out of it. I am more of a car audio guy but I was reading up on this side of the forum and was impressed with the numbers people are getting from basic NA mods.

I am interesed in the alpha works headers once more people put them on and show their dynos.

It would be nice to know I can take on WRX's and maybe eventually I will be able to take my friends 04 Lightning without FI

 

For all the 5AT 350z users......

do u guys use the "sport shift thing on ur tranny?( +/- gear)
do u guys find it useful at all???

just curious to ask... how much if i swap my tranny to 6MT??

 

I sent mine to Edge......888-350-3343

 

I dont use it. I have tried it at the track and it just slows me down. I think the auto mode shifts at just the right times.

 

hey... i noticed that u installed Injen exhaust on ur 5AT 350z....

how do u feel the exhuast on 5AT car??
coz I'm planning to do the same...

 

Using the manual mode will get you the fastest times because you can choose when to change gears like a manual. Being in auto mode does not give you the fastest shifts, thats why they made the manual mode for better performance. Thats why some auto's these days can stay up with the manuals. You just have to learn how to shift it right. You have to shift it alittle before it gets to the rpm you want to change gear at, because when it shifts to the next gear, for like a tenth of a second it keeps climbing up alittle in the rpms. Once you learn, you will not a good chuck off your e.t..

 

the AT is almost as fast as the 6MT in this car, and can handle more horsepower

Go ahead and mod

I made 360whp with my stillen stage 3, other heavy mods, and my 5at still was stock and not struggling at all

 

Thats all i use...i find it easier...and i also find i have more control of the car....there is no way i am going to drive the car in automatic...only on highway use but even then i alwyas find myself going back to manual mode...im a very spirited driver u could say...i should have gotten manual but the price i got the Z for was unbeleiveable and now i found out that our trannys can handle up to 400whp correct? i kinda just wanna upgrade it alittle more for more firm shifts...i am constantly in manual mode though...its the best way to go...from downshifting into turns to downshifting to slow the car down itself....once you learn how to use the manual mode you are is in your hands completely...but it takes some time....ive been driving in manual mode for over a year now and ive mastered it down to the last touch....but now i got thrown off cause i got my ecu reflashed and now i rev up to 7k...so shifting isn't by ear anymore...im alittle off with my shifts...and i dont climb that high as often...but when i do i stay up in the powerband alot more and gets me going quicker i think.....MANUAL MODE ALL THE WAY, ive taken a few manual 350z's and i have also taken a 97' camaro z28, only because when he dropped to 1st gear he was all over the road...i took off like a rocket when i dropped to 1st....i find it harder to break traction at times also....but over all the manual mode is the way to go if you do drive an automatic...

Ben

 

same here, constantly using the manny

 

yup . i use the manual mode all the time. I have learned to rev-match when downshifiting, time my doubleclicks whiledownshifting and revmatch, throttlecontrol to get the smothest shifts and even rev while in gear. I just installed my invida g200 exaust today and am waiting for some replacement bolts so i can install tien s-techs.

Mod away!

so far i have ...

JWT Popcharger
Z-enterprise grounding kit
Invidia G200 (true-dual / titatnium tips) exaust
Axis Mod 7 (20" Dubz) w/ Nitto NT555
Tien S-Techs springs ( need to install them..)

I'll probably install UR pullies and hotchkiss sways next....

...Hmm .Ok I think i'm Mod-a-holic....

 

wow... thx for ur reply.....

hmm... can u give me some idea how to use the +/-tranny "efficiently"....

coz i just started to learn the +/- mode... and i feel the car is not smooth as the auto mode...

so.... i dunno...
at what rpm u upshift gear?? and at what rpm u downshift the gear to stop the car??

Thx~

and BTW.... it is a good idea to replace a new exhaust for 5AT 350z??

 

What's rev-match?? (sry...i'm a car newbie )

and isn't double-click downshifting will make the rpm turn so high??

 

Wow... Apparently all you AT tranny guys are running on fairy dust as no stock 5AT could beat a skilled 6MT driver, I'm sorry ^_^. As for mods, I dont see why not. I am sure you have your reasons for getting an auto, guess age has caught up with ya. I would use the search function and check out the various AT components available.

 

Not age, but wisdom. Why spend so much money to go to the track and misshift and lose it all. I have seen this happen plenty of times. Auto trannys most be starting a tread or companys would'nt be working so hard to perfect them. Even the manual tranny car companys that do good manual trannys are trying to perfect the manual into a auto, examples: BMW SMG, Volkswagon DSG, Ferrari, Aston Martin, etc. I like manuals too, but there old technology that will be replaced soon by automated manual cars that have no clutch pedal. I would rather have that tranny in my car anyday.

 

Ditto! Waiting for response back from Level10 on Valve Body and Torque Converter upgrade.

 

yeah, its pretty simple....the manual mode isn't going to be as smooth as automatic mode, it kinda gives you the 6mt feel but at an ease without a clutch but with a torque converter....
i upshift around 4k maybe more possible 7k depends how much i wanna hear ;-) from the VQ35DE and my popcharger and kinetix plenum ...i love the sound of my car soo i just drive normally i noticed the shifting in the automatic to be alot less decisive and not smart at all...like ill go through a gear but the automatic will want to go all the way to redline almost and i wont want to soo it hangs up at high rpms for awhille.....i hate it so i just drive the car in manual mode (+/-) downshifting is usually down around 3k where the computer lets you downshift...whats nice is the computer wont let the car overrev...so u dont have to worry about that...but downshifting to 1st gear is usually done at 3k and the revs usually pop up to 5k or less....depends...when i downshift i tap the gas to "rev-match" to get the revs up so it doesn't put alot of stress on the tranny...more or less when you tap the stick to downshift it takes a second to respond...and more or less it kinda drops it to neutral and then pops it into gear but its done alot smoother than just hitting the stick and letting the car downshift on its own...hard to explain...but im trying...if u got any other questions or problems with my explanation just let me know ill try and post again and explain further in depth...good luck though...just takes practice...but let me know, hope this helps

Ben

 

fairy dust....? I run mid 13'z with my automatic, and ill tell u that over 75% of the manual drivers in this forum cant even break into 14's... on a highway run it mite be different cause of the gearing but not in the 1/4 mile. perfectly driven the manual beat the auto, true, but only by like .1 of a second in the quarter. but trust me time after time after time majority of the runs will be won by the auto cause of the lack of mistakes that can happen.

 

Well, I have a 5AT and it is quite heavily modified. I still do not have a TC or VB upgrade, but do have the 6MT FD. The guys with the 6MT think their car is faster because of the tranny, but they are wrong. The FD is making all the difference. This 5AT is simply a very good transmission and when you put the same FD in as the 6MT, which btw is still less aggressive than the 6MT, the 5AT car will walk on the 6MT car even with a perfect pass by the 6MT car. The 5AT car does need to have a switch for the torque management system, which decreases power to the wheels when the brake and gas pedal are being applied at the same time. Without this switch, the 5AT will not launch worth a damn. One can also pull the fuse while racing, which will do the same thing. With 19" wheels, the stock 5AT FD and no switch installed or fuse pulled, I ran a 13.5 with a 2.09 60ft and a 105mph trap speed. Since I live in Iowa, our local track closed quite a while ago and so I have to wait a few months before I can see what my times will be with the switch, 3.5 FD and hopefully some DRs. I personally think I will break into the 12s N/A.

 

where in Iowa do you live ? Im in Omaha Ne . With the Vortech SC and a Edge torque converter on my AT5 . My best is at Scribner...stock SC pulley.....13.2@105 with a 2.0 60ft....and 3.12 pulley at 9lb's of boost...12.98@108 with a 1.98 60ft....both on street tires . Im making 351whp on a Mustang Dyno...add 10 to 12 % for a dynojet and its 385 to 390 whp . I would like to know where you raced at ? and see some of your time slips with a N/A car running them times .

 

I race at the Cedar Falls Raceway. I live near Waterloo Iowa. If you are hitting low 13s ,high 12s with 2second 60ft times, then you have a lot more potential than my car in N/A form. My times are real and not unreasonable. If I had a scanner I would post them. So far my biggest issue has been at launch, but I have never had the opportunity to try the switch or fuse since I read about it after the Raceway closed for the winter. I plan to get a set of wheels and DRs for next year and possibly a VB upgrade. I am not sure if I will hit high 12s or not, but the 3.5FD really made quite an impact on acceleration in the first three gears as well as smoother faster shifts. I guess the only way I will know is to wait until next year.