Got the update...

shift flare is STILL there..

but harsh down shifts and that rubber band feeling of dragging when coasting to a stop are much less prevalent. Car feels much more like my wife's '08 G35x 5AT (a tranny I consider to be VERY smooth and NORMAL)

Occasional "felt" downshifts... but better than before.. we'll see...

I don't feel like the car is "lighter" or "heavier" than before.. feels like the same car accelerating under mild/moderate/aggressive pedal mashing...

 

PeteB: You seemed so excited when the Dealer called and then you were disappointed. This so called "fix" is not a cure all. I don't experience these Flares...Maybe I'm stupid, but can you or someone describe exactly what happens in these Flares: in D Mode or DS mode? when accelerating (RPM increases is normal of course,) is just occuring while cruising??

I am overall disappointed - I CAN"T STAND THIS LAG/HESITATION. Either in D or DS mode. I hate that the tranny goes so easly into the torque converter at low speeds (too high a gear for mileage increases). makes it feel buttery for the lack of a better term.

Man, I miss my 07 G35X - what a mistake not buying that car in June when I decided to get the "better and newer" 2010 G37X. I should have read this forum more thoroughly before leasing the new one. Too late for that.

I am going to continue to bug my Dealer, Infiniti's Corporate office, and post on the forum, until they come up with a real FIX for this. I know it's the extra gears in the 7 AT, and now after the Reflash, it shifts smoother, and the coasting to a stop - yes, less jerky now, - but to me - almost too loose, if you know what I mean. It feels much less Sportier in DS mode too!! Enough rambling... sorry for that.

 

The Flare I get is when crusing and after it shifts,Car kinda jumps and the RPM's go ut a few hundred and then go back down..

 

Almatti,

After cruising some more in the car today -- I am happy with the upgrade. The rubber band lag/drag feeling is 80% gone and the downshifts are smoother... stop and go bumper to bumper traffic is still not perfect -- the tranny still seems confused or flustered with all the shifting, but i've come to get used to it, and it's certainly no worse, and probably a bit better.

I don't care about DS mode as I never use it, but I guess i would be frustrated to know the sportiness of it was gone if that's an important feature for someone.

Again, happy with this upgrade and I really like how the car drives now.

 

Going in on Monday for the TSB update. Not sure if any of you have seen it...but I will get a copy of TSB and post it up here for you all to view.

I'll let you know what I think!

 

Agreed. That's what I did and it did the trick for me (or at least satisfied my personal issues w/ the 7AT). After installing my CAI I disconnected the battery for several hours to wipe clean the "driving style" memory and then ran the car hard several times (i.e., aggressively went through the gears in both DS and D mode). Since then the car has been much more responsive (and less jerky between gears) and a lot more aggressive in how it accelerates (almost too aggressive in DS mode in that it holds on to the lower gears almost too long but that's my fault as I was probably overly aggressive when I was "re-training" the computer!). I still have one issue though...the crazy downshift while in DS mode (when going from like 30mph to a hard stop) is still a problem but I've learned to adapt to it. So, my advice is to try wiping clean the "driving style" memory before applying the TSB.

 

Took my car back for the third time due to the hard shift between the 3rd and fourth gear. They discovered the transmission fluid to be about a quart low. They said that would cause the hard shift when the car was cold. We will see tomorrow morning. The car was very smooth on the drive home. All upgrades have now been done on this transmission.

 

The ECU learning this car does is simply monitoring output sensors to adjust input actuators and these are primarily around fuel and timining performance.. not shift patterns. The transmission intelligence is fixed, however it is adaptive to the enviroment. By monitoring sensors it can tell if your in a curve or going up a hill or if your stepping on it or driving normally and shifts according to that realtime situation. Once you realize this it's kind of nice because you can predict what it will do, know the speed a gear shift will occur in any situation.

You can easily test this... rest ECU, then drive it like a grandma for 2 days. Notice the midrange gear shifts and tendancy to pick a high gear. Then step on it and you'll notice redline gear shifts, brake hard you have agressive engine braking. Or drive it like a mad man for 2 days, and then drive it like a grandma.. what's this... it's shifting midrange now and picking a high gear... doesn't it know me.. I'm a mad man. Get my point.

You don't need a history of aggressive driving, it reacts realtime to how you drive it and the current enviroment.

 

Several days now into driving this car after the TSB, I continue to be happy with it.

It's weird to let off the accelerator and coast and NOT have the dragging feeling... almost have to re-learn how to drive this car like a normal car drives... no engine dragging to a stop anymore, sweet.

I have yet to have a harsh downshift, and throttle response is as responsive as it ever was...acceration under moderate to hard throttle is quick, smooth, and quick shifting .. no complaints.

Still get that occasional shift flare, but it doesn't seem as prolonged as it did before.

 

RedG37NC: Your signature line refers to a 5AT? Are your comments (are they scientific/engineering based?) relating to the 7 AT in 09s and 10s? When you say drive it like Grandma for 2 days and then drive it like a madman for 2 days and experience the difference in the shifts, is that after a another ECU Reset or solely the one reset and then do drive like this?

A Message to all that are commenting on this: the one equalizer is that we are all using Premium Fuel, Right?? I always do and it would impact how the car drives especially following Red's comments about the ECU adaptions to the Timing performance.

 

There is a long history on this forum about my '09 transmission issues following the previous reflash and how it essentially neutered my car. I have been waiting for another new flash for 1.5 years now and on the fence with this one. I wish I had not been one of the first for the last flash as I have been paying for it since. This is one time I'm glad to wait as clearly there is a lot of people with differing views on this one. Keep the comments coming -> thanks!

 

I always use 93 OCT,, By they way tranny is getting worse shifts are constantly bounching around, car is lurching a lot and tranny fells like it slips intp gear, I guess thats the rubber band affect?

 

Rubber band effect is more like as you are coming to a stop the car feels like it should be coasting but in reality the engine is slowing the car down.

If you've ever driven a manual tranny car and dropped it into a lower gear too quickly, its the same feeling.....engine RPMs go up and you feel like you are going to slide out of the seat into the windshield (not that extreme, but thats the direction it takes). Thats the "engine breaking" that everyone is talking about that gets fixed by the tranny flash.

True "slipping into gear" is more like you'll be driving a long and when it needs to upshift you can watch the tach rise up a lot while the tranny goes from one gear to the next. I dont think thats what you are experiencing, but if it is it sounds more like an actual transmission issue.

 

Just one reset, the myth out there is that if you drive the car agressively after a ECU reset it will somehow train the car to perform more agressively. The point is a history of driving agressive isn't going to change the behavior of the car, it reacts to realtime stimulus and the enviroment. The learning it does is around fuel and timing to avoid knock and maximize fuel economy. Getting a tune can make that lean more towards maximizing power vs fuel economy. I was getting 20Mpg, now I get 19Mpg and the car is possessed in comparison and yes I noticed the transmission became more responsive, basically because the engine did.

The specifics of the sensors it monitors are in the 5AT service manual TM-79-86, the same would hold true for the Jatco 7AT that was based on it. The technology is called Adaptive Shift Control and is pretty common in AT transmissions today, Chrysler had a patent on it in 1989. Dealers oversell this as the "car learning how you drive." implying a memory when it's really just reacting to current simulus and the enviroment. A more accurate statement would be the car knows when you're driving it agressively and in a sporty mode vs normally and would prefer fuel economy.

 

hawkeye: What is a CAI?