Hi, I have a 2013 G37 with 1350 miles on it now. I had previously owned a 2005 5AT G35 sedan for 4-5 years which I sold. I noticed that going anywhere from 35-70 mph, going WOT will always downshift to third gear. Of course second gear maxes out before 70mph, but the acceleration is significantly slower when shifting to 3rd at 40mph rather than if it could go to second (the way it was in my g35).

I was curious if this was the case for all 7AT (which I imagine it is). It just felt a little annoying to me that I can lose traction going WOT at 65mph but doing the same at 40mph (the most common speed I would need to quickly accelerate at to pass someone) results in pretty sluggish acceleration due to the point in the power band it is shifting in to.

I haven't played much with it in Ds since I recently broke it in fully and don't get too many opportunities to floor the car around here. Let me know if anyone has any feedback, thanks

 

Try DS. I too have a 2013 G37X that only has 1,700 miles....but I had a 2010 G37X prior. The 2010 seemed much more willing to downshift. That said, the transmission is smoother on the 2013...no more of that hesitation when letting up on the accelerator and then resuming. I believe the transmission mapping on the 2013 is much more conservative. I suspect "DS" is our solution.....but I've not really driven my new G very hard yet.....but that will soon change :-)

 

Yeah, that's my experience too, and has been with pretty much all automatics I've ever owned - they suck the worst when you need them to perform the best - and in particular, reluctance to downshift. Did I say ATs more or less suck when you let them be automatic? Personally I find DS to be a colossal waste pile + worthlessness - it won't help here (or at least it doesn't for me). Any sort of passing maneuver below ~50 mph IMO has to be down with manually shifting/downshifting the car. Anything else is asking for trouble if not danger. Also, 2nd gear is good for only ~52 mph, so anything above that and you'll have to rely on 3rd.

 

If driving at 40mph while in D, is it save to go into MM mode and downshift to second gear? I know in my G35 this wouldn't be a smart idea, but I heard this transmission blips the throttle, but I'm not sure if downshifting to a high rpm is safe to do

 

The computer will not let you blow your engine by downshifting into a ratio that will cause your engine to exceed redline RPM. If you want to find the redline for each gear shift point drive your car at WOT and note the MPH for each shift.
Brian

 

Yes, it is safe to do.

 

thanks guys

 

Happens in my '12xS as well. I just downshift myself if I'm under 45MPH. Isn't too much of a big deal. I love how well the car pulls in third gear though :P

 

Yes, I have a 2009 G37XS and 3rd gear is awesome.

 

Instead of DS why don't you just shift up