AT really has an MT feel to it
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From: Charlotte, NC
You know I'd wager at least 7 out of 10 people on this board have some concern about performance.. hell that's why you bought a G37 and not a A5, IS250 or TL. The G had more HP and thrill. All I'm saying is that the best transmission tech today is not manual, it's a fast changing inteliigent semi-automatic transmission. It's faster than manual and you don't have to move your left foot or take a hand off the wheel. If you're after performance how could you want less?
Now if your a classic purist and like the involvement manual delivers that's fine... To me however the ideal transmission for a lux sport couple is a semi-automatic so you can have the best of both worlds which is the goal of the cars design. The G's current auto only marginally accomplishes this and as I see it is the greatest area in need of improvement...not HP.
Now if your a classic purist and like the involvement manual delivers that's fine... To me however the ideal transmission for a lux sport couple is a semi-automatic so you can have the best of both worlds which is the goal of the cars design. The G's current auto only marginally accomplishes this and as I see it is the greatest area in need of improvement...not HP.
As for a semi-automatic transmission.....a purist wouldn't have it. It's just not the same thing. We NEED a clutch pedal. We NEED the engine to stall if we do nothing but hit the brake pedal and stop the car. It might not make sense to you, but believe me when I say that there are people who understand exactly what I'm talking about.
Nostalgia? Come on now..... you're obviously not a MT guy. If you were, you wouldn't say something so silly. There's simply no transmission on earth that gives you the complete control of your car the way a manual transmission does.
Some are confusing terms and technology.
The G has a an automatic gear box with Torque converter.
The GTR has a dual clutches manual tranny. If you understand the difference you can't say they are "automatic" because they aren't. They are a computer operated clutch. And a dual clutch box is near seamless.
I got an AT because I wanted the color and chose MT on my last car. I can say it doesn't feel anything like MT. It's not bad but the response is slower and if you think the computer trying to save gas by going to the lowest RPM everywhere is like an MT...well I can't help you.
The G has a an automatic gear box with Torque converter.
The GTR has a dual clutches manual tranny. If you understand the difference you can't say they are "automatic" because they aren't. They are a computer operated clutch. And a dual clutch box is near seamless.
I got an AT because I wanted the color and chose MT on my last car. I can say it doesn't feel anything like MT. It's not bad but the response is slower and if you think the computer trying to save gas by going to the lowest RPM everywhere is like an MT...well I can't help you.
Yeah, the waters are muddy with all the different type of transmissions available today. It can be difficult to know exactly how a particular trans works without reading up on it. But to me, any transmission that has the ability to shift for itself is an automatic. Hell, remember how long ago BMW had their sequential gearboxes? They were basically a true manual trans with a clutch and all, but it could shift automatically...so in my mind it was still an automatic.
I've tried to warm up to many different versions of these "manumatic" transmissions, but none of the cars I've ever driven gave me nearly the enjoyment of driving a true manual trans car. There's just no way to replace the old tried and true MT in my opinion.
Any car where the gears are shifted for you with no driver intervention (regardless of it has a manual mode) is an automatic. Whether it is a torque converter, DSG, SMG, tiptronic, etc. does not matter. It is still automatic
the English word automatic
derived from the Greek word automatos, αὐτόματος (self-moved ('automatic'); spontaneous)
A manual vehicle is one where the gears will not shift EXCEPT with driver intervention. A hydraulic sequential transmission is a manual. A traditional H gearbox is a manual. There is nobody doing the gear changing except yourself.
The GTR may have clutches, but it is still an automatic. Paddle shifted Ferraris are automatic. Exclusion of a clutch pedal does not make a car an automatic; there are clutchless manual transmissions.
F1 cars are a grey area, since the upshifts are done automatically, but the downshifts are not.
the English word automatic
derived from the Greek word automatos, αὐτόματος (self-moved ('automatic'); spontaneous)
A manual vehicle is one where the gears will not shift EXCEPT with driver intervention. A hydraulic sequential transmission is a manual. A traditional H gearbox is a manual. There is nobody doing the gear changing except yourself.
The GTR may have clutches, but it is still an automatic. Paddle shifted Ferraris are automatic. Exclusion of a clutch pedal does not make a car an automatic; there are clutchless manual transmissions.
F1 cars are a grey area, since the upshifts are done automatically, but the downshifts are not.
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From: Charlotte, NC
As for a semi-automatic transmission.....a purist wouldn't have it. It's just not the same thing. We NEED a clutch pedal. We NEED the engine to stall if we do nothing but hit the brake pedal and stop the car. It might not make sense to you, but believe me when I say that there are people who understand exactly what I'm talking about.
I understand the challenging aspect of operating a MT, the chance for failure, the proving of ones technique being better then anothers and therefore "better driver." I can see that. Kind of like the guys that like swords and hated guns.. killed the honor in fighting and evened the field of play. Maybe now you can understand why I called that nostalgic.
Racing today however seems just as competitive as before even without clutch pedals... I think they just go faster now. He'll in Nascar they pretty much never leave 4th while racing anyway.
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I'm sure I'm crazy 
I know how to drive a manual, my last one was a WRX and I took a spirited canyon road drive to work every morning. My first test drive of a G was in a manual and I drove it like I stole something and having not driven stick in 8+ years me and the sales guy were impressed.
It's as if the AT wants to go fast, if you drop RPMs it has that 'manual feel', I can't explain it any other way, that has me reaching/thinking to downshift (so I paddle it), sort of the 'jerky' feeling that you are not driving the car properly/smoothly, which could be the case.
Am I crazy? DSRM?
I know how to drive a manual, my last one was a WRX and I took a spirited canyon road drive to work every morning. My first test drive of a G was in a manual and I drove it like I stole something and having not driven stick in 8+ years me and the sales guy were impressed.
It's as if the AT wants to go fast, if you drop RPMs it has that 'manual feel', I can't explain it any other way, that has me reaching/thinking to downshift (so I paddle it), sort of the 'jerky' feeling that you are not driving the car properly/smoothly, which could be the case.
Am I crazy? DSRM?
Just my .02
Let me clarify that in no way am I saying you are a crappy driver as I don't even know you, but rather that driving a stick around town normally is not like driving a car seriously hard where you might be challenging thresholds.
Last edited by dillyyo; Jun 29, 2010 at 11:07 PM. Reason: clarification
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The performance is nice, but that's not why I purchased this car. If performance was really a concern, the G37 wouldn't even be on my list. But just for the sake of argument, I can absolutely guarantee you that I drive my 6MT just as fast or faster than an otherwise identical 7AT. The whole "can't shift faster than an automatic" argument is weak because there are other factors at play here. A manual trans is a direct mechanical link with less parasitic drivetrain losses. That fact in itself gives the 6MT an advantage over the 7AT. The 7AT does have the advantage of an extra gear ratio, but I haven't compared the ratios between the two transmissions, so I'm not sure if it's really an advantage or not.
As for a semi-automatic transmission.....a purist wouldn't have it. It's just not the same thing. We NEED a clutch pedal. We NEED the engine to stall if we do nothing but hit the brake pedal and stop the car. It might not make sense to you, but believe me when I say that there are people who understand exactly what I'm talking about.
As for a semi-automatic transmission.....a purist wouldn't have it. It's just not the same thing. We NEED a clutch pedal. We NEED the engine to stall if we do nothing but hit the brake pedal and stop the car. It might not make sense to you, but believe me when I say that there are people who understand exactly what I'm talking about.
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From: Charlotte, NC
Couldn't agree with you more. I don't understand how some people claim the G to be a sports car. Maybe by definition, but any real sports car owner will tell you no way. Now keep in mind this does not include modded out G37s with redone suspensions and engines. I have yet to see how it would perform, but my guess is pretty nice, just more GT "sports car"
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You know you like a car when you can't wait till the engine blows just so you have an excuse to build a long block up!
As far as the tranny goes I'm still kicking my self in the azz for ever thinking of my wife who barely ever touches the car. AT is not bad, but I want a stick when I upgrade with an SC or TT and suspension. with 80k on my G now trade in is not really an option.
The performance is nice, but that's not why I purchased this car. If performance was really a concern, the G37 wouldn't even be on my list. But just for the sake of argument, I can absolutely guarantee you that I drive my 6MT just as fast or faster than an otherwise identical 7AT. The whole "can't shift faster than an automatic" argument is weak because there are other factors at play here. A manual trans is a direct mechanical link with less parasitic drivetrain losses. That fact in itself gives the 6MT an advantage over the 7AT. .
If you look at the dynos posted on this board, and the 370 boards you will see there is negligible drivetrain loss diffrence between the 5AT and 6MT ... holds true also for 7AT and 6MT