Hey all,
Just wanted to start off by saying that I know absolutely nothing about cars. I have been driving for the past 10 years, but was never interested in cars (maybe cause I was just driving an old civic).

Anyways, now that I have a new g37x, I was motivated to learn more about cars and the first step I decided to take was to learn how to "properly drive" a semi-auto (tip tronic?) car. I have just been playing around the DS mode and the shifts but I am worried I might be messing up the car.

Any tips will be well appreciated. Please help me unleash at least some of my g37's potential

Thank you all!

P.S. mods, I accidentally posted this on Coupe. Please erase that thread please.

 

The tip mode lets you select a gear you want to be in. The car has 7 gears, you usually start off in 1st, the higher you go in gear the more speed you have but less power, if you go lower gears, you'll have more power but less speed. You have to go try it out to feel it haha, or play a car game like gran turismo and you'll understand it.

 

Just drive in DS mode but without manually shifting and observe what the car does. Honestly though you wont wreck anything in DS mode, if you try to shift up to early, or down too late, the car will beep at you and you wont be able to do it. Drive how you want! whatever makes you happy. Congratz on the g

Oh ya, and since you have an X (like me) dont try and do donuts or burn out or anything like that! not that ive tried but it realllly messes with the AWD!

 

if you leave it in DS mode without changing any gears the car will feel more 'aggressive', meaning it will stay in lower gears and higher rpm's so that when you press the pedal you'll feel the power. regular D mode stays in higher gears and lower rpm's to be a bit more comfortable and primarily do a lot better of fuel efficiency. when you shift the gears manually through either paddle shifters or the shifter, you can choose what gear to go in, with some limitation. it wont let you drop to first gear if youre cruising in like 4th gear and it wont let you go to second gear from fifth straight on, you'd have to go fifth down to fourth down to third then down to second. other than that it is a lot of fun when you want a bit more kick, all you do is down shift. plus it feels like youre driving the car, not just steering and pressing a pedal. im relatively new to cars too, im 18 and have only been driving for 2 years now. got the g37 around april and still have fun with it. i drive an automatic g37x too. mine's just a coupe lol
good luck and have fun
what i love about the g37 is that its got a lot of power that you can control but it can also run very smoothly when you are tired or have guests in your car.

 

Page 5-17 of the Coupe Manual(dunno about Sedan Manual) tells you about how and when to shift gears.

Try looking into it.

 

It's fairly easy, just hit the up shift when you start out, and go up as you see/hear the RPM going too high.. you rarely need to downshift since if you come to a stop the car will downshift for you back to 1st/2nd.

 

Is the tip-tronic anything comparable to a manual? (performance wise). Or just by its design, is it inferior to manual when it comes to performance?

 

when at the stop light move the shifter to the left then tap it down once. proceed to press the excellerator all the way down once the light turns green. when the rpms reach 6k press the shifter up one and it will shift into 2nd gear when the rpms are at 7k. repeat this process until the speedometer shows 150mph.

 

lol that is Only when you want to drive Really aggressively.
Not recommended on the first 1000 miles of your new car. (Break in period)

 

The manual doesn't tell me whether I should lift off of the throttle or not when I up shift. I've always done that with my previous car, but was told that it is not necessary to lift off when I test drove a Mitsubishi Ralliart. However, the G doesn't have a DSG so I wonder whether that applies or not.

 

Don't need to let off the throttle to shift gears

 

If you are still a rookie driver, don't drive with the VDC off. There's a button on the left bottom by your steering wheel to turn it off. VDC basically stands for Vehicle Dynamics Control. It controls your car's traction and stability.

If you turn it off and you make sudden turns or changes in direction at higher speeds, you will lose control if you are not a professional driver. Some professional drivers even find it hard to control the car when the VDC is turned off.

Lastly, to even avoid any troubles, just don't drive too fast, keep your car in good shape, avoid distractions like cell phones, and watch out for other drivers and road conditions.

 

I've always considered myself a safe driver so there is no worries regarding how "reckless" I will drive my g37. However, I was looking for something like this !!

As I was getting on a ramp to a freeway, I gave this a shot and it was just awesome. Never knew the engine sounded so perfect at rpms of 6~7k. Of course once I got to the designated speed of 75mph (yes I know, I am afraid to speed by much), I just cruised along, happily smiling.

As for the VDC, I will keep my VDC on until I can find a wide open space where I can play around for sure.

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So other than not letting off the gas to shift and shifting up (down?) at 6~7k, any other tips?

Is it still a good idea to shift down as I get into a corner to boost my rpm?

Thanks guys!

 

yes. although you dont have to, it will automatically bring up engine rpms to match the gear and assist in slowing the car down. while in D the transmission does this automatically to a certain degree. you can manually do it if you want more engine breaking at a higher rpms.

 

great thread, still trying to get used to the manual shifting and looking forward to trying this out. I've always had a manual with the clutch and still trying to enjoy this as much. Hope this helps! Love the car though, already at 4000 miles 5 weeks in! LOL