ahh, I see this getting into another 6mt vs. 7at flame war, im backing out while I still can. :)

Hey guys... remember we are looking for track related comparisions, not just the typical MT vs AT.....

Thanks for the input thus far!

Since there is no evidence to support one argument over the other, you would have to look into examples from other cars. I can't think of any sports-car offered with both a manual and conventional automatic where the automatic proved to be faster around a road-course.

I can't see why the Z would be any different. Based off conventional wisdom, this holds true until proven otherwise.

I completely agree... No question about it.

... Dont want to go there... but although 1 might be semi-accurate. 2 certainly is not... maybe its faster than your grandma w/ the 6mt but I doubt it :p

It (7AT) shifts faster than the 6MT, when viewing the entire process...ie, let off gas, drop clutch, shift, enguage clutch + gas...

The whole process is faster.

I can see the AT edging out the MT in a 1/4 mile race, but not around an actual course/track. There's just not enough control with the AT for it to beat even a semi-competent MT driver. Not a knock on the AT, but that's just how it is.

I guess it'd depend on the track.

Even then the margins would be pretty small, I'd imagine.

The AT shifts at about 500 milliseconds...

Thats a LOT ... compared to a competent MT driver... And lift off... kick in... gear change... engage is all done in ONE motion...

From what I've read, the best manage around 300 milliseconds but most aren't going to match that.

Point is - you CAN... and its something you perfect from driving your car... not to mention... you can knock off more time on the shift if you were to do some clutch / flywheel upgrades...

While Autos have come a long way from what they used to be... its still not good enough for me to replace my driving habits...

Professional drivers do something called a clutch-kick shift, its a quick stomp of the clutch, pull gear through neutral, release and gas simultaneously, this can be done in a fraction of a second, so the "Auto is faster" debate is unfounded. Hell even I can do it, and im not exactly a professional, a little bit of practice and it can be done.

btw, here is a simple example, the music is kinda gay, but you get the point...
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right around 4-500 milliseconds..

Theres a big diff on the track between a 7AT and a dual clutch box.....you can't compare a nissan 7at with a porsche pdk.

Thanks for that, Red. I also read, in Car & Driver I think, that they had issues with the 7AT not wanting to drop down 2 gears when requested. I can't see how the 7AT could best a manual on the track with a competent driver.

Who are you referring to?

If it's me, I'm not comparing the 7AT to a dual-clutch setup, or even saying anything about them.

I'm just saying that that the 7AT shifts faster than a manual.


I'm also curious what will happen when boost is involved, specifically turbo's where it's more noticable that boost would be lost due to having to let off the gas to hit the clutch, shift and go back in.

I can shift my truck fast. My Z still shifts faster.