Paddle Shift
 

Hey, I'm a proud new owner of a 370z Touring 7 speed AT and just wanted to get some feedback from other AT owners.

When you guys are in manual mode, do you hold the gas down as you shift up through the gears and not let off or do you guys treat it as a "real" manual and hit the gas, let off the gas then shift, and then hit the gas again as your going up through the gears?

Mine is still brand new and under 100 miles so I haven't really done anything too exciting yet, but I've been holding the gas down and not letting off and shifting and it pulls HARD. I love it. Just wanted some feedback from fellow owners.

And does anyone else feel that the full auto mode is sluggish as hell? I mean, I realize there are 7 gears it's going through but I've had automatics before and it just seems really sluggish to me.

Like any other auto, you don't need to lift the throttle. Manual mode just means you are telling it when to shift, but the mechanics are the same as Auto mode.

Yes, in auto mode under light throttle, the shifts are slower and smoother. I don't think shifts are any slower than other autos I've driven. I've also noticed that shifts are quick in manual mode under aggressive throttle. Kinda a jeckle/hyde thing.

The Auto definitely has a mind of its own at times it seems. It's going to take some learning and adaptation on our part to get it to always do what you expect. I think especially coming from a manual before, some of my habits have made it less smooth. I think too much change in accelerator pedal position in mid-shift actually confuses it on upshifts, from my experiences so far.

You can get very jerky or very long delayed upshifts by messing with the gas pedal between the time you hit the shift paddle and the time the next gear engages. I mostly see this at the end of a hard acceleration when I'm trying to upshift to the next gear and drop the pedal back to coast at current speed. I'm still experimenting with mine and trying to learn how to get it to always act the way I want it to.

On the other hand, common operations like flooring the pedal while requesting a downshift, or downshifting for (reasonable, not too aggressive) engine braking seem to always work pretty flawlessly as expected.

i've used the paddles a few times but since i've never driven a manual or even know how, i tend to not use it. i don't even know when to shift up or down.

Simply start by using the paddles without engaging the console shifter into manual mode that way the car will automatically adjust matters for you either way. When you have built-up enough confidence try using the console shifter manually as it is a real kick-in-the-pants, especially for an automatic. Nissan did a great job with this transmission.

No matter which way you cut it, the paddle shifters are nowhere near what a manual will feel like. It's difficult to paddle down into a curve, especially if you want to drop from 6th or 7th to 3rd or 2nd and ease off the clutch and apply gas as you are moving through the curve. It's really difficult to get the down shift to the right gear when you are worried about paying attention to the curve and can't look at the damn display. Sometimes I depress the paddle three times and it only drops two gears, sometimes more...WTF??

Since the transmission is always engaged, it revs up to the appropriate level, but it's definately not the same as a manual when you have so much more control through turns.

The one place where the paddle shifters are good is when you are at highway speed and you want to pass. Paddle down one or to gears and floor it as your passing. Instant power is ready and it feels like you've got a rocket up your a$$. This is the only time it really feels like a manual.

The paddels will let you wind out your gears further if you're accelerating from a stop, but I haven't really felt that much of a difference in performance. The engine is a lot louder, but not necessarily faster, although I haven't timed it. I can say that without using the paddles, the shift into 7th is around 120mph at around 7K RPM, so it still winds those gears out pretty good in auto mode.

-ZCarGo-

I have been so far undecided on the tranny I will go with and the major reason is that I have yet to hear whether you can accomplish a high rev launch from a standstill with the AT. Is there any way to keep it in a neutral gear, up the revs, and then drop it in? Can you hold down the shift paddle or both shift paddles or something to keep it form engaging right off the bat?

Haven't attempted this yet. More than likely, if you did this, the tires will spin and the computer will shut the engine down into impotent mode..that is unless you pressed the anti-slip button to disengage, but then all you're doing is spending money on extra tires. Often, if the tires aren't warmed up and I floor it in auto mode from a dead stop, the wheels will begin to slip and the computer will throttle down the engine.

Just face it, it's an auto tranny with a little bit of fun to it. If I didn't travel 100miles round trip in traffic for my commute I would have gotten the manual tranny. They are a heck of a lot more fun and give you the control your looking for.

My advice is to buy the manual if you don't use the car as a long commuter or aren't in a lot of stop/go traffic. If you are, the AT is a great transmission. It's very smooth and fairly responsive, especially if you downshift with the paddles prior to flooring it.

-ZCarGo-

One of the test reviews for the AT I saw they got the best results by holding the brake pedal with the left foot and revving it to around 1400 rpm.

You can do low-wheelspin launches or burnout launches with the auto in manual mode. It only depends on the revs before releasing the brake pedal.

One thing I like about the paddles is you can be in manual mode cruising in 3rd gear, then slam the accelerator to the floor and shift to 2nd and get crazy wheelspin! (I did this starting at 30mph going around a slight bend) This is more difficult to do with a manual, IMO.

If I end up getting rid of my M for this Z it will have to be the AT. My wife complains that she can't drive the M (great way to keep the car in top shape!) because it is manual. I'm trying my best to keep peace while driving something fun on the weekends.

This is what I have been doing exactly and it works perfectly! Im consistantly running 13.4's in my AT Z. I hold the break down with my left foot and rev just to about 1.5k RPMs and punch it at the same time you let off the break. Your launches will be great! I get no wheelspin most of the time and even managed a faster 60ft time than an 09 GTR this past friday night. When I say consistantly I really do mean consistantly! 8 Runs today, 7 of them were 13.4's and I had one 13.5 flat that was due to a shift just a tad late.

I've also found the best time to shift is right as your needle is hitting 7k RPMs, don't wait for it to hit 7.5 in the AT. If you have quick reflexes and shift as your needle hits 7k your clutch will engage right at about 7.2k RPMs and you'll get a pefect response from the next gear! I got a lot of crap from my buddies for going with an AT at first until they saw me put up 5 13.4 quarters back to back. That shut them up real fast!

Don't feel bad about your friends talking smack on your auto, let the car prove itself in the track. I am done with manual cars, I find more and more atractive the new modern autos. I don't blame you with your auto, I lived in San Antonio and the traffic on the 410 loop is aweful.

What package do you have?, base or Sport? Those are quick times

Hey guys I have a question.. I noticed a small jolt when I am in manual mode and slows down to a standstill around 2nd and 1st gear. I mean I won't downshift the car because in manual mode if you slow down it will just downshift to your speed. but I feel the car when it shifts to 2nd and then 1st. does you rcar do that?

I just went with the base model. Not a fan of leather and don't need the Nav system. And everything I read said the ride was smoother and handled better in the base so thats what I went with. Not missing much, and not having that extra weight from all the add-ons is nice!

oh and for the other guy if your getting a big jolt going from 2nd to 1st your prolly shifting at too high of a speed for that gear. It's the same thing in a manual car, you generally don't wanna go back down from 2nd to 1st unless your rolling under 10 mph or stopped. Any car is gonna react the same to you in that case.

It's a little annoying, but all of our cars do that. You'll notice if you pay close attention that even in "D", the car downshifts as it comes to a stop. However, in "D" it downshifts smoothly and you don't really feel it. In "M" mode the timing is different and has more jerk.

(For those that don't own one and might not understand the rest of this - the 7AT in M-mode isn't completely manual. It downshifts for you as you decelerate, but it does so at very low rpms, much lower than a human would usually downshift at)

This probably has to do with timing compromises to avoid surprising the driver in M-mode (which it still does, but they're trying). The "surprise" part that they're trying to avoid, but which can still happen sometimes, is when the car downshifts on its own a split second before you request a downshift. Like if I'm coming into a curve in 3rd, and I think "hmmm I want to be in 2nd", but a split second before I click the paddle, the car downshifts into 2nd on its own, then interprets my paddle input as a request for 1st gear. That can be really confusing. Don't forget that while in a turn, the indicator for the current gear is often obscured by the steering wheel too.

Coming down to a near-stop at a stoplight that then turns green before full-stop can be annoying in the M-mode too if you let the revs drop to the point that M-mode downshifts for you. Ends up being a lot of confusion between you and the car about what gear you want to take off in at that point.

The bottom line is that from a driver's perspective while focusing on all the other things you're doing while driving, the gear selection in M-mode at low engine rpms while decelerating is unpredictable, and therefore any further shifter input is a guessing game. The best way to handle this is quite simple: don't use M-mode for low-rpm driving. If you plan to let the revs down that far anyways, just put it back in D and save yourself some work and confusion. M-mode is for when you're *really* driving, in which case you'll be keeping the revs in the 2k+ region (at least :)), and the car won't interfere or downshift on its own.

What I'd love to see, if someone like UpRev can pull it off, would be an ECU mod that doesn't allow the M-mode to downshift for you, avoiding the confusion.

Some of this is a matter of adapting how and when you use the M-mode. If you need to drop 3 gears that fast, you were at low rpms to begin with. Start downshifting earlier and stay in the power band ;) I find that when driving aggressively and keeping the revs up, shifting through corners is very natural for me with the 7AT. If you're in 6 or 7 coming into a tight corner, you may as well just have left it in "D" :)

Another interesting thing about technique with flipping between D and M is initial gear selection. If you've been cruising at any reasonable highway-ish speed, "D" will be in 7th gear at the time. However, if you flip the lever over to "M" at that point, it immediately downshifts to 5 before giving you control (on the assumption you're taking over to downshift into a corner I guess). In situations where you don't want that, simply click the upshift paddle first before flipping the shift knob to M, and you'll stay in 7 through the transition. In general, it's easiest to make the D-to-M transition by first using the paddles in D (which "temporarily" puts it in M-mode) and then flipping the shifter to M, as it avoids surprise gear changes.

actually that's what i'm doing, just upshifting and not really trying to downshift. so when i need to down shift i just slap it back to D. but i don't do this a lot.

Hey Wstar that all makes sense and thanks for your input. Appreciate it. Nice to know that it is not only my car that is doing that jolt thing. I always drive stick so this is something new to me but I will get used to it just like you guys are. I am around 1400 miles now and wlays driving hard......

I get the 2-1 clunky downshift too. Forewarning...it gets firmer as time goes on. At almost 10k miles I have learned not to drive casually in M mode, because that downshift could make you chip a tooth.

Almost 10k miles???

And I was starting to feel bad for having 2400 on mine so far...

How are the paddle shifting? Is it pretty fast?

If you're referring to the overall topic of this thread (paddle shifters, and other related 7AT topics), then yes, it doesn't apply to manual cars.

^^I like to think that I can shift a manual very quickly. The auto shifts faster than even my best shifts (albeit not by very much) and does so with flawless consistency.

And yeah 10K miles. I drive a lot, and my commute is almost 30 miles each way. I'm trying to move closer to work. Hopefully that will cut my miles by a 2/3rds.

Hmm someone edited what I replied to earlier, my response doesn't even make sense now :p

As far as shifting speed goes, I think it's really good for an auto with paddle shifters. On a straight line, pedal to the floor - I think an experienced 6MT driver can shift faster, because those are the easiest/fastest shifts to make and there's nothing else going on. But for curvy stuff where one would be shifting "carefully" and watching car balance, etc, I think the 7AT will hold its own against a 6MT driver just fine.

wstar, have you contacted them. That would be a great mod. I would, but since I don't even have a car yet....

Well, they haven't released anything at all yet for the 370Z, and I'm much more interested in engine tuning than playing with the 7AT, so I'm not about to go accidentally suggest something that might delay the release of the tuning software even more. Hopefully they'll get it out the door soon, then we can start asking for random small features like that.

I came from an Audi S5 Sportback...I find the pedal shifters on the 370Z really "stiff"...I need to use a lot more force to flick them and I find it hard to downshift 2-3 gears quickly when I need to...I bought this car used, about 3 years old. U reckon they need some lubricating?

Hard to say since the force to click is kind of subjective, so probably nobody knows if theirs feels quite like yours even after your description. It shouldn't be hard at all to rapidly double- or triple- click the paddle shifter with your middle finger (assuming a straight steering wheel, hands at 9/3 -ish, and reasonable adult hand strength).

The dead hath arisen

I know right?

That said...


I know this guy probably isn't on the forum anymore and likely doesn't even own the Z anymore, but... he may want to consider selling his cars and never driving one ever again, as he seems to be ill equipped for it.

Hi,

I understand what you mean. It is indeed difficult to describe. But if its like what you mentioned about just using the middle finger, then I think mine should be considerable stiffer. I will need quite a bit of effort just flicking it once if I'm to use only the middle finger....it feels really "sticky"...flicking it a few times quickly will require at least 2 fingers

Maybe the previous owner spilled Coca-cola in the paddle hinges or something, who knows :) Maybe try to clean them up and lube them.

If you haven't yet, btw, search elsewhere on the forum to download the Service Manual in PDF. The image below is from section "TM", pg 291:

http://www.the370z.com/members/wstar...e-shifters.png

Anybody ever decide if this was a good idea that worked?

http://www.the370z.com/exterior-inte...-mod-ever.html

I forgot all about it and never tried it.

Thread from the grave sent me over to that mod which is a great idea!

With the one Z I have used the paddles on I was surprised at the effort needed to flick them. Then again, current/previous owners I don't think use them. I'm sure I'd get used to the feel, no matter the resistance, with repeated use.

My automatic Eclipse has "sport" mode which lets me control the gears just like the paddles, and I love it. After about a year of owning the car, I tried it out, and never went back. (I also don't know how to drive manual, but I know when to shift...!)

I have found that keeping the throttle position steady when shifting up or down has a huge impact on how smoothly the automatic reacts to your inputs. Don't approach slow turns in 7th gear or your going to have to wait a few seconds before you can be back in 2nd gear. Some of the issues sound like they are due to driving style and what I would call driver error.

When driving hard I listen to RPMs and feel how much pull I am getting out of the gear. I also try not to shift mid turn as there's enough torque to make you spin out especially if your throttle position is constantly moving. There are a lot of variables that the ECU has to keep track of so the more of them that you keep static while it's working out the shift logic then the better it will perform. Also, low rpm launches are wicked fast in the 7AT once you get the feel for it and keep traction throughout.

Hey guys I got so much crap for getting a 2009 370z touring SP fully loaded 7AT. I believe the auto is amazing but I mean I don't get it what's so much better I can go into manual mode whenever I want I stead of shifting all the time. I wish there was an auto rev or something but its amazing the way it is. Did I really mess up by getting the 7AT

The knob is 10X better then the paddles, and putting it in regular D lets u really rip through the gears. :driving:

No, you went that way I think it should be, so I'm biased.

But if you love driving manual, or someone else loves driving manual, for that feeling of being connected to the road, the experience, and being a part of a powerful machine, then you'll be inclined towards manuals. Also, people who've driven manuals for a very long time so that they could control shifting and power whenever they want may just not have lived with paddles long enough to fall in love with it.

Either way, you didn't mess up at all. Whatever makes you happy is what matters.

I am so gonna try this!!! Thanks!