Don't be ghey...play with a stick

The only thing the auto needs are stronger clutches and transmission cooler. It doesn't need much more as long as you are staying at around 550hp at the crank.

the only thing the Z needs is a good driver. :icon17:

I love my 7at and paddle shifters. I'll let ya know how it does in autocross this spring. :driving: Oh and the reason I got a 7at is cause my friend kenchan has a stick;-) Ken you are the forum :postwhore: :leghump:

The 7AT is quite good. I use my Z as a DD so the auto is quite nice to have. No issues with spirited driving and kicking the rear end out with the 7AT. I'm learning how to use it better now as I have 5k miles on the car at this point.

There is a slight delay when you jump on the gas vs. a 6MT, but you can work around it. When you put the car in "D" it drives and shifts smooth as butter and when you put it in manual mode it's still a blast to drive.

No regrets but if you are not using the Z as a DD and just a weekend toy, get the 6MT as it can allow for a more connected feel and is a bit more fun.

Oh and I agree with someone else who posted...having a 6MT makes it easier to tell the ladies they can't drive the car. :D

... and this:

Actually one of these helps also. http://www.sitnews.net/JuneAllen/KFD...KFD-Badge-.jpg hoping this comes out

manual.

:tup:

7AT...very responsive and quick shifts. I love the downshifts, can't wait to get an exhaust on.

Ah good point, I should have mentioned I put a small secondary air cooler in for my tranny fluid a while back, that's been helpful too. I used Stlilen's kit, but then ended up replacing bits of it as their kit sucks (the hose diameters aren't right for mating with our stock lines :P).

i absolutely love my 7 speed Auto Z, idc who you are, what you drive...manuel or auto, if you just love the car in general, then feeling connected or in tune with the car feels that much more. despite what transmission one may have. i took one of my buddies for a test drive in mine, he was a big big skeptic on the auto vs manuel as well, "oh manuel is better hands down" blah blah blah..... hit the gas and from my driveway to the top of the hill (in manuel mode using the paddle shifters) it put him back in his seat. all he could say was "omg! omg! OMG!!!!!" this thing really does have power afterall!" 0-125 mph.

same thing goes for another work buddy of mine. took him for a test drive as well, he said the same thing "its a freaking auto, its not fast." ... i just looked at him and said "ok.. ok /..ok whatever you say" and i hit the gas to the floor..sending this guy to the back of his seat. afterwards he said the same thing "wow! this thing does actually got some power for being an automatic haha it felt like i was floating in mid air!"

i love the purr of the engine, the growl of the throttle. the agility this car has... incredible for an affordable price.

I couldn't live with an automatic, personally. That's not a sports car to me. Hell, I actually wish they wouldn't make sports car with automatic options because that's why you see so many 50 year old women driving mustangs.

And no, I don't have any rhyme or reason as to why I think that, it's just something I've always thought. Even if the automatic is faster, more convenient, etc, I could never allow myself an automatic in a sporty car like the Z.

Similar thing happened with my friends. They wouldn't believe that the auto was as fast as or faster than the manual.......until they drove it. They also thought I should have gotten the G37 instead of the 370Z...........until they drove it :stirthepot:

Call me old fashion... I picked the manual gearbox for the pure enjoyment. IMHO, it's a sports car and should be a manual. Yes the AT is very good, but it never really entered into my mind to choose one. My car is not a daily driver and if it was, it may have influenced me more.

So, I'm happy. Having it parked for almost 6 months of the year just gives me more anticipation to get in and go up through the gears when I do drive her.

:twocents:

there arent very many Z's around here where i live, and the only other's ive seen is a pearl white 350z that blows through gas like no tomorrow whenever he see's me (we flippin go to same college grow up lol) and the other is owned by a 75 year old father whose Z is TT.

funny thing about the G37.... cuz after i bought my Z, i had all these ppl coming to me asking for advice on different cars to get.

the guy drove the used G35 and said the dealer said that the Z and the G35 had the same engine and performs like the Z. it just isnt a Z. its a G35.

he ended up getting a geniesis Coupe.

:icon17:

They are similar, but still different. If you prefer extra space and comfort, the G would be a better choice. If you prefer performance and driving experience, the Z is the better choice.

i wanted the Z ever since i first saw it on the web. a few years back, a flare that grew into a burning flame when i came across the 370z back in jan-feb 2011. and when i test drove one, i was even more hooked. heck when i just sat in it, it just felt right, felt perfect. bought i early april (April 2nd, 2011)..still have the receipt for it =)

people appreciate the Z i think a tad bit more .... because you just dont see very many of them around. Mustangs, Comaro's exc..... are everywhere. when the Z rolls by.... (especially at the local McDonalds high school hangout) heads turn. tons of people come to me in awe of it, because it brings back memories of their old 240's exc..

i love performance. the Z was it...... think of it like this.... i was on the verge of buying a 2011 mustang GT 5.0 mustang. (monday of the next week) and something just kept telling me.... get your Z.... get what you really want!. bought the Z on saturday. called the ford guy up and told him i ended up buying the Z.

All my friends have their Turbo MT cars (2 speed3's and a WRX) and they all gave me **** about getting the 7AT. I love cars and driving fast and all that **** but at the end of the day I'm still a lazy *** driver....I'm talkin cruise control in residential areas (dont judge me) My Z is my DD and I have like a half hour commute to work on a fake highway with tons of stoplights so I love my AT epecially cause I still smoke my friends in races. All they have left to say afterward is "Its still an automatic" and thats fine by me

Does cruise even come on at 25mph or below?

Coming from a G37 to a Z I just want to clear up some myths about the G37, at least the "S" model. Performance is "NOT" hugely different between the 2. This is what stands out more as far as an improvement.

1. Steering feel. The G steering feels slightly more artificial and the steering is boosted to feel lighter at low speeds. (Tire width plays a big role in that)
2. Cornering. The longer wheelbase cuts some of the sharpness in a turn.
3. A vague feel of being slower going from 2nd to 3rd. And you really have to be looking for this to notice the difference in speed.

2 out of 3 can be fixed with a good coilover suspension and aftermarket wheel/tire tire width that matches the NISMO Z. Ance both cars have been intaked exhausted and tuned along with the above both cars feel extremely close to equal.
From stock G37's have much greater highway stability as well and feel more capable @ speeds of over 140mph vs the Z due to the added weight most likely. The Z feels better in lower speed handling situations.
The infiniti has an immense technology package that takes anything you find techy in the Z to the next level. The backseats are somewhat useable and audiophiles will find the G to be a much better pick for stock or custom stereo.

My reason for getting into a Z was to improve low speed fun. When I switched ffrom my G. The tech pkg, leather, premium package didn't matter anymore. I wanted a lighter car and went with the base sport 7at. As cool as manual is I just truely enjoy the 7at and respect everything nissan put into it making it the perfect auto. Traffic also played a small part in that decision.

I personally don't see the Z as better in performance, I just see it as picking your preference of low speed fun vs. High speed stability.

I chose the Z over the G because of the price and looks, both of which were better for the Z :tup:

Just sayin'. Weight is a huge component of the car's performance. Also, the Z at high speed is plenty stable with the zero-lift front spoiler package :)

The Z's automatic is in such a different category from a mustang's there's no point mentioning the two in any comparative analysis. Go test drive one at a dealership and you'll see what we're talking about.

Do you fault F1 drivers for not using a clutch? Do you think the GT-R isn't a sportscar because it doesn't have a clutch? Or let's step back from the clutch... How about "Real men don't rely on power steering and power brakes?". What about ABS and Traction Control, should a Sports Car come with those? Synchro-Rev-Match? I'm sure you turn that off 100% of the time, just like you turn off VDC, right? Why not gut the air conditioning from the car too? It just wastes power.

I can appreciate a purist in a hobby, but if you're trying to be pure to some ideal of "traditional" car racing with all-manual inputs, you have to step back a whole lot further in technology than a 6MT 370Z. Otherwise you're just pussyfooting around with "I'm gonna draw the line at exactly where my car is, but not one inch further".

:iagree:

They do have a hand clutch for the 17K rpm start......

AC compressor shuts off under WOT, no need to worry about power loss on full throttle run

:P

It's still a bunch of dead weight (compressor, condensor, hoses, refrigerant, fans, ductwork), and even with the compressor kicked off the pulley's dragging on your engine a bit. But my point was more about getting creature comforts in a sportscar; a "pure" sportscar would make no trades in the name of convenience or comfort. None of the cars we drive today are pure sport machines.

I have no doubt that the Z's automatic is great. And I wasn't comparing the quality of the trans. to the mustang. The point of my comparison was that offering an automatic version often drowns out a true sports car into being another vanilla car driven by older women.

That's one thing I always liked about my SI. Yeah, it's slow, has no torque, quality of it sucks, but you know what? I've seen like two older women driving them in my entire life, and they were ripping through the gears! It just annoys me when I see a nice sports car like the Z being driven by an old woman who bought it because it looks pretty.

Like I said, my opinion has no rhyme or reason.. just the way I feel :hello:

ALMS cars have AC and other series have AC suits. Times have changed and things have evolved, there is no such thing as a pure sports car. The term is just used by guys who want to make excuses. The "pure" sports car from the 60s or 70s or even 80s would get lapped by my Prius. It doesn't make them any less of a sports car, it's just that technology have caught on.

i guess the GTR isnt a True sports car then? because it has paddle shifters. the hag across the street can start the engine and put it in gear to go down the street, so i dont want it?. theres a difference between knowing how to put it in gear and actually knowing how to drive the car.

i read somewhere that the Paddle shifters, is the way cars of the future will eventually end up being, i read that that they are trying to phase the traditional manuel out, in for the new Paddle shifters. the idea of having a sports car doesnt hinder because " I saw a granny grunt driving it!" its about pride, its about ownership, its about how YOU feel personally.

one of the "older" people (as you call it lol) and drives with the paddle shifters, is none other than Steve Millen, and i have to say he does know how to drive a sports car. mind you his first EVER car was something like a model T (just to give you a hint as to AGE) that was crashed in a Ditch, pulled it out, did teh work it needed on it and bam.

look. to me a sports car is a sports car. people have what they like or prefer. :tiphat:

Again, it's just my opinion. No need to get worked up about it :happydance:

And to answer your question, the GT-R isn't much of a sports car to me. It's fast, but I would never purchase one unless I was some monster billionaire who could afford a stable of cars. To me, it's a fast car, but it's not a 'sports car', or what a sports car is to me.

I do find it a little funny, however, that this entire thread is more or less automatic Z owners justifying why they bought an auto :D If you enjoy it, whatevs, no need to explain to other people why you got it.

lol simply put: its a Z. just like all others on this forum. thats what im justifying lol

It all comes down to preference. If Paddle shifted Auto's are so bad & manuals rule the race track, why has Ferrari been using them in F-1 as well as their production cars for over 2 decades http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/.../confused1.gif & as mentioned the faster drag guys are running autos as well.
I was a manual guy for decades, but since getting my Z as a Paddle Shifted Auto (so wife can drive), I couldn't be happier. If you are a manual purist like I was, by all means get a manual, but I still do not think you would be disappointed with a PSA. I thought it would be a compromise, but have really learned to enjoy it.

:twocents: YMMV

Did you really compare the Ferrari auto to the 370 auto? Yikes

The only reason this thread is still open is that no one is too worked up. As soon as that changes I'm going to have to close it. :(

Not so much, just saying, autos are not the slip-o-matics they were years ago & you will find them in high-end sports-cars as well.

:iagree: Couldn't agree more.

I would love to get a DSG Audi TT, but then they still have their drawbacks like the automatic upshifts/downshifts (not sure if the Z has it). I think the new auto on the Porsche is overrated too, not feeling it

:icon18: what are you 12? Did daddy buy you your Z or something?

Dude do you not read your posts for content? Right now you sound like a borderline troll. I'm not even going to take you to school. It wouldn't make sense ssince the posts on this thread make you sound like a reject from the Scion forums.
If you think the GTR isn't a sports car then you obviously don't know smack about performance vehicles. That's just my opinion though.:happydance:

And .... that's all folks!

http://www.colmanweb.co.uk/GuessTheT...-all-folks.jpg