[OFFICIAL] Manual v. Automatic Thread

[Chuck33079]

Dammit, here we go again with the 6mt vs 7at bs.

[wstar]

Here's a better litmus test: if the 370Z came in a DCT version for the same money, would you take it? Some people would still choose the manual because they enjoy working the clutch and like the nostalgia of the skill of driving a manual (in which case I'd assume they turn *off* SRM all the time as well, right?). That's a valid choice, for all the right reasons. But if you'd rather have a DCT than a 6MT, you're missing out by not picking up the 7AT. For all practical purposes, there's just not much difference there. Our torque converter's lockup capabilities are pretty impressive, and the shift times are fast under load. Importantly, it also stays in gear. You can bounce the rev limiter all day if you want. It's not perfect, but it's way good enough.

[DEpointfive0]

Originally Posted by wstar

Here's a better litmus test: if the 370Z came in a DCT version for the same money, would you take it? Some people would still choose the manual because they enjoy working the clutch and like the nostalgia of the skill of driving a manual (in which case I'd assume they turn *off* SRM all the time as well, right?). That's a valid choice, for all the right reasons. But if you'd rather have a DCT than a 6MT, you're missing out by not picking up the 7AT. For all practical purposes, there's just not much difference there. Our torque converter's lockup capabilities are pretty impressive, and the shift times are fast under load. Importantly, it also stays in gear. You can bounce the rev limiter all day if you want. It's not perfect, but it's way good enough.

/thread


We should use this for all our 7AT vs M6 debates

[Haboob]

Rawr.

[Mt Tam I am]

Originally Posted by DEpointfive0

And it starts, manual vs auto for the 500th time.

I'll pour gas on the fire.
The auto shifts faster

As well it should for the added weight.

Originally Posted by wstar

Here's a better litmus test: if the 370Z came in a DCT version for the same money, would you take it? Some people would still choose the manual because they enjoy working the clutch and like the nostalgia of the skill of driving a manual (in which case I'd assume they turn *off* SRM all the time as well, right?). That's a valid choice, for all the right reasons. But if you'd rather have a DCT than a 6MT, you're missing out by not picking up the 7AT. For all practical purposes, there's just not much difference there. Our torque converter's lockup capabilities are pretty impressive, and the shift times are fast under load. Importantly, it also stays in gear. You can bounce the rev limiter all day if you want. It's not perfect, but it's way good enough.

I rejected the GTR for having an auto, so yes I would.
Nissan does not make the Nismo in auto for some reason.

[wstar]

Relevant: an excerpt from a random unsolicited Youtube comment from the track video linked above. The commenter is a 6MT 370Z driver that runs in the same group with me (and has been doing it longer), who was out on track with me that day:

... What also impressed me was how much faster he can shift with the Nissan paddles versus my 6 speed. It was really impressive listening to him coming out of the Bus Stop and running through the gears - the up shifts and down shifts were so much faster than my Nissan manual...

[4r3s]

if working a clutch is so easy, why would you need a light to tell you when to shift?

[Red__Zed]

Originally Posted by 4r3s

if working a clutch is so easy, why would you need a light to tell you when to shift?

what?

[4r3s]

Originally Posted by Red__Zed

what?

I was just trying to fit in with the stupidity in this thread...

[2xtreme1]

Canadian Nismos have AT option I think ..or in Japan.

Driving the AT in M mode 24/7 is not a waste..
Its still a sports car..so being able to select gears and when to shift still makes it fun.
If I could get a 991 I would buy it with PDK and use M mode 24/7 ...and I'm sure it will be fun .

I also don't DD my Z ..Soo probably another reason I do M mode when I do drive it

[dmhenderson]

General Discussion forum ladies and gentlemen. Thank you and good night.

[DEpointfive0]

Originally Posted by dmhenderson

General Discussion forum ladies and gentlemen. Thank you and good night.

Lol, bye (Mark? Right?)

[Amuse370z]

The downshift on the AT7 is nothing I ever felt before in other Automatic cars with paddles. (Aside from DCT)

[b15]

If a sports car was offered in a manual optioned how I'd like I would pick It everytime over a dct. My shifts may not be as fast or precise but theres a sense of driving enjoyment I get with an MT that the AT guys and their paddles will never understand. And yes I've driven a 7AT z and g and flicking paddles is not the same, whether it bounces off the limiter or not.

If the sports car I was buying had ONLY an option for a dct then yes I'd get that. I'm not a corvette fan but i commend them for keeping a true manual in their top trim, the ZR1, unlike the gtr

[wstar]

^ I get that. There are a lot of drivers who just enjoy the Manual experience. I think "will never understand" isn't necessarily true. I drove a 6-speed car exclusively for a decade before buying the 7AT Z, and often made some of the anti-automatic comments seen in this thread. I can drive a stick pretty well (well, perhaps that's questionable now that I haven't touched one in 4 years!), I just don't want to anymore.

That's why I run it in M-mode 24/7 - I'm used to picking my gear, and I prefer to pick my gear. I know what gear the car should be in based on the situation, and a regular automatic in D-mode doesn't and never will. All an automatic gear-selector can see as input is "Hey we're travelling at 57mph and the engine's at 3,300 rpm and the gas pedal is at 3/8ths", it doesn't know things like "And he's about to make a sudden left turn under braking, so let's predictively move down a gear before we do, so that we have power on tap at the turn's exit, but we don't have to upset the car downshifting mid-corner to get that" versus "And we're about to cruise steadily at this speed for the next mile, let's move up a gear to save fuel and heat".

The act of choosing your gearing is integral to driving a car fully. The act of operating a manual clutch is just an artifact of the mechanism for switching gears.