[Jordo!]

Originally Posted by Moto-P

That didn't prove to be the case in 6 of 10 autocross drivers at the Press Event. They are seasoned drivers but may/may not be exclusive to autocrossing, but I am for one a SCCA Solo2 Nationals driver who won as a team in 2002 driving an AE86. And I posted just about the same time in the autocross event on a separate occasion where I had both units on hand to try.

In autocross, it isn't about which transmission in the case of the FRS, but if the course layout favors one gear range over another, and in some cases, the spread gears allow for less shifting, and securing that contact patch with less errors. So it can work both ways. Theoretical advantage is always distorted from ideal when the driver has to operate machines, and as such in the FRS, the AT did do a great job of keeping the driver focused and holding each gear when needed, switching predictably and consistently. As for the MT, the times become less consistent as slightest mistake in clutch slipping operation can lurch a fraction of a second as it can send the rear tire in light driveline shock, and creating delays on TORSEN diff to lock up precisely at the moment we needed it. The AT can keep a fairly consistent load on the LSD easier.

Which is more fun though? Of Course the MT, as it is much more of a challenge, and making it more driver induced and, making it the BEST for FRS, while the AT, I might call it the MOST, because of its universal consistency. IF you can drive just as talented as Tetsuya Yamano, or Orido Manabu, both Japan's kings of ghymkhana, then yes MT will be quicker in the autocross.

Question: Can the AT be set to hold gears as you approach idle on coast down, or will it automatically downshift? If so, does it drop one gear at a time or go right to first once you stop rolling?

I'm hoping that's the case, because the one thing the AT 370Z does in manual mode that annoys me is that it will drop down a gear if you drop to about 1K RPM rather than just holding the last gear until given an input from the driver.