Ready to order... convince me to get the manual

[stealth1]

I'm in the same boat. I've been drooling over the manual version of this car, it handles great, it's quick enough, especially with an e85 tune, it's perfect for me, but the car would be mainly driven by my wife and she needs an automatic. For me, I'd like to do some autox and track days but I think the automatic is just too slow for that, and I'm probably slow enough on my own and I don't need any more reasons to be even slower. I've been researching E85 tunes for the automatic, but I don't know it makes it as fast as a manual. That would be awesome. I also thought about changing the ring and pinion because that seems to be holding it back too. Has anyone got a 0-60 time with e85 and auto or 0-60 with a lower ring and pinion? I wouldn't mind paying an extra $1000 dollars to have an automatic thats as fast as a manual. Is that possible?

[adprokid]

It's simple

Auto = There is a chance of regretting it

Manual = you won't

[DaJo]

Again; personal preference, 2000 KMs, 2-3 months now, and absolutely no regrets with the paddle shifters.

[HotLava]

I don't think there is any such thing as 'traffic' in Pittsburgh. Traffic means you leave Los Angeles to drive to Vegas at the same time your wife leaves LAX on a flight to NYC and she gets to NYC before you get to Vegas. It's when it takes you fifty minutes to go seven miles on the freeway. It's when you turn down a job in the city you live in because of the commute. I doubt that's Pittsburgh. So I would get the MT version. I have the auto. But that's because I play air guitar when I'm driving.

[FRiSson]

You'll build tremendous muscles in your clutch leg. It's like a horizontal stepmaster.

[Memphis]

Originally Posted by jstn

Manual for sure. The lag in the paddle shifters is frustrating, particularly if you track or autocross at all. And just as a matter of personal preference I hate the fact that the paddles are on the wheel itself rather than being statically mounted behind it.

Lag in paddle shifters? The auto in this car shifts faster than your manual lol. BTW I have tracked the auto and it does not lag at all. Shifts when you want it to.

With that being said, and not being a complete ****wad like some others on here vouching for a manual, I believe for your case it could go either way.

Honestly the auto is a beautiful piece of work with one major setback. It cant launch from a dead stop. A 5-60 run with an auto and manual puts them even.

If you are doing 0-60 runs on the street and putting others at risk on a daily basis then by all means get the manual for that one performance benefit. But from what you are saying, you are not looking for that.

You need to drive both to find out.

Then there is that whole feeling one with the car thing.

[ks22732]

My fr-s came off the truck last night. Ordered a MT, told them I didn't care what color I got. Ended up with the asphalt. :-) my wife doesn't like it because of the stick but she probably won't drive it anyway. Grew up driving standards, first one since I got married. :-)

[mankarn86]

My Altima is a Manual for crying out loud.

[tez2013]

Originally Posted by HotLava

I don't think there is any such thing as 'traffic' in Pittsburgh. Traffic means you leave Los Angeles to drive to Vegas at the same time your wife leaves LAX on a flight to NYC and she gets to NYC before you get to Vegas. It's when it takes you fifty minutes to go seven miles on the freeway. It's when you turn down a job in the city you live in because of the commute. I doubt that's Pittsburgh. So I would get the MT version. I have the auto. But that's because I play air guitar when I'm driving.

Too funny lol I guess it's all relative

[tez2013]

Couple of you guys brought up something I haven't thought of before... inability of the auto to get off the line quickly. I do quite a bit of autocross and think this car would be great fun for it given it's small dimensions and great handling. Problem is, seems like auto may not work very well in autocross...

Any success stories of autos in autocross?

[Buggy51]

Hmm... ask moto if he has any idea?

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6485

Looks like he did some things on the track

[TSY]

Originally Posted by tez2013

The question is whether the "really good" paddle shift auto is good enough to provide a different driving experience that is also satisfying in its own way.

I've heard of guys swear by the PDK, and say that it's just as satisfying and engaging. While this is no dual clutch, to me the principle / overall experience is similar (outside of slower shift times), no?

As good as today's dual clutch automated manual trannys are- and they are very good- (they will shift much faster than you can, do perfect rev-matched downshifts, and let you concentrate on driving instead of shifting) to me they are not as satisfying as doing it yourself. I know the PDK is great, Ferrari has a great dual clutch tranny, and I have spent some time with the BMW M3 and VW/Audi's DSG which work wonderfully. But there is something missing. It's a great feeling when you heel-toe perfectly and dancing with the 3 pedals is just that something even the best auto tranny will never match.

This being said, you did say you spend a bit of time in traffic and this will be your DD and you have a Z as your track day car. You also said you were fine with how the auto drives. In this situation, ask yourself if there will be days I just don't want to shift and would rather have a car just shift itself. If the answer is yes, get the auto. If you don't mind driving stick in the worst of traffic, then get the manual.

Of course, if you just want a DD that's an appliance, then get a Camry.

People who have bought the auto seem to be happy with it. Same with the MT people.

I don't think you can go wrong.

Good luck!

[Yuck]

I went with an AT and have no regrets!

[rice_classic]

Originally Posted by tez2013

Both felt pretty good and I was actually surprised at how decent the auto was in the sport mode (keeping the revs high, downshifting aggressively and blipping throttle on downshifts).

I'm looking to get this car because it seems to be a very fun car to drive. This car would be my daily driver and I'd be spending a fair bit of time in traffic. Question is how much fun does this auto (which is pretty good) sap from the driving experience of this car? This would be my first paddle-shift car... seems like it improves the auto experience?

I'll also note that I already have a weekend manual car that I track quite frequently, so now looking for something that would be a lot of fun mainly on the street and autocross, but also occasionally on the track. That being said, I've never commuted in a manual car on regular basis, so I'm afraid it may get pretty old in traffic rather quickly...

So, I guess I'd like to hear from people that were in my shoes and have gone one way or the other. Per name of the thread, I'm leaning towards the auto due to practicality in traffic but wonder if I'm going to giving up a lot during more spirited driving?

Get 3 pedals. In the future manual transmissions won't exist, enjoy them now.