No No, i know the difference between sound and speed.... and the g35 just doesnt feel fast to me... when i give a friend a ride and i mash on it...and show them how fast it can go...they are all amazed, but i dont feel it! and yea i do think the automatic does feel a little faster then the stick....and YES i do know how to drive stick as well!
and i wish i had a sexy wonder woman like that in my passenger seat!

 

It's perception. What feels fast is Torque not horsepower. since the G produces torque high up in the RPM it isn't going to feel as fast as cars that produce their peak torque down in the low rpm ranges. Believe me, one look at the speedo will tell you that it is fast

Jim
'03 Sedan
Brilliant Silver/Graphite
6MT/ Premium package
Sport tuned suspension
Aerodynamic Body Kit
Navigation and Satellite Radio

 

I think I need to clarify.
I saw a post here re: a coupe owner getting a sedan loaner and thought it felt faster than his 6MT. Clearly, the Z is faster than a AT 35 sedan. However, my point is that it "felt faster". Despite the Z "tight" ride, the power delivery is very linear as you run through each gear. The At sedan otoh felt faster - prolly b/c of more motion transmitted to the driver. Also, things like seating position etc influence drivers perception as well. I didnt really understand how fast my Z was until I went from 90-120 without thinking about it.
The real lesson learned was how different yet still great the g35 platform is in each iteration g35, fx, 350z. great cars all of them.

My point re: the interior still stands - I think the I35 looks more "lux" than the loaner sedan I had. The Z isnt supposed to be lux - just simple and sporty - its interiorior succeeds in those terms.

 

I don't see how the AT "feels" faster than the 6MT. Do you mean that you have to push less to get it to go? In the 6MT you certainly have more control of the power delivery if thats what you're getting @.

Re - Z interior. My dad gave me his 280zx wen I started driving. We are real Z fans having owned also the 300zx. We wanted to buy the 350z to match our 280zx (it looks very much the same shape). But after looking at the Z interior, it was completely horrid. It was as plain as a hospital. True, the G interior material ARE CHEAPLY made, but it sure does look at hella lot better.

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

"What i've found that is kind of funny is that the G35C and 350Z AUTOMATIC tranny cars feel faster than their 6MT equivalents. Makes me wish I had gotten an auto instead.. and yes, i know how to drive stick"

Really!? I felt the exact opposite, when I test-drove an auto first. I was really disappointed; it felt like a 4-banger off the line (maybe the VDC had something to do w/ that, but I think I tried launching it w/out it on); my old Grand Am would have killed it off the line (but not after that, obviously!). However, the 6mt gave me that off-the-line (torque) snap I was looking for w/out having to rev high.

2004 6MT (Silver/Willow), premium & aero packages

 

after much deliberation i figured it out.

I'm used to automatics diluting sooo much power from the engine. IN addition - i figured the 260hp version of the VQ would be pretty anemic to boot. So i guess its just my surprise that the auto has nice crisp upshifts and that you can still feel the VQs power. BTW does the g35 sedan have a LSD?

 

My wife and I test drove a 350z manual this last weekend, along with a G35 coupe. Our main purpose was to examine how the seats compare to the horribly narrow and painful seats in my G35 6MT (350z leather seat MUCH better design and feel). I do have a K&N filter and the 350z intake tube, but both of us noticed that my G35 sedan 6MT SEEMED faster. I know that in reality it has to be slower, just based on the weight difference alone. I was actually a little dissappointed with the 350z compared to my sedan, even if it is just my mind playing tricks on me. Had thought about trading the G35 for the 350z for a moment, but not after the test drive. The 350z clutch by the way, has a much different feel than the G. It feels much more assisted, taking much less effort to depress. Not necessary better, just different.

 

That is funny, everyone I have talked to has said the seats in the G35 are much more comfortable than the Z. By the way I have both and I would completely disagree.

 

Ok guys I think it's been mentioned before but this is the theory that I believe in regards to the feeling of "fast" observed in the AT loaner G35 Sedans. Again I am not an engineer but basically the "fast" feeling is the response you feel from the vehicles "torque".

It's the feeling of your guts getting squished as the car leaves the line and the snap of your head backwards. I think we are all familiar with that so with that said here's the my Theory. From what I understand seeing several differant dynos and talking to my father whom is an experienced mechanic.

Basically at lower rpms Auto's have more available torque on tap. Especially with infiniti's high tech auto trannies. These trannies have a healthy dose of torque available at low rpms for quick take-offs and lane changes. It's something to do with the torque converter if I remember what he said correctly. However this is also the disadvantage as the vehicle moves faster into higher gears.

The torque converter will rob the car of power in order to shift to the next gear. This is why at high speeds the AT suffers. Also that feeling of the next gear hitting which makes the car "feel" fast can also be the result of quick change in gear ratios during AT shifting which is not really felt by a MT since there is a pause for clutch release and no RPM boosting to match engine speed, (all done by computer now).

Again this is just my theory but I believe it to be fairly accurate. This is why the manual will always win the race against an AT, (unless there is a severe HP differance or it's a Porsche tranny). Also I have noticed (again my perception) that the sheer act of driving a stick takes some the motion out of the shifting. Where as in an AT you just mash the pedal and sit there.

I think you feel the car reacting to the shifts more when you are doing nothing else but holding on. Again these are just my thoughts but comparing them with what I know and have observed while driving the AT's seems to be fairly accurate. Whatcha' think?

-Jason
Laser Red '03 6MT

 

that was perfectly said.

thanx

 

NP - [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

-Jason
Laser Red '03 6MT

 

uheenada, that's exactly what i meant, thank you. in the civic when you step on it. especially with full exhaust it's so freakin loud too. it just feels like your going so much faster than you actually are. but you put it perfectly

04, 6mt, Twilight Blue, Premium, Aero

 

The clutch is lighter on the Z??

That's funny, because I test drove both back to back and definitely felt that the Z clutch was heavier than the G clutch.

But honestly, they should both feel exactly the same, as far as I know, there are no differences at all between them.

Maybe it varies from car to car, but the Z that I drove definitely had a heavier clutch than the G

 

I think you have a few misconceptions about AT vs MT.

In no way does an AT have "more available torque on tap" compared with a MT. If the engines are identicle, then the same amount of HP/TQ will be available at any given RPM, regardless of transmission type.

The only thing we can compare then is how much of that HP/TQ is making it to the wheels. That said, the MT will always come out ahead, simply because it is a mechanical connection to the engine, whereas the AT is not. The torque converter always robs some power, simply because it is nothing more than a "fluid clutch". Other than lock-up (which has no bearing on a discussion of acceleration), a torque converter is never a direct connection to the engine.

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

In no way does an AT have "more available torque on tap" compared with a MT. If the engines are identicle, then the same amount of HP/TQ will be available at any given RPM, regardless of transmission type.

<hr></blockquote>

ReDRoK8 is right, usually a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission and torque converter will output more torque to the drive wheels than the engine is actually producing from a stop. This occurs while the converter is in its "stall mode" and during vehicle acceleration from a stop. As the car gets higher in speed the torque multiplication rapidly decreases until it reaches a ratio of 1:1 (no torque increase over crankshaft torque). A typical torque converter will have a torque multiplication ratio in the area of 2.5:1.

So for example an engine producing 200 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3000 rpm with a torque converter with a multiplication ratio of 2.5:1 that stalls at 3000 rpm will produce 500 ft.-lbs. of torque at the instance of full throttle acceleration.

The main point to remember is that all properly functioning torque converters do indeed multiply torque during initial acceleration. The more drastic the change in fluid path caused by the stator from its "natural" return path, the higher the torque multiplication ratio any given converter will have.

Torque multiplication does not occur with a manual transmission clutch and pressure plate; hence the need for heavy flywheels, very high numerical gear ratios, and high launch rpm.