Hello, I am new to the forums. I have browsed around for hours trying to find the answer to my question, but just found pages after pages of off topic conversations that had nothing to do with the original posting >.<

So, I've come to ask "What is the correct way to drive the Tip Tronic manual mode for the 03-04 5AT g35 coupe?" I've been watching the RPM's / listening to when the car shifts in D and it seems to shift up around 2000 RPMs.

If someone could lay out the guild lines of what RPM's / MPH I should be around when in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th gear that would be great.

(I'm assuming 1st gear: 0-20 MPH, 2nd: 20-40, 3rd: 40-60, 4th: 60-80? And shifting at around 3000-4000 RPMS?)

Thanks in advance!

 

Its simple, push the shifter before you hit redline.

 

Don't follow the speedometer - only watch the RPM gauge to choose shift points.

In my case it's slightly different than yours because I'm supercharged - but here's the general pattern for me if getting to speed quickly, and it'll work the same for you too (just with slightly different RPM numbers in your case). here you've two choices, get to speed as quickly as your hardware is capable, or get to speed at a casual rate.

1) From stop, put the shifter in the gate (car will be in 1st), Hold the brake and push the gas lightly, feathering the RPM up to a solid 3k. Let off the brake and slowly pushing the gas a tad more as the car moves forward, accelerate up until around 4k then push forward and the 2nd gear will engage. (you dont want to jam on the gas after releasing the brake from a stop because you're tires will just break loose and you go nowhere) Keep pushing gas down but slightly harder now, go to around 5k and push forward again so trans engages 3rd gear (here's where the power starts to catch up with the SC's torque curve) really get on the gas now and accel all the way to 5500rpm, then push the shifter forward again for 4th. At this point you'll have a long gear to work through so JAM IT! WOT all the way until 6k and the last push forward to 5th gear. By 5500 in 5th you should be *around* 135mph i'sh (maybe 140 / 142 by 6k) if all your ducks are in a row.

(note, don't be a knuckle head and do this on the road around other drivers please)

2) Conversely, if your not trying to reach speed quickly, you want to shift around 2200 to 2500 rpm max for each gear and everything will be nice and buttery. In this case, you'll likely be around 65/70Mph as you get 3000 in 5th

So that's going somewhere. As to stopping and down shifting, you've got two choices again: Do you want assisted gear braking or just come to non assisted stop?

1) If you want to gear break, where the resistance of the engine and drive train give you negative acceleration, then come out of the gear your in to the next down the line and watch the rpm. If it doesn't shoot up to around 4500, then shift down again. At this point you should be easily to high if not higher - but don't shift again quickly or you'll get right into red-line territory. And it should go without saying you don't want that - but also, the reverse acceleration is strongest in the 4000 to 5000 rpm range. as your RPMs edge upward of that area the effect of the deceleration is mostly lost and your drive train is just winding out for no useful reason.

From there, keep watching the rpms and judging the negative G you're feeling to determine when the next best downshift should happen.

2) Lastly - if you just want to come to a regular *** strop at a light or something around town..... don't so ****. The trans takes care of everything for you all the way down to 1st gear and stop.


And that's really that. If anyone else has some extra pointers for a NON SuperCharged VQ - give the man the info

 

Thank you SOOOO much CLRH2O. This is like exactly what I was looking for. I have been shifting around 2000-2500, 3000 RPMs for just casual street driving. But having this guide line definitely helps out!

Another noobie question: I know that you talked about downshifting and that it is not necessary, but just to be clear I should not ever downshift to 1st. And is it the same for 2nd? I wouldn't see any point in doing so, only point being is maybe for faster acceleration.

Thank you

 

????? Bro just drive.

 

@JKL1031 - of course over time he'd just drive and figure it out.... but I have to say, I was wondering the same things when I got this car originally and would have loved to have gotten some solid usage info more quickly myself - so I'm just dropping it down ;D


As for downshifting - just remember to never downshift so many gears that you're red-lining your engine. Outside of that - go to 1st if you want. If it's part of your gear braking method and it's working, do it. I've found that I prefer to use sequential manual mode on this transmission in rush hour gridlock, because I can keep always on power at the ready while most normally not having to ever even touch the brakes to slow down when everyone in front of me packs together and decelerates.

NOTE!!! Doing this in traffic has two distinct downsides though. First, you'll be decelerating without any visual indication of doing so (no brake lights) for the person behind you. And it can very seriously increase the possibility or being rear ended in heavy traffic. Second, if you get too reliant on the gear braking, it's entirely possible to misjudge the amount of braking you'll get from the next downshift while edging up on the car in front of you - again, increasing the possibility of you rear ending them.

So, use with discretion in traffic and ALWAYS drive your hardware to perfection! Knowing it's every capability is the best defense you can possibly have

 

Seriously, what's the point in driving in tip-tronic? Just put it in drive and enjoy your acceleration and gas mileage.

The car can accelerate and knows the shift points better than you. The car also knows the shift points for mileage better than you.

The only point in tiptronic is downshifting while braking to put your car in the correct gear when you approach a corner at the track. Otherwise.... what's the point? You don't really get any of the benefits of driving a manual, and you ruin the benefits of driving an automatic...

 

Actually, and especially in my case since I'm supercharged and have a secondary timing ecu that's not linked to the standard Automatic Trans - that is not true in the slightest.

I'm my case, when I let the trans choose the shift points it's all sorts of out of whack and consistently revs waaaaaay past the torque curve falloff under anything resembling spirited acceleration (or higher). Unless just putzing around town at 35mph, the use of sequential manual mode is a must. Both for engine wear reduction due to the flat retarded shift point choices the trans makes and for proper power output and smooth shifting while still inside the sweet spot gear to gear.

 

Or get a 6mt if you want to control and shift the transmission yourself? Just put it in D and drive it. If "D" is bad for your engine then your tune needs to be fixed.

 

Standard auto is fine for my egnine if driving standardly. Fine for anyone's. But when you get on with my setup, it's a different story. The Split Second box included with the Stillen simply changes things - there's no way around that. I've planned Osiris, but an extra grand+ to throw out there for a tune is a luxury that will happen when it happens. Until then I've got a solution that the engineers from Infinity put quite literally in my hand - sequential manual control - so I use it.

This guy wanted to know how to use it too - so I provided some usage examples. What's the issue here? I thought he was smart to ask personally.

In my case, here's the thing - I have what I have. I bought this car for 13k completely done up in a unicorn of a deal. So the small things you or others would just dump money into (1 grand, 5? 10, 20... 40 grand (whole new car?)) to *fix*... I'm fine with using an alternate solution that's already available to me for free... one that was engineered into the vehicle from the designers themselves for exactly this purpose... Choosing my own shift points based on need or desire.

 

not trying to come at you about it, but "simply put" for your supercharged G, a proper tune really isnt a luxury item. wheels, exhaust, body kits, that ***** luxury. Having a half-***** tune from stillen that could compromise the integrity of your engine simply by using the standard tiptronic feature on the car is something that anybody going FI on their G would address immediately. Again, not trying to disprove whatever process infiniti gave you or say it doesnt work, Just saying that instead of using their back-handed way around it, nip the problem in the butt for your cars sake.

To the OP, there really isnt much to know about using the TIP. you just drive the car and use the manual mode to shift up and shift down whenever you want. If you are unsure about where the safe shift points are then just drive it in D until you figure out where your powerband is and which gear you should choose given the current situation.

I cant say for sure about this part as I have never driven a 5at G, but every other car I have driven with a manual override is pretty bulletproof. To the point where it wont let you select a gear that will cause any sort of damage to the drivetrain, and will even go as far as to just shift for you anyway if it doesnt think you are in the correct gear or aren't shifting up when you get to the rev limit.

 

the farthest i shift is at 3500 RPM

 

Why should you put added stress on the tranny to downshift coming to a stop? Thats so retarded... Just use your brakes lol. Rather change brakes than a transmission...