Manual shifting (DS mode) under HARD acceleration

[XIS]

Fun, huh? The thing rocks.

My question - do all of your gears feel the same when shifting during hard acceleration?
2nd is smoooth. not faster or slower than what feels right.
3rd seems to slam into gear like a quick-shift. not as smooth but faster. almost a clunk or pop (without the sound)
4th is smooth like 2nd.
never hard acceleration going into 5th.

when I am not accelerating hard, 3rd gear feels totally different.

Is this normal or is it a trip to the dealer for a simple adjustment?


Thanks for any and all replies.

[nflesher87]

sorry I can't answer your question but I was curious about using the sport shifting
I was under the impression that the accelerator should not be depressed when manually shifting (no basis for this though)
You wording seems to suggest otherwise?

[XIS]

Am I the only one that floors this thing in Manual???

[NJGuy]

Am I the only one that floors this thing in Manual???

You might be .

I don't even use the manual mode. In my opinion, I believe that Nissan/Infiniti "wrongly" executed the manual mode when they made the driver push the shifter forward for upshifts and pull it back for downshifts. But this is getting off-topic, and probably deserves it's own separate thread for arguing over on a different day.

I also don't use the manual mode because the EX is the fastest car I've owned; at least to me, it's easy to coax the power out of the engine with a further push of the throttle. In daily driving, I've hardly ever felt the need for the extra 1-2 tenths of a second difference when accelerating. If I ever feel the need for more aggressive shifting, I'll just leave the shifter in DS and let the computer adjust to a more aggressive shift profile; but I have hardly ever done that too.

The only time I know that I will make an effort to use the manual mode is during inclement winter weather. In that case, I feel that being able to manually select what gear to use will give me a little bit more confidence in those slippery conditions.

[JohnD]

How fast are you going when you hard shift into 5th at full throttle? I am sure that would be licence losing territory where I live.

[NJGuy]

If he lives in "The Desert", I'm sure he's got plenty of open road to try it with a low chance of encountering other motorists or a law enforcement officer.

[XIS]

How fast are you going when you hard shift into 5th at full throttle? I am sure that would be licence losing territory where I live.

as mentioned in the original post... never hard acceleration going into 5th. Not even 4th...

this is 3rd gear specifically .... you know, 2nd to 3rd?

[XIS]

fastest one I have owned too... and when I am in DS mode and not manual, and when I am flooring it (on-ramp to freeway, for instance) the revs hold kind of long so I use manual and shift closer to 6k rpms than 7k like it wants to.

Manual is about having more control (for me)


Oh, the desert is the wonderful beautiful city of Phoenix.

If he lives in "The Desert", I'm sure he's got plenty of open road to try it with a low chance of encountering other motorists or a law enforcement officer

Am I the only one that floors this thing in Manual???

You might be .

I don't even use the manual mode. In my opinion, I believe that Nissan/Infiniti "wrongly" executed the manual mode when they made the driver push the shifter forward for upshifts and pull it back for downshifts. But this is getting off-topic, and probably deserves it's own separate thread for arguing over on a different day.

I also don't use the manual mode because the EX is the fastest car I've owned; at least to me, it's easy to coax the power out of the engine with a further push of the throttle. In daily driving, I've hardly ever felt the need for the extra 1-2 tenths of a second difference when accelerating. If I ever feel the need for more aggressive shifting, I'll just leave the shifter in DS and let the computer adjust to a more aggressive shift profile; but I have hardly ever done that too.

The only time I know that I will make an effort to use the manual mode is during inclement winter weather. In that case, I feel that being able to manually select what gear to use will give me a little bit more confidence in those slippery conditions.

[XIS]

maybe I should be asking in the G35 forum !???!

again - coming from an RDX, these things are meant to be driven.

[RedwinGV]

maybe I should be asking in the G35 forum !???!

again - coming from an RDX, these things are meant to be driven.

Yeah, I see your point. I had a G coupe for 6 years and then went to the E for more utility. Wife still gives me grief when I have some fun with the E. I just tell her that if it wasn't meant to be used, it wouldn't be in the car.

[alloveru]

Nope... I actually use the manual mode a fair bit! I have the 7 speed in which I find is more responsive than the 5 speed in the previous models. My other car (2011 Subaru Outback has a 5 speed auto with paddles and it is horrible!!!! not responsive at all)

My only complaint is the downshifting... I really despise the fact that it will downshift on me automatically. Especially when you are shifting down from 4 to 3, the transmission switches it down 3 at the same time i go to, but because the system did it before me, it takes my down shift to 2... a little jerky then! Anyone know a way to prevent that?

The manual mode also works great in the snow, today we had a some crappy weather and unplowed roads and manually shifting makes driving in the snow a lot more enjoyable!

[JohnD]

My impression is that if you are in DS mode, once you make one manual shift, it stays in manual mode (i.e. will no longer shift down automatically) until you move the lever back to D.

[alloveru]

yes that is correct. however, it will downshift even in manual mode

[XIS]

OK - I have found a few posts on my specific issue in the G35 forum but no definitive answers... and nobody posted follow ups! argh...

it goes back to the dealer next week and I will drive it with the tech so he can't say it didn't happen.
looking forward to it being nice and smooth....

[AWGD8]

I drive my 2008 EX35 journey on Manual mode 99% of the time. I never use DS mode. I think DS mode is good for downhill engine breaking and attacking corners (Not to lose momentum). Yes it holds that sweet RPM spot, but it just a waste of gas using it. Still not as powerful and smooth as the M mode.

I hate using the D mode since it is very picky when you need to pass someone. I also felt that when using D mode, when the tach hit 3K on the 3rd gear, it drags the rpm a bit. Seems like a bit loss of power for a fraction of sec. then it goes up to 4K smoothly..... (I have a feeling it is the transmission programming issue).

On manual mode, the clunk or a thug sound possibly on the second or 3rd gear means, you upshift too soon. BTW, I floored my EX35 from dead stop to 3rd gear too many times on M mode.
You can pass someone on 4th gear at 65MPH or more power if downshift on 3rd.....(But it will sound a bit noisy than normal engine sound.)

I never release my gas pedal when I upshift using the manual mode. I think that is how it`s supposed to be done. That is why a BMW 135i manual mode Auto is quicker than the 135i stand alone manual transmission. (Same concept).

When in Manual mode, the transmission will downshift gears for you as you slow down depending on your speed. It will downshift to the closes gear that maintain that 2.5k RPM.

Also, on M mode, transmission will not upshift if your speed is too slow for that desired gear.

You can toggle from D, DS , M all the time while driving. Just be very careful when you get use to using M mode. Sometimes I forgot, I toggled it on D while I was at the stop and upshift the shifter when it was time to go (thought I was shifting to 2nd) but was basically shifting into Neutral .



FYI, I have an 2008 EX35 journey AWD with 5 speed Auto not 7 speed.

[AWGD8]

My impression is that if you are in DS mode, once you make one manual shift, it stays in manual mode (i.e. will no longer shift down automatically) until you move the lever back to D.

Not true, I think you meant when you shift from DS mode to M , transmission will no longer hold gears longer or maintain that sweet RPM/Gears longer. The M mode will auto downshift when you come close to stop light or when your slowing down drastically...

[XIS]

On manual mode, the clunk or a thug sound possibly on the second or 3rd gear means, you upshift too soon. .

Not here in my situation. shifting at about 6000 or so RPM.... THAT's when I get the clunk/thud.

trip to the dealer next week. Let's see if they can improve their rating with me compared to the last couple unsatisfied visits I had.....

[XIS]

so the story goes like this... All of our cars have this harsh shift from 2nd to 3rd in manual mode.
The dealer checked the codes - all ok. checked the fluid level and color - both OK. took it for a drive and said, yes - I feel what you are describing.
we took another one out from the used lot - the same characteristics. A 2008 G35.... the same...

so - although I think it is a little strange to have 3rd feel completely different depending on the acceleration, I feel better knowing that 'this is just the way they are'.

[AWGD8]

3rd gear on our Ex35 is long before it goes to 4th....

Check video starting at 1:30


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_Cwsjb- ... ata_player

[minivini]

Ok, so I'm new here - but I've been around the block a few times. "Hard" is subjective (that's what she said). We just bought our EX35 and it's my first foray into the whole manual/auto thing. My experience with racing and autocrossing cars shows that every tranny is different (even among same models). If it feels like it's "slamming" into gear, that's not a good thing. If it just seems a little more abrupt, that's not a problem (usually). Gear ratios can run the gamut as you run through the set. 1-2 might be pretty rough. Then 2-3 might seem smooth. Then, if you're still under hard acceleration, 3-4 might be pretty rough again.

I've run through the manual setup a few times since last night in our "new" 2008. I didn't notice any really hard or abrupt changes, but then again it was raining and it was my first "unsupervised" drive. I'll give it a shot again tomorrow, but my guess is the ratio is just not well matched (a least for manual operation) for real seat back hugging acceleration - after all, this is an SUV! I'll post back around mid-day tomorrow and give you my impressions (not that they mean anything!).

[XIS]

I hear you. It doesn't really 'slam', it is just much quicker and more abrupt at WOT (by a mile) more than 1st-2nd or 3rd-4th. Also - it is very much the same as 1-2 and 3-4 if you are driving casually in M. Not abrupt or 'quicker'.

I am convinced now that it really isn't an issue at all. Just a different personality depending on how you are driving it.

AWGD8 - cool video. Yes - your third gear is very long... my issue was just the shift, not the length of the gear - but thank you for those videos! Very very cool.

[kmckis1029]

Just saw your PM and I replied...

[XIS]

Thanks for the reply. I have just changed how I shift now when I am going hard from 2nd to 3rd. If I let up on the gas during that shift, it is much more smooth. Now it is my normal habit/pattern for shifting in that scenario and all is good.