Manual trans?

[Ray B]

Hi all

Anybody with manual trans, whats the RPM at 65 mph mine is at 3k rpm seems pretty high and then you feel the vibration in the gas pedal at 65mph. I just bought it last week drove 350 miles majority highways, trying to keep it below 65 for breakin period of 1200 miles.

Thanks

[Versa Madness]

Yeah, that is right for the manual trans. I believe that Nissan really missed the mark on the final drive ratio for this 6 speed box. I see no real reason why this car can not be pulling rpm below 3k at 70 mph. I would think that the highway fuel mileage would be improved also with a little taller final drive ratio.

[WDRacing]

Agreed, final drive should be 2500 at most at a mere 65 mph. This is why gas mileage is based on 55mph. There is a large jump in fuel consumption when you crest 3000 rpm on every car.

Is the peddle vibration a common thing between all V's?

WD

[Ever Victorious]

No, pedal vibration is NOT common in all V's.

3,000 RPM is specifically 67 MPH

We can complain all we want about the gear ratios, but I seriously doubt that Nissan will redesign the gearbox just for two countries, when it works just fine in the rest of the world. They COULD redesign it for us and charge more, but you know we're also too cheap to pay for it and we'd just end up whining about the cost.

[WDRacing]

I don't think anyone is asking for a redesign of the gear box. However, it's basic theory IMO that if you offer 6 gears, the final drive will be great for the highway. Also, to say that Nissan doesn't consider the opinions of it's customers is a far cry from the truth. Have you talked with people in all the other countries to see if they are happy with the gearbox configuration? Perhaps they would also like to see the final drive changed.

[Ever Victorious]

Minus the Autobahn, US freeways have among the highest speed limits in the world. Having your efficiency point set at 55 is far better from a global view than having it set at 70. MOST highways in the US have a speed limit of 60 or less, with some exceptions (mostly in the west) in the 70 MPH range.

It's more logical to design a single unit that performs pretty well for the US and VERY well for other countries, than it is to produce a single unit that performs VERY well in the US and abysmally in other countries.

I didn't say Nissan doesn't listen to us. But realistically, what do you think they should have done in the situation? And the answer is not to design a second Manual for the US/Canada.

[WDRacing]

I'm just stimulating conversation. You'll notice that not once did I mention redesigning the transmission. In fact you're the only one that did. We're simply addressing the fact that YES, in OUR opinions the RPM is a bit high for OUR typical highway driving.

I will add that very few people actually drive 55mph, even if that is the posted limit. If you are happy that's awsome, but that doesn't mean others can't discuss points of the car that they are unhappy with. You're 100% correct on the theory that goes into the equation when marketing a vehicle for global production. But you are wrong when you say that Nissan uses the same parts all the time. Euro and JDM vehicles are notoriously different then the vehicles released to the American market. So it's not completely off base to think that the transmission would be different for the US. I'm also not saying we NEED a solution, we're just having a discussion about opinions. Try to be more open minded, we're just talking here. Not everything has a finality

WD

[keanucosmo]

I agree about discussing this. I think different ratios could be offered in the existing transmissions. In my C5 Corvette the stock 5th & 6th gear are .74 and .50. Below are variations that are available

5th 6th.74 .50.84 .56.85 .75.86 .73.89 .79.85 .76

On the Versa, I'd like to see 5th & 6th around .92 & .73 instead of .97 & .81.

I think their incentive not to do this is to keep the CVT as the top mileage transmission.

[WDRacing]

I have yet to drive ANY CVT equiped car. I wonder how they would hold up to more power? Is there an article here about the Versa CVT yet? Maybe I'll read up and write one.

Just as a suggestion, a taller rim and tire will assist with over all rpm for highway driving. That would be a the "easiest" fix I can think of. Although it will hurt low end power and mileage since you're now turning more mass.

Depends on what driving you do more often I guess.

WD

[boxcarbill]

I think their incentive not to do this is to keep the CVT as the top mileage transmission.

YOU GOT IT 100%!

[Ever Victorious]

I think their incentive not to do this is to keep the CVT as the top mileage transmission.

Though they failed. Even though the CVT gets better EPA ratings, real-world driving indicates that the 6MT is still better.

[boxcarbill]

Though they failed. Even though the CVT gets better EPA ratings, real-world driving indicates that the 6MT is still better.

Between 0 and 60 probably, but not doin over 70 mph it ain't

[boxcarbill]

Just as a suggestion, a taller rim and tire will assist with over all rpm for highway driving. That would be a the "easiest" fix I can think of. WD

Already did it. Took the baby shoes off at 700 miles and replaced with 205/70/15's. The narrower tread width 205s are the only ones that'll work cause it's a very close fit.I figured I'm getting an additional 9% over the speedometer readings with the high treads.

[Ever Victorious]

Between 0 and 60 probably, but not doin over 70 mph it ain't

Personally, I don't need to go over 70. The highest speed limit on a road in my state is 70. Cruising at 70 for 190 miles, then a day's worth of city driving, netted me my 33.99 MPG tank. I'd imagine that a full tank cruising at 70 might actually net me close to the old CVT EPA rating of 36.

The theory of the CVT's efficiency by being able to run in the 2k RPM range for long periods of time at high speed is offset by the reality that, by design, automatics are less efficient because they are more complicated machinery than manual tranmissions (laws of mechanical efficiency). Combine that with the fact that the CVT is the more complex of the two automatics (Two reconfigurable pulleys and a belt vs a torque converter and traditional gears) and you have a very power-inefficient drivetrain.

Fine, the CVT is designed for great highway fuel mileage... but the minute you start dropping speed, your economy tanks, and the manual once again becomes the more efficient transmission. Look at the people who have CVT's who post their mileage in their sigs. Not many averaging in the 30's. Whereas MOST of the 6-speeds ARE in the 30's.

What we seem to have here is another case of EPA standard testing not reflecting realistic conditions. In the IDEAL conditions in the lab, the CVT edges out the manual... but they are also cruising at a constant speed, which doesn't happen in real life except travelling between cities... and even then not always. I find the newer EPA estimates to be more accurate, but still not accurate as they still give the CVT the edge. In the fuel economy study I did using NissanVersa.org members, the manual still beat out the CVT... and you can't accuse me of slanting the numbers either, because I rejected XterraVersa's data for being incorrectly formatted (thus eliminating a car that would have COMPLETELY whacked the curve in favor of the manual anyway)... the numbers I got were slanted in favor of the CVT, and it STILL lost.

I'm just stimulating conversation.

As am I....

[boxcarbill]

I'd still like to have an additional 20 to 25% more overdrive on my 6 speed and wider ratios between the gears.I do a good bit of driving around the country. I can do 80 to 85 on the freeways in Montana without worrying about it.

[kc5f]

...the CVT is designed for great highway fuel mileage... but the minute you start dropping speed, your economy tanks, and the manual once again becomes the more efficient transmission...

That's where I lucked out with the Versa. I'd driven manuals for about 700,000 miles but got the CVT because of the mpg rating and how smooth it was. Well, since my commute is long and mostly highway (1/4 with 65 limit, 1/4 with 70, 1/4 with 55) my mileage is decent. If I'd gone with the manual, though, I'd have hated the high rpms.