Is the auto box not very good on the TT or do people just go for manual because it's better?

 

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Having owned both, I prefer the manual. I have an auto now. Dont get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the auto and on commutes to work or motor driving it is good to turn on the cruise control and enjoy the ride, however when you go for a play on a twisty road, it is not the same. The hold switch on the auto can help, but manual is better I feel

That's interesting, as I am not sure mine will be used for any harsh driving. However.. I did take my 200sx to Millbrook last year and it was great fun lol!
Good to know about the auto box. Are they generally reliable?

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As far as I know they are. Mine has only done 47K miles so not expecting anything to go wrong *crosses fingers*. The manual boxes had a series 1 and series 2. The series 1 was known, at high mileage, to crunch changing from 1st to 2nd. One of my old cars did that, I double de-clutch when driving a manual anyway so it didn't bother me and didn't crunch. It was due to, I believe, weak synchros. The series 2 box (which can still be bought brand new) had this problem fixed. My car that did it was on 283K (mixture of KM and Miles) so was quite long in the tooth anyway.

I have found my auto car puts down the power way better. Where my manual cars might wheelspin, the auto just grips and goes and with a 0-60 of 5.4sec, it does bring a grin to your face! If all you do is drive normally with the occasional spirited drive, then auto would be fine. If you prefer spirited driving with occasional motorway/long distance then go for a manual.

One other thing I found with the auto box, it seems to pump fluid the wrong way around the box to slow you down when using cruise control. Ive been on many a 50mph average speed camera section and when going downhill, it slows the car and keeps it at the set cruise speed, no need to brake downhill! My manual cars didnt do that, they would keep you at speed on the flat and up hill, but downhill you would need to brake. Can someone confirm this for me/you?

Better is in the opinion of the owner.... ?

The autos are not bad for an auto of its day - it's a decent installation and Nissan did well with the tech available in the early 1990s. But the 'box is so outdated, compared to modern auto transmissions, that nowadays, a manual is considered more desirable. This is compounded by auto boxes failing with age - particularly on J-spec cars, due to their inferior oil cooling compared to UK/European spec cars.

I have driven both, but have only owned autos - and I am still quite happy with mine being auto. That said, I would not have an auto NA Zed;.... ? 

My first Z was a UK TT auto. I used to use the car daily and I absolutely loved it! It was superb for the work commute or general bimbling around the country as traffic was a breeze! My situation changed where I was able to use the Z as a weekend fun toy, so my current one is a manual and I absolutely love it! Terrorising the local A roads makes the car a whole different animal.

I have never driven an auto ZX however my family car is an auto and I love the ease of use when commuting, long drives south etc BUT when it comes time to drive the Zed I don’t think you can beat the interaction of the manual.  No technical reasons just the pure feel of the manual gearbox  

There is a very big difference between a modern ZF 7/8speed autobox or dual clutch automatic and a late 80's autobox.  Todays auto's are far more intutive, with seamless instant changes that actually make the cars quicker, feel far more directrly connected to the wheels and usually come with Paddle shifters for more manual control.    

The Z autobox is a lot slower to change gear, doesnt always pick the right gear at the right time, suffers with a lot of torque convertor slip and is a lot weaker/less reliable than its manual counterpart.

Besides that, the Auto equipped Z32 makes less power due to Turbo and exhaust camshaft differences in an attempt to claw back some response. It then transfers less of that power to the ground due to the lower transmission efficiency.

Edited January 27, 20223 yr by Yowser

I have had both and the conclusion I came to was that a manual makes you realise just how mu power you have available under your right foot and perverslet it shows just how good an auto box is at delivering that power in a smooth yet fast way

I was just wondering the other day, would it be possibly to get a new style autobox retrofitted to a Z?  They are so good these days 

On 19/02/2022 at 02:01, bird said:

I was just wondering the other day, would it be possibly to get a new style autobox retrofitted to a Z?  They are so good these days 

Garage Whifbitz will fit a BMW 7 speed auto for a hefty sum!

1 hour ago, Joely P said:

Garage Whifbitz will fit a BMW 7 speed auto for a hefty sum!

Interesting....... ? 

1 hour ago, Joely P said:

Garage Whifbitz will fit a BMW 7 speed auto for a hefty sum!

Sounds interesting.  Wonder how much and if it'd be worth it

I was going to reply to this post (completely forgot to!) with what Joel has said pretty much. Saw a YouTube video of a mk4 Supra in the UK with the E90 generation M3 DCT gearbox in it, and it of course made the Supra’s gear change lightning fast, right up there with modern standards. I believe they’re working on a kit with the newer F80 gen M3 gearbox’s too which will be even quicker.

As expected, it sounded like a real pain in the backside trying to get the cars ECU to communicate with the DCT gearbox ECU. It was sorted in the end though and what a result.

Have just found the video and it was indeed Whifbitz who did the conversion.

Interesting idea for the zed owner who prefers autos.


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Let's have the link.

 

I dont really prefer autos.  But I get cars for work and currently have an auto with the tap option of controlling manually and though, I bet something like this in our cars would be class

8 minutes ago, bird said:

Let's have the link.

 

I dont really prefer autos.  But I get cars for work and currently have an auto with the tap option of controlling manually and though, I bet something like this in our cars would be class

https://www.garagewhifbitz.co.uk/review/product/list/id/5172/category/531/

That's the kit. There's a bunch of vids on their blog and socials. 

Pretty interesting that.  Would live them to do a Z and see the difference.  I'm wondering how much faster itd be

I've driven both extensively, having owned the manual also for 15 years. The autobox has a very dated feel to it, it's only 4-speed too. Having said this, the world's fasted 1/4 mile Z32 is an auto. I'm just not a fan of torque converter autos on sports cars, they make them sound not like sports cars or even feel like them. The Z32s auto box isn't a bad box for its era, but definitely something I'd not have. They can hunt too and it can be annoying.

9 hours ago, Funkysi said:

I've driven both extensively, having owned the manual also for 15 years. The autobox has a very dated feel to it, it's only 4-speed too. Having said this, the world's fasted 1/4 mile Z32 is an auto. I'm just not a fan of torque converter autos on sports cars, they make them sound not like sports cars or even feel like them. The Z32s auto box isn't a bad box for its era, but definitely something I'd not have. They can hunt too and it can be annoying.

But what do you think of a new modern day box in our cars?

4 minutes ago, bird said:

But what do you think of a new modern day box in our cars?

Indeed.... The only reason I have not gone down the manual conversion route in my Zed (aside from the fact that  my auto-box still works), is that I simply prefer driving an automatic car on the UK's roads. My daily drivers have been autos since the late 1990s, so I have just got used to it. Besides, I frequently use my Zed for weekend days out - and for most holidays. And, unfortunately, traffic jams are more the norm than the exception these days, so an auto is simply more convenient. For me anyway... 

...I love the modern auto boxes in today's German performance cars, so also love the idea of this conversion. Whether I'd do it (cost and lack of originality) is another question - but what an idea!!

I might give it some thought if I come to change my clutch.  Feels like a great idea.  I'm thinking, it could be good but then I do like driving it as a manual.  I was debating a new flywheel though

Indeed.... The only reason I have not gone down the manual conversion route in my Zed (aside from the fact that  my auto-box still works), is that I simply prefer driving an automatic car on the UK's roads. My daily drivers have been autos since the late 1990s, so I have just got used to it. Besides, I frequently use my Zed for weekend days out - and for most holidays. And, unfortunately, traffic jams are more the norm than the exception these days, so an auto is simply more convenient. For me anyway... 
...I love the modern auto boxes in today's German performance cars, so also love the idea of this conversion. Whether I'd do it (cost and lack of originality) is another question - but what an idea!!

I completely get and respect your thought process there. To drive fast on uk roads depending on where you are, you have to drive out of hours, and be in constant paranoia about undercover police cars and speed camera vans, as unlike when I was young, these days in the south anyway, there are Hyundai undercover police cars!! That combined with traffic during normal hours as you say, I don’t blame you for being perfectly happy with a well functioning stock auto. If you’re after a weekend and holiday cruiser then the stock auto will keep you satisfied, but if you’re after an auto that has the ability to outrun the stock manual, then this could be the way to go - best of both worlds.

Also take note that the Whifbitz link which Lexx posted is only conversion parts, I don’t think it includes the gearbox and gearbox ecu costs, which after a quick google search may be another £2-3k extra over this £3k parts cost. There’s also the fact that whiffbitz haven’t made the kit for the Z32 yet, only for the Supra. That’s not to say they won’t, they’ll just need a trial car and the belief of future business from the Z32 community to invest in the R&D.


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I think it would be great fun to drive with a Z32 with a modern, fandangled autobox but I think the price makes it prohibitively expensive for most. You need to already have a compatible standalone engine management system before you even consider the £2800 for the kit. On top of this you’ll need a BMW 7 speed autobox(!) and a few other gubbins to make the conversion work. Once you have all that, if you’re not proficient with turning spanners and wiring, you’ll need Mr Whifbitz to give you an installation quote!

Before we get to the R&D stage, who knows If those DCT gearbox’s will fit in our cars...


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With all the costs me and Joel mention, parts, gearbox and ecu’s, having a budget of £10k, probably isn’t far off the reality for these works. Would be great to see it happen as another innovation for the Z32, but who has the brave pill and man maths to justify the cost over a manual conversion.


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22 hours ago, bird said:

But what do you think of a new modern day box in our cars?

I think for the hassle, I'll stick with manual. I mean, I'd never use a Z32 as a commuter car, so it's irrelevant to me personally. My daily hacks are autos and that's nice just for wafting through busy traffic, but I wouldn't waste my time driving a Z in that type of environment.