New Z Automatic Paddle shifts slow

[Judoyo13]

Hey everybody! I wish my first post on here was showing off my new vehicle, but I feel inclined to discuss my new automatic Nissan Z.

I finally made the decision to purchase a new Z and started getting overly excited about getting my hands on a Z. I've driven a manual RSX for a decade and have always loved driving manual. My wife, some friends, and the fact that all manuals available were either way too expensive or not in my color combination desired led me to purchase the 9 speed automatic.

There are aspects about switching to auto that I do like. I like the better exhaust tone, better gas mileage, and technically faster speed.

However I'm really not enjoying the shifting with the paddles which is the majority of how I drive the Z.

My particular worst problem is from 1st to 2nd gear. It is about an entire second too slow in my Z right now and I have to press the paddle to shift it at like 4500-5000 RPM in order for it not to max out revs before even shifting.

Am I doing something wrong? Is this typical? Can I do anything to mitigate this?

I'm having some buyers remorse not getting the manual and this slow shifting is a large part of that.

 

[MCN1SMO]

yeah this is a problem ive posted about but I have found a way to mitigate it a bit. so like you said 1-2 shift it almost feels confused on how to handle the torque so there is a delay say if you shift at 3K it might not shift to 4500 ect.. this is most noticeable early on in your first drive of the day driving in a lazy manner. In D mode it doesnt have this problem for me only in manual. im coming from over a decade of driving a dual clutch so this issue seemed even worse for me as under moderate acceleration I would shift to 2nd and could see the RPMS shoot up before it even shifts...not good.

but what Ive found is if you put it in sport mode and drive a bit aggressive ( not fast or anything just doing more than usual upshifts and acceleration with each shift) the car sort of "learns" and that 1-2 shift for me gets more snappy and less of a RPM delay. give it a try


another related thing I noticed is you dont need the paddle as much as I thought because once it learns you are driving aggressive it will hold the lower gears more without upshifting. ive got my first autocross in a few weeks and will definitely need to iron how the best way to do that 1-2 shift off the line

 

[MindScape]

but what Ive found is if you put it in sport mode and drive a bit aggressive ( not fast or anything just doing more than usual upshifts and acceleration with each shift) the car sort of "learns" and that 1-2 shift for me gets more snappy and less of a RPM delay. give it a try


another related thing I noticed is you dont need the paddle as much as I thought because once it learns you are driving aggressive it will hold the lower gears more without upshifting. ive got my first autocross in a few weeks and will definitely need to iron how the best way to do that 1-2 shift off the line

I noticed the computer actually does a really good job at learning when you're driving aggressive and almost adjusts from a 'sport mode, but I'm still just driving to work' to a 'sport mode, but keep the RPMs up baby!'. Just gotta give it a little 'teaching' by downshifting also and purposefully keeping your RPM's in the powerband you want (and has a really nice feeling of the throttle response also being almost instant and powerful too, obviously cuz it's in the higher RPMs but still feels NICE).

 

[MCN1SMO]

Yeah so my first week with the car I'm like why is it so sluggish on the 1,2,3 shifts But I was being super easy on it for the break in now that I'm driving it "normal" it feels after a few minutes it does feel quicker shifts after turning in sport mode

Speaking of sport mode a small issue I have with it is if you turn it on while driving and not stationary sometimes the RPMs obnoxiously will shoot up as it immediately gears down. for example when you change the mods in like a C8 or GTR it doesnt do that on the fly

 

[MindScape]

Yeah so my first week with the car I'm like why is it so sluggish on the 1,2,3 shifts But I was being super easy on it for the break in now that I'm driving it "normal" it feels after a few minutes it does feel quicker shifts after turning in sport mode

Speaking of sport mode a small issue I have with it is if you turn it on while driving and not stationary sometimes the RPMs obnoxiously will shoot up as it immediately gears down. for example when you change the mods in like a C8 or GTR it doesnt do that on the fly

Funny you mention it as a bad thing; I kinda like it sometimes it does it more than others tho, so it's a bit odd.

 

[MCN1SMO]

Funny you mention it as a bad thing; I kinda like it sometimes it does it more than others tho, so it's a bit odd.

I had a few parade laps during a racing event this weekend. It was not even half pace but it still allowed you to redline through a few years and hit 100mph on the back stretch. I did the entire thing in manual mode with the paddles. I was pleasantly surprised at how the auto shifted in that situation. I found some of the around town sluggishness wasnt present and it felt pretty good.