Ok just out of curiousity, I have a 98 Max SE Automatic. Now when say racing anybody from a stand still is it better to race without overdrive on, and then say when racing at sped of 55 and up with overdrive on. Or is it just best to have overdrive on all the time. Thanks.

 

Damn dude, you should know this horse has been beaten...

...do I have to tell you to search?

 

Best way to race with an automatic is, at the stoplight...shift it into D...step on the gas, and then using your steering wheel, head in the direction of your nearest Nissan dealership. The next step is important: tell them "I want to trade in this car for a 5-speed <enter year here> Maxima."

 

 

There is still a place for racing an Automatic... The point is to have fun with it. I race people in 5spd Honda Preludes, and knock their socks off with my Auto. I even beat a Ford Thunderbird. It can be done... From what I've gathered, all the Overdrive does is locks out your high gear...

It shouldn't make a difference in racing... Only in a high speed chase... J/K

 

Yomie - touche


Yea, I guess the point is to have fun with it. I'd find it real hard to have fun in an even-slightly sloshy auto though (I'd imagine you could get a mod to make the auto shift harder/at better points under the right amt of throttle, etc, etc), especially in a ~16-second (again stock, but by the same token I wouldn't start with an auto sedan to mod out) sedan. What fun is it to put your foot on the gas pedal and hold the steering wheel straight?

Sorry, I'm just overly bitter that the industry (thanks to the consumers) has turned into a world where the "standard" transmission is more like a "rare" transmission, especially around here. Heh...I've seen a LOT of maximas from working at a car wash for a while and just general observation, and I've only seen three manuals, and on the road maybe one or two more judging on acceleration characteristics from a stop. Especially now with the advent of the autostick...makes me sick The people that like autos and love autostick transmissions are the kind of people that would LOVE a fully-functional auto-pilot controller. They could just sit back and let the car do everything. I'm sure they'd find some way to call that "having fun", too....("How can I hack my auto-pilot to race at its fullest potential??")

 

You're awesome! #1 guy right here folks!

 

Seriously, all auto-angst aside, you could easily find any info about this topic using the search function like Ben pointed out. There's not that many different ways to launch/accelerate in an auto, so you could try them all out yourself and see what you think. Combine that with the info you can dig up using the search function.


But you do have to promise me that if/when they make fully functional auto-pilot devices in cars, that you don't come back posting how to hack the auto-pilot computer to make it race as fast as it can

 

i didnt know they made those

 

The best way to race an automatic is to go to the Import Races on Sunday and run a faster time than all the 5 and 6 speeds in your class. The crowd loves it and the 5 & 6 speed owners are silent.

 

First off, I didn't buy an Automatic because I "don't like driving..." I bought it because my wife wouldn't drive a 5 spd...

All I'm saying, is that there are a lot of Auto Maxima owners on here. Don't try to segregate us just because we have Automatic Transmissions. As a matter of fact, there is an organized street race at the local drag strip tomorrow night where I live. Guess how many Maxima's will be racing that are Automatic's? Three...

If you want to bash on people for what they drive, join a Civic Forum, and take your sarcasm with you.

By the way, I stand corrected, Preludes are four bangers... I was mistaken... The point is, a Maxima is still a Maxima. There is a great sense of pride in owning one, period... That's why this forum is here.

 

Blah. I'd like to discuss this more than I will, but this isn't the right thread. My one question to Jime would be, if you could have a car fully take control of throttle/steering, that was faster than all the cars on the track, would you want to even take it there and brag about how fast it would be? Just a food for thought question though, not begging a response.

All I have to say about the "ragging on rides" goes is, if someone is looking for something to a degree that their car can't give them, they're going to get told, "family" or not. Extreme example: "I take my Ford Excursion on the local autox circuit. What can I do to the suspension so I can beat these Miatas??" Course, that's extremely silly, but I also think it's silly to banter about what different strategies you can use in an automatic to gain .05-.1 second of performance.

BTW, maxwillden, I *really* like the looks of your max, especially the wheels & the white color (my fav for 4th gens, besides SE-L red).

 

 

What does a fully automated car have to do with the difference between a manual transmission and an auto. We are talking about one small aspect of the overall big picture. A lot of people manually shift their autos and when you start running 13's and faster there is plenty to do in the cockpit during those precious few seconds, you don't just sit there and enjoy the view.
It seems to me its always the manual transmission guys that are doing the bragging, I just made that comment about being faster than all the 5 and 6 speeds guys last sunday to show that an auto doesn't have to be slow and I would much sooner be the underdog and win than to win just because everyone expects you to.
I love my automatic, I am proud to be an automatic owner and I especially love it when the manual transmission guy I just beat down the track comes over with a look of awe on his face when he sees my automatic.

 

Applause... Thank you!

 

Well said.

 

Jime is the man!

 

ROCK ON!!!!! I have an AUTO MAX and I love it. When I Race off the line i tend to shift it into first and drive it like a standard, but all in all A MAX IS A MAX! either way u can have fun drivin a max!

 

yeh auto! maybe you 5spds will have problems driving in the city or you rev your engine harder so it doesnt last long haha

 

Nice to know we have some good automatic representation...