jingiko

iTrader: (1)

This is for the non 6spd owners. heh sorry
But im curious to see on how often you guys use the gated shifters/manual shift mode when driving.
I mean do you guys use it to pass trucks on highways?
or On a closed drag strip to get better acceleration?

I know theres a limit on how fast you should go on each gear.
But do you guys ever redline it on the track or strip?

If so whats the best technique?
I would like to know for the SE and SL owners since SE's are 5spd and SL's are 4.

also anyone ever go on the highway and put it on gear 1?

po8pimp

Ok I have a 5speed auto and I use the manual shift all the time..... everywhere I go except on long trips on the highway...... then I will get on the highway in manual and then shift it to auto..... also the manual mode shifts itself once it reaches redline unless you hold it in either the up or down direction..... you can get it to go past redline but then it sputters or jerks making it seem like you hit a rev limiter..... when I go to the track I put it in manual mode and start in 1st with my foot on the brake and holding the gas at about 1500 -2000 rpm on third light I let off the brake and leave it in manual..... I don't touch it to shift up or down..... it shifts at the highest rpm aloud...... I believe for 5 speed is 6500rpm.... usually on a 1/4 mile I don't get out of 3rd gear..... also the manual mode will auto downshift however you have the ability to downshift yourself if the car is at a safe rpm when doing so.... the car will let you know by not downshifting..... which could get frustrating but is a great feature keeping people from breaking their tranny..... the car when coming to a stop will stay in second gear unless you are completly stopped..... then it shift to 1st...... if you switch from drive to manual mode at any speed after 40mph you will be in 5th gear..... I hope all this helps...... now go test it out.... you can't break it no matter how hard you try...... remember to change tranny fluid at the regular intervals specified in your owner manuals......

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

I use it when I need to slow quickly....i.e.....coming in off the freeway. Or a stopped vehicle is ahead is of me in my lane and I need to slow down quickly.
Just for giggles, mine is an SL and is also a 5 speed auto.

04BlackMaxx

Never use it, I lost interest in it after my first week of owning the car, I think it shifts too slow too. There is a couple second lag from shifting until the car actually upshifts. Downshifts seem faster...either way though, I just see it as a way to access high and low gears for driving up and down hills etc...as per the owners manual.

Blulytes

iTrader: (2)

Ah... I own an SL with 5 speed auto...

Smooth

I absolutely hate the lag. I will have my ecu re-flashed soon but I want to do a couple other things first.

PapaL

iTrader: (2)

I second that.


I use mine all the time, great to drop it down and zoom zoom past all the crazies on the road.

SMOKIN'MAX

5 speed auto on my SL. I love it and use it often, especially when getting off the highway ramp for engine braking (the brakes on this car are terrible and, at only 10,000 miles, they're already squealing).
I love using it to hold gears on the twisties as well as launching it from a standstill.

jingiko

iTrader: (1)

MMM lets see I use mine when i need to.(ie highway passing)
i used it once on a track against a 03 maxima =P it deff impressed the girls.
oo also tried to drift with this car(stock) with the 3# gears on a rainy day in a private lot that my friend owned. horrible experience heh.

hmm blulytes i have a 04 SL and all the gears i have is 1.2.3.D.N.R.P
i duno if you consider the R to be a gear. hehe but is my max the oldest then?
but im glad to hear that people do use it.

also PO8PIMP could i buy this tranny fluid at say autozone or pepboys?(better company?)
reg intervals? like oil changes? (dont believe i ever changed my tranny fluid unless its the first 15k i think the stealership did it. i have about 33k on my car now)
its the cap behind the antifreeze right? and i just pour it in right? (but how much? top it off?)
haha sorry for being sucha noooby question!

but thanks again .org family <3

cwepruk

I use it fairly often, but it's slow to react. Sometimes you downshift and it just won't (you have to hit it twice).

I usually only use to get in the right gear for passing. It beats waiting for the car to downshift on it's own (and maybe pick the wrong gear).

xoomer.com

iTrader: (19)

I use it quite often, usually on the highways to pass or to get better response when 'peeling' from a stop. Almost always when stock in traffic - instead of having the auto shift between 1-2-3 in stop and go, you can just put in in 2 and keep on moving. You don't have to hit the brake all the time because the gear will slow you down when you let the gas go. It stays on 2 even if you slow down to 1 mph, it only switches to 1 if you completely stop. Once the traffic frees you can really take off. Great stuff!

I once rented a Mazda Protege with a feature like that and almost killed the poor thing. The gear shifted in the oposite directions so if you wanted to upshift you would PULL instead of PUSH. Took awhile to get used to it, by the time I did, my MAX was ready to be picked up from service.

Bernard

gurlie_J_gurl

iTrader: (4)

Never used it, i actually think the only time it has been used is when she got on the dyno last weekend and they had to go manual to redline her.

That's the reason i got an auto... because i don't wanna have to shift alot.... or even at all....

logik05se

i use it so often that people that i work with actually think my car is a 6speed until i tell them lol. for those of you wondering why i didnt just buy a 6 speed then...sometimes i do wish i did, but there are those times that i enjoy the fact that i can just leave it in D. My next car will almost 100% be a manual though.

Blulytes

iTrader: (2)

My shifter is Park - Reverse - Neutral - Drive (then auto-shift to the right)
I do not have 1-2-3 on my shifter.

interesting...
When did they change this? or was it an option?

jingiko

iTrader: (1)

hmmm
i have a 04 SL
early ones. so wait is this dangerous? or can i redline it at 1 2 or 3?
because the manual says dont drive faster than 25 at 1.
check the specs on the stickies it says that my car has 3gears then drive

po8pimp

to tell you the truth I am not sure if you can change the type of fluid you need..... I was told by nissan if I changed the fluid I change the additives in the fluid which break down different and effect the tranny different..... they also advised me if I did change it and something went wrong with the tranny they wouldn't cover it..... they are very particular on their fluids at nissan..... if I were you I would call the dealership and talk to the guy in charge of the service department..... not an expert on this and really didn't have time to find out anything to argue or question their claims..... ohh I think you should have changed your fluid at 30k not 15k but I can't remember.... I might have done it both times....

highwaycruiser

I use it sometimes when going down large hills in Los Angeles... it's like the car is slowing itself down.... so I shift up to go a little faster down the hill sometimes. Also use it every rare once in a while to go faster off the line if I'm in the wrong lane and I need to pass somebody. And every once in a while, I'll just drive while shifting. Still glad to have an auto and just leave it in "D" most of the time, though. It's definitely nice to have my cake and eat it, too.

Monotaur

I think your maintenance type determines the interval at which you change the tranny fluid. For the lowest interval (the one where you change your oil every 7500 miles), the manual doesn't even suggest changing the tranny fluid... however the other maintenance I think all suggest changing it at 30K miles.

As I recall, there have been some other discussions about this as well... I think someone found a generic Nissanmatic-k compatible fluid that was a lot cheaper, but there was still some question as to whether the warranty would be honored if something other than Nissan fluid were used.

jingiko

iTrader: (1)

lol how much are we talking about when it comes to changing your tranny fluid?
take its not as cheap as syn oil? hehe or better window washer fluid?

Monotaur

LOL, no it's not cheap. As I recall, I got a steal on mine (I think it was like $72 or something for the entire 30K maintenance procedure). I don't have the receipt handy, but I think the dealership way undercharged me for the fluid.

Longhorn101

The 4-speeds used in the early 2004's and the 5-speeds used in SE and later 04's used different Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). The 4-speeds used the Nissan Matic D ATF, but that is compatable with DexronIII/Mercon spec'd fluid which is easy to find in local auto parts stores. The 5-speeds use the Nissan Matic K fluid which according to the manual didn't have a compatible equivalent when the 04 manual was written.

By the way, I couldn't find where the ATF change was called for in the maintenance guide for my car under the Schedule 1 maintenance (3750 mile schedule) althought it was under the Premium maintenance every 30k miles.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

I "shift" when I want to engine brake (sudden stops which are rare, or taking fast turns) and when on the highway just before passing or entering from a ramp.

if already in that mode, I also like to hold it in 2nd when at a stop.

sometime when I know i'll be cruising around 45 for awhile, I'll use it to stay in 4th or 5th so it doesn't constantly auto-shift back and forth.

I know some dislike/indiff about it, but it was a major reason why i bought this car. I prefer Auto for my daily driver/cruiser but like to control at times.



remember, if it won't shift, then it's not supposed to. the design prohibits RPM below 1k and above redline. (unless you hold it down, which you'll encounter the rev limiter.... or hold it up and slow down).

highwaycruiser

Agreed. It's a major reason I got the car. (Actually, to be perfectly honest, I was looking at an Altima 3.5 with Tiptronic shiftinng, but hey, the Maxima is only a couple inches lonnger and an inch wider, and was easier to find equippd the way I want than an Altima)

Ah.... and then there were the old days when I would hit the "overdrive" button on my 3rd generation Max...

aryathegreat

iTrader: (1)

i ahve to be in the mood to use the manual shift. at times, i wish i had manual, and one lazy days im glad i can just push it into "D" and sit back lol

madmik

iTrader: (1)

Manual mode most of the time. Mostly in 4th on the hwy. Maybe auto if my wife is in the car. I love to keep the revs up so its ready to travel through time, to pass, or to see how fast I can corner. Loving it.

Monotaur

Buy gas much?

But back on topic, I rarely use it... mostly to pass on the highway or something.

OmarBadu

i use when i'm not "daily driving"

Albert

I didn't know that it would auto down shift until I'd read this post and tried it myself today. That was why I didn't use it much. But today in traffic I left it in 2 to avoid the constant shifting between 1 and 2. But once traffic eased up I forgot to shift up or put it back to D.

But would running at a higher RPM put more wear on the transmission?
It makes sense to use manual mode in traffic to reduce shifting demand on the tranny.

AscendantMax

iTrader: (7)

hardly use it. only times i do put it to use is to quickly someone up, or when i need to get up to the speed of traffic relatively fast.

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

Honestly speaking, does it really make a difference while accelerating from a roll? It may feel like it because once u get down to the gear you want, but imo the time it takes to shift down those 2-3 gears, the automatic would have done the same........wouldn't it? But today I was cruising around and trying out the "hold the shifter down" for a later shift....and WOW did it make a difference, when I shifted to 2nd I held it and usually i notice that it "automatically shifts" at around 6200rpm but with me holding the shifter down it went to 6750! and then it studdered a little because it wouldnt let me go any further......so around 6600ish would still be good. Even though I heard that no matter what you do the ECU will limit rpm's either way and there's is no possible way of damaging the motor from over-reving. O ya and back to the topic...I RARELY use the manumatic mode. lol

Dan

po8pimp

sounds like you had some fun with it..... that's why I use it..... it's fun and allmost seems like a manual at times..... when I first used it I used to forget I didn't have a clutch it was funny as hell when I would shift because I would do the motions of a manual..... a great feature to the newer maximas I think

emub00

I use it when downhill and when it's slippery...the engine break really makes the difference on icy roads.

logik05se

i promise you it does. me and another 6th gen raced trying one car in d and the other in tip....the one in D got smoked...then when both in tiptronic we were dead even.

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

Is there a "proper way" to do the shifting? Do you hold it down each time...and if so then till what rpm? Thanks

po8pimp

think this about covers it....... from the first page......

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

O s*** i forgot about that lol

aryathegreat

iTrader: (1)

thats wierd. i raced my friends third generation TL twice. one after the other, pretty same start for him, but one was in tip for me, the other in D, and D got him by a bumper. tip lost by a bumper

logik05se

thats because when using the tip, if you shift it yourself it sucks terribly....just the let the car goto redline and shift for itself...if you beat him by a bumper in D, youll take him by over a car in tiptronic.