Does anyone drive in DS full time (w/o using paddles) to kinda have that regular automatic feel? If not, is it bad? How often you use it?

 

I rarely use it unless I had a bad day at work and I want to merge onto 290 like an *******.

 

I just recently started using it. I noticed it wastes way more gas on regular streets so i've been using it on the highway sometimes. I've also been wondering if it would do any harm to have it on full time. Besides it wasting more gas.

 

I've been using it recently when traffic starts to jam up, mainly for its stronger engine braking, but I too wonder how bad this is on the transmission. From there I'll usually shift to "manual" and stick to 1st-2nd until traffic lightens up again, then back to D.

 

LOL, I'm the same way...

 

I never use it. How can you expect a CVT to change how it shifts when it doesn't shift to begin with?

 

Interesting... I use mine almost daily, especially for the on-ramps on the highway when I want the "faux shifting" to help with the feel of acceleration in those situations. Around town I usually just leave things in D and roll with it.

 

I rarely, if ever, switch it to DS. I use my paddle shifters all the time though, so that's kinda like temporary DS.

 

I use Ds all the time and I had the same concern so I while my car was being service. I asked my service advisor and he said it not going to hurt the cvt it's just goin to use more gas.

 

I use D or M. Very rarely Ds. Interestingly I don't use the paddle shifters as much as I thought I would.

 

I like using it. Car feels more responsive with it on.

 

I use it mainly when I want to get a little more acceleration. Other than that, I rarely use it but would miss it If the car didn't have it. Just like the shift paddles, I like them but would be bummed if my car didn't have them.

 

Everyone realizes the car is slower this way, right?

 

Yeah but its much more responsive... not trying to race anyone, just more fun to drive it in that mode

 

Along with the paddle shifters I mainly use it for slowing, but I will use it sometimes as a type of downshift as needed when going up hill. I perfer this method over having to force the CVT into a down shift by using the accelerator when in D mode.

 

Yeah Ds is a gimmick, a few years back a bunch of people went to the track and tried D vs Manual vs Ds and D is the fastest - every time. I almost never drive in Ds I think the fake shifts are really weird and throw me off, and the higher RPMs burn more gas. I do however use it to downshift to slow down all the time; and yea this is not only safe for the trans but the car does it on it's own a bit when you hit the brakes.

 

Yes.

I like it when I want to pass someone. I just need a slight push of the pedal & the power is there to do it. I also use it to slow down at times.

 

Ghozt nailed it. The DS is STRICTLY for fun. Brings back memories of bygone days. DS is slower than D in EVERY driving situation, including passing other vehicles. In plain old 'D', when I floor my Maxima at 40 MPH to do a quick pass in a short passing zone, the RPMs instantly move HIGHER than if I was using DS, and the car leaps to 80MPH before I can say 'WOW.' But using DS, the tranny stays in one RPM range until I manually shift, and EVERY tranny SHIFT is an instant when acceleration is not happening, and the DS is losing a fraction of a second to regular old 'D.'

The only purpose, other than fun, that I have found for the DS is in driving down long, curvy mountain roads, where the brakes would otherwise be in almost continuous use for five or ten miles. The DS gives better control of engine braking, saving wear and tear on the brakes.

 

Okay this is my 5th Maxima. I have owned a 2010 and a 2012 Maxima with the moonroof. Now I just bought my 2013 Maxima with the sports package including 19" wheels. Now I have driven the 2010 & 2012 in Ds mode all the time and it takes off and shifts. But now in the 2013 I had it in ds mode and took off and the rpms stayed up in 5&6 and it never shifted and started whistling so I immediately put it back in D. Has anyone had this problem, cause this never happened in my past Maxes. The dealership told me never to drive it in ds unless I'm shifting or using the paddle shifters because it has the sports package. I've never heard of this and am frustrated by it, who knows the deal with this issue?

 

To lightonthehill
Is your car the sports package edition?

 

The dealership is mistaken. You can drive it in Ds mode. If your transmission is acting funny, then maybe it needs to be looked at.

 

Exactly I will be taking it in tomorrow. It is only one week old,hopefully I will talk to someone that knows about the car fully. I have 19"wheels and I felt shimmying in the back, and I feel that just because I'm a woman the guy was trying to dumb me down when I told them they needed to balance them. He tells me "you have a different car now and it as 19" wheels and they make a big difference". Duh!!! No kidding but I know when they are not balanced right when I'm doing 85 and it's horribly shaking. I have a 40th anniversary 370z with 19s of course, no shimmying there.

 

Speak with the manager & explain that you don't appreciate being treated that way. That's pretty crappy customer service. If the guy didn't know the answers, he should have asked someone who did to speak with you.

 

Since we're talking about Ds here, I'd like to ask a few questions for clarification:
I drive a 2012 Sport + Tech, and have not used Ds much.

1. I thought Ds was supposed to let off the engine braking more?
   For example, when I go downhill in D, the car will always stay at the same speed, and never go faster down hill. I can always feel and see the tach/engine rev up to keep the car from going faster.
   Ds mode on the other hand, it will start to slowly accelerate downhill and there is no "rev-matching" so to speak.
2. Ds for me each time has rarely if ever shifted like a regular geared auto-transmission. Then again, I have never really got on it. Is this why it never shifts like that?
   But then my counter point is that when I need to go in D, I can see the tach jump in RPMs and then slide its way up, but I have never seen Ds do that. Again, maybe I have not really driven in Ds much and have not accelerated medium to hard in that mode, so I have not actually seen it work it's magic.
3. I take this as normal now, but I might as well ask again:
   If I am already moving at a good speed, around 30mph and up, if I shift from D to Ds, I always see a downshift and an uprev to around 3k-3.5k rpm for about 2-3 seconds, before it goes back to whatever engine speed and CVT ratio it was at before. Is this supposed to happen?

 

No, I have the Premium and Tech packages.

 

it's kinda pointless as the fake shift points always change, so you can't get a feel for when it's going to fake shift. and when i use it to brake down a big hill, it's useless. 35 mph zone, and if i don't brake, i'll be doing 60 in no time.

 

It's fun to use....if your in the freeway just barely pushing the gas pedal gives the car a good kick, instead of having to floor the pedal. Going around corners it's fun as well.

 

I always drive mine in DS... I never use the standard drive mode. makes the car quicker, and I haven't had a problem yet. The only time I don't use it is when I'm trying to save gas. That mode does work... the harder you mash your gas the later your fake shift points or whatever shift will take place. This car drives like an old lady car without using it to me..

 

Like it seems, most replies, I only us Ds for downshifting, especially when on sweeping curve exit ramps. Then tap it down manually for further downshifts. One advantage with the CVT is that when you downshift the transmission "slides" from one psuedo gear to the next. I can even downshift fron "2" to "1" to nearly stop at a light. Would not normally do that in a "normal" auto as the downshift would be harsh.

Just wish I had the paddle switches. I could then do the same thing without going to Ds and then put it back to D. Manual says that after a period of time of no manual up or down, it slips back to D all by itself.

 

This is true (when using paddles).

 

Yep. Definitely makes the car feel quicker. But it only FEELS quicker. Lots of folks here ran track tests when the 7th gen was new, and in every case, leaving the tranny in simple 'D' was faster than using DS or paddles or any other way.

That makes perfect sense, as using DS is imitating shifts, and any tranny that shifts has that instant at shift time where acelleration is not taking place. Just makes sense.

But the DS still FEELS quicker, and is more fun.

 

I dont like the high rpms in DS it shifts too high. I keep it in Drive all the time, like ghozt said I use DS to slow down the car via engine braking.

 

Did you ever get this looked at? I've noticed it a couple times when I put the car in DS it stays in the 5k range and acts like D mode/does not "shift"

Also, independently of that, I have recently started to notice that occasionally I will hear whistling sounds from the engine, anyone ever had an issue like this?