my friend is getting an A/T 8, which i don't understand, but hey it's his car and its still an 8 haha... anyway

he's deliberating between the 8 and the Z..... He wants to know some stuff on the 8 in A/T..... Clearly not as much HP as the M/T....

When he test drove one in A/T he said that when he got on the highway that the RPM was really slow going up and down, and at one point he was going like 90 and he said he went to floor it and the RPM stick didn't jump it went up slowly.... i dont know because for the manual the RPM stick is pretty fast.... i dont know, he just wants to know some basic information on the A/T 8 and if anyone knows anything about the A/T Z just post some thoughts.... thanks

 

Tell you friend that the AT RX-8 would be a drivers race with some Corollas (not kidding) and to learn to drive manual or go get a 350Z.

 

my only guess was that he was at too high of a speed for the tranny to downshift into a passing gear...that or he was he was in manual shift mode and didn't downshift.

that said, i agree, most people would be happier with the 350z if they were going auto. obviously not everyone since somepeople do have auto rx8s.

 

Forgot to add, if he just wants the car for the looks the AT is fine <shrugs>. The AT in its current form robs the car of much of its uniqueness and driving fun.

 

yea i know i agree that getting the 8 in A/T ruins the purpose of the car, but hey it's his money.... all he wants to know is if he can drive the A/T version the same way as the M/T... he's seen how i drive my M/T 8, and i'll redline it at 9500 and i'll rev it at a still position just to hear my exhaust he wants to know if he can rev the engine while it's in park and if he can drive at high RPM, and not damage the engine.... i dont know, i think he's better off getting the Z cause he doesnt know how to drive manual.... thanks for the feedback....

 

I'm in a similar boat. Make sure he drives the 2006 AT with the 6 speed transmission. The 350Z and RX-8 are in many ways very different. Make sure he drives both before deciding. They both have very different pluses and minuses as I'm sure everyone's well aware.

 

The 350Z will beat you up in daily driving. The RX-8 is far smoother and quieter. I'd look at the G35 Coupe, not the Z.

I'd absolutely wait for the 2006. Two more ratios and another twenty horsepower could work wonders. Four ratios is ridiculous with such a peaky engine.

Even with the 2006, I'd plan to use the manual shift feature to extract performance from the car. You can't just expect to floor it and let the transmission manage shifting on its own.

 

If your friend is set on getting an A/T, suggest that he wait until the '06s are available since the A/T engine will have a detuned high-powered engine with a bit more oomph than the '05s. But, he will likely be disappointed with an A/T if he thinks he can drive it like your M/T. They are totally different animals.

 

^^^agrees with what he says. also agree with EvilIke about if hes just buying the car for the looks, then AT is fine

 

Tell him the 350Z sucks monkey ball$ and hes better off getting an AT RX-8

 

Uhh... did your friend downshift at all? You can downshift twice if you want to get the RPM up reaL fast... IMHO, once the car is moving, the difference between an AT and MT isn't that big a difference for daily driving (ability to shave while driving aside ). Racing is a different ballgame of course...

Yes you can. The only thing you should not do is to put the gear to neutral while the car is cruising down a slope.