Semi Auto Gearbox, Can We Make It Better?

[V35 Matt]

Hey all,

i love my auto V cause its a daily drive, and traffic is in sydney is crap as we all know.

But when im just driving around, i love flicking it into semi auto mode and going through the gears as per a manual.

Problems i have!!!

#1 it seems when the car is cold (i duno why) shifting up seems to lag ALOT. you go to 2nd, then it wont go to 3rd until it wants to, which takes 2-5 pushes up on the gearshift. This is very annoying as the car revs out and it sounds like i cant drive.

#2 is the stupid system that doesnt allow gears at certain speeds. On the way up, 4th wont engage under 40 and 5th under 50. Now throwing it in auto mode is i guess the obvious thing to do, but its sometimes just annoys me. And on the way down aswell, i like how it'll let you flick from 4th to 2nd with a few flicks, but not being able to get into 1st over 50km/ph, sometimes is annoying and more so on the track. I know its to save the engine, but c'mon, its a strong engine!

Is there anything that can be done? ECU? Retune?

I guess i should have got the manual

Edited May 14, 2009 by V35 Matt

[V35_Paul]

+1^

[-= SKiZO =-]

I haven't driven the auto, but on the CVT, the grounding cables helped. I can't say the lag was that bad before, but afterwards the changes were super-instant. The G35 guys reported similar results on their auto's if i can remember correctly.

[Touge Kyousou]

Find a good auto tranny specialist and get them to beef it up. What they usually do is give it a service, change some solenoids/increase pressure and it will give firmer quicker shifts. I guess at the same time you can look at upgrading it slightly for more power if you want too!

Grounding wires ain't a bad idea. Some factory ground points are so crap it's unbelievable (dunno on the 350gt though, mine's a manual).

[V35 Matt]

What would that cost to get it serviced and beefed up?

[NA_R33]

I'd be giving Mike from MV Automatics in adelaide a call, he's a guru when it comes to autos, especially jap stuff, if anyone's played with them in aus yet id put money on him.

Getting a normal valve body done usually ranges from 250-500 bucks. He does fully manual control boxes for earlier skyline stuff so he might be able to sort something out the V box.

[iamhe77]

I'd be giving Mike from MV Automatics in adelaide a call, he's a guru when it comes to autos, especially jap stuff, if anyone's played with them in aus yet id put money on him.

Getting a normal valve body done usually ranges from 250-500 bucks. He does fully manual control boxes for earlier skyline stuff so he might be able to sort something out the V box.

+1

I know that MV do a "stage 1" kit for the M35 Stagea, so I would hazard a guess that they would also have one for the V35 as both cars use a similar 5 speed tiptronic transmission.

They will also ship to whichever city you are in.

Edited May 14, 2009 by iamhe77

[mjay]

#2 is the stupid system that doesnt allow gears at certain speeds. On the way up, 4th wont engage under 40 and 5th under 50. Now throwing it in auto mode is i guess the obvious thing to do, but its sometimes just annoys me. And on the way down aswell, i like how it'll let you flick from 4th to 2nd with a few flicks, but not being able to get into 1st over 50km/ph, sometimes is annoying and more so on the track. I know its to save the engine, but c'mon, its a strong engine!

i can understand not being able to downshift above certain speeds... downshiting into 1st at 80kmh aint the smartest idea.. but yeh itsannoying not holding gears as you slow down.. the damn ford territory holds gears all teh way till stop and the V doesnt!? that shit aint right

[zei20l]

to be honest the 'tiptronic' mode of our gearboxes is pretty poor. you have SOME input to what gear it will be in, but if the computer says no, its not gonna happen.

as for it not being able to shift down when youre slowing, thats not to save the engine. its to save the gearbox and the drivetrain

[andy65b]

I read a lot of comments yesterday about the earthing kits on the G35 Driver site. There are a lot of reviews from people claiming improved shifting of the gear box and response from the motor. They are not claiming more hp, just an improvement in smoothness of the motor, more instant throttle response (that would not be hard on a M35) and faster shifts in manual mode.

All these things sound great and for the cost of a kit I will happily experiment with the idea. Just got to find a good kit now.

I emailed 2 people offering kits (the better reviewed ones) and 1 replied. I sent some images of the M35 motor and he can not guarantee it will fit as there are some major differences in the intake and not the same earthing points. He was not confident to say it would work without seeing the engine which might be a bit hard.

If anyone knows of a kit locally and a contact that would be great?

Cheers

Andy

[NA_R33]

Let us know how you go as I'm keen to put one on my car, i think it has some earth issues.

The kits you inquired about are they for US spec left hand drive cars? as the battery is located on the other side of the engine bay, would a universal kit perhaps be a better option?

Edited May 15, 2009 by NA_R33

[andy65b]

Let us know how you go as I'm keen to put one on my car, i think it has some earth issues.

The kits you inquired about are they for US spec left hand drive cars? as the battery is located on the other side of the engine bay, would a universal kit perhaps be a better option?

Yes, they are for the left hand drive cars with battery on the opposite side. The V35 may not have as big a problem with compatibility as the only thing they seemed worried about was the earth on the plenum.

The universal kit may be easier but I am not sure if they would be as good. I read about one kit from a name brand that got really bad reviews but the ones designed for the G35 that included earths to gearbox and ECU seemed to rate very well.

I might have to do a better search on the Japanese sites but the US sites a so much easier to understand. Some one has to teach those yanks to drive on the correct side of the road! LOL

Edited May 15, 2009 by andy65b

[Will Power]

i find that the manual shifts are best if u put it in the v35's power mode in terms of response and shifting wen u want it to as i can go to redline if u really wanted to (done it a few times ). however, with it will auto-downshift if ur not travelling fast enough. thats just my 2 cents hope that helps

[zei20l]

andy just make the earthing kits yourself, its wire with crimped ends you screw onto the engine/gearbox etc. go to jaycar and buy all that stuff

but yeah i agree, all stock cars suffer from bad earthing!

[V35_Paul]

Wonder if this would make a difference

(The “Sprint Booster”, is the perfect solution to solve the laggy of drive-by-wire system)

http://www.999automotive.com.au/products/sprintbooster/sprintbooster.html

[siglapian]

My cousin used to have a Sprint Booster on his Golf GTi Mark V. The only thing it did was amplify the throttle response - meaning, if you depressed the accelerator at a normal 20%, it will amplify it to maybe 50-60%, making your car "feel" like it has improved throttle response.

However, I feel that it is a total waste of money and just a placebo. You can easily depress the throttle to 50-60% yourself and get the acceleration required. It increases fuel consumption and is too sensitive for accurate throttle control when you are hitting the apex of a turn.

Anyway my cousin enjoyed his sprint booster on his GTi for awhile then regretted buying it and sold it away.

Edited May 15, 2009 by siglapian

[Yo-Yo]

def. recommend the grounding wires

power delivery was noticeably improved due to better throttle response, didn't feel as laggy when shifting. Again, probably made f'all difference to power, just made the power delivery better via the gearbox

This car was my first auto and the earthing kit made it that much more bearable

still miss driving manual but meh

Edited May 15, 2009 by Yo-Yo

[siglapian]

Yo-yo: Where did you get the grounding wires from? Was it from some of the vendors over at g35driver.com? And did you install it yourself?

[Yo-Yo]

I bought a voltage stabiliser kit from a shop near me, I know the owner so he hooked me up with the pricing,

really you can buy any 4/8 awg cables and washer terminals if you know what you're doing. all stuff you can get from Jaycar

In regards to US kits I'm sure it would just be a case of reversing the install instuctions from right to left, the cables would be the same length and as long as common sense is used you can install them, us spec G's aren't any wider than japan-spec V's, just battery and wheel on opposite sides.

yes I installed mine, easy, find a ground to the body, the engine block and your throttle body if able

[siglapian]

Sweet thanks for the pics and the quick reply Yo-yo... didn't expect to see a Pivot Volt Stab. there! Will definitely look into getting that for my car, and it's a very reputable Japanese brand too...