Do You Wish The R35 Came In Manual?

[Munro]

Who are you kidding? A std R35 can dust a $60k R34 with $60k spent on it.

In fact, just yesterday, I drove my Street R33 GTR (which has had well over $100k spent on it)

which has been sitting in the shed without much love for a number of weeks now - just for a

bit of old school back to back to see how it felt after spending a few weeks 'hooning' around in my R35.

Man I have loved that R33, have had it for 6 years, but after getting used to the R35 it is just old hat.

My R35 has only had a few minor mods but is just faster, smoother, better.

The king is dead........ Long live the king.

No offence, but you really have to get a few thousand kays under your belt in one of these things

to understand how good they really are. Reading about them just does not cut it.

I am a bit of a movie buff, but when DVDs came out I took the plunge & chucked out the VCR!!

BTW - I still have wood for my Holinger so I love a good manual on the track

& my daily cruise car runs an auto so I am not one eyed on the transmission front.

[XXXV]

No I don't wish there was a manual.

I only wish I could put the R35 box into my R34.

Once you have really driven a car with one of these boxes hard you'll never want a 3rd pedal back in your car again.

Yup I would have to say I am with you on that one, and congrats on Targa hhmm time seem 2 go very fast

[Martin Donnon]

Its an easy conversion!

Just get your internet-mechanic to put an internet-manual in your internet-R35.....and you will have the best R35 manual on the internet. Thats how it works isnt it?

[LSX-438]

It really confounds me why people would want to put a traditional box in an R35. It's at the heart of what the car is about, moreso than the engine. To say it shouldn't have that box is just insane. Despite the fact it would cost at least $50k to do it, the thing would be significantly slower (around a track anyway). And if you don't care about that, well, you shouldnt be buying an R35 in the first place. If you REALLY need that h-pattern fix, just spend $50k on a worked Evo or something else instead - it will be quicker than a neutered GTR that's for sure. Newsflash: driving a h-pattern gearbox doesnt validate masculinity nor put hairs on your chest.

[Birds]

But it sure feels fun...

[John D]

The only possible reason you'd want or even think about a R35 with a H pattern shift is if you've never driven a R35 !!!!

[Beer Baron]

yeah as I mentioned before. not a single person who has actually driven one hard I know of wishes it had a manual box. the box is the heart and soul of this car. it suits the character of the car perfectly, and works well with everything else. on it's own is an awesome box, but in the car it's part of the team.

and what Munro is spot on. the very first time I drove an R35 GTR hard up through some hills I mentioned "wow, you would need about double the power and double the skill to keep up with this 35 if you're in a 32-34." you would need to buy a nice R32 for about $30K, then spend $100K on it just to beat the R35 in say 2 or three ways. so you might be able to make your 32 lap quicker at the circuit, and pull better drag times, but it would be nearly undrivable on the street and probably slower through the hills. it would be very hard to build a 32-34 that could beat the R35 in every way (street, circuit, drag, fast hills etc).

outright power numbers do not tell you the story. considering an R35 "only" has peak power of around 300rwkw and weights over 1700kg, then you'd guess that a 34 GTR with 300rwkw weighing over 200kg less would absolutely smoke it. in drags, in hills runs, on the circuit and just on the street the R35 would decimate it in every way. it has superior power delivery, it has superior torque, and the box alone account for huge amounts of time, plus it has so much grip, excellent brakes and on and on.

anyway, the point is the box makes the car. and no way will a 34 GTR with $60K spent on it even make a dent in an R35 in most ways that count.

think about it, what would $60K on a 34 get you? well $30K would be gone straight away in buying a hollinger and compatible clutch etc and having it installed and set-up. then $12K gone on a decent brake upgrade. now you only have $18K left to buy you a full engine set-up, turbo set-up, all the gear like oil coolers, intercooler, piping, ECU, exhaust system, tuning, any interior and body gear, plus you still have stock suspension which needs about $30K on it's own!! You really need to AT LEAST double the budget to $120K. but then you've spent say $60K buying the 34, and $120K making it as fast in most situations as a 35. but on the downside it's still only worth about $80K and is still behind the 35 in a lot of ways. and it's cost you $180K.

be under no illusion as to what a really serious GTR costs. I know a number of guys that have spent over $250,000 on their GTRs of various years (32,33 and 34). and a couple of guys that have spent much more than that. and there is just no way possible to do it cheap and get a good result.

[Gibbo_R35]

Someone lock this thread.....it is now pointless. (Even more than it was 3 months ago)

I would propose the new title.....Should Nissan make an R35 with a gearbox that is not so clunky and grabby at low speeds.

I wish I had a dollar for everytime the car has all of a sudden grabbed the reverse gear and bolted when trying to reverse park.

I am getting used to the steps of "Engage reverse, accelerate...more...more....CLUNK...reverse found."

I love this gear box but low speed gear changing and the black hole that exists when the car tries to find 1st from 2nd when coasting to a round about or intersection...that is my only criticism.

Still I would not change it for a Manual again.

[Birds]

Is that normal for the gearbox or specific to your car?

[Beer Baron]

have to say I've never really had any problems with low speed stuff. in mine it slips the clutch etc just like you would do yourself in a manual to get doing gently. I actually kind of like it... it does make some clunk noises etc from time to time, makes it sounds a bit like a race box... mmmm yes I am part gay.

[John D]

Without being rude it's normally "pilot error", that cause the grabbing in reverse, and yes they all have that low speed 1-2 clunck-bang shift.

To get around the reverse grab if you keep the throttle open (even just a little) you'll find it alot smoother, I think this is because once the throttle is open the clutch is engaged or engaging and as soon as it see a closed throttle it disengages the clutch then you put some throttle on and it starts all over again, I hope that makes sense.

[Gibbo_R35]

Without being rude it's normally "pilot error", that cause the grabbing in reverse, and yes they all have that low speed 1-2 clunck-bang shift.

To get around the reverse grab if you keep the throttle open (even just a little) you'll find it alot smoother, I think this is because once the throttle is open the clutch is engaged or engaging and as soon as it see a closed throttle it disengages the clutch then you put some throttle on and it starts all over again, I hope that makes sense.

No offence taken, I understand what you are saying, I can predict exactly when the clunk is going to happen and do know how to stop it, a mild amount of gas to allow the take up. This is all well and good if you have time....the most noticable issues I have had is when I am reverse parking on a hill or when you have to reverse out of somewhere quickly and then get it into drive before the oncoming cars get you.

I love the quirks with this car, however if I could fix anything this would be it.

I have driven other DSG gear boxes (VW etc) and none of them have this issue, they have the mild clunking, but not this "lag" it pick up. This issue is standard with the GTR as far as I know, 3 other friends have the car and experience the same thing. I am hoping a transmission oil change might reduce this. Willall oil going in next week.

Cheers

[70RTY]

I just put the Willall Racing transmission fluid in my car this morning and the '1-2 clunk bang' seems to be less harsh.

[fungoolie]

I agree with Jeff completely. This problem can be driven around but it takes time to do so and not what you need when doing a rushed three point turn!

[Martin Donnon]

Gibbo, you have some WR35TM there if IIRC....when you put that in your clunking bang will be gone

Wait and see

[Gibbo_R35]

Cheers Martin...it goes in next week and I am looking forward to the difference.

[JapaneseMotorSpares]

wouldn't it be interesting if some rich bastard out there decided to rip out the auto box in an R35 and put in a manual box....even tho it would be a bit of an abomination

Edited October 18, 2010 by JapaneseMotorSpares

[Harey]

But yes its not as much fun to drive, and lets face it guys you drive the damn R35 around in Auto mode almost all the time. It quickly shifts to 6th gear at 60km's an hour and if you drove this thing around town in manual mode all the time you'd burn through a tank of gas every 2 days. I drove mine back from Melborone to Gold Coast. It was funny I would hit a nice open road and put the foot to the floor. I could seriously watch the petrol guage going down while I hit the throttle hard, It seriously sucks that much gas when floored. Thats why its rather boring to drive around town in auto.

Are you serious?! I hope your not.

[TUFF_350]

Though i may be a significant period away from owning one,

i do wish they came in regualr manual. To be in total control adds to the driving pleasure as opposed to the playstation effect. May be worth investing in a decent R34 GT-R cos no doubt the regular manual will almost certainly become obsolete...

[On Edge]

I wouldn't buy a GTR unless it came with a manual. A 30k r34 with 30k put into would destroy anything. I heard months back that Nissan might release a special edition gtr called an (evo?) with a clutched manual, i dont know how true this is or how much they'd try and rape u for it but i'd pay less then 90 for it. I'm still waiting for a magazine feature with someone who has made the perfect GTR retrofitting it with a madly built way overbored rb30 and getrag 6sp.

But when i saw a black edition GTR in the shop before going onto the showroom i only wished i was ready to buy because seeing and sitting in that car makes you think "f*k the manual i just wanna drive this car". I'm glad i didn't trade in my r32 and finance that GTR because nissan will smarten up some day soon and that'll be "the legend" just like the r34 still is.

this guy just showed how he has absolutely no idea......