2009 Nissan 370Z: SynchroRev Match Making Things Too Easy?

The off button by the upper right corner of the shift boot.

Photo by Kurt:
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/longterm/nissan.370z/09.nissan.370z.det.shifter.500.jpg

Carlismo, Good one! It definitely makes it seem like I know what I'm doing.

Subytrojan, That S-Mode one? I kept pressing that and it didn't feel like it was depressed and no light came on indicating that it did anything. And I couldn't find the owner's manual...until just this morning when I realized it was in the compartment behind the passenger seat.

I'm with you Caroline. I know how to heel-and-toe, but have never really "mastered" it. Unlike blipping the throttle while downshifting a motorcycle, heel-and-toeing just feels too awkward and counter-intuitive to me; so I never do it.

I think this SynchroRev Match is a great step forward for many car drivers. I do see one potential problem though: Does this reduce gas mileage enough for automakers to be wary about adding this feature to other (less sporty) cars?

I'd like to see a video of SynchroRev Match in action. When does it actually blip the throttle? My guess is when you slide the shifter past the lower gear's gate? Say you are cruising at 50 mph in 5th gear, and you push in the the clutch pedal. If you row into 4th, 3rd and then 2nd (without engaging the gears) will it blip the throttle for each gear?

m_thrizzle,
Actually it seemed to blip the throttle even when I was just shifting to neutral, and sometimes it wouldn't do it at all. It depended on my speed and the rpm. Oh, and I usually don't downshift through a bunch of gears, just when, say I'm going from 3rd to 2nd. I'm not that ambitious yet. :)

You have to hold the button down to get it to toggle on and off.

"If you row into 4th, 3rd and then 2nd (without engaging the gears) will it blip the throttle for each gear?"

Yes. If you press the lever far enough. I'll do a video eventually.

-mike

I've never found heel and toe that tricky...I fell into it pretty naturally, and really refined it when I got onto the race track.

If I were to get a 370Z I would skip the sport package. I've heard a couple european reviewers say that the handling is sweeter with the 18s than the 19s, even if overall grip is less, and the sport package body kit, while functional, just does not look good to me. Plus, I'm not sold on the value of a limited slip diff when it's only a viscous unit (more for bragging rights than actual performance) and while the revmatch feature is cool, I'm happier doing it myself.

There, I just saved $3000.

I'm just glad it has a proper manual transmission and that Nissan is actually investing in new technology for it.

If it's defeatable, what's the complaint? You don't want it on, turn it off and heel and toe to your heart's content. Personally, I think it's a terrific concept that seems to work exactly as advertised. Hats off to Nissan for actually investing some time and effort (and $$$) into actually improving a manual transmission.

I don't know about anyone else but I don't heel and toe on the street for two reasons. First, I don't think it's necessary. Second, it seems to me to be much easier to do on a racetrack. In my M3 the brake pedal doesn't get far enough down to easily do it until you are mashing the brakes. Then they are right next to each other and it is very easy to blip the throttle with the edge of your foot.

What is the point of this post? You are just making up a complaint when there is none. This feature can be turned off, simple as that and you can practice heel and toe all day long. If people would read the owners manual before making complaints about a car, none of this would happen.

I actually have a question based on m_thrizzles comment.

When downshifting in a manual, do you actually have to gate the shifter in all the gears (without engaging the clutch) or can you just skip 4-2 provided you shed enough speed first? Or was the whole point of this the heel-toe process which means you DO have to but you engage the clutch?

I've been driving a manual since I learned how to drive but I was never taught to heel/toe (except from reading edmunds' tutorial) so I'm somewhat ignorant on the process...

my ankles are bad, so heel-toe is difficult for me. it is essential on the race track, but no need for it on the street.

i did my heel-toe with my foot angled like this /. heel on the brake, toe hitting the gas... the proper method as i was taught was like this \. toes on the brake and heel on the gas.

try it and you can see where the excessive movement is bad for me. it depends on the pedal set-up too... some pedals are more ideal for one style of heel-toe.

anyways, this is a cool idea. it would definitely help me to shave time off my laps and make me far more consistant. (but so would an automatic)

m_thrizzle,

I would check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC9ZzGNlLms&feature=channel_page

jaeger1 and drewsrx,
Nope, not complaining at all. Just sayin' it has this neat feature and wondered if people would still bother to try and learn heel-toe. I'm thinking it's like, why get up off the couch and turn off the TV when you can just do it quickly and easily with your remote control?

It seems like some people are failing to realize the distinct difference between heel-and-toe (blipping the throttle while braking) and a regular rev-matching throttle blip. The latter has no brake pedal and is much easier. In fact, you should master rev matching via a throttle-blipped downshift before you try heel-and-toe work.

Here's a tip: when downshifting during braking, you have to blip the throttle a lot less than you would during a rev-matched downshift (no braking). In fact, if you're braking pretty hard, you won't have to blip the throttle very much at all.

The above can vary a little depending on the spacing of your gear ratios.

It doesn't bother me as long as it remains defeatable. And if it helps build the self-esteem of the inept I suppose it can be a good thing.

I always find it so weird when people say "heel and toe is for the race track". Why? Downshifting while braking is something I do all the time on the street, why not smooth it out and save my clutch the abuse? It's sooo easy, and it makes everyday driving that much more fun.

"I always find it so weird when people say "heel and toe is for the race track". Why? Downshifting while braking is something I do all the time on the street, why not smooth it out and save my clutch the abuse? It's sooo easy, and it makes everyday driving that much more fun."

I agree; I even heel-toe in my Wrangler. I practice it on the street so that it becomes second-nature on the track.

What's more fun than a blog about heel & toe technique? It's like a 17 year old telling a 50 year old what beer pong is.

Re."jaeger1 and drewsrx,
Nope, not complaining at all. Just sayin' it has this neat feature and wondered if people would still bother to try and learn heel-toe."

I take your point, but I don't see this feature as contributing to the erosion of driving skill anywhere near as much as all the manufacturers who peddle flappy paddle shifters as a "substitue" for a real manual transmission. As I see it, anything that makes manual shifting better / easier / more enjoyable is going to result in more people actually buying a car with three pedals on the floor, which is a good thing.

When was the last real technological innovation applied to the manual transmission? When was the last one before that? Get my point? When manufacturers actually make an effort such as this, enthusiasts ought to do cartwheels and sing hymns of praise because it is a palpable sign that the end (of the manual transmission) is NOT near.