CNET reports the new Nissan 370Z features an automatically rev-matching manual transmission:
“six-speed SynchroRev Match manual transmission, which is the worlds first synchronized downshift rev matching system. The system “blips” the throttle on downshifts and upshifts, matching engine speed to the next chosen gear, smoothing out gear changes.”
It was only a matter of time before someone came up with this. It’s basically the bridge between a fully computer-shifted gearbox and a real manual transmission. The number of components Nissan would have needed to add is very small; a sensor to detect gear position and a little extra code in the ECU is all it would take. Most cars these days have throttle-by-wire, in which the engine computer controls throttle opening based on pedal position and there is no mechanical linkage between the pedal and the throttle plate. If the computer knows what gear you’ve shifted to (up OR down), the gear ratio, and how fast the car is going, it can figure out what engine speed it needs to hit by the time you let out the clutch. The only problem I can see with this system is that it has to work in-between when the clutch is depressed and when the clutch is released, which might not be enough time to make the rev match smooth enough.
Luckily, for those of us who know how to drive and like having complete control, SynchroRev Match comes with a button you can press to disable it.
on December 3, 2008 at 7:03 pm Dave in Norcal wrote:
Automatic rev matching is just another step in the evolution of the transmission. No one complains that fully synchronized gears in synchromesh transmissions are for “pansies”. I have yet to run into any he-men at the track who eschew disk brakes and opt for hand-start cranks.
After spending time in a GT-R on the road and on the track I am confident that Nissan can deliver throttle blips when needed.
on December 4, 2008 at 12:15 pm Chris wrote:
This is entirely besides the point. The subject of driver aids can be a touchy one; still, I think few people will argue that having to “tend” the trans to keep the engine in the powerband is superior to having assistance. The best computer-shifted manual transmissions truly reduce driver workload and let him pay attention to actually controlling the car, which is always better.
Viewed from a true purist (rather than historical) perspective, the act of having to shift at all should be regarded as unnecessary and intrusive. Only because of the relative inflexibility of the internal combustion engine is this considered normal practice. When electric race cars become feasible we may see shifting go away completely — and racing will be in most ways better for the loss.
All the same, when we’re talking about racing, the simplest solution will be the best one. For now that means having gears and rowing them yourself. Spec Miata and its successors won’t see this kind of electronic intervention for a while.
Meantime, and when I’m not at the track, I still derive considerable pleasure from doing things like shifting myself. It is still a learned skill which requires coordination, and no amount of electronic refinement will replace skill on the whole. Unlike other aspects of race driving, it has the additional advantage that I can practice every day without fear of being arrested.
Thanks for weighing in!
P.S. I’m vacationing in your part of the world at the moment (Sacramento)