Quick Question
 

I'm kind of new to the rx8 scene but I had a question about it. I really like manual better than automatic and I noticed a few cars have automatic but theres also the tap shift on the wheel, is that considered manual as well?

no. it's still an automatic but it gives you more control to shift when you choose to. in the 04 (and i believe 05 but don't quote me), the AT version was a 4-port vs. the 6-port that the manual has.

paddle-shifters blow...

no that is trip tonic (dont know how to spell it) but it is preattty much a automatic if i were u i would go for the manual...

yeah, it gives the illusion of a manual, but it's still not a manual.


Get yourself a manual trans for maximum enjoyment.

Not to mention power..

Tiptronic. That's actually a name given by specific manufacturers, same a PosiTrac is a manufacturer-specific name. Dunno what the general term is, but I know I don't like it as much as a conventional clutch and H pattern. :eyetwitch

No clutch pedal, and there's a torque converter so you keep it in gear when you come to a stop. Not a good illusion, although better than when Chrysler foisted the same concept with their push-button automatic transmissions. ;)

It does give an illusion of paddle shifters, which are the hot setup in race cars these days. But the race car setups are real gearboxes with clutches.

Ken

From personal experiences with a tip-tronic automatic transmission, tip-tronic is FAR from being even close to a manual. The only thing a tip-tronic automatic transmission allows you to do is choose when you want to shift and potentially engine brake (though I don't see why you would want to do this...) In terms of actually shifting, there is about a 1-2 second lag and the lack of a clutch pedal. The only "tip-tronic automatic transmission" that is even close to manual is the dual-clutch automatic, though it is officially classified as dual-clutch (since it utilizes 2 clutches. 1 for the even numbered gears and a seperate clutch for the odd numbered gears. This enables the clutch that is not currently engaged to start rotating and catch up to speed so when the driver shifts it will engage without losing that many RPM's) This is in my opinion the only "automatic" that is even close to manual. Some well known cars out there right now that use this new system are the Nissan R35 Skyline (GTR) and Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart (2008/9) and the Evo X MR. Many other luxury car brands also use this new transmission too as it shifts instantly without the need of a clutch. Although this new transmission is pretty good, manual is still better in terms of speed if you are good at it.

Honestly though, if you are deciding on choosing between a manual and an automatic tip-tronic, I would go with the manual unless of course it is ABSOLUTELY not an option.

Hope this helps~

get a manual

the only time the paddle shifters are really needed is when your trying to get on the free way and you need to down shift to out run the 18 wheeler befor it hits you. driving in M mode is more for looks and when you give people a ride that just dont know how much slower your automatic really is. but I still love mine.:)