[M Cribbs]

I was coasting down to a stop the other day and pulled the gear selector down to 3. Instead of feeling the usual "forward" surge you get from a downshift, I heard the RPMs jump and there was just a smooth transition to 3rd.

I was puzzled, so I just thought about it for a while. On the way to work today I tried it again while rolling down a hill. Sure enough when I shifted down to 3 the tach jumped 1000 RPMs a split second before the shift occurred. The windows were down and I have CAI so I even heard the throttle body suck air as I shifted. It was a much faster throttle opening than when you punch the gas pedal too...

Sounds crazy, but has anybody else noticed this? Is it an advertised feature? All I can figure is that it is carryover technology from the Z. Is it for comfort--to reduce the shock of a downshift, or maybe to prolong the life of the clutches? Very cool either way, but it would be awesome with the sportshift from the Pathfinder!

 

[AndysLog]

there is no such thing are rev match on an auto. rev match is for manual. because you dont have a clutch there is no point what so ever to have.

at what rpms did third gear jump to??? truck is controlled through electronics and if it jump into to high of rpms that fast like that its very likely to shift it into 4th.

 

[5speed_Frontier]

sounds weird, yet cool for the auto. Never heard of an auto rev matching though. I rev match mine all the time, but its very necessary on the manual especially big downshifts to pull out of a turn or something.

 

[tibbytib]

I disagree having a similar experience test driving a 370Z automatic. Dealer was very cool. We took it behind the lot on some open roads. He had me floor it a few times. VERY fast car!!!

Anyways, on the way back, he had me notice that while cruising, the car was in 5th gear around 40 miles an hour. He told me the automatic also has rev matching intellegence. He had me use the paddle shifters and downshift as fast as I could to 2nd. I was amazed as the engine throttled up to gracefully and quickly downshift through the gears all the way to 2nd with absolutely NO, and I mean NO shift shock whatsoever! Unless its just how well trannys are built and how responsive drive-by-wire is these days with throttle response(by the way, the 370z has Dual Throttle bodies!! Crazy responsive!), it was pretty damn convincing!

Whether the Fronties have it or not, I'm not sure. I know if I downshift my automatic in my CC, I can feel the gears change and there is definitely shift shock. Not much mind you, but its there. Compared to the Z which has virtually NO shift shock at all.

there is no such thing are rev match on an auto. rev match is for manual. because you dont have a clutch there is no point what so ever to have.

at what rpms did third gear jump to??? truck is controlled through electronics and if it jump into to high of rpms that fast like that its very likely to shift it into 4th.

There absolutely is a reason to have rev match on an auto just the same as rev matching on a manual. It gives you greater control of the vehicle by eliminating/diminishing losing traction by downshifting to a lower gear.

 

[AndysLog]

lol.............. your killing me tibby.

no. there is no point. because you never engaged or disengage a clutch. there is no shift shock either way. because its always in gear. unless you put it in N, but since its electronically controlled when your throw it back into D it will go to the highest gear for the speed and easiest on the trans first which 90% is 4th or 5th
100% not on the frontier. and if it is its pointless.

driving a manual and shift match has a point. because your actually doing something. your being easier on the shift syncro, since its a manual whatever gear you put it in thats the gear its going to stay in. in an auto the trans computer decides. NOT YOU

 

[AndysLog]

just looked. not on the frontier at all.......

started on the g35. made its way to the z. i think its fuggin pointless in an auto. because you never leave gear, and you have no choice of what gear your in. awesome in an manual.

 

[something else]

Well, I feel it too - no matter what you call it - or don't call it - SOMETHING is preventing the usual forward lurch 'shift shock' I've felt on my previous vehicles ---

but I believe it has much more to do with the computer coordinating the electronic throttle and the trans so fast - it feels like the engine is revving up before the shift - but in all reality the shift completed before you even finished moving the selector all the way into place - and the computer has already adjusted the throttle before you can even blink.

@AndrewVK - the computer can't shift into 4th when he has the selector set at 3rd. At that position the computer can't choose past 3rd. Impossible. Same with 2nd and 1st positions on the selector. When an auto trans shifts it is out of gear momentarily - but the shift happens so fast it is not noticeable. Autos complete shifts orders of magnitude faster than the best manual operator. Also automatics DO have clutches - just not the same as a manual. When's the last time you had an auto?

When I put it in 3rd to manage downhills my RPMs jump about 1000 higher.

We're not lying about what we are experiencing - just observations from driving this thing for 5 years.

btw I am well versed in driving a manual - I choose not to because hilly stop and go city driving is not enjoyable in a manual. My auto doesn't complain.

 

[NissanPD]

a couple of years ago nissan introduced a transmission that prevents the so called "shift shock" when you go from gear to gear in automatic transmission. It prevents that lurch forward when the vehicle shifts gears at high rate of speeds. Im know not exactly how it works but I do believe it has something to do with pulleys and gears. I believe it started with the altima and worked its way down to the sentra. And has be introduced into other vehicles since then.

They did advertise it at one time. I remember the commercial of some women trying to put lipstick on as the driver was accelerating into gears and she was waiting for the shift before applying it.

 

[something else]

a couple of years ago nissan introduced a transmission that prevents the so called "shift shock" when you go from gear to gear in automatic transmission. It prevents that lurch forward when the vehicle shifts gears at high rate of speeds. Im know not exactly how it works but I do believe it has something to do with pulleys and gears. I believe it started with the altima and worked its way down to the sentra. And has be introduced into other vehicles since then.

They did advertise it at one time. I remember the commercial of some women trying to put lipstick on as the driver was accelerating into gears and she was waiting for the shift before applying it.

You are remembering the ads for the CVT transmissions that you can option in some of Nissan's lineup.

 

[M Cribbs]

I knew I should have phrased this differently, considering I have no credibility on this site. All I can say is that I'm not some retard who runs in making wild claims.

I took a couple of videos of the tach when I drop to 3rd and then to 2nd. They show the tach needle jump slightly past, and then settle to the new RPM. The thing you can't hear is the throttle opening that occurs during the shift to 2nd. It's like I just punched the gas pedal to the floor and released it.

I should have NEVER used the term "Rev Match". Sort of a red flag for critics. The point is: there is some kind of computer intervention going on here between the throttle body and the transmission. When I drop a gear, the RPMs jump to more closely match the gear ratio and prevent the normal surge you feel in every other auto I've ever driven. So what would you call that??

I'm going out in the pathfinder to compare when I get home this afternoon.

 

[colin123]

i know what you mean man, they had the had rev matched shifts starting in 06 on the Z/G. i've noticed it on my truck too. when i'm going through my neighborhood i always click it down to first for a couple turns mainly cause when it does rev match it my exhaust pops and reminds me of my fast car days. but i also notice it when braking down long hills and the truck sometimes does a rev matched down shift and engine brakes the rest of the hill. i know its not an advertised feature of our trucks but that doesn't mean its not a feature

 

[tibbytib]

I'm with you 100% M Cribbs. The Rev Matching on the manual Z's is nothing more than smart programing and tuning using electronic drive by wire technology in the throttle body system. I agree that that same programing is also incorporated in the automatic version. Why wouldnt they? The work has already been done. AndrewVK already pointed out the benefits of rev matching to help prolong transmission life. Its simply a smart move on Nissan to do so.

Here you go you haters!! This is a spec page on the 370Z. Look at automatic transmission under tranny. It clearly states that is has "Downshift Rev Matching"

2010 Nissan 370Z Coupe | Specs | Nissan USA

AndrewVK- I agree, Rev matching is far more beneficial in a manual where the old method of rev matching was mastering the heel-toe technique which is a challenge. But, to simply state that it has no point being in an automatic is simply a biased opinion. You should go test drive one. Not only is it a kick in the pants, but you can definitely see the benefits of the downshift rev matching when you test drive one. If you have ever autocrossed or possibly ran some spirited runs up and down a windy mountain road, you'd quickly appreciate the benefits of the technology in either flavor, manual OR automatic form.

I would assume that this technology for its wear benefits has made it into newer automatic transmissions, regardless of truck or car. This is just speculation though. As far as our trucks, maybe its there, but since we have a larger engine and only 1 throttle body, we still get a tiny bit of the shift shock when downshifting.Now, if I drive my sisters 2001 Auto ford focus and downshift that manually, the shift shock is MUCH worse than my truck. So, I think all parties have very valid points concerning the implimentation on some level of downshift rev matching on our trucks to some degree.

 

[Mylt1]

just looked. not on the frontier at all.......

started on the g35. made its way to the z. i think its fuggin pointless in an auto. because you never leave gear, and you have no choice of what gear your in. awesome in an manual.

seriously, stop while your just a little behind. i have 5 choices of which gear to be in. its not just P/N/D you do know there is OD(5th), ODoff(4th) 3rd, 2nd, and 1st on the gear select. i love how the people that have to justify why they bought a manual instead of an auto. "i like to drive, not be driven." LOL what a load of CRAP. i can select what gear im in just like you can. people that really know how to drive a manual transmission dont need "rev matching". i have driven 100's of thousands of miles in cars and trucks with manual transmissions and have NEVER said, "you know, i would really like to have a rev match".

 

[Scott Hutch]

I got an auto cause my manual car sucks in traffic. There is no point to have rev matching in an auto really. The trans shifts FOR YOU. Whether its cool or not. IMO its pointless

However like I said yea its kinda cool

 

[colin123]

how is it pointless? on the performance side of it rev matching is faster than just droping a gear and forcing the rpms up and on another note its much less stress on the tranny. the point of rev matching is to create a 0 torque shift. with the rpm matched there is no tq being put on the tranny from the wheels. i wouldn't call it pointless by any means. its good on an auto tranny for the same basic reasons its good to do with a manual

 

[Scott Hutch]

Im saying its pointless to manually shift an auto. The point of an automatic is to shift for you lol

 

[Mylt1]

Im saying its pointless to manually shift an auto. The point of an automatic is to shift for you lol

i manually shift my truck all the time. not only when on the street but also if im off road. i can control the shift points and use the trans to slow down if i want/need to.

 

[tibbytib]

^^I agree. I do as well, especially in the winter coming down icy grades. I actually love the fact that the truck downshifts so smooth, rev matching or not, its nice to know when I downshift I dont get a sudden lurch forward on icy roads.

 

[Scott Hutch]

I shift mine into either 1st or 2nd when im off road. Makes sense there. But for downshifting it makes no sense whatsoever to me. you just hit the gas and it grabs a gear

 

[colin123]

I shift mine into either 1st or 2nd when im off road. Makes sense there. But for downshifting it makes no sense whatsoever to me. you just hit the gas and it grabs a gear

when your towing something and feel the need to be down one more gear. weather going up or down a hill just hitting the gas really isn't good for that application, not only that but while your towing thats even more stress that would be created during a down shift if it just lets the wheels provide the tq to get the rpm up with a horrible shift surge. there are lots of applications for it. poor weather conditions like snow and ice, shift surge downshifts can cause a shift lock and lock the tires up, not something i want to happen when i'm trying to just easy the speed down in those conditions