I'm only getting up to a speed of 13-18mph in first gear before I hit the 4000rpm mark and have to shift. Since I have 200 miles on the car, I can't push it any more. Is this normal, and will I get more performance out of 1st gear when I have more miles on my Z?

 

Well, it is a 6-speed and 1st is geared lower........so you'll have to change a little earlier than you would on a 5 speed, especially since you only want to go to 4k RPMs. When broken in and you can go higher in RPMs, then you won't have to "short shift".

Hang in there until broken in.
WayneTN

 

you could just start it in second. there should be plenty of torque. that might be a little hard on the clutch for daily use though .

 

shift man, 1st gear is actually harder than many cars Ive driven. I drove my last and 10mph was at about 5grand... that was just a pain.

nothing will change about the speed of the car in a specific gear at a set RPM. but as I said, the Z actually has low RPMs for the speed in 1st gear.

I would advice against starting in 2nd gear, if your not willing to shift at 15mph(I shift around 8-10 actually) then you should have gotten manual. thats just how a manual goes. if your on a roll at all, do 2nd, but from a stop, thats how the cookie crumbles.