How soon it took you guys to feel comfortable driving the 6MT on the 350Z. It's being like 5 years since I drove my last manual transmission car. The clutch in the Z is pretty tight and I just had the car for a week. Any technique you guys think I should be using to make my experience easier.

 

Test driving the Z versus my Prelude was definitely an experience... lol. But I should be used to it within the 1st day.

 

I've driven just about nothing but manuals all my life and it took me a good 2 weeks to get used to the Z clutch mainly because the space where it engages is very small compared to most japanese cars I've driven. That's how it gets though once you get into sportier cars with heavier duty clutches and such.

 

Damn, maybe I have to take one for another test drive. I don't remember it being that hard.

Do you have to press the clutch very high up to shift and have the clutch engage?

 

I went from a 2000 5MT prelude to a 6MT 2003.5 G35 Sedan (which has the same transmission as the 350z) and it only took me a few days to adjust to it. Didn't even have to think about it after a few weeks driving it... So when I did get my 2004 350z Roadster I was already used to the clutch feel..

If you have experience with Manual Transmissions, it will not take you long to get used to the 350z.... Im not sure I could recommend the 6MT 350z to anyone who has never driven a manual transmission tho... For your first manual the best cars to learn on are Honda's.. There transmissions are smooth as silk.

 

I haven't driven a manual for 5 years either. I've had the car for a week and it's still hasn't become 100% natural yet, still getting some jerking here and there and near stalls.

 

it took me about 20mins to readjust, but when i learned to drive mts, it took about 3days or so, but then again i learned on a cobra with a stiff *** clutch,, those were the days lol

 

engiNERD350Z,

That's exactly whats happening to me. Pretty frustating and embarasing because the Z has so much presence and when people sees all the jerking and near stalling all they do is laugh. Makes me so mad , but I will get there, is just going to take some more embarasments I guess.

 

i drove a manual 5sp integra for 5 years but im still gettin used to driving the Z... the engage point is definitely smaller than the one on the integ... the integ was much more forgiving... ive already stalled 3 times in the Z... twice going in reverse and once going forward... the engage point seems pretty high compared to the integ...

 

JDUB34,

I can not agree more with you. The Z clutch is definitely very high compare to some other vehicles I've drove. Is going to take some effort to get used to it.

Jose

 

I can't find it, but there was a web page of a guy explaining how to clutch and shift in a BMW M5. He had good advices (and some not so good technique...) on shifting.

Basically, when you take off from a corner, give it a bit of gas to get the engine to 1500 rpm. Then, lift the clutch pedal untill you feel the car moving forward (friction point). Rpms will drop a bit. If you hold still, the car will take off, the rpm will not move untill the clutch accelerates the transmision (and to car) to match engine speed. When it does, let go of the clutch (it's not slipping anymore) and you can give more gas.

Of course, it's a good way to burn your clutch if you take to long doing it or rev the engine to high. Explore the friction point, it's fairly big on the Z, to find a the best compromise between slip and acceleration. Just don't give more gas untill the clutch has locked.

With pratice, you will do it faster, at lower rpms and still be smooth taking off.

Actually, you can train yourself to sense the friction point in a parking lot. With the engine idling, try to takeoff without stalling. Don't give any gas...

 

my last car before the Z was a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder 5 speed MT, took my a few days to get used to the Z's clutch. I wonder how the MT on the new gen of Nissan SUVs are like? My old clutch Pathfinder had the longest travel out of all manual cars I have ever driven.

 

Being as you have not driven a manual in 5 years it may take a week or two. Every car i've driven since I was 17 was a manual, so it only took me a day or 2 to get used to the Z.
And anyone notice half the people on this board used to own a prelude before the Z? 01 5 spd for me!

 

Guys,

I tried to teach my wife to drive a manual. We used her dad's beater (corolla) and she was able to do it ok. But when she went into the Z, it kept stalling. She gave up -hehe.

Plus i don't feel comfortable having her drive the Z because of the blind spot.

Tony

 

I have 45 years (honest!) of driving MT vehicles, both two-wheel and four. While the Z clutch is very light, the Fairlady is a difficult vehicle to drive smoothly; the lower gears (naturally) are the most difficult to deal with. IMHO, the Fairlady is not difficult to get moving, but the 1-2 shift and the 2-(crunch)3 shifts are tricky to manage with aplomb. That's why I like motorcycles...

 

I also being noticing that the transition from 1st gear to 2nd gear is pretty difficult. The car tend to jerk most of the time for me or sometimes I press the gas before I release completely the clutch. From 3rd gear to 4th gear, I think it is because of the angle I'm trying to shift, the shift sometimes ends in between 2nd amd 4th, causing me to loose continuity and subsequently loosing speed.

 

I learnt how to drive manual on an integra for about 3 hrs b4 I bought my Z. The first day I drove my Z, I stalled like 6 times in 5 miles driving on local streets. Couple days later, I had no problem controlling the clutch at all. I do agree that the transition from 1st gear to 2nd gear is difficult to drive smoothly.

 

My first car was a 98 Prelude too!! Totalled that in 10 months, got a 2000 Accord V6 afterwards. Moving on to the Z.

 

Hey guys,

I have another quick question in regards of "Driving the Z". I notice that the Z doesn't pull very hard from 1st gear to 2nd gear, what I mean is that the engine accelarate/rpm very fast when you are launching but the car doesn't seem to be moving very fast. I was just wondering if this is just a caracteristic of the " low end torque " on the Z. What we need to do to unleash this beast(No FI Yet).

 

Coming from a heavy spring type Cobra clutch on a Mustang, the hydraulic clutch in the Z is like butta. That's one of the reasons I went with the Z...I felt immediately comfortable driving it.