Hey, I was watching that show on speed called fifth gear and saw Tiff driving a car that was right hand drive. I got to thinking about shifting left handed. I am left handed and prefer holding the wheel with my left hand. Do you guys who are right handed feel comfortable like this or did you just get used to it because you have no choice? Also, who all of you is the Z your first manual car? This is my first manual car and found it pretty easy to drive. How does the Z compare to other manual cars you have driven? Do you feel as though this car is difficult to learn? thanks, I had a long drive home today and was thinking about some things.

 

I found the Z the be harder to start off then most cars;
Am right handed and find holding the wheel with the left to come natural
What year is your Z the 03-04s I've found to be much harder then the 06

 

i split my time driving with both hands on the wheel or switching driving hands. i dont like to use one hand too much.

this is my first manual car. moderate skill needed to learn on the Z. the Z isnt the most forgiving car. many cars are WAY easier to drive than the Z. i suggest if you want practice, get a different car.

 

im right handed and usually hold the wheel with the left...

 

This is my first manual car, but my saturn beater is stick to. My saturn is sooo much easier to shift. The gear box is so mushy and the clutch is so soft its redic compared to the z. But i love how the z clutch is stiff and the tranny is notchy. I think driving in a right hand drive car would be very tough

 

ALL my previous beaters were manual, so I have to say that the Z is tight, tight, tight. I LOVE the feel of the 6MT. Right hand drive? Go to Merry Ol' England and just "think" about merging into those roundabouts. Yikes.

 

haha yeah I know, it would be very wierd. I have mastered the Z pretty quick, double clutching and whatnot. I really love it. Thanks for the replies. By the way I have an 03' MagicPie.

 

Why double clutch when u have synchro mesh? You mean rev-matching? Z is not a truck, I don't see a need to do that unless I've been driving my car the wrong way.

 

In no traffic or heavy traffic, I usually shift w/ my right and then hold the steering wheel with my right again. Usually resting my head against my left hand. Both hand on steering wheel when I start doing spirited driving, and left hand on steering wheel if driving requires attention. (Hmm that sounds wrong like driving usually doesn't require attention, but you get what I'm saying)

 

yeah, I mean rev-matching Vicynax.

 

For me, no difference. I generally, drive with both hands controlling the wheel in the direction it is going. I also do not have a problem with right hand drive cars. It just takes a day to re-learn shifting with your left hand. For me, it is like going from a boat, to a car, to a car with auto, to a RV. You just need a few minutes to adjust and then a day to get really good at it again if you have been away from that vehicle for a few days.

 

For those of you who have never driven a right hand drive car, it's amazing how easily you adapt, I have on occasion hired a car when on holiday that has been left hand drive and it takes practically no time to adjust. It's weird.

 

My first car ( Corvair with 4-on-the-floor) was a manual, an over the past 38 years, have never bought a car with an automatic transmission. In comparison to other cars, I think that the 350Z clutch and transmission are very forgiving.

As far as right hand drive vehicles, yes, I’ve driven several in England, Cyprus and Japan (on the left side of the road). The only situation that is tricky is an intersection: it takes a second to remember which way to turn, and which lane to turn into. Probably the most precarious situation is driving a left hand vehicle (US) on the left side (England). Trying to see to pass other vehicles is difficult.

 

I think us right-handers are just accustomed to the left hand drive.

Right-hand drive seems a little more natural to me, with the dominant hand always in control of the steering wheel while taking turns.

For a "Right handed" person such as myself,

Righthand drive: great for roadracing/ tracking, since dominant hand is always on the wheel.

Lefthand drive: great for drag racing since dominant hand is catching gears with little margin for gearing errors.


A friend from Japan, who knew how to drive stick, freaked out when she first got behind the wheel of our USDM cars. She adjusted quick, so I don't see why most of us can't.

 

yeah thats what I figured. I have never driven any right hand vehicles but will be soon and was thinking it would just take a day or two to adjust. Everyone seems to agree that the Z is fairly 'forgiving' car to drive, I would agree. What do you guys think about it in realation to the S2K?

 

Z's forgiving alright. I'm glad I don't drive M3 though. Everytime I get in my friend's M3, it's so smooth it feels like I'm driving some automatic with pretend shifting.