the technichine at nissan told me to start from 2nd gear cuz 1st has too much power. he says to use 1st when racing or taking off fast. skipping gears from 2-4-6 is ok he said but dont know why he said down shifting is not good?

 

^you're joking right?? You should go back and slap that technitian in the face. I skip gears, but starting off in 2nd is just stupid.

 

starting in 2nd? if your Nissan dealer sold you a '72 Blazer with a 350 and a 4spd, go for it! 1st is a granny gear for climbing and towing.

this is a 350Z, not a truck with twice as much torque as HP. 1st gear is made to be used. that's why it goes almost 30-40mph instead of just 5-10.

if you're starting in 2nd, your clutch won't last as long as it should.

 

Starting off in second will just put excess wear on your clutch. Only do it in snow or whenever there's not much traction.

 

i never said i do it he just told me that.. wow im getting on.. i tried after he told me but my instinct told me not to so i dont. i should go talk to him on my next visit.

 

can you explain what you mean by feather and side-step?

 

ask that technician what that low rumbling sound is coming from the engine when you start in 2nd from a dead stop and you're at like 800 rpm.

 

when i clutch in and shift, i have a 1sec pause for the rpm's to drop and then little gas, lift clutch simultaneously, and its smooth like an auto.

 

LOL. My last gf was Cambodian. I can relate to the above statement. In fact, I think she did permenant damage. I'm still a little sore.

 

He's probably already ordered the new clutch he'll be installing soon.

bill

 

Guys, if you don't know how to drive a manual tranny, you aren't going to learn how on a messge board.

Just go drive it. Trust me, you aren't going to hurt it.

(But pulling off in 2nd gear WILL lead to early clutch failure)

bill

 

LOL youre not supposed to pull over if u drive like u stole it. if u stole a car, would u pull over?

 

redline it then shift it!

 

skipping gears is bad practice, imo.. it actually consumes more fuel, cuz it take more power to turn the gears. don't be lazy and utilize all the gears.

 

Sure he didn't just mean, "Don't get on the gas hard in first, but drop the hammer in second." ? Like someone else said best way is to listen to the motor with occasional glances at the rpm limiter light.

 

Hey Camaro, I know what you mean. Most of the time when I press the clutch pedal in and let off the gas to shift the engine speed just seems to hang. Keeping the clutch depressed and waiting for the RPM to drop a bit before engaging the next gear is one option, but I don't necessarily like to prolong my shifting process for that much time. So what I typically do is just let the clutch out in the next gear and the tach jumps down to the proper RPM very quickly. I imagine the Z was designed with quick shifting in mind, and I just don't see how I can shift quickly while also letting the engine speed drop between gears. I guess the good sign is that the engine wants to keep going on it's own, which means you're certainly not fighting against a sluggish engine decelerating when you get into the next gear.

BTW regarding starting out in 2nd gear, if I have to slow down to a near-stop (but not completely stopping) then take off again, I will down shift into 2nd instead of 1st. The fact that the shifter doesn't seem to want to go into 1st at any speed higher than 0 makes me think that it is best to shift into 2nd in this situation. I have only ever started out from a complete stop in 2nd gear by mistake, and yeah you definitely either slip the crap out of your clutch or you try to engage it too quickly and get lots of bucking / vibration / unhealthy low tones.

 

I read your message and the thread, and I’m guessing you have not received a satisfactory answer to your question. When you drive other high-performance cars (e.g., Porsche, “Vette,” etc.), you do not experience this problem. I think you have driven high-performance cars, and that is why you notice this problem with the Z.

First of all, your observation is correct. When shifting a stock Z at high rpm’s, the engine hangs (the rpm drops slowly). You are not the only person noticing this. There are a couple of threads on this Forum discussing this issue. Motor Trend Magazine also commented on this when testing a G-35 MT. My understanding is the slow drop in rpm’s is a concession that Nissan/Infiniti make to meet emissions standards.

The only way to fix this is installing some Nizmo components (that Nizmo states are only for racing). I’m a little surprised that some of the guys who race have not jumped-in with an explanation. --Spike

 

Thanks for bringing this one back. Yeah, it's still a problem, and I'm highly considering a lighter flywheel (although money is pretty tight right now due to buying a new house).

sry110: As for just letting the clutch go and having the very sharp drop in rpms, its kinda hard to believe that the engine was designed to do that. Feel free to convince me otherwise. I just dont want to cause any undue damage.

Spike100: Thanks for the comments. Believe it or not, I have not driven any other high-performance cars like the ones you mentioned (I wish I could!). I'm just going from observations that I have made from watching other "pros" drive and notice that there is no lag during the shift process. And the fact that I'm able to do it, but the slow-rpm-drop is holding me back.

Just wondering if theres something that I'm not doing correctly, or if it's just the car

 

^^ You are not doing anything incorrectly. It is a problem with the Z (and the G35 MT as well).

The problem you describe (and I would point out that your post was right-on and your valuable thread was somewhat “contaminated” by some misinformation posted by others) is really a disappointment to the driving experience that Z buyers are expecting. The Z is fairly heavy for a sports car (there is another active thread discussing this on the Forum right now), and it has a comparatively large engine. The competition provides cars that weigh less. Heavier cars need heavier components. Something else to consider: Nissan/Infiniti solved some financial woes by wisely sharing components across the various lines. That means that your Z has some Altima parts to save manufacturing costs but adds some other liabilities (i.e., weight and performance compromises).

Jeez… I wish some of the guys who race would get on this thread (your thread) and offer some suggestions based upon fact and experience. --Spike

 

Thanks spike, don't mind if I do.

The Z has a heavy dual mass flywheel. There are probably several other reasons why they chose dual mass, but I think a big reason is because it sends less shock through the transmission, and as we all know, Z's transmissions are not the strong point of the car.

The stock setup is easier to drive than with a light setup. So if someone is having problems shifting smoothly with a heavy setup, then going lighter probably isn't the answer. You just have to realize what you're doing wrong and get a feel for doing it right.

The fact the Z has a heavy flywheel/clutch means it takes a while for the RPM to drop to get proper rev-matched up-shifts (yes, all shifts, both up and down should be rev-matched). Since the RPM drop slowly there is no hurry to force the shifter into gear. If you're applying more force than what you could do with just 3 fingers, you're abusing the transmission. I know that may come as a big shock to a lot of people, but it's true.

Speed shifting and power shifting are both hard on clutches and transmissions. Anyone who would deny this does not know much about mechanics. Drag racing does not apply to every day driving, and it sure as hell doesn't apply to more intelligent forms of racing.

A person should work on being smooth under every day situations before worrying about racing - gotta learn to crawl before you can run.