The e36 m3 has had a major issue with people over-reving them as they are downshifting and they hit the wrong gear .. While good driving is a key ingredient to this, the shifter can also play a role if its loose and you get into the wrong gear too easily.

Does anyone here with 300ZX or Nissan experience know whether Nissan's do a better job of preventing driver error then the BMW's do? Bent valves are a very costly mistake so i just was curious as to the resiliancy of the 350Z setup.

thanx

 

Rev limiters only retard spark or fuel on the upside (accelerating), they don't do anything on the down side (decelerating) as that is a purely mechanical proposition. If you down shift any car into too low a gear while travelling at too high a speed for that gear you will overrev the engine - no rev limiter can prevent this.

I never found it a problem on either of my 300TTs. The shift gate was fairly clear and easy to navigate - though that was a 5 speed. I can't help but wonder if 6 speeds might be more prone to this in general as the ratios are tighter for each gear (hence less safety margin in any given gear) and the spacing of the shift gate may be a bit tighter as well resulting in more shift errors...

joe

 

350z power...this is a completely new gearbox, so nobody really knows if this will be a problem with the 350Z. The new Car magazine article said the gates on the box are a bit vague, which isn't a good thing. Other reviewers did not seem to have a problem finding the right gear (other than reverse in one case).

dv_johnson,
Whether the car has an electronic rev limiter or not doesn't matter. You can still overrev the car if you let out the clutch on a downshift and the engine is spinning too fast. Even if the needle is pinned or bouncing off of the rev limiter, in reality the engine will still be spinning faster. This happens most often on a 4-3 or 3-2 downshift...typically on a racetrack/or during some form of aggressive driving. If you downshift into second doing 90mph...your engine will most likely be in a world of hurt. You can pretty much do this on any car if you don't pay attention and shift properly. The result will be a bunch of bent valves most likely, and yes its expensive. The best way to avoid this situation is to pay attention, and learn to place your hand properly on the gearshift....
for example, when upshifting from 3-4 or 4-5...rather than gripping the shift *** like a joystick (your thumb facing up and your palm facing left), you should hold the **** with an overhand position, with your palm facing down on top of the ****. This helps you to naturally pull the stick straight back and down into 4th...rather than pulling it diagonally back and in towards you into second..which is what sometimes happens when you use a joystick grip.
Other than shifting from neutral to 1, 1-2 and 2-3 (first is locked out generally, and isn't a problem), I use the overhand shift grip with my palm facing down. It makes feeling the gates and the linear movement of your hand much easier and more precise.

Watch some ALMS or World Challenge racing when they show the in-cockpit view...take note of how their hand moves around the gearshift, and you'll see what I mean.

 

The problem w/ the e36 wasn't so much the gear box as it was the tranny mounts weren't not beefy enough. Under heavy acceleration or cornering the tranny would wiggle and the gears wouldn't be lined up properly, hence creating mis-shifts. I haven't heard of many other cars w/ that problem.

 

Don't beat yourself up man...that was a legit question. We're all here to share and learn!

 

I think Subarus have the same problem once you start upgrading the power big time (300+lb/ft of torque)

 

ok what is the overhand shift technique?

 

its gripping the shift **** from the top of it, rather than gripping it like a joystick around its side.

 

sux for the honda owners they aren't replacing the integra's mis-shifts... Toyota will replace 1 miss shift on their comparable Celica model... free of charge...

 

I only ran through the gears on the 350Z while it was parked, but I don't think we're going to have much of a problem with blown shifts on this car. Fifth and Sixth are quite a bit to the right. So when you've shifting into "overdrive" you know it. Up until that point its more like a traditional 4-speed in feel.

 

The problem isn't 5th and 6th... it's on the 3rd to 4th or 2nd to 3rd shifting.. where you mean to place it in a higher gear but you get it in the lower gear by accident because of them being close. If you place it in a higher gear that doesn't hurt it.. You just slow down.. or at worst stall.. Most American's drive automatics, so this is more prevalent here. In europe were I used to live driving standard is pretty much well.. STANDARD! lol I think if you shift like suggested above, you won't have any problems. That is the proper shifting method, most everyone in Europe learns this way. If you palm the shifter, the car will tend to place the shifter in the right gear. Learn the car before you start shifting fast, you won't have any problems... I can't wait to take this car out to the track!

 

those of you who have actually set in the car and played with the shifter....what's your take compared to the S2000... I always heard rave reviews of the S2000 shift gate being so crisp and precise....can anyone comment.

 

As reported above the rev limiter does not help on a down shift. The most common in the S2000 is 5th to 2nd when trying to go 5th to 4th.

If you did a search I think you would find almost all high performance cars would have cases of engine damage due to mis-shifts.

It can happen if you screw up so keep that in mind when racing with tour new baby.

 

This is due to people who dont know how to shift and drive.

I think the driver should prevent DRIVER ERROR. If you dont know how to shift, and you bust the car, dont expect the manufacturer to give you a new one.

 

The S2000's shifter is almost ridiculously short (like the bolt action of rifle, as described by many). The 350Z didn't seem as short, maybe a little closer to a Miata, which is quite a compliment. Overall, I was very impressed with the shifter feel. The gates were pretty well-defined, but the throws were still very short.

I would say that one of my main concerns prior to sitting in the car was the shifter. After trying it out, that's the one thing on the car that I'm most pleased with.

 

btw, I've driven an S2000 on a few occasions... Their shifters are very lose and not really that defined... The throw isn't all that short either... Compared to cars I have driven anyways...

 

Actually, as far as feel goes, the S2000 just feels too lose and sloppy. Again, this was not a brand new S2000 I've driven. These are friends of mine and their every day cars that are 1 to 2 years old.. I've driven 2 different generations of the Miata, which I do like better, I've driven a Porsche boxter which I like better. 98 Integra Type R which is more defined but feels like a long throw. The MR-2 is better, as well as my celica is much better, and much more defined... Requires but a flick of the wrist.. (00 and 01 model years only... 02+ have a different transmission...). The M3 is nice, but doesn't seem as defined as it should be... Mustang GT, mustang cobra, both of those are very long throws but very defined... Porsche 87 944 Turbo, Porsche 944 86 Stage 3 Turbo both much better feel, however require alot of shifting effort which would be too much for me daily driving.

This is not all of what I have driven, just some of the recent vehicles I've driven on my new car hunt, most of those were not brand new, they are cars that my friends own and drive daily. I don't like to drive new cars and make assumptions on that, because of the change in feel a car gets after it has been broken in.. The S2000 is a very nice shifter when the car is new, 1 year into driving it, you notice it becomes very loose, still never having alot of definition, though be it enough...

Again, this is just my oppinion... I did extensive research on the S2000, as this was going to be my replacement for my celica.. I love them, still would love to have one granted I couldn't get my new Z for some reason. The shifter leaves alot to be desired to me, especially in a car that is in the $30k range. I expect a well defined very short shift, one that can be done with the flick of the wrist.

 

actually i have been in a viper gts and let me tell u the shifter is pretty damn short. i think itz shorter den da s2k. itz been so long since i've been in a s2k. so i might be wrong.