your z difficult to drive smooth?
your flame attempt= fail
05-28-2009, 11:01 AM
#83
Registered User
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: columbia, sc
Posts: 932
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
05-28-2009, 09:40 PM
#87
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have an '04 ZR and i had some jerkiness from 1st to 2nd for the first week with the car....now I only jerk if i have a brain hiccup and release the clutch too fast. Just takes getting used to. I take a bit longer from 1st to 2nd than i do with other gears but its smooth as butter.
Who needs 2nd anyways?? Just shift 1st to 3rd!! Haha.
Who needs 2nd anyways?? Just shift 1st to 3rd!! Haha.
05-29-2009, 01:37 PM
#88
New Member
First of all I'm just talking about normal, everyday driving. not aggresive get on the throttle hard as you shift to make it smooth driving.
Hi, just wanted to know why the Z is difficult to drive smoothly? I know you want to say "L2D Noob!" but i'm talking about an issue i know many Z drivers have. Example, when shifting from 1st to 2nd, if the clutch isn't let out at the right time and the right rev, the engagement can be rough which is why people who drive the Z for the first time usually make the car "buck" a lot from letting out clutch too fast. That is also why i know a lot of Z drivers intentionally let the clutch out slower to let the revs drop a bit.
I ask because recently at work i've had the opportunity to drive a couple different manual cars like hondas, evos, imprezas, volkswagons, and a couple older vehicles. But in every single one of the cars i drove, regardless of the gear and speed at which i let out the clutch, it always seemed to have a smooth transition. I didn't have to wait for the revs to drop or anything. Just clutch, shift, accelerate and smoothness.
So why do Z's, or just my Z maybe, need to be so precisely driven for it to be smooth? are my synchro's bad? 19,000 miles 07 Z. It's bothers me because I learned manual on my Z and till recently I thought that's how most manuals were. But after driving all those other cars and realizing how much better it would be if my Z were smooth to drive all the time without having good days and bad days, I thought i'd post this question to get some answers and maybe even a solution.
Thank you.
Hi, just wanted to know why the Z is difficult to drive smoothly? I know you want to say "L2D Noob!" but i'm talking about an issue i know many Z drivers have. Example, when shifting from 1st to 2nd, if the clutch isn't let out at the right time and the right rev, the engagement can be rough which is why people who drive the Z for the first time usually make the car "buck" a lot from letting out clutch too fast. That is also why i know a lot of Z drivers intentionally let the clutch out slower to let the revs drop a bit.
I ask because recently at work i've had the opportunity to drive a couple different manual cars like hondas, evos, imprezas, volkswagons, and a couple older vehicles. But in every single one of the cars i drove, regardless of the gear and speed at which i let out the clutch, it always seemed to have a smooth transition. I didn't have to wait for the revs to drop or anything. Just clutch, shift, accelerate and smoothness.
So why do Z's, or just my Z maybe, need to be so precisely driven for it to be smooth? are my synchro's bad? 19,000 miles 07 Z. It's bothers me because I learned manual on my Z and till recently I thought that's how most manuals were. But after driving all those other cars and realizing how much better it would be if my Z were smooth to drive all the time without having good days and bad days, I thought i'd post this question to get some answers and maybe even a solution.
Thank you.
The Problem: When shifting a 350Z (2003 to 2007 models, and I’m not sure if this same problem exists in 2008 350Z’s or the 370Z), the rpm’s drop very slowly. The same problem exists in the Infiniti G35 (not sure about the G37).
My understanding is this design/behavior exists to meet pollution standards for the car in the USA (specifically for California).
People coming from a Porsche or Corvette really notice this deficiency, and they complain a lot about this problem with the Z.
Here is how I deal with the problem: I shift very quickly from 1st to 2nd. I don’t run very long in 1st, and get to 2nd ASAP. But, and unfortunately, I don’t have good advice when shifting in the upper gears. Mercifully, once you are past 3rd gear (4th, 5th, and 6th gear), the problem is not so glaring. In fact the Z’s engine has tons of torque making the upper gears very easy to drive even in a “mis-shift/wrong-gear situation.”
Good thread, that you started…
--Spike
05-31-2009, 10:41 PM
#90
Registered User
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: .....
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Same problem here with my '08, more so when the car is cool. As it warms up, I find it easier to shift but the problem persists.
I know I can probably correct it, but I haven't had the car long enough.
Still love my Z though, she just wants you to know she different from the others
I know I can probably correct it, but I haven't had the car long enough.
Still love my Z though, she just wants you to know she different from the others
05-31-2009, 11:06 PM
#91
Registered User
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 946
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
06-01-2009, 06:27 AM
#92
Banned
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Fairfax, VA
Posts: 2,637
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Some days I am smooth from 1 to 2, other days I drive like a noob wearing stilts. When I drive my gf's MT car, I am smooth as silk. Tells me that the Z is a tough customer to get smooth. Oh well, love the car regardless 
06-02-2009, 10:14 PM
#93
I'm surprised to hear about everyone's experience having a rough drive on their Z. I've owned eight cars other than my Z and by far this car is the smoothest I've driven. I don't daily my Z so when I drive the other two cars in my house and step in the Z its a night and day difference with my Z being very smooth.
06-04-2009, 05:56 PM
#94
New Member
^^ You might be missing the OP’s point.
Certainly smooth shifting is possible with the Z. People accustomed to a different setup (and that might be Porsche drivers, Corvette drivers, and anyone else driving a MT on any performance car) may find the 350 Z a little different.
The 350 Z’s setup is definitely different from other cars:
It’s very easy to do smooth shifting with a Porsche 911. Run it up in 1st gear, and quickly shift to 2nd gear. It’s smooth.
Do the same thing with a 350 Z, and it jerks. So… with the Z; do a more adaptive shift, where you carefully match the engine speed to the selected gear. If you do it correctly, the transition is smooth.
My understanding is that the 370 Z reduces this problem, and the 370 makes fast shifting very easy for a new MT-driver.
--Spike
Certainly smooth shifting is possible with the Z. People accustomed to a different setup (and that might be Porsche drivers, Corvette drivers, and anyone else driving a MT on any performance car) may find the 350 Z a little different.
The 350 Z’s setup is definitely different from other cars:
- The RPM’s drop slowly (more slowly than similar sports cars)
- The car is light (relative to a 4 door sedan)
- The engine setup delivers high torque (a good thing)
It’s very easy to do smooth shifting with a Porsche 911. Run it up in 1st gear, and quickly shift to 2nd gear. It’s smooth.
Do the same thing with a 350 Z, and it jerks. So… with the Z; do a more adaptive shift, where you carefully match the engine speed to the selected gear. If you do it correctly, the transition is smooth.
My understanding is that the 370 Z reduces this problem, and the 370 makes fast shifting very easy for a new MT-driver.
--Spike
06-09-2009, 09:51 AM
#95
Registered User
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: May 2009
Location: jacksonville
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well actually in everyday traffic i found that whenever i just do a burnout in first and shift to second and keep spinning second it stays relitvely smooth but the police officers don't beleive me when i say my foot slipped off the clutch soo just make sure there not around.
06-10-2009, 02:52 PM
#97
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: phila burbs
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Add one very experienced driver with plenty of track time in dozens of manuals to the jerk list. Now I have the NISMO clutch and I jerk even a touch more. I can rev match no prob. .. some times this car just bucks.
My girlfriend abhors the car for no reason other than the jerky transmission...lol...believe me...I hear it all the time.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
350Z_Al
Exterior & Interior
133
10-29-2020 07:44 PM
