1206 miles feeling slow. Is this normal? Is it "really" broken in yet? I wonder, because if it's not broken in...should I really be flooring it every now and then?


Anyway, 2nd gear is sluggish. 3rd and 4th feel great though.

Any opinons? I was going to post this in repairing, but nothings broken!

 

yeah, it should be broken in (1,200 is the break-in mark), so its fine to floor it whenever. what kind of tranny do u have? i have a 5at and in 1-3 it pulls quick and hard, but in 4 and 5 it feels pretty sluggish. unless you have weird sounds/vibrations coming from the tranny or shifter you shouldnt have an internal problem (it wouldnt be just really slow and not have a serious issue).

 

I have a 6spd. It's so weird. 3rd gear feels fast and so does 4th. 2nd gear doesnt seem to have the pull like the higher gears.

Just a question, if it's fast in 3rd and 4th...then obviously I dont have an engine problem right?

 

Are you completely flooring it in 2nd? It should pull pretty hard untill redline.

 

I think the reason you think it is sluggish is becase of the short RPM band. I hate the Zs 6,300 rev limit. My civic EXhad a 7500.

i am always hitting the rev limitor becuase of old habits. First and secnd are for sheezy in the Z becuase you go through the RPM SO FAST!

Looks like i have to get the ECU Flashed before I blow my engine!!!

 

yes I am completely floored. I tried it again today on the way to a dr's appointment. Again, 3rd and 4th haul serious a$$ but 2nd is "so-so"

If my motor was ****ed up, then I would know right? I might just dyno this bad boy

 

Yea, 1st gear seems to redline SO fast in the 350...alot faster than my 300! I'm redlining in 1st ALOT!

My 2nd gear seems very fast...not sluggish at all.

 

One thing I am still getting used to is the electronic throttle in the Z. You literally have to push it to the floor to get the power, I am used to older cars with throttle cables. I would hold at partial throttle to let the air in and the ecu would keep the timing advance high.

 

My z got a lot quicker at 2800 miles. I started lighting up the tires in gears and speeds I could not do it before.

Others are correct, really push down the throttle, the last 10% of the throttle seems to put out a lot more.

 

It feels slow, but BELIEVE me it's not!! Just look out the window while your rowing through the gears.

 

Here is your problem: YOU NEED TO STOMP ON IT! :-)

Seriously, the Z has a drive-by-wire electronic throttle which is much more linear than a mechanical throttle. That means if you only give it 50% gas, it's really only going to give you 50% power.

Here's an experiment for you: next time you're starting to enter a highway on-ramp, enter in second, then when you get on the ramp, stomp it hard. Then hold on. :-)

One other thing -- make sure you have the RPMs up. You're not going to get impressive oomph if you try to accelerate in a high gear with low RPMs, no matter what else you do. If 2nd gear seems sluggish to you, you're probably at the wrong RPMs. 1st gear is good to roughly 35. 2nd is good for 65. Try taking off from a standing stop, shifting from 1st to 2nd at around 6000 RPMs. 2nd should kick pretty hard when you shift. However sticking it in 2nd at 1500 RPMs is going to be very dissappointing.

 

2nd is 60 mph MAYBE 61. trust me, I keep hitting the revlimiter after 61!!! it sux the wrx hits 65 easy in second. I did it once.

i always tell people that ask how fast to 60 " 2 gears!"

 

The reason it feels slow is because it is SLOW. You should get a srt-4 neon I hear those are really fast.

 

just double checking, you said 6300, you meant 6600 right?

 

i think some people expect more acceleration "feel" than they should. i thought that too. when i test drove a wrx and 350z while owning a 240sx, i expected more and didn't notice a huge difference. i don't think you will necessarily notice a huge subjective difference between a car that gets one 1/4 time and another car that gets like a couple secs faster 1/4 time. there's also the torque and hp curve issue others have mentioned (linear vs not so linear).

 

I personally have to judge by whether I shift to 3rd or not. my roomate was with me today, he was like wow, that was crazy, but we were only doing like 45mph.

then I told him I shifted into third at 60mph and kept going.

the Z is deceptivly fast due to the flat torque curve and tight suspension.

but the numbers dont lie.

if your worried, go to the track and test it, make sure its all there. a 14.0quarter mile is all the same doesnt matter how fast it "feels".

 

First redlines around 30~35, second at around 60~65, third around 85, fourth around 110. You should have these memorized. :-)

 

SpoonieLuv, one thing I thought of today: what octane gas are you putting in it, and what brand? You need to be using the premium stuff, and not from the no-name or Arco station. Get it from a station with a reputation, like 76, Shell, BP, Amoco, etc. You might already be doing that, but just thought I'd check.

I always fill with the 92 octane at the 76 (formerly a BP) just down the hill from my house. I added 7-point octane booster when I took it to the track.