Hey Gang,

I have been driving my girlfriend's Z lately and i have a few questions; please help me out.

Its a 6 speed. How should i shift? I usually start in 2, then to 4, then 5 for under 50 and 6 for 50mph and over. That's for normal road conditions. I usually use 1st in parking lots and 3rd here and there...

How do you normally shift?

Also, the oil pressure guage is pretty active?!!? Usually at just under 30 psi when sitting and 60 psi when moving... Is that normal?

I checked the oil and it was ok. Man that dipstick is something else as well!

Also, the first time i drove it, i screwed it up... I think i rode it in 3rd gear for way too long and smelled burning and made the engine so hot...

But it seems to be all good now. Still having a little trouble finding the sweet spot and lurching occasionally etc.. Also, the car is loud. You can really hear the road...

Anyways, really need some shifting advice. Going 1,2,3,4,5,6 just seems crazy.

HELPP!

Thanks a lot gang

 

I skip gears to save gas, and I think it prolongs the life of the clutch. I usually go 1,2,4,6 but it can vary. I will cruise in 6 at 40mph or over. If it's a 35mph street, I might go 1,3,5 and cruise in 5.

Is it actually ok to start in 2? If the engine bogs at all I would strongly advise against that.

 

Start in first gear. You will get accustomed to the torque.

I generally cruse at 50 MPH in 5th gear. 60 MPH in 6th gear. Whatever feels comfortable.

Get a 350Z for yourself and practice.

 

I don't like to bog the motor out, I drive 1,2,3,4,5...6th is only for the freeway when cruising.

 

Can anyone start in 4th? I've gotten lazy and left it in 3rd and she died violently. soooo 4th is out of the question imo. use above advice

Oil pressure is active because it's a sports car. lotsa extra gages and what nots

 

i would imagine starting in 2nd from a stop is a no no

 

My old z(03) i would skip 3 and4 and jump to 5th. It screwed up my syncros and the tranny was replaced...... Twice lol. Now i shift my 07 the way the car was meant to. Dont "F" your girlfriends car..... They get bitchy.

 

should just ask the gf

 

The Z has 6 gears. Use them

If you're concerned about gas, get a Fiat 500

 

Thanks for your replies.

I can barely get anywhere in any amount of time when going through all the gears. Tons of shifting! Plus going 1/2/3 goes so slow, and i feel like the guy behind me is going to ram me....

Also, when going through the first three gears, then seem to top out very quickly...

What RPM do you suggest to not go over? I try to keep it hovering around 2 - 3 thousand... When you get up around 4 and 5 it seems its topping out...

Thats why i screwed up the first time, i thought it should be getting upto 5 or 6 normally...

Starting in 2 feels fine, just have to give it a bit more gas.

The last thing i want to do is mess up her car, that's why im here asking questions.

She barely drives it. I think there is like 23000 miles on it...

So most of you agree starting in two is a no no? 2,4,5 seems to get me going at a natural rate. Going through all the gears seems staccato and a lot of work...

Good to hear some other perspectives... thanks!

 

I start in 1st the majority of the time, but 2nd if there is a downhill slope at all. The first 2-3 gears do go by very quickly, but ive heard skipping gears messes with the syncros (that I didnt know our Zs had...). Im gonna do a little research on the syncros and see what I learn. Doesnt make sense, cause downshifting would seem to mess with them as well, but downshifting is completely acceptable if done properly.

 

IIRC skipping gears can cause some premature wear on the synchro. At low speeds/low rpms it shouldn't cause much wear but say when you shift from redline 2nd to 5th or 6th the larger load difference/RPM/speed causes wear on the synchro. 4th to 6th shouldn't matter at 40 mph, it does vary by load, throttle, rpm and speed.

 

hmm, im not sure why it tops out so fast? She said her car has never been 'blown out' on the highway. Anybody know what that means?

How fast do you usually pull out on the clutch? Faster in higher gears?

Ill try and start using all six gears again...

Anybody in phoenix/scottsdale area with a z wanna ride?

 

what if you match the RPMs properly while skipping gears? I just dont understand the function of syncros on the Z

 

blown out? no idea whatsoever. a tire maybe?

and yea you can get away with pulling out on the clutch a little faster at higher speeds, just because the tranny isnt as picky and jerky at higher speeds. the more you drive it, the smoother you will get. its a tougher stick to drive than most, but youll catch on.

 

Exactly what i would do... WOT thru 1,2,sometimes 3 then hop into my cruising gear(5) and over time bam. It was an issue with earlier trannies.... I had the early tranny replaced with another early tranny then finally a revised one if memory serves me correctly. All under warranty thank god.

 

I think she means, been drivin out on the highway at top speed. Maybe it's not 'broken in'...

Do you think that theory is correct?

 

umm could be maybe. top speed is in the 155 ballpark if I remember correctly. i dont have the "boys" to ever try that though.

 

Woah, no one has asked for pics of gf or z?

 

Leavin' it in D works for me.