370Z Clutch vs. 350Z Clutch
 

For you manual transmission owners, how does the new 370Z clutch compare to the old 350Z's? I've read a couple owners/reviews mention that the clutch is on the softer side, which sounds like the opposite of the old 350Z's stiff, long throw clutch. I would love it if you lucky 370Z 6MT owners could share you experiences regarding the following:

clutch travel - shorter travel than the 350Z? Or the same?

clutch engagement - does clutch still engage high off the floor or more towards the middle? Also, is the engagement point still really narrow, like an on/off switch - or is it more forgiving?

clutch weight - more/less/same effort required to push down clutch pedal?

Thanks guys!

I would really like to know if the clutch sticks to the floor for a second in between high rpm shifts like the 07-08 clutches do...In other words, does it have one of those b.s. inline clutch dampners..??

I didn't get to test drive a 370z yet but I've sat inside a showroom 370z, and driven a G37S coupe several times. (i'm pretty sure all drivetrain parts are identical from the G37 to 370z)

clutch travel - shorter travel than the 350Z? Or the same?
--> feels the same as my '05 350Z :dunno:

clutch engagement - does clutch still engage high off the floor or more towards the middle? Also, is the engagement point still really narrow, like an on/off switch - or is it more forgiving?
--> high off the floor, between middle and top of clutch travel; no need to push the pedal to the floor during normal driving

clutch weight - more/less/same effort required to push down clutch pedal?
--> feels the same as my '05 350z, which is A LOT softer than the 03 and 04 clutches that I've driven. I will say that the G37/370z clutch felt like it had more of a spring action to it, maybe the clutch on my Z is getting tired (it's already slipping a bit).

I will say this, switching between my Z and my brother's G37 is seamless as far as the clutch is. It's just that everything feels smoother and newer in his car.

From what little I have driven our 370Z the release point is very high off the floor. It does have a fairly soft pedal and for the most part is pretty fool proof if you're used to a high pedal point.

Clutch travel is shorter
Clutch engagement is shorter & narrower
Less effort than on my 05 350Z.

???? anyone know this yet????

My 08 never had what you are talking about so no.

If the 370 is at all like the G37S clutch, then it is a big improvement over my 06 and 08 Z's...

I drove a g37s, and i felt that I needed to become a girl to drive that thing. It was soooo soft, compared to my old 04 350z, it made me miss that clutch, bc it was awesome to me.

My clutch never sticks to the floor when shifting at high RPM either (08 Enthusiast).

hmmm, funny...Are you guys shifting fast enough..?? I test drove an 08 enthusiast,an 08 base, and a 08 touring vert. that all had the same "clutch sticks to the floor for 1 sec" between 7500 rpm gear changes...

I am right there with ya..My 04.5 enthusiast clutch felt much better then the newer 07-08 clutches...

I shift as fast as the car allows without abusing it, from what I can tell. The shifter is pretty balky... I could stomp the clutch and yank back on the shifter as hard as I can with the gas still mashed to the floor I suppose, is that how you do it? :icon9:

apprarently you are the only one shifting fast enough to make the clutch not work properly.

no,no..If you do a search, you will find exactly what I am talking about..The 07-08's all have an inline clutch dampner that slows fluid through the line resulting in a "cushy" high rpm gear change thus keeping the pedal to the floor for a quick second..
If you do a search for "clutch dampner" you will find other threads as well as pics....I guess if you 07-08 guys have never driven a 6mt from the 03-06 Z's it may just feel normal to you..

I am not flat shifting or abusing the car/clutch in any way, just simply shifting fast....Matter of fact you can almost feel the gear transition delay for a quick sec. when this happens...

AP2 S2000 is worse, I'm sure of it. Maybe that's why I don't notice it.

I've shifted at a little above 7K a few times, and not noticed the clutch slipping or anything. I'm never really on the gas until the clutch most of the way up, and the clutch comes up as fast as I let it. :dunno:

I disagree, I had an 06, and I felt the 08 had a slightly different clutch, but nothing that I can put my finger on.

I am not the worlds best shifter, but I dragged, autocrossed, and roadraced that car without any problems whatsoever, and I flat foot shifting that car a BUNCH of times.

The new clutch will be softer, but that is progress. That is what they want, smoother and still as strong and less noisy.

It is still setup the same way.

When i test drove the 370 I noticed the same exact thing happening like when i drove a nismo 350z.

Never had this issue on my 03

Todd

WOO HOO!!!! My man...Maybe these guys will think I am a little less crazy now..lol

Just got back from test driving the 370z. I currently have a 2003 and the 370z clutch is super super soft. No effort needed at all to engage the sucker...in fact, its even soft compared to a 2008 BMW 335i, which is pretty soft compared to my Z. I haven't driven any year Z other than mine, so I cannot comment how the differences between the new 370z vs the late model 350z's. As everyone else mentioned, the engagement point is pretty high on the 370z. It does shift nice though!