Hi

After a decade of staying away from tracking (wife/kids) , I finally had the time to get back into it. Spent time and $$$ to get my 03 350z prepped/tuned and had a blast at big willow this past weekend. The car ran beautifully and reliably; zero issues.

Only thing is the shifter felt soooo soft and loose when shifting (especially down-shifting). For everyday street driving its a non-issue, but when you're flying down the straight and braking hard/down shifting....there's a loss of confidence of getting into the right gear/possibly mis-shifting. Currently there is a rogue engineering short shifter installed (10+ years ago). I've been searching the internet for something more substantial. I see a lot of billet shift boxes for other manufacturers, but non for the 350z.

Any recommendations for a product that has more precise gates? I'm not interested in sequential shifters. What are the serious trackers (but not race team serious) using for a better/more solid feel to the shifter? THanks.


kv

 

Go back to the stock shifter, you will be good.

 

Our shifter doesnt have a gate in the tunnel or in the cabin. Just shift rod and pivot, which connects to the rod coming out of the transmission. You can also check your trans mount for wear, or just change to a solid one but cabin noise will increase greatly.

+1 change to back stock shifter.

 

Agree with these guys. Upshift and downshift like crazy when im in the hills and not a single issue. Smooth and crisp everytime. Also running mt85 redline fluid.

 

As a SCCA racer who's been campaigning the Z33 for eight seasons, I've found the six-speed gearbox to be solid and precise. The gates are as well laid out and weighted as many high dollar racing gearboxes I've used in the past. My suggestion is to re-calibrate your hand-eye coordination to compensate for any nerves on your part. The gearbox in the Z33/34 is certainly worthy.

 

Thanks all. The rogue shifter has been in there for so long, and its been so long since I've been back to tracking, that I've forgotten how a stock shifter feels. But it seems the consensus is that the stock shifter is precise enough for my needs; and its definitely an inexpensive option to explore.

I've thought about a more solid trans mount, but decided against it.

There were definitely nerves abound at the track after being away for so long. I found I had to refocus on aspects that I didnt remember being too difficult a decade ago. Old age and slower reflexes I guess.

 

I'm going to go with a TWM personally. Along with the RJM pedal cause I can't stand the shifting all stock

 

my RJM v4 pedal is on its way

 

I might be purchasing mine this weekend!

 

I bought a TWM shift **** and loved it for about a year. Once I had my turbo installed I had to go with TWM's short shifter as well, was told it was the only one actually worth it by Frank Hill. Great combo, definitely recommend it. Just be careful about that 2nd to 5th shift at first haha...

 

Ordered my pedal too! I will be getting the TWM shifter soon

 

Isnt there a mod to upgrade the centering springs for the shifter? Maybe that might be more what you're looking for.