here is my JWT clutch and flywheel story. At about 10k miles my car starts grinding 5th gear inexplicably. Clutch could have been completely down but if I shifted into 5th while going 50mph there would be a nasty grind. First thought is this is way too early to be having tranny issues, so I take it to my local dealer here in Gainesville fla. They tell me that there is some issue with the clutch and that they adjusted it and it was fine. About 10mins after leaving the dealer I shifted into 5th and noticed that they didn't do ****. Also this was during winter and I noticed that after my dealer visit, when I started my car on a cold morning it would have a nasty scream at mid rpm's until the car got warm. Because of this and a mess load of other g-ville dealer horror stories I decided it wasn't even worth taking the car back to b!tch about it. So I delt with it until about 3 weeks ago when I went to West Palm to visit the parents. Well I decided to give the dealer there a shot at my car, since it happen to be there that I also bought my car. Well for one the dealer in West Palm has a Z perf. shop doing all of there work . That was the first good sign. Well after the guy there took a look at my car, he said that it was def an issue with the tranny. Not a huge, you shouldn't drive your car issue, but def an issue. So he proceeds to tell me that I just happen to be unlucky but that instead of try to fix the tranny, he would order a new one from Nissan and install it under fac warranty. I was impressed with their sincerity and proffesionalism. He later goes on to mention that well... since the tranny is off why not go on to JWT flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate? It would only cost me parts and an hour of labor, not to mention that he beat the price JWT has listed online. So I decide to go ahead and do it.

Off the bat I was already expecting rattle and sure enough there was. It isn't ridiculus but you do notice. However the drive is 100000% better. It definitely feels awesome and more responsive. IMO I don't think you really sacrifice daily driving capability with this clutch/flywheel setup either. Def an awesome mod and the only regret I have is I wish I would have done it earlier.

Now the question: I was talking to a mechanic recently and he mentioned that with the right tranny fluid setup you could eliminate alot of the rattle. What makes me think that this is true, is that when the car is cold (meaning cold fluids) the flywheel doesn't rattle nearly as much as when fluids are warm. Have any of you guys changed to a specific fluid and noticed a change (ie: redline fluids or some other reputable brand), and what weight did you use? Also I know this might be a dumb question, but is the rattle bad for the car in any way? Is it worth driving in a way to avoid the rattle or can just drive normal and not pay attention to it?

P.S. Palm Beach performance rocks!!!!! and I hope I could convince some of you that are on the fence over this setup.

 

its never too late for tranny problems in z. ive seen z's go back w/ 1400 miles needing new tranny

 

yeah I guess so, but it is refreshing to see a dealer's shop that agrees and doesn't make you the bad guy.

 

The rattle is "chatter" and results from vibrations/resonations that naturally result on a VQ35DE from no longer having a dual mass flywheel that acts as a dampener. As such, I don't see how this would be "bad" for the car. Improper clutch/flywheel install errors however, can do heavy damage to the transmission and/or the engine if the flywheel rips through it.

 

do you have any mods? I have a 5th gear grind, but I am almost postive they will turn me away, TT

 

I didnt have any mods when it started grinding. I would say give it a try, the guy is a pretty reasonable guy, His name is Mike Wade. If you need more info PM me. Plus you really dont lose anything by trying.

and JonnyLaw thanks for the info

 

I got TT and the dealer replaced my tranny anyway. Actually I busted the 5the gear on the dyno with ove 500hp.

 

hopefully I will have luck like you

 

Mine sounds like a concrete mixer....

 

all of them do....

 

+1

The JWT flywheel is a little loud at idle, but not too bad in my impression. It's a great combo for NA to mild FI setups...

 

I had the same 5th gear grind but mine was at around 42-44 MPH.

They said it was a problem with tranny and replaced it under factory warranty. I assumed I was the only one with this problem.

<== '05 G35 coupe 6MT