I just recently purchased a 2007 Enthusiast. Note that this is my first manual car and that the only other manual cars that I've driven are a 2005 STI and 2004 WRX.

What I've noticed while driving is that when I let off the gas, the car will cruise for about 1/2 second before the car severely slows. It feels like engine braking but I'm not exactly sure. There is a noticeable difference in speed however and it has me a little worried. I tend to cruise at 3rd for 30mph, 4th for 40mph, etc. The problem is lessened if I'm in a higher gear at these same speeds but it's a little annoying maintaining a low speed in a higher gear as the Z tends to want to go faster. The STI I drove did not have this problem and it seemed to just continue cruising after letting off the gas in similar situations.

I was wondering if any other Z owners, in particular 2007 owners, had this same problem?

 

i could be wrong because i don't even think about it anymore and i'd have to go drive to double check but i think when i'm driving i always have my foot on the gas if i wish to maintain forward momentum, this would be in all manual cars

 

I have a tendency to push down the clutch pedal as I come off the gas... just about everytime.

 

It's called compression braking. The Z is geared somewhat low and has fairly high compression. The reason it may have been less noticable in the STi is that it has a lower compression ratio, I'm guessing around 8:1 (vs. the Z's ~10.5:1). Don't know about it's gearing though.

 

This happens to everyone with a small *****... Blazian started a club for it....I think he called it "Driving the Z with a little Pee Pee Club".

 

 

I'm wondering about this too, any more useful posts like Black_Sunshine's?

 

If I remember correctly everycar I ever drove did this. When I let off the gas it slowed down. I must have bad luck with cars.

 

Lets try and keep discussion on topic please. Who knows, some of you may learn something or possibly even temporarily overcome your ***** fixations.

Ok. So now that we've established that you slow down when you aren't applying gas, can anyone tell me how much it slows? What I'm feeling is not a linear gradual slowing but a sudden drop off in speed which then turns into what I can best describe as a hesitant coast.

The compression ratio explanation makes some sense however I was discussing this problem with a friend who drives a 2007 Exige S with an 11.5:1 compression ratio and he doesn't appear to be having this problem either albeit his engine is supercharged. Could the larger, compared to the STI and Exige, capacity 3.5 liter engine be contributing to the high degree of compression/engine braking felt?

 

Its just the momentum of the motor. The 3.5 has more internal wieght than an sti boxer motor. Drive a Large V8 and you'll probably feel it more than the Z. Just my 2 cents.

 

Compression braking is stongest near the engine's peak efficiency (usually the point it makes maximum torque). So it will feel stronger at higher RPMs and gradually fade. What gear are you basing your observations on?

Perhaps the fact that it's a four-cylinder with almost half the displacement of the VQ. The Exige is likely geared higher as well, since it is quite light (~2100 lbs.).

 

Mine does the same thing, when I take my foot off the gas while in gear it feels like I'm dragging weights behind the car. I was under the impression that all manual transmissions do this, unlike automatics, because of their lack of a torque converter. I also noticed that while the car is slowing down this way, there is a certain speed in each gear where this stops happening and the car coasts much more freely. In my car, in second gear it is 14 mph, 3rd gear its 18 mph, 4th gear its 24. I never coasted long enough to find that specific speed in the other gears.