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Old 04-19-2012, 09:01 AM   #10 (permalink)
JARblue
A True Z Fanatic
 
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Austin, TX
Age: 43
Posts: 36,449
Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3
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My only requirements purchasing this car were the MT + Synchro Rev Match. Now that we've owned it for a year, I'm happier that I have the sport rims and brakes (rear LSD is a plus but not really a game changer in everyday driving). SRM is a novelty at this point - something that's cool to show off to friends. My wife never uses it (her DD), and I only use it occasionally in traffic (or the very rare downshift from 5th to 1st on a sharp turn off the highway - I've never attempted heel-toe into first in the Z).

The SRM is a great way to learn how the engine wants you to shift. With a little bit of practice and patience, though, it should not be difficult to rev match nearly as good as SRM does (not heel-toe - that takes much more than just rev-match practice). I've found that easily distracted drivers are generally the worst offenders of MTs as they don't bother to focus on the relationship of speed to rpm to gear selection. If you know what the engine wants and when it wants it, all you need is a little bit of practice to get the feel of it and build some muscle memory. OP, if you don't have SRM, go test drive a Z that has it and pay close attention to these relationships as you traverse the gears. Then go practice those maneuvers in your car.

My first MT (only manual exposure before this was riding mowers) was a 1994 Explorer Sport that I had to drive around the neighborhood where I purchased it for over an hour before I was comfortable driving it home across town. SRM would have been a life saver!
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