How does your OEM clutch feel?

Dreezy562

what do you mean by floating gears?

samb03

let off the gas and put tension on the shifter and it will fall out of gear. As the RPMs drop push/pull the shifter in to the next gear and if you catch the revs right it will fall in with no grinding.since the SRM is operated by the clutch pedal it never interfers with up shifting. It is easier to do on big trucks because the engines don't rev as fast or as high. 2500 or so red line. That and most aren't synchonized so they are a little sloppier.

KillerBee370

Hop in 20 different manual cars and they will all feel nutty and take a couple days to get used to. There's nothing wrong with the clutch in the Z. Like anything it just takes a little drive time to adapt.

AlphaSnacks

Words of encouragement. Thanks guys.

DocMaggot

"The 370Z is giving me some trouble, but I'm very slowly getting the hang of it. My biggest complaint seems to be that it engages way too high...."- Arnold K

I am entirely in agreement with you: you can't shift properly with your knee up in the air. For one thing it's darned awkward and uncomfortable. But even more important is the ergonomics of hip flexion.

It is much easier for a driver to make small incremental changes in hip flexion starting with the hip at 90º (a low clutch) than it is to do so at 100 or 110º (a high clutch).

But ergonomics aside- there's no reason, and no EXCUSE, for a clutch to bring your knee up uncomfortably high. If I can't get Nissan to do mine (and I'm trying!) I'm gonna fix it myself. I've done it before (in 2004) ...and it was no joy to do- but it did the trick

nuts4nissan09

This is not my first manual transmission. I drove a '92 Mustang GT w/ the 5 spd, '95 Z28 w/ the 6 spd and some Toyota 4wd trucks. This is the only manual that I have had a tough time leaving the line without chatter. I either have to leave slowly and short shift to 2nd or get aggressive and rev it to 2nd - doesn't seem to be an in between. Must be the dual mass flywheel. I do like that way it hooks when I get on it. Seems like everyone is standing still and I'm 300 ft. down the road . I have tried driving w/out SRM and have found it easier to leave with it off. I always tend to turn it back on within a few miles though.

DocMaggot

I've driven nothing but z's for 30 years, leasing for 3 years then a new Enthusiast coupe 6-spd.
In '07 and '04 I found that the clutch engagement point was way too high and too abrupt.
In both cars I had to adjust the clutch height using step-by-step instructions I got off various enthusiast fora. It was not an easy job, but it was a big improvement.

This month I was less than shocked to find the same problem is clearly present on my new 370Z Coupe (Touring options).
Once the weather warms so my hands aren't too stiff, I will again endeavor to crawl upside down beneath the dash, facing forward and down, feet up in the air, headlight squished against the floor, and again perform this unpleasant cramped but now-familiar adjustment.

Others may counsel patience, but my experience has been otherwise: it doesn't tend to improve on its own, so it becomes a question of how skilled you are at accepting it so.

I love to drive my Z's. Hard. And I simply refuse to accept that I must shift with my knee
up in the air.

Wait and see how you feel about in in 2-3 months... the first go at DIY adjustment can be awkward- it was a little rough for me!

VQinside

I've driven nothing but manuals for 12 years with 6 different cars and the Z's clutch is the worst I've ever driven. It took me like a week to get the feel but I still do some not-so-smooth shifts from 1st to 2nd.

mick

probably your previous MT cars were easier to drive than than the Z. that's why you think the MT Z is harder to drive.
my previous MT cars were a bmw 328i and a mb 320. I think they were harder to drive smoothly than a 370z (some car magazine reviewer wrote that a mt 328i could not be driven smoothtly. he's wrong, of course.) I drove the 370z fine the first time i drove it. the clutches on the bmw and mercedes were heavier too.

SVTNate

It's certainly different. I'm used to daily driving either a BMW 3 Series or a Porsche 911 Turbo, and the clutches in those cars are very, very different from the 370Z. My 370 is only a few days old, though, and I've already got the hang of it (mostly).

daisuke149

mine feels great.
I have

Z1 Motorsports 370z/G37 SS Clutch Line NOW AVAILABLE!

+

Red Line MT-85 Transmission Fluid - Now Available at Z1

makes a HUGE difference.

Dpeters

So can a total car moron do this? I'm assuming you need something to pump the tranny fluid back into the car? The Z1 site states a specific fluid that's different from the fluid you've linked.... any reason you know of?

I'd rather not buy 100 bucks worth of parts to install a 40 dollar tube.... I suppose I could go to Z1 one day and have them do this.

John@Z1

Come see us. We have awesome rates and very savy techs. But yes I could even do it .

__________________
Z1 Motorsports will beat any advertised price on Nissan OEM Parts!
770-838-7777 ext 311
AIM: JohnatZ1
email: John@Z1motorsports.com

Dpeters

You're far for me but I'll have to make a trip out there one day. I suppose I need to find other upgrades I'd like done at the same time to justify the 2 hour road trip across GA.

Jeffblue

arnold, you'll get used to it. at first its hard to get a sense of the clutch engagement in this car. its pretty subtle. after a little bit though, you get a feel for it and you'll be able to really shift well.