How does your OEM clutch feel?
 

Hey all, I'm new to owning a manual transmission, but have driven a number of different MT cars with little trouble. 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 and there is a distinct lack of feedback to let you know it's engaging (the revs barely drop, for example).

Is this the norm for you guys, as well? Do you find that the clutch takes a lot of time getting used to? I got used to my buddy's 350Z clutch much, much quicker than I am with my own car. :(

Yeah, it will take a week or so to get the hang of it.

Took me less than 30 minutes to get used to it. It was a bit more sensitive and high compared to my old RSX but it wasn't hard at all.

After getting an aftermarket exhaust, I came to the conclusion that it is not the clutch (well there are problems with the throw out bearing and the CSC, but that's not the point). It is the restrictive intake/exhuast of the stock Z. I thought I had become a manual moron when I first got the Z. And I've been driving manual since I was 14, including performance clutches, vehicles without synchros, foreign, domestic, etc.

The lack of feedback is part clutch, but is also the stock in/out design combined with the drive by wire feature.

Just my 4 cents (my opinions count for more. At least that's what I tell my kids!)

I'm also struggling driving mine, and I'm completely new to driving a stick...it's very frustrating and it's prevented me from really driving the car much..I'm sure i'll get the hang of it but at this point I wish I got the auto.

keep at it. i felt the same way the first week of ownership. after a week, or two..i cant get enough of it. the first week it literally sat in the garage, and i would only take it out at night so i wouldnt embarrass myself stalling in public. best advice is to just hang in there and dont give up and dont be afraid to give it some gas when you're learning the clutch-gas pedal movement

Yah, the throttle is less sensitive to immediate inputs vs my other MT cars so it does require some getting use to. As far as the clutch mine begins engagement pretty close to the floor.

My 370Z actually has a more exact engagement feel that the 2003 350Z i had. I really like it. I like it much better than my 6mt Acura TSX. But I prefer the more bullish feel of the Z anyhow.

Maybe stay on throttle a tad bit more during shifts to smooth things out. You guys with the Sport model, are you using the Synchro Rev Match (SRM)? This should really help smooth out shifts as it works with shifting up as well as down.

At the end of the day though you have to be comfortable with the car you drive. Everything I have read about the 7speed auto is positive so it should still be fun way to go if you decide to move away form manual.

i shift fine except into 2nd i kinda buck a little.. i dont know what it is.

:iagree: I really didn't find that much difference to my 2006 350Z.

i dont like how the SRM holds the revs. it should drop them lower when you up shift. mine hangs almost revs up 200 rpm and then begins to drop. thats why i buck in going into 2nd and 3rd unless i wait until the revs drop.... i wish you could keep the downshift blips but take out the upshift rev holding. does nothing but screw me up. anyone else know what im talkin about

When I first got I took my girlfriend for a ride in it. She said "you shift this like your motorcycle" because the firm shifts atleast in the lower gears. I have trouble with smooth shifts especially from 1-2 if I use the clutch. I drive a semi quite a bit so I am used to floating gears. Smooths as butter then.

what do you mean by floating gears?

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.

Words of encouragement. Thanks guys. :)