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. :)

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).

I'm new to manual trans also - just picked my 370Z up over the weekend. For 1st and 2nd gear, I noticed you need to really let the clutch out smoothly and just be gentle with her for those gears. Let's call it foreplay. :confused: The rest of them aren't so sensitive to letting the clutch out a little faster.

My problem is with hill starts. Heart pounds, person behind me is so close to my bumper, lots of things to think about with clutch/brake/gas that I even screw up the handbrake method.

I'm confident it will become second nature eventually, but it really stresses me out for now. I use SRM because I (a) don't want to grind gears, and (b) I like the perfect downshifts as I get used to the clutch.

mine feels great.
I have

http://www.the370z.com/drivetrain-en...available.html

+

http://www.the370z.com/z1-motorsport...ilable-z1.html

makes a HUGE difference.

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.

Yeah I'm getting more used to it now. For sone reason Im scared to rev past 1500 and slip it into first. Ive drivin manual transmissions before but they werr broken in and this one is brand new. Some times shift to fast I will buck a little. The more I drive it though its starting to feel like second nature.. I almost wish I could hear the engine a little bit more at lower rpms so I wond haveto look at the tach hah

sometimes when people feel the clutch grab, they have a tendency to just let it out really fast because they panic or are scared of burning it when thats exactly the point where you want to just smoothly let it out.

My only complaint is that the engagement point is too far off the floor (pedal too high). I like to be able to modulate the clutch with my ankle at the engagement point. With the point so high in the pedal travel, my knee is too flexed and I don't have the movement I want at my ankle. I compensated by moving the seat back. Now, I have to stretch a little to get the pedal to the floor (for starting the engine), but the engagement point is more controllable with ankle motion.

Is it ok to change the transmission fluid beforethe first oil change? I hear a clunk sometimes if I depress the clutch while I'm slipping it into 1st. Like if I'm not giving it enough gas and depress the clutch quickly to avoid stalling, it will make a weird clunky sound.. normal? Thanks guys +rep!

you can change the tranny fluid before engine oil..

don't worry about that clunk. its nothing bad. it just happens when you push the clutch in too fast, like when you are panicking and slam it to the floor. Normally when you're driving this car, theres no need to be doing that. Just push it in nice and smooth, maybe just a TAD slower than you think you should,and that clunk wont happen.

Compared to other manual cars I've driven (not many, but mostly crappy econoboxes) the engage point on the Z is a little high and engages quickly in relation to pedal travel. One of the reasons many stall it the first time out. When I drive, my heel is off the floor slightly and I'm pretty much using my whole leg to depress the clutch.

To reduce the "bucking," it helps to shift at a higher rpm from 1st to 2nd.... still engaging the clutch smoothly. Almost like powershifting until you get to 3rd gear.

Hill starts trouble everyone at first. You're still at a point where you might not be confident with where your feet are in relation to the pedals. From personal experience, coming from an AT, your muscle memory still needs to learn the different pedal position. Give it a few weeks (or even months) and you should be able to move your feet to the correct spot without thinking about it. Also, you should practice getting a feel for the "roll back" so it doesn't surprise you when the situtuation arises. I still use the handbrake method every once in a while when d-bags stop a foot behind me while waiting at a light, which happens way too often.

I know SRM makes it easier, but you should learn to drive without it. I don't see why you would grind the gears with it "off". Your shifts will be rough if you don't do it properly, but it shouldn't grind. Grinding happens when you shift without engaging the clutch (something that can still happen with SRM).

SRM is great for the break in period, thats for sure!

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.

They would be able to do it easily and quickly. And yes you to nedd a pump to get it in.

And the mt-85 is the one u want.

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

Practice on a hill is always better, that's how my dad taught me. You'll learn to keep it going and you're gonna become one with the clutch and will make heel to toe VERY easy.

Well, I went out for a 120 mile ride. I stalled it once at the very, very beginning (I got nervous when a car pulled up my f-ing ***), but I fired it right back up and took off. Didn't stall again after that. What I learned is that revs are very important and that I shouldn't be too worried about feeding into the throttle. 2K RPMs gives the car healthy momentum forward as the RPMs begin to drop, and then I can keep the clutch at the grab, feed some more throttle and let off.

Since I have the synchro rev-match, bucking is non-existent here (only if you shift too quick at a slow speed). This 120 mile drive really helped me familiarize myself with the car. I went to my girlfriend's, and then to my brother's just to drive around. Both of their neighborhoods have a ton of stop signs so I got some solid practice in. Woo! :)

yea, you start to look at stop signs as a place to practice starting off in 1st.

Yep, yep. Indeed. Such a shame it'll be raining all day Wednesday. Ugh, I was looking forward to the meet with the new car. :)

ah that sucks, if its raining i don't think i'm gonna go. so are you gonna not drive this car in the rain at all like the last one?

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.

2 hours dayum just where do you live?

Yep. I generally hate driving or being in the rain, so it doesn't bother me.

i think i figured out my problem. the SRM holds rpms so you can let off the gas, disengage the clutch, select gear and engage the clutch. i was letting off the gas as i was pushing the clutch in, which made the rpm hang while i tried to put it in gear and let the clutch back out. i found when i slowed my feet down and just let off.. then push clutch... then shift and let the clutch out like normal it shifted fine... its weird i wouldnt think i would have to slow my feet down. instead of waaa waaaa its like waaaaaa... waaaa. unless im still trippin

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.