How to drive a manual Z smoothly?

kevr6

I disagree!! All the german cars I've had have been more refined and easier to shift!
The "Friction Zone" on The Z requires that you hold the clutch a pinch longer then most cars! What your experiencing is driveline lash like you'd find with a pick up truck!
As stated throghout this thread, Practice makes Perfect! There are a number of refinement issues with our cars...like the seat quality, the rear road noise, lack of adaptive xenons (Mazdas have those), the fact that we still have a power steering pump vs mechanical steering, shifter vibration, harsh rear suspension, and driveline lash!!!
But when you look at the price then you understand why.

__________________

mick

well, kevr6. maybe this just applies to me
i could not drive smoothly the german cars that i have had the very first time I drove them but I could drive the 370z smoothly the very first time behind the wheel.

of course, maybe I am just a much better driver now than when I drove those german cars -- i probably could drive them all smoothly today

EP350Z

Yup i agree with mick on the german cars clutch!!!

tonybui

How about the "clunky" sound when I shift? Is it normal for the Z or am I doing something wrong?
BTW, this is my first manual car, is releasing the clutch to the point of contact and hold it there before give it gas really bad for the clutch's life? Or do I have to give it gas first and slowly release the clutch out to get the car moving? Thanks again for the answers guys

shabarivas

Shift slow when you go slow and shift fast when you go fast

nicknick

Good point. You can't always release the cluth slow, especiallly when you are pressing on, if you do then this will be rough. Practice!

jeffreyfranz

BlueMax:

I spent considerable time out driving today, concentrating on shifting and handling. Shabarivas nailed it:

1) In town and in low-speed situations, shift slowly and gently. Drive like a Grannie and, after a while, you'll get smoother and more relaxed with the shifting.

2) In hard driving contexts, shift aggressively and get on the power immediately--shazam! Push the right foot down and feel the power pull you up toward the next shift--very gratifying.

Hope that helps. Now for real fun, turn the VDC off and and go for it. Oh, yeah...

kenchan

and CRUNCH! no need to shift aggressively or slam the throttle wide for fast acceleration. smooth is the way to go.

jeffreyfranz

No, I have never yet CRUNCHed my transmission on this admittedly new car (1200 miles)--I suppose there's still time. I simply meant not to be afraid of the car. In "hard driving contexts" (remember that?)... oh, never mind. It is absolutely not necessary to brutalize the car in order to shift aggressively (or drive aggressively, for that matter), and "getting on the power early" ("slam" was your word) is a necessary and desirable part of high-performance driving. Doing it all smoothly; that is where we are in complete agreement.

serturbo

Try releasing the gas pedal a little earlier. I found this to be my problem. It was all about timing because I was used to a car with a mechanical linkage and not throttle by wire. It seems that there is a slight delay and not releasing the gas sooner keeps the tranny loaded. This is what caused the clunking for me in my 1-2 shift.

tonybui

So release the gas pedal, then clutch in, give gas, clutch out ?

bradz

Practice and timing is the key.

serturbo

Yeah, it's all about timing. I've never had a smoothness problem engaging the clutch (letting the pedal out). I've only had the clunk when pushing the clutch pedal in. Just play with your timing and you'll figure it out.

feelzpwr91

had mine since last june i took me about a month and a half or close to 2 to get 1-2 mistake free, it will all come with time , Good Luck!

__________________
Rather be driving my Z

g96818

practice and modifying the clutch travel helps a lot also

__________________
CZP are lying thieves!