How to drive a manual Z smoothly?

DIGItonium

I actually tried and learned how to make smoother engagements in the 370Z. Of the 6 years of owning the 350Z, I never really figured out how to make smooth engagements especially with the 1st-2nd shift. It has been a pain with the clunky gearbox and inconsistent clutch action.

The Z tends to shudder when shifting from 1st to 2nd with low RPM, so it tends to be more happy beyond 2.5k RPM. Sharabivas hits the spot in regards to shift speed (when driving slow, shift slow or get the dreaded clunk; when driving faster with higher revs, you can shift faster).

I also notice the foot action of the clutch pedal seems to affects smoothness when letting out the clutch. My heel is on the floor when starting in 1st to make it easy to pivot my foot, and off the floor when pressing down the clutch pedal for other gears. When my heel is off the floor, I can use my whole leg to press down the clutch pedal. Then I can release and slowly pivot my foot away as I release the clutch pedal. Also, I notice engagements are smoother when pressing down the clutch pedal quicker than usual between shifts and casually releasing it.

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