Lol, I can almost see all the guys at the dealership in the rear view, pointing and laughing. At least I have some kind of foundation and know the mechanics of it. I just have to retrain my muscles for the friction zone and throttle responsiveness.

The Z will hold the revs when you push the clutch in for about a second. If you shift quickly the car will jerk as the synchros try to force them down. Just give a bit for the revs to drop to the appropriate level (if you have rev match they'll never fall below the where they're supposed to be) and you'll be smooth as butter. Don't forget to give it a bit of gas as you ease out the clutch as well.

Let the wife drive it and practice at night.. best advice I can give.

totally true and right on target, i've seen alot of threads with people struggling with smooth shifts from 1st-2nd. I was struggling myself in the beginning, but now i learn to give her some time and then she'll treat u rite. i wished nissan had program the car to have the revs drop down faster just like a car without the synchro rev when depressing the clutch on first gear for a smooth shift without waiting. I still give props to nissan though for the world's first synchro rev. :tup:

Yeah, I'm no vet, (this was my first M/T) but you can get the car going by just really gently releasing the clutch. Keep in mind you gotta find where the friction point is, so going past it without gas might stall you once or twice. It really only works on level ground, and is useful for backing into spaces.

1) I drove one 370Z where the clutch grabbed more than half-way up (6K miles), and another 370Z where the clutch grabbed maybe about 1/4 up (40 miles). I have a feeling the 6K mile car was abused. But I'm still curious around where is the clutch supposed to grab when it's totally new?

2) When driving in traffic where I'll be averaging about 10MPH and frequently stopping and then immediately going again, is it okay to be in first gear as I'm about to stop with my clutch all the way down? I've been told as long as the clutch is fully depressed, it's not creating any wear. Is this correct?

2a) I know a lot of people throw the car into neutral immediately, but isn't that pointless since 3 seconds later it has to go back into gear? And instead of neutral you could've used the brakes with the clutch depressed, allowing you to get back on the throttle and ease off the clutch as soon as you need to start going again?

3) We don't have many hills here in NYC, but when I get to one, is it okay to have the clutch at the grabbing point as the light is about to turn green, that way I can get on the gas without rolling back? I know this does create a bit of extra wear, but I'm literally talking about a few seconds where I anticipate the turn of a light, lift my foot to the grabbing point to prepare the clutch, and then throttle as soon as I see green. Is this okay?[/QUOTE]


1. Some people on here have complained about a vague feeling in the clutch or it engaging to high, my car has 6100 on it and engages right before the halfway point.

2. You shouldnt be creating any excess wear in that driving scenario however it would behoo of you to find an alternate route to enjoy your Z :)

3. Shouldnt create excessive wear, so long as your not smoking the clutch(revving while riding the clutch) excessively.

so have you learned to drive yet? :stirthepot:

How pointless hahaha. Why did you dig this up?

It's funny reading these questions and thinking to myself "wow, I overcame all of that stuff super quick". Driving the car today is simply instinct at this point - second nature, if you will.

Just got my Z the other day and its my first stick. I have had driven sticks sparingly before but this is all relatively new to me. I am having a little difficulty with the stop light or sign and going part. Once Im ip and going its alot better and easier. It is very flustering when out there and people are right behind you. Today some guy at a 4 way stopped about 2 feet behind me and laid on his horn because i stalled out one time. Maybe a 10 second delay. I am going to just take it down the street to the school so I can try and master it before Im out and about more. Hopefully I will get it down soon !

Don't be afraid to give it gas, this car isn't very torquey in the very low-end so it requires quite a bit of throttle to go. And don't be afraid to slip the clutch, it's normal. You have to let it slip, otherwise you'll just buck or stall the car.

Let me put it down how to start off..well the way i do it, first off i hate VDC so i turn it off every time, it reduces the throttle response and personally if you learn how to drive this specific car i advise you to turn it off as well, but only in a low traffic non slippery road conditions.

Now rev the rpms above 1,500 to about 2200 rpms that should be more than enough to make the car go without worrying about stalling even if you drop the clutch too quick, but dont, just easy it off and you will fell the car move instantly, of couse the rpms will start dropping so give it a lil more gas do not let them drop below 1,500 rpms.

next raze them till about 2,500 to 3,000 rpms and shift it in to 2nd gear where you must not let it drop below 2,000 rpms and the rest 3, 4, 5, 6, well i think you can figure that out your self.

as for the hills just use the hand break technique for now until you get some exp. Then learn the rest heal toe stuff.

in traffic well you have too baby it if youd like to keep up i usually put it in 1st gear and just roll if its too heavy or 2nd gear if its light, in stop n go traffic well youll have to stop, then go again just give youre self some room before you go, you wouldn't want to rear end somebody, that's it hope this helps.

The first night I had my Z I took it for a late night neighborhood cruise to get familiar with the shifting. I stalled it twice at a light and these punks behind me began to tailgate me and drive like jackasses, swerving all over... If I had not been so cautious and cool headed that night I would have gotten out on them or followed them when they finally turned off. I'd like to run into them now :)

Don't worry about people behind you. FCUK EM! If they can't figure out you stalled then they are idiots. If they can't understand that stalling is not intentional, then get out and put your fist through their window while connecting with their lower jaw.

Yeah the NOVA area isnt the best for learning stick on the fly. Thats a good idea to go out later and drive around. I was planning on just taking it up to the school and working on the stop to first as that is what is giving me fits. Ill have to check out turnign the VDC off as well. Sorry for being a newbie at it, but on a hill what is the handbrake method?

The word you're looking for is "behoove", not "behoo of you". I'm not trying to be a grammar nazi jerk, but that's kind of a glaring one that might embarrass you down the road.

because its funny to bring up threads with nub questions :p