CLuNky 1st to 2nd
 

I know, I know.....thread already on this.

Is this getting any better over time for those that have the Manual over 3,000 miles by now ?????

I think it gets better over time just because the driver gets more accustomed to driving it smoother over time.

That's been my experience @2500mi.

1200 miles here and still clunky at times...I have to force myself to shift sloooooooow...which makes it much smoother.

listen all gearboxes are different and take some getting use to. It's like being with a beautiful woman, you don't just jam stuff... Finesse....

I have the auto, but I test-drove both transmissions before I bought mine. The manual in the 370Z definitely takes some getting used to, esp 1st/2nd gear. I was driving like an idiot first-timer on my test drive. Admittedly, my manual car (10 year old trans am) has a weak clutch these days and is pretty easy, but still I feel like I'm pretty damn good at handling a stick usually. Just seems like there's a very very fine line on the clutch for engaging smoothly on the Z. I'm sure after enough miles, you'll get the hang of the sweet spot and it will become instinctive.

...just take time to get used to it. only had this issue for like a week, now i'm getting it down without any issues

Oy you guys are getting me worried. Gear clunk and notchiness was an issue with my 350Z even after getting the transmission replaced in 2006 due to grinding. The clunk hurts my wrist and ruins the fun.

When test driving the 370Z I didn't notice the clunk, but I've not driven it enough. Gear shift felt buttery smooth, but I didn't drive it hard enough. In 2006, the transmission was smooth for the first 3 months when it started to get notchy over time.

its not notchy or clunky its just a matter of becoming accustomed to the clutch.

^^same thing my friend just said right now
i had it test drive my z tonite and told him about the 1st to 2nd shift
and he said its normal and even he was having problem shifting and hes been driving manual trans for years now

OK....I have never had any vehicle ( well, except my pick-up ) with an automatic tranny. Always a stick.

SO Yes....I will buy this comment.

Thanks....

Im inclined to agree, Ive found that sometimes its smooth, and other times a little clunky - just proper use of the throttle/clutch together it seems...

Try pressing the clutch down faster before shifting, and release it as usual. I notice getting gear is easier and less clunky in the 350Z doing this, but my left foot gets tired from it haha.

I had a horrible experience today. Gears grinded while shifting from 1st to 2nd at redline, not my mistake. I never grinded gears in my ownership of my 350. Im a little worried, the car shows no signs of damage, but I havent shifted at redline since then. I will try it later tonight probably.

please let us know.

well considering this car has a bit more torque and hp you just might not be used to the power? so there for you tried to shift faster then you are normal to? hence the grinding gears

It happened to me too. If you shift fast from 1st to 2nd at redline it may balk. If you slow it down a bit or shift a little early it goes ok. I'm hoping it is just because the tranny is new and tight and will get better with some miles on it.

i thought it was only me but the gears do clunk, the 1st and 2nd and also in R. i dnno if anyone else has encountered a problem with R.

I haven't noticed a problem with reverse, sometimes 5th to 6th is a little awkward though.

Ok, I shifted at high RPM from 1 to 2nd very carefully and nothing happened. Im not too worried about this. Im used to a clunky tranny coming from a 03 350Z.

damn.....so if u do a hard 1-2 shift at redline the tranny will grind? if that's the case, eeek not a good news....it should not grind nomatter how hard you shift at any rpm...

I've shifted many times from close to redline since break in, and I've not had any issues. I've shifted hard too. i think people are just not used to it. Its the most fickle MT i've ever driven x 1000.

I've driven manuals for years and also had some 'smoothness' issues when starting out in my new 370z. I've now put about 170 miles on it, and have definitely gotten the feel of the shift. One thing I noticed is that the Z likes a little throttle as you release the clutch into 2. My first reaction to the 'clunk' initially was to go slower, engage the clutch, and THEN lay on the throttle....it only made things worse. Instead, make sure the throttle is JUST BARELY starting to increase RPMs when you're at the last part of engaging the clutch. I'm not suggesting to ride out the clutch as you overrev, just change your throttle timing a bit earlier than you'd otherwise expect. You'll get a nice smooth shift and the car just zooms off into 2.

yeah i have noticed that its just that im not use to doing that. i guess i need to spend some more time driving it :tup:

what a great excuse to drive for no reason ;)

Exactly! Yesterday I was stuck in gridlock traffic for an hour and I enjoyed the repetitive 'practice' of 1-2 shifts. :driving:

Yes, I've done this too. At least 10 times (only 1st to 2nd, and only at close to redline) :ugh2: It pisses me off every time it has happened. Now I've owned over 10 cars in the last 15 years, all manual transmission, and some with more power then the 370z, this was never a big issue. Occasionally I would miss a shift, but I never had to focus like I do with the 370z 6MT. It really takes the fun out of driving the 370z. Don't get me wrong, I still love the car for many other reasons, but there really needs to be some kind of solution for this.

One thing I'd like to ad, is that I installed the Nismo alloy shift knob, I can only think that this has made the problem worse. I know others have had the issue even with the stock knob, but the Nismo is shorter and lighter, which doesn't help to get it into gear. (it sure looks good though)
Im going to change this out as soon as I find one that I like, just a little taller and something with a steel or heavy insert that will help ease it into gear. I'm sure this isn't the cure all, but it can't hurt. There probably needs to be some type of linkage or shift kit upgrade inside the tranny to really solve the problem.

I think transmission oil temperature may be a large issue. Driving at the auto-X today my first 2 runs had clunky 1st to 2nd changes, despite having driven about 50 highway miles that morning. After that the shifts were a lot smoother.

Switching out to a better transmission oil might help.

I wonder if good synthetic transmission fluid will correct this?

In terms of difficult manual transmissions, I'd put this car in the middle. The absolute toughest I ever encountered was a Jaguar X-type manual whose clutch would 'take' about 1/2 inch off the floor. We stalled that car more times than I care to count, and the shifts were incredibly uncomfortable and 'jerky'.

^^ I believe you have some valid points. My first oil change will be at 1,200 miles for the exact reason you have just mentioned.

I'll be re-loading with Royal Purple 5W30 ( magic stuff )

The engine oil change will have no effect on your transmission. The factory scheduled change for the transmission is like 60K miles.

Agreed...it was really just a side note. Stay on topic, I know.

I suspect the manual transmission in the 370Z is probably almost identical to the one in the 350Z. I know the 1-2 upshift often doesn't feel too great on my car before the tranny oil is up to full temp, and that this is a very common 350Z observance/complaint.