Yeah, I've done enough reading. Ill be taking off in 1st gear from now on, I have been starting to do that for the past month, but i will continue.

I'm ok with long pedal travel, never owned a manual Z, Mini Cooper John S Works whateverthehell, that pedal travel was decently long too, and I have put a few thousand miles on a Scion xB MT

With the Scion the clutch engagement point is VERY obvious because the pedal feel isn't linear at all, it's very 2 stage.

The Mini has a stiff clutch pedal (compared to the xB and the Z) and the engagement point is also quite high, but you can feel when it's engaging, it pushes your foot off the clutch that last inch

The Z, the several time I drove it... Felt awkward, and I KNOW I'm not the only one, so I don't know why you're pointing me out specifically... But the travel feels so linear that it just has no real feel to me... (Hence the reason why so many people opt for the different clutch helper spring and whatnot)
I guess you could say the learning curve is high on it compared to any other car I have driven. At the same time I guess it's more raw, (unlike the Audi R8 M/T which feels unstallable)

The worst clutch feedback I have ever felt is an frs

Literally feels like you don't even have a pedal , no feedback at all

Hmmm... I do have the feeling my foot being pushed harder when it reaches the engagement point in my Z. Maybe my foot is extra sensitive then the rest of the world?:tup: I've drove VW GTI before, the pedal feels even softer and more linear. Anybody here with me?

Never driven one, so I don't know, although I think it'd be a fun car to drive

I hate that.

Sometimes I'll throw it in neutral and coast up to a light, but it rev matches me to about 4k at times (depending on when I do it)... then I look around all embarrassed.

Or, I hit the gate (but don't put it in) for 3rd when going 4th to 5th and it rev matches it to 3rd... lol.

I get more feedback from this clutch pedal than I did with my SRT (and it feels heavier), however, the SRT's clutch engaged almost at the very bottom, whilst this is at the very top - I still haven't gotten used to it 100% and feel a little jerky when shifting (not sure if it's always going to be like that. :confused:), but it's usually 1-2, 2-3... I'm fairly smooth otherwise.

But for me, different shoes have different feels too and that affects me.

Exactly.. I had to break myself of the habit of always coasting to a stop in neutral which I did when I had my Explorer Sport. At highway speeds the SRM gets really agitated :icon17:

Also, I'm not sure about the so-called linear feel... my friend's 2003 Mustang Cobra clutch was linear. The Z isn't even close - we both drove each other's cars. Driving his car in traffic for more than 15 min was literally a left leg workout that would leave you sore. He recently replaced the clutch with aftermarket and it is much more similar to the Z now. I agree with MJB...

This, too, can have a major impact. My work shoes are big ol' Redwing boots, but on the weekends I wear sandals at the most, so any driving is done barefoot. Polar opposites, but still very manageable :tup:

I am not saying this happened but:

Do not downshift in a turn at speed. Shift down in a straight line, just like braking, before the curve. This mid corner shifting can bring the rear end out. Upshifting does not unbalance the car in the same way.

You very well may be releasing the clutch too fast, while applying too much gas.

I wish you all the best. You will get it and if you'd like to ask another question, please PM me.

Yea it does get jerky but it seems to depend on RPMS, if you're shifting at 3500+ then its preptty smooth, anything below its jerky. Also i bit of gas in between shifts makes it a big difference.

I felft the same way untill i got a new clutch spring.

Have you noticed a difference in up-shifting with SRM on and off, or is it just me? Seems SRM on will keep the RPMs up for just a second while shifting vs. SRM off.

That or I'm still just on the gas a little too late/early.

I'll test the +3500 theory. I like to short shift a bit and see if it helps me save fuel (it doesn't, because I'm not consistent with it when the freeway/roads open up... :icon17:)

I've heard a lot of people mention the SRM theory, but it doesn't seem to change anything with upshifts in my car. The revs start to drop immediately. At least as far as I can tell.

Right now while driving to work I was at 2000rpms, 20 mph I was turning right and it would not let me go 2nd gear smoothly. So I decided to try 3rd and it let me in just fine. It almost seems like the car is saying "don't shift to second! Go to 3rd!!"

Be careful downshifting in the middle of a turn or forcing it in gear. The last thing you want to do is lock up your tires in the middle of making a turn.

I was actually on first gear! Trying to go to 2nd gear while turning.

Change your fluid then report back. Complaining over and over again everyday isn't gonna solve anything until you actually try something about it......

:eek: harsh words. Don't like it, Don't read it! Plus I wasn't really complaining, I was really looking for advice.


:driving:

I used to drive TransAms with high tourque short shifting was not a problem, this car doesn't like it

YES it does keep the RPMs up for a bit, i verifyed that with dealer, its how it works again if you're shifting below 3500 it will give you a jerk forward SO what i do is wait an extra second after i push the clutch in then its smooth as butter. So to me it seems that there are 2 ways to drive this car, fast and slow. When driving fast and shifting above 3500rpms its goign to shift fine no jerking, if you're driving slow then you need to give i an extra second between shifts.

if you shift very fast on lower RPMs like 2k or so you'll notice a jerk forward

So when im in high speeds, when I press the clutch I should shift right away so I shift in high RPM's, but when im going slow I should wait a second to shift?

This is what I got from that

its what i do...to reduce the jerk forward caused by SRM on lower RPMs

Good, then I'm not going crazy! :icon17:

Shifts that are jerky, are most likely to be driver error (a very small number will be from actual mechanical problems with the clutch or transmission). To eliminate jerkiness, all you have to do is ensure that your RPMs are appropriate for your speed and gear shift. It not exactly a simple procedure, but if you're not getting smooth shifts, the simple fact is that you are not rev-matching properly. Downshifting is a bit more tricky, but upshifting shouldn't be too difficult. When upshifting, you just need to be sure to release the clutch when RPMs are appropriate - it's going to take time, especially for a new MT driver, and will eventually just become feel. It's not rocket science, but it can be frustrating if you don't practice (and your DD route is generally not going to be the best practice method - find an empty stadium parking lot is my recommendation).

If you let out the clutch too quickly, the RPMs will be too high - solution is to wait a hair longer before letting out the clutch.

If you let out the clutch too slowly, the RPMs will have dropped too low - solution is to blip the accelerator to bring the RPMs back to the proper number.

If you have SRM, work on letting out the clutch steadily instead of dumping it - I find this virtually eliminates any jerking when downshifting. This isn't going to have any effect if you are downshifting from 5th to 2nd at 40 mph though... I'm talking about reasonable shifts for DDing.

Well for me, I'm not new to MT's, but I never had this problem in my previous car.

I still could be letting it out too quickly, as I said I'm still getting use to the high catch point, but if I go too slow I feel as if I'm just riding the clutch.

It'll still take a bit of getting used to, even if you are familiar with MT (IIRC you're fairly new to the Z - <2 months?). I felt the same way with regard to riding the clutch, but when I let SRM do the rev matching and focus on the clutch play, there is a noticeable difference between letting the clutch out evenly (not necessarily slowly) rather than dumping it completely. Also, the shifting when driving casually vs spiritedly is very different. Casual driving seemed sooooo slow when I first got the car, but now I am used to it and have few problems.

Yea exactly...this car likes higher RPMs better that is all. There are 2 solutions, let out the clutch slower OR push in the clutch wait a sec then shift, its same difference.

Can a good manual driver be quicker than the 7at, why did the 7at feel like it had more practical low end torque

Thanks for all the information!! I will definitely be paying more attention about how I shift, when I shift, etc. I will also be changing the gear oil, ima have to figure how to do that first lol.

My last question is this, I remember this one time it was summer and the car was right under the sun. when I got in the car i notice the stick was hot and super loose (that's what she said!) that day the car was shifting super smooth and I remember thinking i wish the car was always like this!

What do u guys make of that?

For the first question, you have to clarify at what scenario you are comparing two... Straight line? Shift time? Lap Time?

But to give you a general answer, the 7AT in the Z is very well built, they do shift faster than MT. However, if you talking about laping a course, it really depends on the driver.

The AT has a shorter gear ratio thus more low end torque.

Yeah, I've only had it about a month. And I notice too that slow driving seems REALLY slow at times, but I'm getting used to it too. :icon17:

I'll have to work on it some.

the transmission oil does not "thicken" as much like under the cold temperature, that's why.

So changing the transmission oil might give me a smoother shift?

Yes.. you might want to check the Tech section for more info on that.

Pretty sure we are seeing less of MT's now - can only get worse. But I loathe auto's.
re: traction control: With my '13 with the Stillen SC (395 whp) I noticed the traction control kicking in constantly under hard acceleration. With the control disengaged I have found that I modulate the power better with my foot, the car is MUCH faster, with only very controllable wheel spin. Seems the nanny is over protective, and the traction control seems to restrict engine power - you can actually feel the hesitation every time the light comes on.
For those of you who track your cars - Are 0-60 times generally helped or hindered by traction control?
No doubt inexperienced drivers will be safer in all conditions with the switch "on" and all of us are safer with the switch "on" in inclement conditions.

Yes, and switch to a synthetic like Redline MT-85. It's specifically recommended for the 370Z.

Red Line Synthetic Oil - Gear Oil for Manual Transmissions - MT-85 75W85 GL-4 Gear Oil

yah, before that, just learn how to shift the car. the tranny and oil in there is fine.

I'm driving my first MT car too. About 2.5 months into ownership and I can feel my shifts getting smoother, more natural, and just better, but I know there's a long way to go.

I've let a couple other people drive my car and the car is smooth as silk.

If I hadn't done this, I probably would have doubts, just like OP, as to how smooth the car can be.

If you have someone you can trust, go for a ride with them. It's definitely worth finding out if the problem is the driver, not the car. While you're at it, pick up some tips.