almost bought a 370z today
 

a great deal on a lease but what i did not like was....the 1st to 2nd shifting. every shift from 1st to 2nd i Hated thinking
how my passenger is going to feel with her head rocked back and fourth every time we stop. so maybe this is not the car for me...i was buying with the sport package and downshift was Beautiful...i told them i will sleep on it

I was like that when I first bought it...you get used to it and now all my shifts are smooth. You will learn how to drive her smoothly within a week. 1st gear has so much power waiting to be released thats what makes the head jerk.

You should get it... the 370z has a big butt :)

I agree about the gear thing. It takes a while to get used too, its definitely more jumpy than any other clutch I have used. But I drive it very smoothly now, unless im tired :tup:

i was thinking that also but i went to upshifting a 370z...thats how i found this site....and why should i have to learn to shift on a 38000 car....ok...you will think i am a troll or something but i test drove a miata and felt no lag or jerk thats why maybe a Z is not the car for me. i want a Fun car that is fast...a miata is fun but not really fast so i want to love the z.....435 for 39 months 0 down

Yeah!! Looking at the 370 from the back kinda reminds me of looking at a big sexy a** that I want to continue to stare at;)

thats funny jasonine. i was looking in my garage when i got home...will it even fit

"All I want for my birthday is a big booty ho彐"

For those of you that listen to hip hop
-Birthday song
By 2 chainz


Sorry, I was listening to this song earlier and was reminded of it:icon17:

Try the auto, you'll be surprised

i was thinking of the auto while working with the salesman,but who buys a sports car with auto...the salesman didnt want to hear it wanted to work just on this car that had the sports package of course but there probably similar in price as sports pkg is a 3k option

1st to 2nd is a bit tricky at first due to the super heavy flywheel and long clutch pedal engagement. But after a couple days you would be proficient at it.

The shifting is something I got used to...if you want a smoother transition with the shifting you could change the clutch helper spring ^_^

what a great sight...there's lots of info on auto or manual...a whole discussion...**** a car is such a big commitment. glad i did not sign...yet!!!

Let's see where this thread goes.

To the OP, test drive an auto with srm.

Three words: clutch helper spring. Wished I got that 3 years ago...

As much as the car seems like a nice smooth start is impossible you will figure it out in short order. My test drive was down right embarassing, but now days if I am in town I can easily drive smoothly..

On a freeway ramp, hang on because I need to get up to speed and all bets are off on how smooth this will be.

auto is smooth as butter. i use it to shift from 1 to 2 from standstill then pop it in M, and when i come to a light I let it down shift for me for smoothness. 95% of the time I'm in M

... lot more than you realize. 7 speed paddle shifting is fun :tup:

A manual can't shift smoother and faster than an auto.

The clutch feel of the Z is not the best: if you read the threads there is a spring modification that helps for some. I did it on mine and it made the clutch a bit more progressive but still nothing as smooth as any of my other cars I have owned (200SX, Integra, WRX, SI hatch, Cayman) nor the other cars I have driven such as BMWs and such.

That said, I hop between the Z, WRX and Cayman weekly and it just takes some getting used to and its quite driveable. Don't rush the 1-2 is my suggestion.

The 7sp auto is a very good tranny for a slushbox style auto, nothing wrong with driving one of those at all. Me, I prefer my sports cars with a manual. I prefer all my cars with a manual unless I have a horrible traffic filled commute...then there is the commuter :)

The miata is a well balanced roadster: power is nothing without control. Something to be said for being 500+ lb lighter. If you can't go fast with 90 HP...900 HP won't help.

- b

I have one of each and know exactl;y what you're saying. I solved the problem by buying a 370Z with automatic transmission. It's much more comfortable and I still enjoy driving the 5 spd manual Miata, too!

:iagree:

After removing the clutch helper spring assembly entirely I fell in love with driving the car again. That spring causes nothing but problems.

Removing the spring altogether gives you so much pedal feedback and actually makes driving the 6MT effortless. When I removed mine and took it for a spin it was similar to driving my old Civic Si. The clutch operation with the gearing felt so much better.

I need to buy this spring thing!

Give the Auto a try
 

Before making a final decision, test drive the Auto.

I drove Manuals my whole life, and when I decided to get a Z, I naturally assumed I would get a Manual. Test drove the Auto and loved it. When I jump on it, the Auto will redline before shifting so I get plenty of acceleration.

Every once in awhile I play around with the paddle shifters. if I want to pretend I am driving in a video game:icon17:

Whatever you decide, dont let the salesman push you into a vehicle you dont want. Of course he wanted to sell you that car, it was the one he had on the lot.

Don't even buy the spring. Just take the OEM spring out and give it a try. You'll probably find that you love it and will end up saving yourself $15 or so for a new spring.

A friend gave me a spring for free... yes, it is a lot better than stock... but no spring at all is best. Verify you like it, then remove the entire assembly.

Don't be surprised if you shed a tear or two, especially when you realize you could have spent the last 4 years with clutch feel if you did it right when you bought the car.

Every bit of this. My spring was removed 36 hours after I bought it. Night and day difference. Don't let that be the reason you don't buy the car, or buy the auto if you really want the manual.

I think while the Z manual fulfills the habitual void of needing to drive the manual.
The auto in manual mode actually provides the performance expectations you'd exprect from the manual without the clutch.
While manual is the rush to gearbox for most enthusiasts... From my test drives of the manual, I think Nissan got it backward on the Z. The auto responds better. :tiphat:

But you can always try mustangs solution as well

Wait, you can be in 2nd at a standstill? At the risk of hijacking someone else's thread, pray tell how this magic occurs, because I want this!

(This is *one* reason I prefer my older car in the winter, because I can bump it up to 2nd at a standstill.)

With the helper spring removed the transmission actually feels good. Since you can feel the pressure plate operation you can work the transmission correctly and consistently. With the OEM helper spring it's really clunky and cumbersome, but I think that can be attributed to the total lack of feel from the clutch. There's a lot of guessing involved so shifts and starts are almost always rough and never consistent.

With the helper spring removed, however, transmission operation is delightful. It's not as smooth and sweet as an S2000, but it is, dare I say, a pretty good transmission. Nissan just went and f*cked it up by adding a completely unnecessary helper spring.

I think I :stirthepot:

Sorry OP, your thread is now a classic bashing of 7AT vs M6

:tiphat: very good review on both or the reasons for each transmission



OP, if you DIE for the manual, do what Mr. Mustang said at the dealership.
The only thing I have heard without the clutch spring or even with the softer one is that the pedal jiggles around a bit and doesn't stay in the same place. M6 people can confirm since I drive the more superior 7AT :nutswinger:

Yeah, it does wiggle a bit on the first inch or so of travel with the spring gone. Not really a big deal at all.

Yeah, I would say a little bit of play for maybe the first half inch of travel. It feels exactly like my S2000 did in that regard... bit of play up top, but great feel.

Fixed:tiphat:

WORST 6mt in the business

Stock, yes. Helper spring removed... no.

Far from the worst. It's just clunky. It holds power just fine. The clutch feel is easily fixed. And I thought we all had an agreement about quoting JungleTard.

But we are also at work.

YEAHH!!!!

:icon18: