What's wrong with the 6MT?
 

Quote from Edmunds "Although Nissan's six-speed manual gearbox has proven a bit troublesome in the 370Z and the Infiniti G35/G37, in proper working order, it's a nice piece for the roadster. We like the highly mechanical feel of moving the shifter in its linkage and the heavy clutch, because they suit the personality of the Z-car, which isn't a delicate thing."

Ok, I know the article was for the roadster, but since I'm still deciding between a 7AT vs. 6MT coupe and since the transmission I'm sure is the same in both cars, can someone tell me:


1. So what is so troublesome with the 6MT- Difficult to drive smooth? Haven't really heard about any mechanical issues with it though.

2. Is the clutch really that heavy?

1. nothing is wrong

2. no

yea thats a crock.. my Z is a daily driver and I have zero complaints/problems after every drive ;-)

agreed
and agreed

simple answer

:supergay:

There both good choices some like to bang gears and some like to blip thru the gears and opt to keep in drive when in heavy traffic. You can test drive both and you decide what's right for you. good luck! :driving:

Heavy clutch? You're joking right? Exactly what other vehicles are these guys testing? Short - maybe in comparison with others. Quick engagement - uh quick engagement = faster shifting times = duh. Heavy - no.

What the hells that mean Heavy Clutch, they suit the personality of the Z-car. Are they saying manual drivers are cavemen or what?

The 370 has possably the lightest clutch ive ever drove in a sports car, when I first test drove the mt I jumped from mt wifes mustang GT to the Z and damm near put the pedal thru the floor.

Damn those Mustang Clutches!

Could anyone who has experience with the S2000 and now drives a 370Z, please compare the clutch / shifter feel, between the two?

I learned to track with the S2000 and it was by far the best manual that I have ever driven....> light / easy to press clutch with mid level uptake and no chatter, while the shifter was silky smooth, not notchy or requiring any muscling to get it into the next gear.

Sorry can't comment but ahh nice avatar...

Heavy? I've driven Everything from Civics, BMW's, to Rx7's I can't say the clutch is heavy at all, me personally I would love to have it a little heavier

the problem is the driver....not the car:owned:

No, not a heavy clutch, coming from Mustangs, this clutch is much lighter, I think it's even lighter feel then my Mini Cooper S. My biggest complaint is that it's noisy, you can search for vids on here regarding that. Seams to be part of the design from what I've researched, so not too concerned about it. No mechanical problems and I just past 11K miles. :tup: Drive both before you buy, but Syncro Rev match is awesome in the MT6. :tup:

Most reviews rave about the 6MT and how it's perfectly matched to the 3.7 VQ engine. I think the author of that review mixed up whichever transmission or car model he was mentioning, confusing it for the 370Z 6MT.

IMO nothing really compares to the S2k 6MT. that thing is just butter smooth. The Z's clutch will feel a lot heavier (still not as heavy as other cars, i hear mustangs brought up). It's a bit notchy, tricky to get certain shifts to smooth out like 1st-2nd.

but it also depends what you are comparing it to. if you compare it to previous version 350z/G35 you will find it very smooth and nice to drive. if you compare it to the s2k then you just gotta learn to adjust. in that car higher revs are your friend.

Compare it to the GT2 clutch, oh you will love the Z's clutch lol

i am not trying to give you a bad impression on the transmission/clutch, it just has a different more sportier character than the s2k imo. having said that, i prefer the heavier ol' tranny of 350z/g35

Edmunds.com

:roflpuke2:

either trans is a good choice,edmonds mt car was probally a magazine test mule,they beat the hell out of them!! if a clutch blows its usually because they do lots of 5k-6k drops to get 0-60 times & 1/4 mile times,normal car drivers usually don't abuse their cars like that. my :twocents:

They are Girly Men.....

Fixed that for you.

I have to agree with you 100%! Who ever drove the new Z for Edmonds.com and felt the trans or clutch was a problem is a wimp and should be layed off immediately! lol! Bad report on there part.

I believe it's one of the smoothest manual gearboxes I have ever driven. Coming from a 2008 Accord 3.5L, the Nissan gearbox is amazing. The Honda's was good, but tempermental. It took me a couple of months to feel comfortable and to get the shifts anywhere close to being smooth. The Nissan gearbox was very smooth right from the start. I love it. The clutch has a great feel, the shifts are almost effortless. (But, I have missed a few shifts from second to fifth instead of third :rolleyes: on hard accelerations.)

Not sure what the reviewer is talking about... maybe not a manual gearbox kind of driver (?)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bY-Gu4Mr7e...icoCaveman.jpg

Dude, please. :(

:icon18:

Agreed. Honda makes incredibly smooth shifting gear box. one of the reasons why i got my TSX. But the clutch is really light. Not my preference, but does have its advantage for everyday commuting in heavy stop and go traffic.

The 350Z/370Z clutch pedal has a "heavier" feel than most. This was a complaint on the 350Z (check the forums you'll find many threads a and a few how-to's to adjust). And could be deterrent to someone who would prefer to have a manual shift for a daily commuter.

One thing i don't like about the 350/370 Z is the feel of the accelerator pedal. I think its too light. Makes for a mismatched feel between the mechanical resistance of the clutch and accelerator pedal. I think this is why some people have a hard time adjusting to the driving style of the Z and/or feeling comfortable with it at first drive.

I test drove an '09 cayman. The mechanical resistance/feel of the Cayman clutch and accelerator are very comparable and give a balanced feel.

Personally, i liked the feel of the 350 Z clutch. And when i test drove a 370Z was surprised that Nissan retained the heavier clutch considering the complaints.

The 370Z gear box is much improved over the 350Z, has a more exact feel. Not as good as a cayman, but definitely in the ballpark.

Agreed. Honda makes incredibly smooth shifting gear box. one of the reasons why i got my TSX. But the clutch is really light. Not my preference, but does have its advantage for everyday commuting in heavy stop and go traffic.

The 350Z/370Z clutch pedal has a "heavier" feel than most. This was a complaint on the 350Z (check the forums you'll find many threads a and a few how-to's to adjust). And could be deterrent to someone who would prefer to have a manual shift for a daily commuter.

One thing i don't like about the 350/370 Z is the feel of the accelerator pedal. I think its too light. Makes for a mismatched feel between the mechanical resistance of the clutch and accelerator pedal. I think this is why some people have a hard time adjusting to the driving style of the Z and/or feeling comfortable with it at first drive.

I test drove an '09 cayman. The mechanical resistance/feel of the Cayman clutch and accelerator are very comparable and give a balanced feel.

Personally, i liked the feel of the 350 Z clutch. And when i test drove a 370Z was surprised that Nissan retained the heavier clutch considering the complaints.

The 370Z gear box is much improved over the 350Z, has a more exact feel. Not as good as a cayman, but definitely in the ballpark.

i dunno about the clutch, but the flywheel is a bit on the heavy side. I noticed this immediately, if you dont match revs +/- 200 rpms, the shifts are a bit jerky. Ive adjusted, but I couldnt drive smoothly for a week after I bought it.

The tranny is loud, and there is alot of gear whine, shifter is a bit on the clunky side as well, but this should be expected.

Agreed on the accelerator. It's drive-by-wire, so obviously it's just an electric actuator rather than a cabled-up traditional accel pedal. But still, they could have put some effort into engineering the thing to feel more traditional. As it is now, it's so light that it makes it hard to make fine adjustmnents at times.

On the same topic, the other thing I dislike about our accelerator pedal is that it's too "digital". If you play with it in neutral at a stop, you'll notice it's not at all smooth like a real pedal. Mechanically it feels smooth, but in terms of its effect on the engine, it adjusts in little notchy steps.

In effect it's like having a 32-way throttle switch (I don't know exactly how many settings there are, 32 is a random-ish guess). You get these 32 throttle settings and that's it, nothing in-between.

Adding more thoughts to the above: this is probably why I find it hard to put/keep the accel pedal on the "neutral torque" spot for a given gear/speed at times (as in, just the right amount of gas to neither accelerate nor decelerate). Eventually you settle in anyways, by landing slightly high or low and then letting the car's speed adjust until that neutral torque point is achieved. At low revs you'd hardly notice (like attaining a cruising speed in top gear), but at high revs I notice it a lot (like when you accelerate up a gear hard, then want to hold neutral torque for a few seconds there before engine braking back through the same gear).

isnt there a spring you put on the clutch pedal to make it lighter/heavier based on what you want?

heavy clutch? compared to a civic maybe. This 6MT is a nice piece...great clutch weight/engagement, positive short throws, no slop, a hair notchy but very accurate. Only trans Ive encountered that makes this gearbox seem inferior is the sublime S2k 6MT...that maybe the worlds greatest though...

lol it's funny... i guess i have different perception. i consider heavy clutches good, dont care too much about light ones. i have very mixed feelings about my clutch, all i can say is it's the weirdest clutch i've driven.

one thing i love about nissan's 6MT is the proper spacing between gates, it's so natural for me, i never mis-shift.

Edmund's long term test car had to have the tranny replaced, so now, of course, it's a problem area.

2009 Nissan 370Z: Stuck in Gear | Long-Term Road Tests Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line
2009 Nissan 370Z: Transmission Replacement | Long-Term Road Tests Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

I think Nissan's SRM combined with the Cayman S trans would be a winner.

:iagree: I hear ya wstar, this is a minor annoyance to me as well especially "(like when you accelerate up a gear hard, then want to hold neutral torque for a few seconds there before engine braking back through the same gear)". But in the scope of things, it really is minor.

John

Yes, on the 350Z forums I believe there are few threads on how to adjust more to your preference.

I prefer the heavy clutch feel, give the car a more ballsy character. Everyone has there preference.

Don't like the light accelerator

If you want to smooth out the shifts more, replace your transmission fluid with Redline. I posted a DIY and found my shifts, especially when cold, were noticeably smoother.