Clunky Shifting in a Nissan 370Z

Now I might be spoiled from all the time I've spent behind the wheel of German cars such as manual Porsche's and BMW's, which have a completely different feel when transitioning through the gears. That being said, I love my 6-speed Nissan 370Z and wanted to share the first impressions I had driving mine for the first time, as well as a couple of things I've learned in the process as to how to get to shifting more smoothly in one of these cars.
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Thanks ZeroPod Productions for the video!
/ @nolankeegan6683

[@huggleskuishy]

I just bought a 2014 today and thought I ruined it, this is very comforting to watch lol

[@TexasRealEstate]

Glad to hear! I was thinking the same thing the day I drove mine for the first time until I did some searching online 😅

[@officialdislikebutton9125]

Oh nooooow you tell me, after buying the car thinking I was the only one that couldn’t get the engagement right and rocking back and forth and stalling like a fool.

[@jnmaz066]

🤣🤣🤣💀💀💀 I felt this so hard

[@TexasRealEstate]

Everyone who buys a manual 370Z feels your pain lol

[@Fishsticks187]

I've had my 2017 370Z Sport for about four months and I'm only now just starting to feel comfortable driving it. At first it was immensely frustrating, and you're right that the Z is a very different animal. I learned to drive stick on a Saab 900S and also had a 5-speed Saturn station wagon. Both had their quirks of course, but neither was all that hard to get down. The problem with the Z is that in stock form, first gear is an absolute dog because of the horrendous throttle lag and heavy stock flywheel, so you have to give it a lot of juice to get moving, which sets you up for a jerky shift into second if you're just trying to cruise. Getting a tune is probably the best thing you can do to help yourself out because it not only adds power but also addresses the throttle issue and gives you much, MUCH smoother acceleration. I recommend the Ecutek level 1 tune that also comes with launch control for Z's with SyncroRev. I love my Z to death. The frustration of the learning process makes figuring it out that much more rewarding.

[@TexasRealEstate]

Great to know about the tune. Yeah I agree, despite the frustration they're great cars & rewarding to drive once you have a feel for it. 👍

[@luismorales2450]

Man same thing over here. Just drove one today and i just hope i find that sweet spot sooner than later lmao

[@TexasRealEstate]

Takes some serious getting used to but I did with some good seat time!

[@ald1292]

Check the rear differential bushings ... if it’s leaking it needs to be replaced or expoxy...

[@TexasRealEstate]

Thank you for the input!

[@al3zmi]

i have 2011 5.0 and today i bought a 2013 used 370z and the shifting in Z feels really weird...compared to my mustang which is a lot smoother, the issue is the clutch padel it just way to high, but with rev match on it feels VERY smooth

[@TexasRealEstate]

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. Getting a feel for shifting the Z definitely takes some getting used to! But the rev match definitely is one thing I enjoyed about mine.

[@kieferj8058]

I came from a 99 civic 5-speed, and a 13 accord 6mt. I do agree the 370z is harder to shift "smoothly". After owning it for a few months of course I have gotten it down, and also the ecutek tune helped. But i've heard of people upgrading the clutch pedal assist spring to a new one (like 20$) and that seems to make the shifting better? Id like to know if anyone else has done this.

[@TexasRealEstate]

Would be great if there's a simple fix like what you're describing!

[@jnmaz066]

I’ve recently bought mine about 2 months ago and it was rough for the first couple of weeks but I got it down pretty well. Only concern I have at the moment is there’s a rattling when it first starts up for the day. Trying to figure out if it’s the heat shield or maybe the fork is bad but I’m at a lost. Other than that it’s been an experience! And I do have to say after driving 4 other manual cars that the 370 is hard to get use to

[@TexasRealEstate]

I definitely agree it was the most difficult manual car I've ever driven to get used to (maybe next to a Viper but with a Viper, it's because the clutch is so heavy). Mine had the rattling you're talking about as well. I believe I did some research on it and found it was a regular thing with these cars. I can't remember the reason though.

[@chrispoulos8811]

so does mine, I have an 09

[@nickhollingsworth7271]

ive owned a 370z for about 5 months now and i feel as if the car doesnt like speed shifting from second to third other than that i didnt find it difficult ti learn but its something that takes quiet a while to master even i feel like i could be better with rev matching

[@TexasRealEstate]

I definitely agree! Takes some getting used to.

[@nickzaccheo9294]

Dude you're differential bushing is shot and you're hearing a clunking noise when you're shifting because the drive shaft has room to move because the bushing has lost all its fluid and needs to be replaced.

[@TexasRealEstate]

That's news to me! Thanks for sharing. Surprised I didn't hear any other owners mention that in the forums when this topic would come up.

[@prayerwarriorgodlovesusall8117]

z1 motorsports has a csc delete kit which makes the clutch like more traditional feal, and operation of the clutch system.. porche also uses csc in there clutch systems. I owned a 2009 370z manual, and had the same feelings about clutch engagement, and clutch feel. It was unlike my mustang manual, mazdaspeed manual, and so on. Z1 motorsports in #1 in everything 350z, 370z, g35 platforms. You can see my 2009 370z on my channel. Take care & God bless, Brandon 🎼

[@gurjindersingh6159]

Check out czp

[@TexasRealEstate]

I appreciate the info!

[@scottsmith7337]

I have a really loud transmission whine between 4,500 and 6,000 rpms sounds like a synchro but the car only has 20k miles

[@TexasRealEstate]

Hmm sounds like something different then I experienced with mine.

[@sular1982]

I so have in my Nissan 370 I bought a new 2020 and after some 500-700 miles after driving while pressing the clutch and shifting gears I hear such a click or rumble, I was at the dealer says it is normal, but it drives me crazy, in total it is new car

[@TexasRealEstate]

This is when you're shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, correct?

[@sular1982]

thanks

[@AdreanStyles09]

I’ve Owned a 370z Nismo for about 2 years and 1st to 2nd gear shifting is still not consistently smooth for me but all the other gears are smooth.

[@TexasRealEstate]

Sounds about right to me.

[@ariesrose5846]

i’ve owned my 2012 370z for almost 4 years now with almost 130k miles now, 1st to 2nd has to be the worst gear change for me. I have replaced the clutch and clutch fluid which did somewhat help, but only for about a month. for me its better when i get the rpm in about the 3500 range before going to 2nd or double clutching seems to work great as well

[@TexasRealEstate]

Yeah they are fun cars nonetheless. Sounds like you're enjoying yours a ton! 😎👍

[@johnjohn9081]

My 16 nismo with 7500 miles grinds into 2nd at high RPMs. I don't like it at all

[@Typho0nify]

Highly recommend RJM clutch pedal system if you haven't already. I was so impressed that I ended up swapping for their tilton master slave clutch cylinder too.

[@consoledotdog]

Did your csc ever go out?

[@ariesrose5846]

@@consoledotdog no my csc never failed, i talked to my mechanic about the csc delete kit and he was sure i didnt need it. replaced my clutch with what he has in his 2013 mustang and its been great since

[@nissan_z_nismojdm]

Mine shifts kind of strange from first to second sometimes third feels a little chunky I'm not sure if it's the internal slave cylinder or the transmission just being finicky it don't do it all the time mostly when it's cold

[@TexasRealEstate]

1st to 2nd was the worst on mine. Every other transition wasn't bad

[@forwardpress3146]

Don’t know what to say. I’ve owned several Nissan products two were Manuals ..... Maximas. They both shifted much better than the Z I just bought. Granted the Z is a 2010 one owner with 90k miles. 60 year old lady owned it but the second shift grind that happens sometimes is starting to get me a little worried. It’s only happened 3 times but each time was me actually driving it like a sports car. Regular driving it never happens. I also had a 2014 mustang 5.0 manual that this never happened in. I’ve only had the car a couple weeks. I do plan on changing all the fluids to see if that helps any. Idk. Any advise would be welcomed.

[@TexasRealEstate]

Changing the fluids may help a bit, it did with mine. Besides that, I got used to how it shifted and after driving a while it never ended up being a problem for me. I got used to timing the shifting and was able to shift smoothly.

[@bummerbrooks3220]

I have the same 2nd gear grind sometimes, did u end up changing the fluid and how did it go?

[@sular1982]

I don't even need to stand in the parking lot and move out of the city, push the clutch and change the position of the gearshift lever, it can be heard as quiet as a click or bang like a bang, this is my first rear-drive car, I have always driven Sti or golf, I know a friend he said he had similar sounds in Mustang 5.0 2016

[@TexasRealEstate]

Yeah I know what you mean, it's kind of a crazy sounds for it to be normal.

[@sular1982]

do you know what it can be?

[@sular1982]

I am afraid that something will fall apart, it can be heard as if it were a differential or bushing

[@TexasRealEstate]

@@sular1982 I don't know. When I was looking it up through the Nissan Z forums online, other owners would say it was normal as well. But what I noticed after driving a while is the more I got used to the feel and timing of the shifter, it got to a point where I never had an issue with it because I got used to the feel / timing of releasing the clutch to where it would never happen. I think if you don't time it just right between shifts, that's when it would happen for me.

[@TexasRealEstate]

@@sular1982 Yeah not sure what it is exactly that makes the noise.

[@jiro7720]

So I recently bought a manual 2015 370z about a month ago and I haven’t really been going hard on it but on occasion when I do a pull and shift at high rpms when I push the clutch in it feels like it’s vibrating and grinding. It only happens when I push the clutch in past 5k rpm. Under 5k it’s completely normal. I did install a zspeed csc delete kit a couple weeks ago. Any solutions?

[@TexasRealEstate]

Not sure, maybe someone else who sees this will have more input

[@elvato7418]

I just got my 370z yesterday I went from wrx 2013 to 370z 2017 I do noticed a big difference I’m still learning but I’m worry about my transmission? Does it damage it bad while tryna learn this beast ?

[@TexasRealEstate]

Congrats!! Haven't heard of anyone damaging their's getting used to the way it drives.

[@gabrieledwards9158]

Hey so question for the chat. if you own a 40th 370z, how much did you pay for it?

[@jnmaz066]

I payed for mine (with warranty) 32k 2016 24k miles all original from factory. Otherwise if I didn’t do that, I woulda only payed 29.1k or something like that. But you can find some good deals on them. I found a 2014 one for 18k after tax but it was 112k miles on it so just look around and find what catches your eye

[@billbot2462]

Has Anyone Had a 370z Transmission Failure? I just figured it's built heavy duty and hates cold oil...

[@SnottyBoscarino]

Manual 370z is very unforgiving. My advice, don’t be afraid to drive it and give it some gas, TRUST ME! Especially if your getting any kind of “clunky” response. It seems the more aggressive I drive the the better the response from the car.

[@TexasRealEstate]

I'd agree!

[@slumygoat]

How about downshifting. My Z is noticeably harder to downshift to second than any other gear. It’s like it has a slight block it’s not an easy buttery smooth downshift into second. Am I the only one that feels this ? Drained and replaced all the drive fluids with Motul and Redline fluids so not sure what else it could be.

[@TexasRealEstate]

As I recall, that was the case with mine as well.

[@slumygoat]

@@TexasRealEstate Appreciate the response bro

[@pikapika1449]

Have u ever find out why?

[@slumygoat]

@@pikapika1449 Sorry for the late reply. I have not, just sort of lived with it and have grown accustomed to it

[@ImPatrickStarl]

Im still struggling to get used to my 370z :c

[@TexasRealEstate]

Takes a while!

[@H1GHD3FF]

When the tranny is cold it does this, but I won't shift after 3k in first and second. It way more manageable

[@TexasRealEstate]

Yup, always better after it warms up.

[@TexasRealEstate]

If you’ve driven a manual 370Z, what was your experience like vs other manual cars you’ve driven? ***Let me know in the comments!***

[@gabrieledwards9158]

How much did it cost you to buy the car?

[@TexasRealEstate]

@@gabrieledwards9158 I believe I paid around $12,500 at the time I purchased.

[@scottrc5391]

I've had my 2009 370Z Sport model for a year and it's STILL a challenge if I have someone else riding with me and I'm trying to be really smooth. Strangely, it almost seems to drive smoother when I get on it a bit... I think it likes shifting at higher RPM's generally. I think the first issue is the 1st to 2nd gear ratios are a bit odd relative to each other - 1st seems too low. Therefore we tend to rev it a little higher, and then when you come off the throttle and shift to 2nd, it will lurch and throw your head forward unless you give it more throttle than you might in another manual car. Alternatively, you can be very careful not to wind out 1st too much so that the shift to second can be made without applying hardly any throttle at all. Personally, I prefer to first approach and it seems easier to me to make it smooth. I changed my fluid as very first thing I did when I got the car, to Redline MT-85 - not sure it helped a ton but 1st to 2nd is pretty smooth now (bled the clutch too as preventative maintenance hoping to prevent early slave cylinder failure from nasty fluid ruining the seals). Somehow 3rd is the notchiest gear in mine. 5th is tricky because the synchro wasn't big enough for it in the original Z's (but I believe they beefed it up in the 2010 model and maybe even more in the 2012+ models). 6th has to be done somewhat slowly and patiently also. But right now in mine, 5th is the one I get a little grind on occasionally if I'm not being careful and try to shift quickly into it. This car also does not like skip shifting unless you do it carefully. I think another issue on some newer manuals is that they have some "rev hang" after you let off the gas which is done by the computer for emissions purposes (otherwise the mixture immediately goes rich and you get some unburnt fuel). The problem is of course that if you upshift relatively quickly, the revs might not drop off fast enough to smoothly hit your higher gear without a slight deceleration of the car once the clutch engages, causing a little lurching. The Synchro-rev thing which does rev matching for downshifts won't help on upshifts. In fact I've just now noticed that it will hold the revs up pretty high when you disengage the clutch, so it might actually be exacerbating this. Since I prefer to double-clutch on aggressive downshifts anyway (Synchro-rev does nothing to minimize wear on synchros, only the clutch - you need to double clutch to save those synchros when doing big downshifts), I usually drive with it off. And I could swear that on some days the transmission is significantly smoother than others. Honestly the six-speed is kind of a letdown. It's fun to drive, but it would be even more fun if it wasn't so finicky. My friend has an automatic and it doesn't have that raw race car feel like my stick shift, but it's still a lot of fun and technically they are faster in the quarter mile, regardless of how good you can shift your stick shift - you can't beat a computer which runs through 7 gears as a human shifting through 6. The car will break the rear tires loose if I want and it has great paddle shifting if you really want a more engaging experience. Plus she'll never have to worry about the slave cylinder failing and costing $1k+ to drop the tranny to replace. I wouldn't trade my car for that one, but I'm just saying, the automatic Z's are pretty nice. As for other manuals, I have driven only a handful (they're becoming somewhat hard to find). The latest was a 2020 Mustang GT. Shifting was such a breeze in it. The clutch seemed a little heavier, but the ratios were good and it was just easy. Another notable manual I drove was my first car, a 3000GT. Compared to the Z, silky smooth shifting. The 3000GT VR-4's were known to have crappy synchros which needed replacing pretty early unless you enjoyed hearing your gears grinding every shift. Mine was a base though and I don't recall ever grinding a gear (EXCEPT for that time I stupidly put in the slicker GL-5 tranny fluid instead of GL-4 - very important point here - the same applies to the Z). I've driven a few others, but I agree with you that the Z has probably the most difficult shifting of all.

[@feminismwrong]

I hate manuals...... I'm not in the car culture but I'm a mechanic... The make the most annoying noises that'll drive you crazy after you spent ninety six hours of Labor