*Cleaned this up a bit.*
My 370z is the first standard/manual transmittion, and first sports car Ive ever owned.
This is not my daily driver either, so I do not get much of any time with it as a normal person would who purchased the car for their DD.
I have driven manual in Toyota pick-ups/tacomas, VW GTIs, WRX's. No issues.
Dirtbikes and streetbikes no problem. I clearly understand the fundimentals of driving a manual transmittion vehicle.
With the 370z however:
Ive never felt such a high initial engagement point for the clutch, and it's very short lived friction to full engagement point. This is what I needed to get used to.
PERHAPS THE BEST ADVICE I WAS GIVEN FOR ANY MANUAL TRANS YOU ARE UNSURE OF ( Did this the first weekend with my 370z btw):
What you should do first before going on the road is, find an empty parking lot and do the following:
Make sure you are rested on level ground, so there is not way to roll forward or backward with the weight of the car while in neurtral/clutch pressed in.
Right Foot on the brake.
Push in the clutch pedal, with left foot.
Shift into first.
Now, let your foot off of the brake.
SLOWELY let out clutch out UNTIL you feel it bite, aka initial engagement.
DO NOT APPLY GAS/THROTTLE, not even a bit. YOU WILL
NOT STALL IT.
KEEP YOUR LEFT FOOT AT THE ENGAGEMENT POINT TO NOT RELEASE FURTHER.
You should feel the car move on it's own, with no gas, just your foot stuck at the inital point. That's your sweet spot.
Once she gets moving enough, you can slowely let out the clutch the rest of the way without stalling.
Other worries? Rolling into someone/Hill start/stalling in traffic or at a light?
The 370z's initial clutch engagement point is also very 'forgiving' with the brake fully applied at a dead stop. Forgiving as in you will not stall the vehicle staying at this point, you can inch forward, and use it to prevent roll back.
If you still are sweating the roll back, yank up your parking brake. Feel the clutch engagement and give a little bit of throttle on the until you feel your Z wanting to move forward and then release the handbrake.
Number 1 reason why people stall is due to anxiety/excitement. Calm down and let that clutch out slowely, while applying some throttle. Most people want to dump the clutch and get going to avoid further embarressment.
happy travels
