One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that Nissan could have very well programmed the ecu to soften power delivery at low speeds or in first gear.
The car definitely lacks power at low rpm's on the street, but pulls good at 2000 rpm in fifth or sixth gear.

:eek: Not my baby!!!

:iagree:

You've got to launch the car if you wanna go fast!

And you know what people? I think m4a1mustang figured this whole thing out. I never slip the clutch. Ever. My entire life up until a few years ago was spent being poor and driving used cars with an almost used up clutch I was trying to squeeze as many miles out of as I could. So I have myself trained to never slip the clutch.

So. Guess I just need to slip the clutch more?

Not that it's going to happen. Just theoretically.

And we all know Prius beats us in the Style category, too, so let's just not go there.

:tiphat:

You can try to hold the revs at about 2,000 rpm or so then quickly slip the clutch as you apply more throttle. Experiment with rpm, amount of slip, and throttle application to find the right balance between wheel spin and forward traction. A hint of spin is good to keep the engine from bogging down, but you don't want to light the tires up either.

Obviously the optimal method will vary based on temperature and surface condition. But once you get it you'll be surprised at how quickly your Z will get up and go. :tup:

if you aren't slipping your clutch and only taking off normally of course it's going to feel slow lol, Also because of it being non turbo compared to your husbands MS3, it has a much more linear power delivery curve, so you don't get such a sudden burst of torque as the turbo kicks in like with his car, this will make it feel slower also if you are used to driving his car with the turbo.

try this, next time you try and take off quickly, from a stop apply your hand brake, keep your foot on the clutch and let it out until its just catching to get some load on the car while you apply the throttle to about 3000-4000rpm to start with, once you want to start, as you are apply more throttle and take your foot off the clutch release the handbrake as well, as soon as you start moving you can basically mash the accelerator pedal to the floor and it will hook up. (think of it basically like a hill start, but be much more aggresive with your accelerator and clutch).

There ya go............operator error!:ugh2:

For the on the track with the Chevy Malibu scenario, yes.

But not if you go back to my original point. Slipping the clutch every time you take off is not an option in daily driving. I'm not going to drag race every car on the road.

In daily driving, if I drive my Z spiritedly but properly (as in, not slipping the clutch), the Malibu is going to tie or beat me every time until I get into high RPMs in 2nd gear. And a Lumina, and an Accord. And a Camry. And many others.

Not that it matters. I still love my Z, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. It's just kind of eye-opening for me that a sports car's first gear feels so slow. I know Nissan has a reason for that, and I think their reasoning is because they've engineered this car to be a sports car you can drive every day. If there was so much power in 1st that the tires spun every time you took off, it would be a pain in the butt to drive. But that's just my guess.

I remember uprev telling me that Nissan limits the throttle to 80% or so for speeds up to 20 mph [in newer models]. I think tbey also mentioned that an osiris tune can bypass this feature.

Hey check this out. I found the exact same thread in a 350 forum and lots of people agree with me.
350z in first gear feels slow. - MY350Z.COM Forums

For those of you who don't want to click over, here's quotes from the people on my side of the argument. And long story short - I'm going to try getting out of 1st faster and see what happens. (I think someone actually mentioned that earlier in this thread, but I kind of got lost in catching up with the other posts.)

* Begin quotes *

1st gear isn't really a gear where your going to feel that kind of pull. It's a 350z, not a Trans Am. V6 with a relatively heavy body so she gets up slow. Coming from an automatic myself, I can relate to the difference in feel of launching. (Even my auto Civic seemed to get moving quicker). However, once you hit second....it's on.

Yupp... minivans, corolla's, civics... etc etc... they all pull away faster from the light than I do (6 Spd) under normal driving. 2nd gear is no doubt when the fun really starts

yes! i thought i was the only one

I'm glad someone else started this thread. I've been feeling the same way since March 2006. I really have to rev the thing up to keep up with minivans when the light turns green. If I drive 'normal' (should I say, civil?) the minivan pulls ahead every time. But when I get into 2nd gear and apply the same pressure to the accelerator the Z pulls ahead every time. Oh well...I think it's really meant to make good power at higher speeds, not for drag racing.

I used to get pissed about the whole idea of being passed by bumbling minivans at stoplights while driving normally, etc. but I've also had the pleasure of going through a number of very cheap rental vehicles- among this fleet was a Kia Sportage, a minivan (forget the brand), a G6, etc. I realized that most of these cars are built for driving light to light at <40mph speeds and they seem to move very well from the stop light up until about 40 where they fall flat on their face. I think there is also the mentality that some feel they have to give it their all at a stop light when sitting next to a Z so they don't feel as badly about their car but I could be wrong. Either way, I hear what you say about first gear which is why I waste next to no time in it and move as quick as possible to second


i think i know what you mean. Personally, i can make 1st gear really go IF I WANT TO. the thing is, it really seems like i am doing extra much doing that at a stoplight (noise it produces n all). The pedal is very sensative for first, and the car is using a lot more power to get it moving. But yea, sometimes i just want to go after a stoplight normally, but i would look like a slow fool unless i do a quick switch to second, or make a bit of uncessary noise. Dont get me wrong, not saying i dont like exhaust, i freakin love it. But there are times for it and times to keep it cool... there is hardly a middle point sadly.

And also, from MANY 350z races i have seen, 350z's tend to be behind in first, and start pulling forward starting in 2nd and going to 3rd. I gaurentee you, almost all of them end up pulling towards then end where the power kicks in (unless it is outclassed)

The minivans pull ahead of you because the automatic stays in 1st gear for 1 sec and shifts right into 2nd. If you do the same, I'm sure you'll feel better. Z's 1st gear is not meant to be driven insanely.

It seems faster then any car I have ever owned?

Gee, seems you have a real issue with grocery getters.:hello:

I couldn't care less if a Malibu takes off from a light quicker than me and most Z owners would probably agree. If I want to go quicker at the next light, I can! But what's the point, really?

:icon17:

I get passed by lots of people off the line in normal driving. Doesn't bother me any. I think there's just an irrational expectation for a sports car to be faster than everything else at all times. Even in regular driving around town.

You've clearly never owned a Malibu.

Or a Prius.

prius vs. leaf 0-6 = clash of the titans.

this seemed like a good place to drop MIATA DOORS

So, what's the best oil to use in a Malibu?

Turn Off the VDC :stirthepot:

Don't forget the 5.0 and BRZ!!! We can get EVERYTHING in this thread!!!! :happydance:




On the topic at hand, from my experience the Z is pretty dead under 2500 rpms. If you want the car to respond quickly off the line, you NEED those revs which are just not going to be there without a more agressive launch.

Theoretically if you redline the car in first what speed should you get upto?

I was watching top gear where they did a review on the new corvette, and they could only get the 3.8 second 0-100 time in first gear.

1st gear in the Z maxes out right around 40 mph IIRC.

1st (in a manual) revs up quick. Hence, a less than 5 sec 0-60. Can a Malibu do 0-60 in less than 5 secs?:stirthepot:

It does 0-6 in less than 5 seconds, which real performance car enthusiasts (Prius owners) know is the only performance metric that matters.

:roflpuke2:

20-45 in a Z is 2.7 sec, 2.2 in a C6 400HP, 3.7 in a Prius, 3.6 in a RX-8, 4.0 in a Subaru Legacy automatic NA 2008

:icon18: