Touchy Clutch

6MT

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Andrew

2009 370Z Sport/Touring 6MT sold
2013 Honda Civic Si coupe D/D

Spec Jay

i took that from a web blog because they explained it better than i can put into words myself lol

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DIGItonium

Hmm... I completely forgot about that. Now I wonder what it's like to drive the 350Z and 370Z without the dual mass flywheel. I've driven other cars (RX-7, 300ZX, Hondas, WRX, etc.), so I don't know exactly what those setups are like.

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Denny McLain

As a rule of thumb no automotive manufacturer is going to purchase anything unnecessary and if they can save a little money here and there; as they are business of making money, not spending it. Making an assumption the reason Nissan uses the more expensive dual mass flywheel is because the transmission with rattle in neutral and be noisy with a regular single mass flywheel.

Another potential drawback of replacing the heavier dual mass with a lighter single mass is if you think the car is tricky to drive now, just wait till you have a 10 pound aluminum flywheel. Great for racing, horrible for street driving. What is your intention for the car?

I've had two dual mass flywheels resurfaced, the first worked great but the second went out early. Maybe it's because of a pretty large cam (245/248 with .630 lift) whose rough idle chews up dual mass flywheels or it was the resurfacing. Frankly not sure. There are sources on the internet whom guarantee their work in resurfacing them though.

Betting money also Nissan does not manufacturer the flywheel. Guessing a German company (Luk) probably makes them as they do for the C4 Corvette and many other European cars. Before you replace your flywheel from Nissan, I'd certainly check out a good Luk distributor as you may get it for about half price.

1slow370

i noticed after they replaced my transmission and slave as a unit that the clutch got smoother as well and as i had it done a few weeks ago i assume it has the newer slave cylinder.

Denny McLain

Not really clutch related (Maybe??) but a simply drive train fyi.......

It's called a "magicians trick." After the Stillen header/exhaust installation I could hear a drive train noise that I kept thinking was related to the install. After a bunch of times jacking the car up checking out the exhaust, finally broke down and took it to the dealer yesterday to see if they could find the noise.

Turns out it's the driveshaft. A bit alarming as the car has never been raced and is not abused. Sure, I drive it, but the car has had three trial 0-80's to see if the Cobb AccessPort worked on 0-60 times. That was on a regular road and that is all! Taking cars out the hole usually does the damage but the heavy flywheel spinning the tires after a quick shift may have been the prime contributor or just plan factory bad driveshaft.

Stuff like this comes with the territory on a brand new model. Damn glad I didn't take it to a track as planned this fall or I'd probably be still walking home.

1slow370

how is a slave cylinder and throwout bearing assembly not clutch related? My clutch is actually engaging different from before and they never replaced the disc. It actually is smoother while driving it to the point where before when it was all of a sudden engaging to now i find that i 'm riding the cluth now and have to move my foot faster then before so i'm not destroying it because before it would engage much faster.

needr6parts

start off in second and see how it feels.The clutch is fine first gear is very low and the car wants to be driven.If you take off slow the car will jerk and if you take off like a bat out of hell you will not notice the jerk.But i agree i have driven everything from four speed hot rods to 6 speed hot rods and this car is hard to drive slow.

dbrs0821

Hey guys...this is my first post and I dig the site. Some really great stuff here. I just came from an '09 Maxima SV Premium on a short-term lease, so this car definitely has a different personality and feel.

Just picked up a new '09 Touring 6MT. My concerns with the tranny noises (haha, I chuckled as I typed that!!) have been surfaced and circulated in some fashion on this site. Those concerns being:

- Almost impossible to get a "clean" shift from 1st to 2nd, unless I "baby" the clutch and accellerator relationship. The noise is unsettling but I'm told by three different techs at the dealership that it's normal for this car.

- I also have the clutch clatter, but mine goes beyond that and makes a louder clattering noise when you park and turn off the car without pressing the clutch. But, park and turn off the car with the clutch pressed in and no problem. It def sounds like the flywheel. Again, I'm told all is well and not to worry.

I've been inclined to take it to another dealership for a second opinion, but my cousin, a Z enthusiast who's owned 6 Z's in his life, says I have nothing to worry about and just need to get used to these sounds. Granted, coming from the Max, I'm hearing noises from the road and the car in general that I never noticed in the Max.

The 1st to 2nd transition has me more concerned than the clatter. I guess the synchros and such are covered under the powertrain warranty, I just don't want them to try and peg it on me as wear and tear or abuse. I don't spin the tires, hardly ever downshift (usually just go to neutral and coast), and hardly ever drive aggressively.

Am I just being too OCD? LOL

Thoughts?

TX_370

I have talked to dealer a few times (as well as Z enthusiasts at meets) about the 1st to 2nd shift and they acknowledge the Z is known for its 1-2 rough shifting. If anything ever goes wrong (under warranty), they should cover it.

This coming from my dealer may vary but I dont forsee it being a problem. And yes, I was a little OCD when I first found out about it also.

As for the clutch clatter, chalk this one up to a feature of the car also. There is nothing wrong, but if you hold the clutch in while turning the car off does soften the clatter. Just as an FYI, there are a few people who have installed light weight flywheels and the clatter has gotten louder.

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schrute

I have 7500 miles on mine and have learned to shift slow when driving slow, and shift fast when driving fast. The slower your 1-2 shift when driving normally the smoother it will go. And yes the noise from the clutch in neutral is normal - I'm used to it from a few motorcycles I have owned but never had a car that was this loud either (I also used to drive a Maxima). Drive and enjoy!

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chuck62290

I had 2 350z's before my 370 but neither clutch was as annoying as the 370z. It seems to have so many different resistance pressures depending on how far down the peddle is. by this i mean as you just begin to apply pressure to the peddle it is extremely easy to move for about 1/3 of an inch, then from about 1/3 of an inch to about 1 inch it is slightly harder to press, after about 1 inch the pressure pushing back on your foot increases again. At about 1" above fully depressed it becomes slightly easier to move again. I am able to feel these points while depressing, and releasing the clutch. the differences in feedback pressure at these positions is anything but gradual, it is instant and almost clicky. I assumed this was just how the 370's were set up and it didn't really bother me until about 7k miles... on the release the border between the first 1/3" and 1" actually began to audibly "click" and its not quiet! I have looked at the mechanism of the peddle and i cant tell what is causing it. I am not a mechanic, just a fellow car freak, i was wondering if any one else knows anything about this, or has the same problem........And i don't know how the entire mechanism is supposed to be set up down there but the amount play in some of those connections surprised me.

Teddy KGB

My car has all the aforementioned chatters and such as well. Funny thing is, when I actually THINK about driving my car smoothly things get a little jerky. When I'm rowing through the gears at a more 'spirited' pace the clutch and gear changes are smooth as butter. I think she just likes to be ridden hard, although the vast majority of my driving is the slow and (trying to be) smooth part.

Agreed with the other posters though. I've owned three different clutched cars, all from different makes, and the 370z is, by far, the most difficult vehicle to drive smoothly in everyday conditions.

chrisdcza

Hi all,

This is also my first post on this (very enlightening) forum. I'm here because after 2 months of Z ownership (i have a 350) i'm so tired of my manual gearbox (for almost ALL of the reasons you folks have listed here) that i'm thinking of chucking it out and fitting an auto box. Thing is i don't want the old fashioned 5 speed as fitted to the lower output 350's. Has anyone successfully fitted a 370 7 speed auto box to a 350? Or maybe a complete 370 motor and box?

For what it's worth, i've owned an Alfa, a Lancia, 2 Opels, a Renault, 2 Peugeots, an Audi, and a VW - all manual. I learned to drive in the Alfa (about 30 years ago) on twisty hilly roads in the Natal Midlands so i kind of thought i knew what i was doing - that was until i got my Z, and now i feel like a learner driver every time i use it! I find it almost impossible to make a smooth (ummmm, make that a smooth anything) in this car!

My last car was a Merc SLK350 i bought new, with a 7 speed auto box, and this helped convince me that auto is the way to go, that, and the fact that the auto is faster (very slightly) and more ecconomical (considerably) than the manual equivalent.

I know the whole manual vs auto subject has been hotly debated so i don't expect anyone to actually agree with me - i just want to enjoy my Z and i think a mod like this may be the solution for me.

Any suggestions anyone? Thanks, Chris

Ronin06

I've been test driving a Z and the clutch is the only portion that concerns me. I've owned many cars with a manual and never had any issues. I suspect an adjustment with time will make this better. However, it's a poor clutch from the factory.