Thoughts after my first test drive of the 6MT 370z

Modshack

I think you just need to adjust your style. Press the clutch with the ball of your foot...

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TongMan

I will have to rest my heel on the floor of the footwell for this car. I usually alway elevate my foot on the clutch pedal while driving my other manual cars. I'm certain that I'm just not used to driving the 370z.

Thanks all for your input. Now to find my Red or Blue 370z!!

steveg78

Never had the clutch pedal location problem. Clutch engagement and shifter notchyness is just something you get used to over time.

I do find that the gas/brake pedals are too close and I don't even have a big foot (size9.5-10). I haven't had to slam on the brakes yet but I do feel my foot sometimes hitting the gas pedal as I am applying brakes. And I think I've read on here where somebody had an accident because they slammed on the brakes and it seemed like maybe they hit the gas at the same time.

DarkPath

Way to call it Papo I was thinking the same thing... Clunky shoes or something... Remember too that you were test driving a relatively new car... My 370 is 2 weeks old today.. I got it with 26 miles on it. The first 500 miles you TEACH Yourself how to feather the clutch in a 370... I have 1600 miles behind me after the trip to Zdayz. Breaking mileage is complete and first oil change to get that break in oil out of the crankcase.. and this baby is as smooth as silk. As a previous 350Z AT owner who once a month kicked themselves for not getting a manual tranny I am now in the heaven I was dreaming about back then.

Make the leap, take the time to learn your particular car... and drive it like you stole it!

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steveg78

Is it just me or does anyone else clutch more to the left side of the pedal? I'm not saying I use the clutch with the corner of my left foot but I definitely don't bring my foot over that far to where my left foot could hit the brake where he has indicated.

MeetJoeAsian

If you're going from a Mazda3 or any other ummm---daily(?)/normal(?) car (excluding the M3, BMW poured money into making that car, hence the cost) that has a souped up "package", LIKE the Mazda3, or the Matrix/Corolla XRS, etc., you're still driving the same car as their base model. Don't expect significant improvement over their base model, especially in the transmission department. They normal soup up those cars to make them handle and feel "LIKE" a sports car. Eventho they're an "upgrade" from the base model, they're still the same as their base counterpart. They just added a little minor change here and there to make it sportier...The Z was built from scratch as a sports car, and it was designed to put out power, drive fast, and cut all the unnecessary dead weight, etc....they're not going to research on how to make the Z quieter, or how to help assist the driver in lazy shifting (I do love the SRM...but I already knew how to downshift properly..hehehe), etc...if you want a true raw sports car, then get the Z...if not then get another Mazda3, it's a lot more tame, and at the end of the day, you're still driving a Mazda3...SERIOUSLY, are we really comparing Civic Si and Mazda3 to a 370Z??? I mean, the Corolla is a at smoother in the shift than the Lamborghini Murcielago, but you don't see me running to the Lamborghini dealership to buy a Lambo do you? (that was sarcasm)...I didn't buy the Z because Nissan was offering better incentives than Mazda was...I bought it because Mazda was never anywhere near my list of cars to buy...actuall, "CAR", cuz there was only one car on that list...

in any case, I don't even know what I'm writing about anymore....sorry, brain fart...I do think the 350 shifts better than the 370...the clutch catches a lot higher in the 350, the 370 not AS high, but still....the pedals are in perfect positions I think...and as far as you saying the Z didn't feel as fast as your Mazda3, are you outta your mind??? The only problem with the Z is that when the power charges up, a lot of people hesitate people the engine is roaring so loud that they feel like they need to shift gear....try cruising in second gear above 5k RPM...

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steveg78

hahaha is true sometimes. Especially when you're paranoid of a cop hearing your take off. Sometimes I shift into 2nd early and wind that out instead but nothing beats the raw sound and power of winding out 1st and rippin into 2nd, 3rd....

Zaku

LOL just look at the picture the clutch pedal is so high up. So there's no adjustments and the only way is to juts get used to it. Well it's is going to take a while for sure. Other then that one kick back problem I had as mentioned. I've never hit the break pedal like that...anyways good luck on searching for your blue. when I went to test drive there was only one blue that was a touring with persimmon leather and Nav. I see two blue around in my area, one Im not sure who it belongs to, the other I think belongs to a person named Tony, you see his Z in pictures all the time. I still unsure of which color Z i want to be honest, but it's hard to find base over where I am everything is a touring.

And Joe.....after reading your post....what??? lol good points tho the ones I understood =)

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MeetJoeAsian

hahaha...sorry, I was rambling on too long...hehehe...I had just woke up...

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LunaZ

I have both a Mazdaspeed3 and a 370Z.
I just took the Mazda out for a drive this weekend after ignoring it for a few weeks, and after 2 months in my Z, everything about the Mazdaspeed3 feels flimsy by comparison.
There's no weight to the clutch pedal, the shifter feels like it's going to break, and the steering is way too light.

I'm gonna have to agree with the OP on this one.
The Mazdaspeed3 "feels" faster. The kick of the turbo combined with the car's lightweight and somewhat flimsy feel and the crazy torque steer that makes you feel like you're always trying to rein the car in, gives the car a fast "feel".
For the first couple of weeks of driving my Z, I felt like I might have made a mistake, but then I came to the realization that the car was just very solid and very capable and was doing things with such ease that it didn't feel fast even though it was indeed faster.

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MeetJoeAsian

It goes with the territory....it's kinda like when you go from a Corolla to a Lexus, in the Lexus, sometimes when you are going over the speed limit, you don't even realize it because the car doesn't feel like it's going that fast

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rj45

Less weight than the Z's clutch? IMO, the Z's clutch pedal is way too light for a performance car. The MS3's clutch must be ridiculously light.

LunaZ

It feels like stepping down on a rotten banana compared to the Z's clutch.

Hey, everybody... Captain Obvious is in tha' house!

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waaaasabi

Must be a Mazda thing; the RX-8's clutch is also ridiculously light compared to the Z.

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Zaku

the Mazda clutches are like feather, I drove and RX8 once and I thought I might have a lead left foot. The pedal just kept going down so fast. which was sorta the feel I had when I owned a 1988 Rx7 =/ Z's clutch feels really solid when you push it down, but still maybe Im just not used to it, I've only driven a Z twice.

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