How many like 6MT but cant drive stick?

Supragtsxr

Hey all. I'm still driving my 02' Civic auto. I want to get a base/sports/6MT in black (or red) but i've yet to learn how to drive stick. Anyone else here own or plan on gettin a Z as their first manual transmission car? Are you concerned you'll mess the tranny up? I'd prolly get an auto if it weren't for the syncro rev match lol. Please share your story with me.

sktvietdragon

right now im driving a red 05 rsx base auto and im planning to get a black or white 370z base manual with sport package sometime the end of this year. ive never driven a manual car before but i know how to do it. im not afraid of messing up the tranny. i think i heard somewhere the 370z is probably one of the easiest cars to learn manual. correct me if im wrong haha. i think i might stall out like twice haha. i have friends that let me borrow their cars so i can practice manual. but i dont want to use their cars cause that means ill have to let them use my car and i dont want that. i dont like other people driving my car. im scared they might mess something up or scratch my car or get in an accident haha.

blue660r01

I taught myself on a 96 240sx after years of dirtbikes and 4wheelers. Eventually I got a 350z. I thought this car was very easy to drive. So easy I made my friend who didnt drive manual ever take it out one night with me . He only stalled 2x which I thought was great. Z IMO is a good car to learn on. Dont worry about it, you will be ok.

speedoflife

Do not be afraid. Driving a stick is like anything else: with practice, you will get the hang of it.
Provided, you should have learned to drive a manual before even setting foot in an automatic car's driver's seat :P
I'd try to borrow someone's car (i.e. family member, friend, neighbor you don't like) and practice on their car before dropping 30-40k on something you might not enjoy or be comfortable driving.

WooZ

Unless you're loaded with money of course...

IHas370Z?

haha, funny you say that...

one of my brothers learned on a new G35 a couple years back, the other brother just learned recently on a new Z06, and I'm about to learn on my Z when it arrives. We're all idiots, lol

molamann

Hmm, I'm a huge sportbike enthusiast so I know how to operate a manual transmission but I've only driven a manual transmission car a few times when I was in the desert. :S

Forrest

I learned manual on my 370z. Your left foot does not have clutch skills at first. Its reflexes that you develop slowly as you go along.

Only way i can really say it is you have to learn how to "caress" the clutch with your left foot.

I have owned the car for a total of 7 Months now, only thing that bothers me still becuase i dont get much practise on is hills. The skill to start slowly up a hill with out jerking foward fast, and then being able to stop smoothly 5 feet after intial movement. I can do it all jerky and jacked up but i want to do it with out rolling or being smooth.

The last thing is, even though I learned how to drive manual, I only know syncro rev. I turn it off and all my shifts are jerky and not smooth. Part of me is saying i should learn with out it, part of me is saying why bother.

Sardis

You give me hope.. I like this attitude, I hope there are more like yours and manuals will survive in the future.

Syncro rev is way cool, but when you master heel toeing on your own it's also fun and rewarding. You may find you like it doing it without the syncro rev. That is what makes this feature so brilliant.

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Forrest

Right now my fear is when i shift with out syncro rev its horrible. Honestly i learned how to drive manual rather smoothly, i suspect with out any damage on the transmission. So far i did a total of 2 grinds while attempting to go in reverse up hill, other then that i have been extra nice to the gear box. My fear right now is i will cause damage to my gears trying to shift with out syncro rev.

I need to do alot of research on heel and toe and get the concept down. I want to lean it due to if i get in another manual car i will look real bad lol.

gatorfast

Sounds like you are trying to do too much too soon. Heel/toe is an advanced technique and mainly adventageous when on the track (i.e. you need to brake and downshift at the same time).

Right now you just need to get accustomed to where the rpm's should be in each gear at various speeds. Synchro rev can help you with this. Go to a secluded area, cruise at a constant speed, then downshift a gear with synchro rev on and pay attention to where the rpm's go to. Next, cruise again at the same speed and downhift without synchro rev making sure you blip the throttle to bring the rpm's to where they need to be.

Also remember that YOU control the clutch. Dont let the clutch out if the rpm's are not matched to the gear. If you need to blip the throttle 1k rpm's more and you accidentally blip it by 3k rpm's, just wait for the revs to fall before letting out the clutch otherwise you will jerk forward. Same concept if you blip too little, just give it a little more gas to raise the rpm's to where you want them to be otherwise you will jerk backwards.

wstar

Normally, probably about 75% of the purchasers of the 6MT

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nicknick

You guys who can't drive a manual, go buy a 91 mx5 and practice on that, it'll make you good.

BanningZ

Driving a 6spd is not too difficult.I learned years ago on a 5spd, and have never forgotten since. Are you going to track the car, or modify it?

I'm going with th 7spd, because I do a lot of in town driving, and with manuals being so easy these days, its merely a choice of personal preference..

I'm still more for the 6spd for the control, but with autos these days, its getting better for the enthusiast.

I see the next upgrade being DC in future models.

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spearfish25

Driving a manual is not difficult once you know what you're doing. Having read how to do it does NOT mean you know how though. The first time you try for real, you'll butcher your car. With time, yes, you'll figure it out. The 370Z isn't the easiest to learn on, but it's doable. An easy car would be a low HP clunker...some kind of budget priced car that comes in a manual solely because it's the cheapest option. Those types of cars will be forgiving with the clutch release and with over-revving. With the 370Z, you can get yourself into some trouble with 332hp and a clumsy pair of feet.

If I had a new 370 and didn't know how to drive manual, I'd go rent a POS manual transmission car for a day and learn on that. 1) it will be cheaper than tranny damage on your 370 and 2) you won't cringe every time you grind a gear or stall.