A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Hi,
Do most of you who own a 350z have stick shift or automatic transmission? If you have stick, is it difficult to handle in traffic? I mean commuting on California freeway during rush hour?
Thanks
zfanman
82 280zx n/a 5 speed all stock 169k miles original engine. Great looking Z.
00 Altima SE a/t all stock, fun to drive.
A:
Stick is the way to go since you have the control. Yes, if you are in lots of traffic it would suck. So, if you are in LA or something like it you would want an automatic. And, from what my friend says the automatic shifts nice.
A:
I'd rather drive stick in a sports car. Traffic can be a b!tch in traffic, but I got used to it.
FILIPINO REPRESENT!
INC for Life!
A:
Depends. I honestly prefer my manual in traffic over my auto. I have much more control and once you get good with it you can get through most traffic without even hitting the brakes or riding the clutch. Traffic is a known auto tranny killer so thats something to think about for long time use. Like I said, it really depends on your driving style for traffic and personal preferance.
1977 280z: Intake, exhaust, high flow cat, header, euro damper, cam, MSD, adj. FPR, 3.7 lsd, F+R sway+strut bars, 2580lbs
1984 300zx: intake, exhuast, high flow cat, headers, JWT ECU, F+R sway bars, F strut bar
06 WRX TR
A:
If you plan to put a supercharger or turbo, Stick shift is a must. If you love driving stick then you should go for it. However the Auto tranny in the 350Z is really fun. you can shift it like the manual less the clutch. you can up shift at will and it won't shift even if you hit the redline unless you do it. When you need to speed up just pull to shift down and then you'd feel the G force. In other words you have total control of the car in manual mode. Then if you want to eat fries from the drive thru, just put it in auto mode and you'll have your right hand free. One of the amazing feature of the manual mode is that if you shift lazily, it will shift slowly, like a second. If you shift in a hurry it will engage faster than a stick who have to hit the clutch first and then shift. The engine response is instantaneous. Over time you get use to it, when you master the shifting timing in a particular engine RPM for a specific gear, it doesn't ran out of air until around 5500 RPM. No need to go all the way to redline becuase the next gear will drop the needle to start at 4000 rpm anyways, and you have 5 gears to do it.
A:
Any way you go, a stick is mandatory!! Automatics suck unless you need one because of an injury or incompetance.
I live in phoenix, the rush hour here is as bad as cali. Maybe even worse cause our freeway system sucks in comparison to cali freeways! I still drive stick and still love driving, even in stop and go 15mph ****!
I would never hold my Z back with an auto! no way, no how. don't care about traffic, don't care about ease, don't care that I can't chitchat on the cell phone cause both hands are tied up or hold a soda and eat a burger. Stick is the way to go!
BTW: I got a racing clutch in my Z. It was a pain in the ass when I first had to use it in stop and go traffic, but I figured it out fast and now its totally painless and completely instinct. I don't even have to concentrate on shifts anymore, its just something you need to get down, but once you do you'll understand why I'd never consider an auto in a Z.
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1985 300ZX n/a
Post Edited (Nov 25, 12:33am)
A:
phx,
Oh, got cha. Please post pics on the 350 forum when you get pics of your new 400 rwhp setup! That is going to be one fast car! Fun!
Yeah, when you said you got a new clutch, I thought you had a 350z, whose clutches cost about 1800 bucks!! Now why are they so expensive. I don't understand... :( My clutch chatters but is not worn out. I would like to replace it, but it's just not worth it to me.
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guns and guitars, bikinis and fast cars - slide behind the wheel and GO!!
A:
Here is a link to a great clutch for the 350Z for $500. This is a very good clutch, I used on on my friends 300zx with excellent results. It grabs way better than a stock clutch, and can handle quite a bit more torque than the stock unit.
http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=21-2038&Category_Code=PCC03
It will still cost about $600-800 to install if you don't do it yourself, but if you're looking for a good high performance clutch for a 350Z, I recommend this.
OR, this is the ACT clutch kit that I bought for my car:
This kit is also available for the 350Z at $578. Its a bit more expensive, but if you want a hardcore performance clutch, this is THE one to get.
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1985 300ZX n/a
Post Edited (Nov 25, 1:03pm)
A:
Asking other people if driving stick in traffic will be bothersome -to you- is a bit silly. Driving stick, no matter what car for the most part, is going to be as annoying as any other in traffic. It almost sounds like you have never driven stick, in that case I'd learn how and evaluate the situation after driving it through some traffic. I thought I'd never own an auto, but I have an LS400 for daily traffic/stoplight torture and a motorcycle for fun on the evenings and weekends. If this is your primary vehicle, it is probably better to get stick so you can enjoy it on the weekends etc. If this is strictly a car to go to and from work in hell traffic, get the auto.
19[TT]91
My TT beauty is gone.
2[00]2 Honda 954RR
Suzuki 1200 S; sportscar eater
19[I4]94 Integra GSR Sedan
Long live the Z...
aka SAHTT
A:
If you need a car strictly for going to and from work, why get a Z? Get a Honda. A Zcar is meant for having fun in.
That isn't to say that you can't get a Z for fun and also drive it to and from work everyday... thats what I do.
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1985 300ZX n/a
A:
Get auto. I got stick and now regret it. It is a pain in the ass during traffic!!
A:
phx,
thanks for taking the time to help me out and for the extra step of adding pictures to your post.
I'm going to bookmark this thread for future reference!
tha stankanator
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guns and guitars, bikinis and fast cars - slide behind the wheel and GO!!
A:
I would like to add agreement that the way to go is manual tranny for a plehtora of reasons. Only reason I have an auto is because of an left ankle injury. And I would also like to agree with those that say you better go manual if you add a turbo or supercharger. Trust me, I have experience now. The stock auto tranny will not hold up long term under big twin turbo torque. My opinion is that the stock auto is marginal long term for even a centrifugal supercharger which has less low end torque than twin turbos. If you do any drag racing type performance as I do, that is.
Since I had to go with an automatic, I have had mine built up for 450 ft. lb. torque to the wheels since I plan to go twin turbo at approx. that power level. (Actually mine is supposed to hold up with 600 lb. ft. to the wheels, but I won't know even at 450 torque until I test it post turbos install in any case.) Mine is much much better than the stock auto as it shifts faster and firmer, but this is also very expensive, over $2000.
But, having said all that, my modified auto tranny comes off the line much stronger even at stock power like the engine is now. Main thing is that for curves, there is no substitute for a manual in a sports car IMO. Just got my auto tranny build up completed last week and last Sunday I ran 13.9 sec. qtrs. in my auto - sub 14 sec. for the first time. Could have ran a 13.8 if I had launched optimum, but have to get used to differences.
A:
I don't understand why stick is pain in the ass during traffic ? I use z strictly for going to/from work during my breakfast in 10mph ride on 270/495 highway. Sometimes the meeting was held in the car, that's when I couldn't make it to office at 9:30am.
A:
like one above me said... i couldn't care less what the conditions were i was SET on getting a stick... a sports car with an auto shouldn't be considered a sports car... and on the shift times being slower because of clutch work and shifting as opposed to an auto... i completely dissagree... that all depends on the driver... if i'm really wanting to... i shfit nearly as fast as i blink... NO LIE... my only problem is off the line... slightly spinning the wheels with VDC on will cut power and make any driver look like a complete fool...
as for the traffic... the only time i'm upset is if the flow is going slower than idle speed in first gear... because if it is atleast that fast... i just leave in gear and don't touch the gas... the Z will pull it's way up hills and all...
anyways... i was offered TOO MANY TIMES an auto 350 when i was in the market... and i can't begin to explain how much i was tired of telling the salesman that i didn't want a freakin auto!!! so he shows me a Neon...ERR!!!
need i shoot this guy already?
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C.F. Nismo Wing
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A:
I am asking about the 350z stick shift, not any stick shift. Being a newer z I thought shifting would be different than an average stick shift or an older z.
zfanman
82 280zx n/a 5 speed all stock 169k miles original engine. Great looking Z.
00 Altima SE a/t all stock, fun to drive.
A:
Thank you all.
zfanman
82 280zx n/a 5 speed all stock 169k miles original engine. Great looking Z.
00 Altima SE a/t all stock, fun to drive.
A:
Since I think this is what you are asking for, as automatic trannys go, I think the 350Z auto tranny is very good. It has only about 10 hp less to the wheels on dynomometers than the stick at pure stock power levels. That is very good. A lot of auto tranny's give up 20 hp or more to the same exact car with a manual tranny. The auto tranny is remarkablly lightweight as autos go as well. And as automatics go, it shifts real well IMO. It shifts right at redline at wide open throttle pure stock auto tranny. My auto tranny builder is one of the best in the country and he is very impressed with the stock 350Z automatic. It is pretty strong internally. Bear in mind he is a mechanical engineer and has built racing auto trannys for many very serious racers. Including a Mitsu Eclipse that just ran a 7.92 sec. qtr. mile at 168 mph and has 1200 horse power. He really knows automatics. And if you want to keep stock power, you can get a valve body modification for probably 5 to 7 hundred dollars and make the stock 350Z automatic shift much firmer and faster still. I ran mostly 14.2 sec. qtr miles during the hot part of the summer and I am pure stock auto tranny and power right down to the stock air filter. And I ran one 14.1 sec. qtr during the summer. That is real close to most manual 350Zs during the summer (you run a bit quicker on a cooler day). I now run 13.9 sec. qtr. with my stock power 350Z after my tranny build up. I have only run the one day with the moded auto tranny (just got it competed last week). I think I can run 13.8 the next time out with the practice. That is about as fast as the any of the manaul 350Zs with bone stock power.
Actually my car would run even quicker, but my tranny guy has it set up for 450 hp to the wheels in anticipation of my upcoming turbo install. So you could run 13.8s with the right valve body mod at stock power and give nothing up in straight line acceleration to the manuals. As far as that is concerned, at the pro drivers class in drag racing, racing built automatic trannys dominate in straight line accleration. I have been there and done that and both won and lost with both trannys so I know of what I speak.
But there is a lot more to a sports car than straight line accleration and the 350Z is a sports car. And for me, the stick just feels better and more precise applying power in curves if you are good at shifting.
So if stop light wars are your thing, a stock 350z auto tranny is about as good as the manual. I ran 2.0 sec. 60 ft. times with my stock auto tranny and power 350Z with the stock 17" wheels and that is better than most of the posts I have seen from the guys with sticks and stock 17" tires.
And if you build up the auto tranny like mine with a racing auto tranny, it is a lot quicker off the line than a manual 350Z. And if you go up in power with forced induction, a racing auto tranny Z further widens the advantage. (Don't go up in power a whole lot with the stock auto tranny as it will not hold up long term IMO.) And bear in mind that going forced induction carries risks to long term engine reliability whether you are auto or stick.
If road racing, taking curves aggressively, and pure sports car driving is your thing, IMO the stick had the advantage. The racing auto tranny is better than the stock auto tranny in curves, but I still give the advantage to the stick for curves and all around sports car performance.
Those are just my opinions based on several decades of driving and racing both auto and manual trannys in drag races and road races.
Post Edited (Nov 26, 8:46pm)
A:
Go stick...
dont wory about managing a manuel car in trafic. after the first month or so its second nature... in my opinion i would prefer a manuel in trafic because if you have to slip into a spot you can just pick a gear and go with out the pause and studder of an automatic tranny searching for the right gear...
A:
G-Force: i'm guessing you're talking about jumping lanes...
in that case i completely agree... especially in texas... no one seems to want to give you a break... maybe a just a couple but not too many... and if the other lane is moving faster than yours the Z's 2nd gear will usually get you up and moving REAL quick... i've even accidentally cut off a cop to get somewhere... i consider myself quite lucky i didn't get pulled over... but hey it was either go to another city and drive ALL THE WAY BACK... or jump in fron of this dude and get where i need to go... i didn't realize he was tht close and a cop at the time... but afterwards i was sweating bullets for a lil while...
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Chrome Silver '03 Touring -MT-
C.F. Nismo Wing
Shorty Antenna (Stolen!!! Thanks alot!)
Kicker Solo Baric L7 1200w
I don't think, I know...
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