How to drive the 6MT G37S
05-04-2010, 03:08 PM
#76
Your car shouldn't be bogging at all. The ECU can pull an incredible amount of timing; 1k rpm at WOT won't bog.
Are you using 91+ fuel?
I used to specifically demo this to people who drive in traffic; you can litterally have the car crawling at 1 mph without stalling, and start moving without any real bogging.
Are you using 91+ fuel?
I used to specifically demo this to people who drive in traffic; you can litterally have the car crawling at 1 mph without stalling, and start moving without any real bogging.
i'm talking 1k rpm -1.5 rpm...it bogs for sure. i haven't WOT when the rpms that low. i'm still on my FIRST tank of gas from the dealer LOL
05-04-2010, 07:37 PM
#80
I crawl at 1-3mph in traffic in 1st and 2nd all the time. Doesn't bog either.
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05-04-2010, 08:17 PM
#82
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also: when you're really good, the clutch becomes optional (no grinding, either). You'll know exactly where all the engine speed shift points are for all road speeds.
I'm not sure if you're technically inclined but if you are, find an FSM or TSM (not sure what Nissan/Infiniti calls them these days) or ANYTHING with a schematic on how all of those assemblies come together: it helps a ton when you know how those systems interface between the engine and transmission.
I'm not sure if you're technically inclined but if you are, find an FSM or TSM (not sure what Nissan/Infiniti calls them these days) or ANYTHING with a schematic on how all of those assemblies come together: it helps a ton when you know how those systems interface between the engine and transmission.
Last edited by jason92classic; 05-04-2010 at 08:22 PM.
05-05-2010, 02:07 AM
#84
Here's another thought (haha) - what about SKIPPING gears? say you raise rpms to uh...4k, and you want a low cruising rpm. can you go from 3rd to 5th? of course you can, but my main concern is whether or not it'll "hurt" anything. i wanna say "no" but that's just from memory - no idea why not...
how 'bout it?
how 'bout it?
05-05-2010, 08:47 AM
#85
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^ I used to do that sometimes. Shift from 3rd to 5th, 2nd to 4th, etc. Unfortunately, three of my cars ('94 Z28, '94 Vette, and '99 T/A) had GM's damn "skip shift" feature. If you were in 1st gear, at partial throttle, between 14 and 20 mph, it forced you to go from 1st - to 4th! Even with a 5.7 V8 it was seriously bogging, used to drive me crazy, especially in traffic. So I would either take 1st past 20 mph (then usually shift to 3rd), or when it forced me to 4th, keep the clutch in and go back to 2nd.
Sorry to get OT a bit. Skipping gears shouldn't hurt anything, I would just recommend not skipping over more than 1 gear at a time, i.e. 1st to 3rd, 3rd to 5th, etc.
Sorry to get OT a bit. Skipping gears shouldn't hurt anything, I would just recommend not skipping over more than 1 gear at a time, i.e. 1st to 3rd, 3rd to 5th, etc.
05-05-2010, 03:58 PM
#86
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I've read most of this thread (but not all)....here's my $0.02
I just bought a brand new 2010 G37S sedan. Nice car. Previously I had a 1999 Honda civic HX coupe that I owned from 2000 w/ 14k miles on it till May 1 2010 with 150k miles on it. Great little car, regularly got 50mpg+, and was uncomfortable as hell.
I learned to drive manual when I first got that car, then taught 3-4 other people on it, still had original clutch. That clutch was very smooth compared to the G37, but granted the engine was much smaller (1.6L)
in ~'03 when my sis started college, got her an infiniti G20 w/ 80k miles on it (lasted many years and finally died with 180k miles when she hit a deer). I think it should be noted that the clutch action in the G20 was NEARLY IDENTICAL to the G37. Very high release point, unforgiving, much harder to drive smoothly than the honda. However, the clutch lasted forever. I suspect with the bigger engine in the G37, the clutch plate will probably see a lot more wear and tear.
I am assuming this is just the way infiniti/nissan designs their clutches. Anybody driven any other vehicles that can comment?
While the clutch is not as smooth as in the honda, I find the gearshift to have a much nicer feel to it, very well defined, goes into gear easier, etc. I had recently driven a TSX 6spd, and found the myself struggling to find the right gear, even tho it did have a nice action (and the clutch was far smoother).
One thing I do find odd tho, is that when shifting from 1st>2nd and maybe also 2nd>3rd, the engine speed falls very slowly leading to jerky/rough shift especially if rowing through the gears quickly. Too bad I can't throttly blip the engine LOWER hah
I love my new car.
I just bought a brand new 2010 G37S sedan. Nice car. Previously I had a 1999 Honda civic HX coupe that I owned from 2000 w/ 14k miles on it till May 1 2010 with 150k miles on it. Great little car, regularly got 50mpg+, and was uncomfortable as hell.
I learned to drive manual when I first got that car, then taught 3-4 other people on it, still had original clutch. That clutch was very smooth compared to the G37, but granted the engine was much smaller (1.6L)
in ~'03 when my sis started college, got her an infiniti G20 w/ 80k miles on it (lasted many years and finally died with 180k miles when she hit a deer). I think it should be noted that the clutch action in the G20 was NEARLY IDENTICAL to the G37. Very high release point, unforgiving, much harder to drive smoothly than the honda. However, the clutch lasted forever. I suspect with the bigger engine in the G37, the clutch plate will probably see a lot more wear and tear.
I am assuming this is just the way infiniti/nissan designs their clutches. Anybody driven any other vehicles that can comment?
While the clutch is not as smooth as in the honda, I find the gearshift to have a much nicer feel to it, very well defined, goes into gear easier, etc. I had recently driven a TSX 6spd, and found the myself struggling to find the right gear, even tho it did have a nice action (and the clutch was far smoother).
One thing I do find odd tho, is that when shifting from 1st>2nd and maybe also 2nd>3rd, the engine speed falls very slowly leading to jerky/rough shift especially if rowing through the gears quickly. Too bad I can't throttly blip the engine LOWER hah
I love my new car.
05-05-2010, 04:19 PM
#87
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Here's another thought (haha) - what about SKIPPING gears? say you raise rpms to uh...4k, and you want a low cruising rpm. can you go from 3rd to 5th? of course you can, but my main concern is whether or not it'll "hurt" anything. i wanna say "no" but that's just from memory - no idea why not...
how 'bout it?
how 'bout it?
Example: driving on-post or on-base is strictly enforced to 50 or 55mph (extremely painful) so 3rd to 5th or 6th is fairly routine. You'll find out that the car coasts well in 6th down to 50 and you'll only need to upshift when passing or prepping for heavy acceleration. Bogging isn't an issue once you learn to feather the throttle.
You can do this backwards, too: cruising off-post in 6th, nice opening ahead, you're doing 50 or 55, and you know your car's redline is 7500/7800 (somewhere around there -- still flirting with the tolerance at WOT), so you can drop to 3rd and nail it! I know I've hit 65 coming out of 2nd gear before on the track so with a little experimentation you'll know your car's limits given your typical environment.
All these details seem mundane but they're really not. It's actually a lot of fun to think about! I haven't actually thought about it a whole lot until recently when teaching my niece.
I HAVE noticed our trannies are a little noisy but, if they're anything like I'm used to, they'll hold up to a $hit-ton of abuse. I put 150k on my 92 SE-R's tranny with HEAVY abuse: it's a stock box with 300+ HP at the crank on nitrous. Needless to say, the case finally cracked but it held up through countless track appearances (I actually "lost" 1st and 2nd one weekend... and they "came back" after 2 or 3 weeks of light driving and a fluid change!).
My guess is you'll be in good hands because she's a forgiving "soul"
05-05-2010, 04:24 PM
#88
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One thing I do find odd tho, is that when shifting from 1st>2nd and maybe also 2nd>3rd, the engine speed falls very slowly leading to jerky/rough shift especially if rowing through the gears quickly. Too bad I can't throttly blip the engine LOWER hah
I love my new car.
I love my new car.
That's a function of the heavy flywheel. I've found that, for some reason, once the car is warm and/or the ECU gets used to your habits, it improves. While not statistically significant to power, intake and exhaust seem to improve this response, too. I've thought long and hard over a flywheel swap but I love driving the mountains and need to figure out what weight is our sweet-spot (I'm thinking ~15# but dont' know enough to make this an educated guess).
05-05-2010, 04:28 PM
#89
Part of the rough engagement stems from the flywheel being dual mass; it is essentially two disks held together by springs that allow the disks to be slightly off. (This serves mostly an NVH purpose AFAIK).
A lighter flywheel does have severe drawbacks, as well as going to a traditional single mass flywheel.
A lighter flywheel does have severe drawbacks, as well as going to a traditional single mass flywheel.
05-05-2010, 09:19 PM
#90
I've read most of this thread (but not all)....here's my $0.02
I just bought a brand new 2010 G37S sedan. Nice car. Previously I had a 1999 Honda civic HX coupe that I owned from 2000 w/ 14k miles on it till May 1 2010 with 150k miles on it. Great little car, regularly got 50mpg+, and was uncomfortable as hell.
I learned to drive manual when I first got that car, then taught 3-4 other people on it, still had original clutch. That clutch was very smooth compared to the G37, but granted the engine was much smaller (1.6L)
in ~'03 when my sis started college, got her an infiniti G20 w/ 80k miles on it (lasted many years and finally died with 180k miles when she hit a deer). I think it should be noted that the clutch action in the G20 was NEARLY IDENTICAL to the G37. Very high release point, unforgiving, much harder to drive smoothly than the honda. However, the clutch lasted forever. I suspect with the bigger engine in the G37, the clutch plate will probably see a lot more wear and tear.
I am assuming this is just the way infiniti/nissan designs their clutches. Anybody driven any other vehicles that can comment?
While the clutch is not as smooth as in the honda, I find the gearshift to have a much nicer feel to it, very well defined, goes into gear easier, etc. I had recently driven a TSX 6spd, and found the myself struggling to find the right gear, even tho it did have a nice action (and the clutch was far smoother).
One thing I do find odd tho, is that when shifting from 1st>2nd and maybe also 2nd>3rd, the engine speed falls very slowly leading to jerky/rough shift especially if rowing through the gears quickly. Too bad I can't throttly blip the engine LOWER hah
I love my new car.
I just bought a brand new 2010 G37S sedan. Nice car. Previously I had a 1999 Honda civic HX coupe that I owned from 2000 w/ 14k miles on it till May 1 2010 with 150k miles on it. Great little car, regularly got 50mpg+, and was uncomfortable as hell.
I learned to drive manual when I first got that car, then taught 3-4 other people on it, still had original clutch. That clutch was very smooth compared to the G37, but granted the engine was much smaller (1.6L)
in ~'03 when my sis started college, got her an infiniti G20 w/ 80k miles on it (lasted many years and finally died with 180k miles when she hit a deer). I think it should be noted that the clutch action in the G20 was NEARLY IDENTICAL to the G37. Very high release point, unforgiving, much harder to drive smoothly than the honda. However, the clutch lasted forever. I suspect with the bigger engine in the G37, the clutch plate will probably see a lot more wear and tear.
I am assuming this is just the way infiniti/nissan designs their clutches. Anybody driven any other vehicles that can comment?
While the clutch is not as smooth as in the honda, I find the gearshift to have a much nicer feel to it, very well defined, goes into gear easier, etc. I had recently driven a TSX 6spd, and found the myself struggling to find the right gear, even tho it did have a nice action (and the clutch was far smoother).
One thing I do find odd tho, is that when shifting from 1st>2nd and maybe also 2nd>3rd, the engine speed falls very slowly leading to jerky/rough shift especially if rowing through the gears quickly. Too bad I can't throttly blip the engine LOWER hah
I love my new car.