alpine37

Hi everyone. I current got a lease on a g37 coupe base model and I'm thinking about transitioning over to a g37s 6mt. Honestly no dealer within 50 miles of my location has a 6mt in stock so I can't drive one yet...

My question is how the g37 tranny compare to lets say the 350z or 370z transmission? I have drove a 2003 350z and it was pretty harsh in terms of the transmission. So can anyone comment on how the transmission is in the g37? Only thing I've found so far is that the clutch grabs high.

Thanks!

ma5aru

I owned a nismo Z prior to my G....honestly, the tranny itself feels quite similar. Chances are, if you don't like the Z tranny, you won't like the G either. Having said that, there are a few things that make the G's tranny seem a little more refined ("seem" being the key word here). Since the Z doesn't have much sound deadening material (for weight reasons) and since the G does, you don't hear as much of the tranny noise if you tend to drive with the windows up....the noise is still there, it's just harder to hear (although it is still easily heard with the windows down). It's the nature of the VQ. They are noisy.

The other thing is the Z's torque is more low end which may give the impression of faster bite which could translate to appearing rough if you're not getting the right balance of clutch and throttle. The G's torque is more in the middle which could give the impression of it feeling a little smoother....the tradeoff is it doesn't "get up" as fast.

(Keep in mind, the points above depend on how in tune you are with your car...at first, I thought the G felt smoother but as I become more accustomed to the G, I learned that it wasn't really although it can appear as such)


At the end of the day though, they are very similar....if you really hate the Z tranny, you will probably only hate the G tranny a little less.

Personally, I have fun with the VQ's and have learned to accept the "roughness". Also...something to remember is that if you have only driven the Z a couple times, part of the perceived roughness could be not being accustomed. As you get more used to the engagement and more in tune with the cars reaction, things will smooth out a bit by nature.

I'm not sure if my comments are helping (Its late and I feel as if I'm rambling a bit) but they should at least give you an idea from someone who has lived with both cars for a period of time.

As always, your best bet is to drive the G. Maybe a member local to you might be kind enough to take you for a ride to give you an idea.

Black Betty

iTrader: (60)

It is the exact same transmission as found in the 370Z.

kayno

Clutch Grabs high like you said.. But only a problem going from first to second gear.. as you progress it gets smoother/easier.. shifting isn't a problem either... I wont trade it for the world.. 6MT totally rules.. besides if you don't like it in the beginning , you will adapt and it wont be an issue going forward.

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

I've test driven a number of 6mt g's and 370z's before purchase.

Each car has very slight variations to clutch feel/engagement/uptake (these were used cars after all). It's fair to say if you don't like trans/clutch feedback in the 370z, you won't like it in the G either (coupe or sedan). There are options for improving clutch feedback via assist spring replacement or entire clutch pedal bracket replacement. The latter is more costly but gives you a fully adjustable clutch pedal (uptake, friction zone length, etc..).

@ma5aru, I don't believe there are any differences in torque/hp between the 6mt's. IIRC they all use the same driveline with identical gear ratios. There is a slight hp/torque difference in terms of engine between the coupe/sedan, but one is unlikely to really feel a difference of several hp/ft lb torque. A 370z does weigh less, so it should be quicker overall (~#3300 for the 370z vs #3700 or #3800 for the G coupe).

zokissima

It's definitely a 'higher' performance clutch, and rough and harsh compared to other daily commuter cars. Having said that, I absolutely love it, and I'm going to agree with ma5aru, a lot of it will smooth itself out as you get accustomed to the car.

ma5aru

Jsolo; you may be right...the torque may be identical on paper. I'm not positive without pulling up the spec sheets. However, I'm stating real life experience from driving both of them extensively and having owned each of them brand new with 0 miles. The Z definitely feels like it has more torque in the lower rpms as opposed to the g which doesn't really torque up until about 5000 rpm.

It may be a side effect of the weight differences but in terms of real life driving feel, the Z definitely comes alive earlier.


In terms of HP difference, I believe there was a difference at some point in the past (although I may be remembering incorrectly as it's been a while. Not sure if the difference still exists as I've not looked at any of the current Z specs in a while). I believe it was in the 350/35 models. I remember the G having slightly more HP than the Z but ultimately the Z was still quite a bit faster (due to all the other relative factors).

Either way, we can agree that if you hate one, you will probably hate the other and vice versa. =)

alpine37

Sorry guys forgot to check up on my post.... Thanks a lot for the feedback! I think I hated the 350z tranny so much because well it was my first time driving a Z... but I will say that the engagement point is pretty low on the Z. I really do prefer a lower engagement point but I see what ma5aru meant by the car having low end torque. I definitely did feel like the torque was kicking in and making it just a lil though. The 1st to 2nd shift was definately pretty harsh tho but then again I'm not too experienced with manual transmission so maybe its just me not sure... but I did test drive a WRX which is really what I'm going for if a deal on a 6MT doesn't work out and that car felt amazingly easy to drive compared to the Z. It was a lot smoother but then again its a 5 speed so can't compare.

I guess it really all comes down to the test drive hopefully its more comfortable to drive than the Z.