The revs do fall pretty slow on this car.. Light weight flywheel would be great IMO. See here about six puck clutches. http://www.advancedclutch.com/produc...d_id=2327#2327

 

It does feel like I have to force the shifter at times, but overall, it's pretty smooth. This only happens during 1-2 or 2-3 shifts.

Has anyone noticed that the shift gates are actually closer together than they appear? I notice I get smoother shifts if I keep the stick closer to the middle as opposed to myself when shifting 1-2.

Haha I can't think of a good way to describe this...I am also a newb at MT so I don't know the full spectrum of technical terms yet.

 

Our stick and clutch setup ain't no S2K combo, but sans the fussy 2nd gear synchro which can blow me as it refuses to its job every now and again, the V36 has a pretty sweet gearbox IMO. The clutch grabs high and a bit abruptly, but the shifter is nothing to complain about if you ask me. And all these nagging complaints of shifter vibration? Oh please. The V36 shifter rocks pretty hard for an OEM shifter IMO, and being that I work at a dealership, I get to sample a lot of different M/Ts.

The V35 shifter on the other hand...yeesh. In this class of car? It wasn't exactly a T-56, but the 6M/T shifter in the V35 was pretty hefty for a vehicle that's classified as an entry level luxury coupe/sedan. I actually like shifters that require a bit of effort, but the V36's stick is much more direct, less heavy and more satisfying than the V35's, and after driving both back to back, I could see why people might have had something to complain about with regards to the V35's M/T.

 

Yea i drove a 03 g35 coupe and it felt WAYY more stiff than our set up. For a "luxury" coupe. After getting back in my car i cant complain about shifting anymore. Although... The clutch peddle still annoys me.. Way to soft and grabs way to high for my taste. And whenever i let someone else drive the car (even if they drive 6mt) They seemed to burn a little bit of clutch.

 

This is 100% true. I guess Infiniti failed at taking consumer complaints about the 6mt on their previous model? My 06 6mt feels like shlt, like its about to break.

Compared to my s2k.. Smooth as SILK shifting, more responsive and smoother. And it doesnt SHAKE like it's about to fall apart.

 

Umm - this is kinda scary for us new 6mt owners.....the fact that an 06 6mt gearbox already feels deteriorated is horrific to think about...What exactly do u think is happening with them internally??...Do U think the replacement of a few parts fixes it?..apparently infiniti has claimed that they made some improvements with shifter vibration and the gearbox in general - but I dont know to what extent if people (including Edmunds) are still complaining! This really scares me - if Im investing in a 40k+ M/T car I want a quality gearbox because this is the car im tweaking my skills on.

I agree about the s2k. Before I ever owned the 08 G37 like 1-2 years back when all i had logged was 300-400 miles on M/T I test drove the s2k and if my memory serves me correct I drove the s2k more effortlessly and seamlessly in that amateur stage compared to how im progressing in actually owning this 6mt....!!!

Chilibowl what do you think???? How's your gearbox in the older 6mt treatin u?

 

My trans itself feels good, I have 20K miles. I think Ive grinded it 3 times since I got the car back in April of 06. Every gear goes in well, and although notchy, it never refuses to engage any gear. Compared to Honda's, the MT's in our Infiniti's feel raw and unrefined, but in a way, it still feels good. The problem with our cars is not the transmission, but the clutch itself.

The car will become smoother with age, my car during the first few months was so tight , id get yanked into my seat if I let up the clutch too slowly. Keep on driving and I assure you everything will feel better as the parts age and break in nicely. The 1-2 shift was a toughie for me to get down smoothly, but eventually, with enough driving and practice, its very easy now and like tying my shoes. Compared to other gears, on the 1-2 shift, the revs fall down VERY slowly, requiring a much slower uptake on the clutch in order to achieve a smooth shift. From 2-3,3-4, 4-5, 5-6, it is as smooth as you can get. During low speeds, you should hold the clutch at the engagement level (at the top) for a good 1.5 seconds and feel the transmission sync up smoothly before letting off completely. Manual transmissions talk to you, and the driver must listen. The car will tell you when youre shifting smoothly, and when youre not. Its all about daily driving practice people!

 

hopefully this is true about the age of the transmission. going into first gear is hard. the car yanks if i do not let out the clutch fast. i hold in my clutch in other gears and i notice, its more smoothly than if i switch gear then let it out quickly.

 

To those who havent visited the other thread, here is my writeup on how to drive an MT

 

How is getting into first gear hard? I dont understand that one. If youre stationary, you push the clutch in, and push the shifter into 1st. Then as you let up the clutch, you apply throttle. If your having problems getting INTO the 1st gear gate, your car has other issues my friend...

 

Yeah I agree there are no problems getting INTO 1st gear that one kinda confused me. I think what he means is getting going in 1st gear maybe hes referring to how relatively sensitive the clutch is in terms of friction point and whatnot...i dunno!

But yeah thanks for the feedback chilibowl it makes sense because either im gettin better or my car is gettin smoother but my higher rev 1-2 shifts are gettin a lil smoother...its all about the clutch in this car she's a wild, rebellious clutch but once tamed it will be a match made in heaven. haha

 

I agree

 

i meant that, when i get into first, the car would jerk. this is my first mt car so everything is still new. all the other gears are easy because i do not have to wait for the clutch to engage like in 1st gear. somtimes, i go into 1st smoothly, other times very rough, the car would jerk like crazy. i need more practice getting into first then.

 

Yes you do sir...keep practicing homie, within 6-8 months, you will LOVE driving your G37, cuz youll know how to drive it to its full potential...

 

The G35c I test drove before getting into a G37 was quite different in terms of clutch feel as well as NHV through the shifter. I agree with some of the posts already posted ... G35c is quite raw ... and I even had a problem engaging 3rd from 2nd (ie felt difficult to get into the gate) while driving at normal speed and around 3000rpm. Let me tell you, that was not confidence building!

Get into a G37 ... everything was butter smooth. Shifts quite easy to engage. I just had to work on smoothing out the 1-2 shift (ie slowly lift off the clutch and allow the revs to slow down to match engine speed) and it was fine. Far less NHV transmitted in the shifter in comparison to the G35c.

Shifters in the various 4-cyl Hondas I have driven in my life are much easier to 'jump into' compared to the G35c and G37. That's probably due to less hp/tq to contend with. (And maybe due to my Honda bias?)

I consider myself a novice when it comes to shifting, but good enough NOT to stall out a car, even on a slight incline.