I learned on my 05 and since have driven a Maxima, and a 330ci. Both of these car were a breeze to drive. I still don't have the smoothest shifts from 1rst to 2nd on my G

 

same here.... i drove my friends SI sedan and its easier than our G. 1st gear and 1st-2nd isnt bad at all.

 

Thanks for all the info. I am in the process right now of learning stick on my girlfriend's Tiburon until I am comfortable enough to buy my 6MT and drive it back home. Glad I found this thread because it explained a lot of things very cleary that I have been asking about.

So my biggest concern is the stop-and-go freeway traffic that I am going to have to deal with here in LA. Do you guys have any tips/techniques for driving in these conditions?

 

I feel you on the freeway traffic in L.A... Im on the 5 freeway everyday, and i just stay in 2nd gear when its stop and go traffic.

 

RTFM
The manual for the G outlines suggested shift points for economy and spirited driving. It outlines clutch control and suggested driving methods for most situations; hills, stopping, traffic, hauling (lol), and overall car control.

 

how about to 5AMT is there any tips for this kind of cars... that have the auto/manual tranny

 

Yea, the tip is to scrap it and get a 6MT coupe or sedan.

 

 

I mostly agree with the OP too (I forgot what I disagreed on since I was reading through all the posts lol).

Anyway, I'd like to add *SMOOTH* shifting (of the actual shifter!) Don't slam it, or smack it. The clutch engagement is pretty tall and you may experience yanking it out of gear.

I think the shifting from 1st to 2nd is a weight problem? I tried driving some Zs and didn't notice it nearly as much. My only suggestion is to smoothly let of the clutch and kind of feel the engagement before fully releasing.

IMO the reason why 1st to 2nd is so bad is because all the other gears are a breeze. On hill ascends I give it more gas before I even go into second, sometimes your driving habits have changed the clutch dimensions and behavior - so just like the OP said, adapt. You may need a higher RPM or can get away with a lower one.

When I had my original clutch + flywheel (this thing weighs a ton), I could engage as low as the hundreds of rpms. The key was to accelerate smoothly out. If you're going to pound the gas, then you should give more gas, but your timing is now more crucial for the engagement.

 

just kinda skimmed through this thread and very good info! a couple of questions tho,

1. do you HAVE to downshift..say your going 50mph and theres a turn coming up, can you just put it neutral and coast, then once you make the turn find the right gear or would it be better to downshift and rev match all the way?

2. when you rev match on a downshift, after you blip the gas, do you let the clutch out fast, slow, or medium?

 

1) the latter is better IMO

2) relatively fast, tho others may do it differently

 

Ideally, you want to rev match while down shifting and braking to find the gear you need to be in for the turn so you have the RPMs for the power you want and need when you step on the gas on the way out. I don't really "engine brake"... I use my brakes to slow down. But I do down shift to keep my RPMs up.

I usually only put my foot down on the clutch enough where it's just past the engagement point, and I drop the pedal after I matched the revs. After first gear, the clutch pedal never touches the ground until I put the shifter back into neutral.


As for double clutching, while we do have synchros, they are a wear and tear part. Double clutching is great when you're starting to grind gears (because your synchros are worn), or even when your car is cold and have a hard time putting the shifter into gear (in which case, without double clutching, you may be putting your synchros through some abnormal wear).

 

thanks guys!

 

thanks, good info

 

I'm coming from a 03 Maxima 6MT. The rpms in 6th gear on the highway are about 400 higher than the Maxima. Its a 2003 Sedan 6MT