okay, i had the car for about a year before it went into the shop. pm me if you really care why it's in the shop. anyways, the 1-2 shift is somethign you'll learn to deal with. i shifted kinda low, around 2500, mostly b/c i didn't need to shift higher in daily traffic driving. the car has enough torque to carry it around that low. when drag racing, (14.6 was my best time, not great but not awful, and that was my second time down the 1320 ever, so meh to you) run her out to about 400 below redline, don't let off the gas, and slam the car into second. its called powershifting and its the quickest way there.

FOCUS: just shift low. it'll save your powertrain for when you want to push it. if it's not smooth yet, you're not used to the car yet. it took me a good 5 months before shifting smooth, and this was my first stick car. i learned on friends.

 

run her out to about 400 below redline, don't let off the gas, and slam the car into second. its called powershifting and its the quickest way there.

Would I have to clutch in? Or simply smash the shifter into 2nd at 400 below redline without having to dis-engage the clutch?

 

Uh.. I think you do ... You'll grind the hell out of your tranny if you did that.

 

Not unless you do it at the right RPM. Then you can shift without the clutch.

 

I think he means at very low speeds, like b/t 1 and 5 mph, when you are just about stopped but not completely and you want to shift back into 1st. A good example may be going over a speed bump...

 

I had the same exact thing happen to me. https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-coupe-v35-2003-07/80932-shifting-higher-rpms.html

 

My wife always criticize me when I was driving my prev. car with lighten Flywheel and a stage 3 clutch. I told her that it's more difficult to get a smooth driving with that setup. now that I have a stock setup my driving got worst I thought I'm just retarded but I always believe that it's the car that is wrong and not me. it suck coz now I can drive smooth but now I sacrifice my shifting coz I got so used to shifting so slow that I'm loosing my edge now I'm used to do a grandma shift that I never did in my life!!!

 

I'd really like someone to show me how to exactly shift normally(not granny, not racing) on the G. I fall beyond other cars from a stop in traffic light all the time because of the 1-2 shift. Not like I'm racing them but c'mon, SUVs and beaters go faster. I did an experiment with my friends' 06 accord coupe was shifting at less than 2k rpms and still was faster. Unless I shift at 4k rpm I don't see myself going faster than the accord.(only within the 1-2 gear range)

 

Lots of good advice here folks for those having difficulty. It's not too hard to get smooth shifts with this car if you have much experience with a stick. if not keep practicing and it will come.

 

I've had the same problem on my 04 g35 6mt with 18,000 kms on it. Starting off in first, bringing it up to around 2900 rpm, then quickly clutching in and trying to get it into 2nd, and letting out the clutch will only produce the most friggin irritating grinding noise, then a JERKY shift.

It feels like you just ground your own teeth it's so painful to listen to, then the shift is crappy and you look like a rookie that shouldn't even own a G!! Not to mention that if you're in 1st gear and clutch-in real quick it'll sound like you just broke something.

One solution I've discovered is to make sure you're pulling the shifter left (or towards you) when going into 2nd. It's not just a straight back or down motion.

Also, don't jam it into 2nd, the car seems to let it 'pop' into gear when the RPM's are correct. If it's right, it feels like butta!

Once the car lets you in gear, it's time to let the clutch out - quickly up to the grab point, then slow to let the revs match up.

As for the 2-3 upshift, you gotta let it out in to the neutral gate, then to the right, then up and kinda left as well. All with the soft touch. The old adage "find 'em don't grind 'em" works here too.....although it seems like the gears of the G are hard to find sometimes.

When you're ripping it, starting from a good launch in 1st, you don't have to do any of this. Comparatively speaking, you can just ram the shifter and stomp the clutch.

 

it's not just how smoothly you engage disengage the clutch, it's also how smooth throttle is applied and released. the way i try to shift smoothly into 2nd is this: no matter how much or little throttle you're giving there will always be a point where the engine won't pull the chassis anymore. that plateau is where your body's senses come in. once you sense it, quickly shift from first to second before the chassis has a chance to shift weight or nosedive. make sure the clutch is fully depressed and then the clutch release is quick, but smooth (not a clutchkick). i also consciously let off a little on the accel maybe like 2-5% it's not really noticeable to a passenger right before i depress the clutch. this will allow the chassis to settle down so when i depress the clutch there won't be a huge kickback. it's nowhere near a granny shift, but it's a step or two below a true drag racing shift (for me anyways). it sounds kind of elementary, but make sure you feel the chassis. weight is shifted towards the rear on acceleration. once the motor won't pull anymore (doesn't matter how much throttle) thats when you want to lightly release pressure on the throttle, then perform a quick, but smooth shift. someone mentioned pulling the shifter slightly towards you at the same time down and that helps prevent me from missing 2nd. make sure the clutch is fully depressed and car is completely in 2nd before releasing the clutch. lastly, try doing that with a cup of water or a soda with the lid on. if you hear the ice knock around real hard, adjust your driving. i know it sounds wordy, but i thought it was completely necessary to breakdown the mechanics of shifting because we all do it unconsciously. to me, that's the secret to shifting smootly on the G35C. hope this helps.

 

Practice, practice, practice... thats all i can say.. i find that during normal driving engaging the clutch pedal halfway makes for a smoother shift..

 

The difference in ratios between 1st and 2nd in the G is bigger than any other gears. This is because 2nd tops 60mph and 1st is for launching. This is important for 0-60 times which is how sporty cars are sold. A shift to third can cost .25 to .5 seconds.

The accord does not have to worry about having a better 0-60 than other sports coupes, so the gears are more spread out. Does your friend's accord need 3rd gear before 60mph?

So, yes, on a car that redlines at 7,000rpm and is designed to red line 2nd gear at 62mph, 2nd will be "slow" at low RPMs compared to other cars that are geared more for driveability than top performance. You can't have your cake and eat it too... you can't be happy about having a sub 6 second 0-60 time and then complain that 2nd is slow at 2,000 rpms.

As to having a smooth shift into 2nd... this same thing is a factor -- the revs need to drop more going from 1st to 2nd than any other shift. At lower RPMs, it takes awhile for that to happen. Look at the tach before and after your 1st to 2nd shift and then look at it on your 2nd -> 3rd shift and you will see what I mean..

 

try doing that with a cup of water or a soda with the lid on. if you hear the ice knock around real hard, adjust your driving

initial D style, lol........ i tried it with the cup a little more than 3/4 full and i came to the conclusion that g35 cup holders suck.....

 

I wonder if these clutch issues stem from the "clutch orifice" that is between the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder? In theory, if there is a restrictor between these components, it would limit the speed at which the clutch could disengage/engage. I know some of the Mitsubishi gus remove them from the system, has anyone heard of thsi for the G35 or 350Z?