I went from a TSX 6mt to the G35 and while I noticed the G35 tranny as being a little less slick, it wasn't disappointing. I am diappointed by the Rogue short shifter I installed though. The shorter travel isn't worth the extra effort.

 

From what I've heard Acura TL's and Volvo S60R transmissions arent' too smooth either... Anyway, I get into problems with my transmission when I'm driving other people around. If I want to show them that I got a faster type of car, they get rather harsh experience due to shifting. It is very hard to accelerate fast and smooth at the same time with this transmission. With AT folks say "wow... that was fast!". With MT they say "damn, that was brutal!"
The shifting spoils the effect. I don't care about all that when I'm alone though. The car is f.a.s.t. and nice despite some of its drawbacks.

 

i dunno what you guys are doing wrong. Ive driven all the cars listed here except the cayman (ive driven a turbo though) and a few other high end cars like m3's an m5 and probably a few others im not thinking of. I can drive my G perfectly smooth without much effort. It's really kind of second nature, but i can shift smoother than my mothers auto G. I feel like the G is almost impossible to misshift in for me. The gears are notchy and you can feel the gears very well. The gears throw into their place really easily.... you only have to push it like half way and it goes into gear the rest of the way. Ive noticed that sometimes when i pull my car out of 1st and try and go into N, i accidentally put it in 2nd cause it goes in so nicely and crisply. I dont feel like im feeling machinery in a lot of cars... i feel like when it gets buttery smooth it isnt as sporty and you cant feel what you are doing as well.....i drive honda's and even older e36 m3's and feel like their shifters are crap because they are longer (even with short shifters) and its just harder to feel what gear you are throwing into. Whenever i HAVE mis shifted i never engage the gear because i know immediately and pull it out of gear. I really like my g35's tranny and clutch feel. Other people drive it pretty jerkily at first and so did i for a few days. But once i learned it i liked it better than a lot of cars ive driven and dont think its ****.

 

Im glad its not just me. I HATE 1st to 2nd. Every other gear is fine, I sometimes have a problem shifting from 5th to 6th also but not as bad as 1st to 2nd. I drove the sk2, new civic SI, and TSX and I was so dissapointed leaving the dealers in my car...........until I mashed the pedal to the floor I didn't get a change to keep the S in vtech very long my salesman was a boring old man and you could tell he had no idea how the car was supposed to be driven.

 

The problem with the G35/350Z tranny is that there isn't any feedback deadening built into the design the way the S2000's tranny is. Our transmissions have a more directly communicative design. Its as simple as that.

And you cant compare a transmission on a front-wheel-drive car to a rear wheel drive car's transmission. Theres all kinds of linkage and junk that goes into making a FWD car with a transversely mounted engine a manual transmission. All that engineering between the transmission and the stick is an opportunity to remove vibration and harshness from the shifting.

The only problem that I HAVE with our transmission's operation is that notch from 4th to 5th where that precautionary plate to keep you from going into reverse gets in the way sometimes. Otherwise it is a very robust design!

And if your description of the G35 manual transmission's experience is 'brutal' shifting compared to an auto, I suggest to practice a little more. Driving a manual is all about finessing the dance of the engine and transmission together into a leisurely glide across the pavement.

 

Compared to the G35's shifter and the whole shifting feel, you bet the Cayman S impressed me.

I drove the G35 to the Posrche dealership; with in 5 minutes I drove a Cayman S (test-drive lasted 20 minutes), and I left the dealership driving my G35, of course, so I had back-to-back comparisons. You can let go of the clutch very quickly during shifting and the car stays very smooth. Do that in your G35 and see how much it jerks. The shifter in Cayman S felt very direct and short; none of that notchy-ness like in our G35's.

Do keep in mind that my G35 has over 7k miles, while that Porsche had less than 50 miles with a long way to go before it's fully broken in.

 

I can glide smoothly, but when it gets to really hitting it, the 1->2 change is rough. I practiced, but I guess I need to focus more

http://www.heavy.com/heavy.php?video...deo/Kung_Fuax1

"...you are not focusing. maybe you really need a smoke? works for me..."

 

Very well said!
I've had people in my car realise I was shifting long after we had been riding... With expirience you will be able to shift as smooth as an auto would if that is what you want to do; you become one with the machine and it doeas as you wish.

 

I get to drive my friends evo8 all the time and I feel that its much smoother and easier than our cars... or maybe theres a different technique for our car but for now I am having some problems shifting at high rev's

 

The clutch is a little stiff, but you barely even have to depress the clutch to shift in the G, which may be half of the people's problems on here that complain about the manual transmission. If you are lighter on the clutch pedal in 1st and 2nd you will be amazed how the G smooths out when shifting. I have had a E36 M3 and Nissan Maxima and the 5 speeds acted very similar with somewhat notchy shifting and similar mechanics. My G20t, SE-R, and Honda CRX had smooth trannies, but they were cable shifters.

I like the stiffness of the G35's clutch, makes me feel like I am in a race car. However, I could not imagine my wife driving and depressing the clutch without pulling a muscle.

 

I dont know about you guys but the automatic shifter is smooth.
thought you knew

 

i have the rx-8..... i love the way it drives.... sucks on gas, sucks on torque, but much smoother and nicer ride then the G.... although i take the G anyday......

 

I nearly smashed my foot through the firewall the first time I drove the car...The clutch is soooo light, seriously.

Also, I gotta say, Im not thrilled with the shifting action either. Both of my Mitsu's shift very positively and feel much smoother. But I drove a both of my roommates honda's ('01 Prelude and a Civic) and the G shifts much better than those...

 

I test drove an 03 6mt and was very disappointed with the tranny...i was struggling to find 1st, 2nd. I also test drove a new VW GTI on the same day and it shifted sooooo smoothly.

 

Interesting you say the rx-8 has a nicer ride than the G. I agree it handles great, but one big reason I chose the G was I anticipated having quite a few trips up to the bay area, and it felt like a better long distance cruiser. I remember a C&D article a while back where it was picked as one of the best road trip cars out there...