AREITU

I may be getting a Maxima soon, and I was wondering if the shift quality on the 5-speed is a bad as car magazines who have race-car drivers testing family cars say it is.

They say the shifter on the Maxima 5-speed is "notchy" and "loose." I'd like to hear from actual owners and enthusiasts.

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (1)

It's not that bad....it's not the best, but not the worst either. All you need to make it VERY good is a short throw shift kit, and MT-90 synthetic tranny fluid. cost is between 100-180 bucks to make your max shift better than a bimmer.

Daniel B. Martin

Yes, it is notchy and loose, but you will get used to it after the first 200K miles.

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

Will a Short Throw Shifter really eliminate all the notchiness and sloppiness of the 5spd?

97GreenMax

I would still take a 5spd over my automagic any day.

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (1)

from my experience yes...short throws are awesome...I don't even know how to explain. MT-90 helps alot too!

190hpKiLLA

iTrader: (11)

i will stick with these guys. dont be spoiled brat. Maximas gears are awesome. When you get used to them. LOL

blackcurrant

At least it's a durable tranny. My old DSM had bad synchros after 50k miles....and after the rebuild it didn't shift much better....they truly were lousy trannies.

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

cool, I'll add an STS to my list, any recommendations?

and I am a spoiled brat when it comes to manual tranny's I learned on a Euro M3 and now I realize just how sweet that car was. I wish I had it now! :bawl: well ofcourse, in addition to my Max not in place of.

tomj

The Redline Tranny fluid is a must. I like the Max's shifting. You know when it goes into gear by the way it kind of pops in. I have been test driving other cars for my little sister(she doesn't know how to drive stick yet and I ain't teaching her on my car) and I have found I don't like others. Volkswagons are very loose. I was never sure if I was in gear or which gear I was actually in. Mitsubishis were tighter but again I had no idea if I was in gear or not. I guess it's just personal preference. That's why I got the Max.

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

i have the SMC STS .. and when i drive my cousin's car it feels weird.. kinda like i am holding a baseball bat..

i have a 97 with STS he has a 97 with stock shifter

ejj

iTrader: (5)

Same here, I have the SMC STS, and when I've driven other Max's (theblue's namely) it feels like I'm driving a truck. It really makes a difference in feel. Combine that with Redline and its my ideal setup.

I've driven cars that are "smooth", but you can't really feel them engage in gear. I hate that. I would rather have a slightly "notchey" feel, and know what the car is doing.

blizz20oma

iTrader: (1)

The stock shifter/gearbox is OK in all fairness. Better than those domestic "floating" sticks that never really have a place in gear or anything...

I don't like the plastic-lever-feel of the shifts in my maxi. That could be fixed by a short shifter, along with the huge throws. Get new poly bushings with the short shifter, and the stick probably wouldn't wobble as much in gear as it does stock. If you addressed the plastic feel, the throw, and the wobble, I think it would be a fine shift setup.

After all that, all I'd need is a new clutch to dodge this clutch chatter...*grumble*

SuDZ

I like the 5 Speed. It gives you a better feel of the car. I have driven the automatics and although they are still nice it is just not the same thing. Go ahead go for it.

SuDZ

Dave B

I recently bought the Pacesetter STS for my 96. The Pacesetter is abjustable and I have it at about 50% of maximum short throw. This gives me about a 3" throw from gear to gear. The shifter have a much more solid feel, BUT more vibration is transmitted through the shifter due to the much harder bushings. The shifter is also very notchy which is always a downside to a STS. The good thing is the notchiness forces you to shift the correct way. On the 1-2 shift you hold the shifter pistol style, the 2-3 you put your palm behind shifter and push up, and the 3-4 you invert your hand (thumb facing down) and pull back. By doing this, you let the shifter to the work, not your arm. You won't miss any gears either.

BTW, don't expect BMW "feel" in terms of ride, handling, steering, tranny, sound, etc. It ain't gonna happen in this Nissan.


Dave

BlackMax62

the only problems with shifting that i have experienced on my 5 speed is putting the car in reverse sometimes gives me a hassle...but overall the shift is pretty smooth (of course this is my first manual)...

im looking into getting a short throw shifter...any threads on this that have debated over which one is best...thanks for the input..

saber

ericdwong

Are you "double clutching" when you go into reverse? Its a safety mechanism. You gotta stop the car, let up the clutch, and then put it back down for it to go into reverse without somethin fighting you.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

When I got my car, it still had the Nissan tranny fluid in it, and yeah, it was notchy, especially in the cold. Not so much that that it completely took away the enjoyment, but it was there.

I changed to Redline MT90. Holy cow, it was like a whole new tranny! For a week it felt like the tranny was falling apart because it was so loose. Now, at 100K of course I'm used to it.

Also, alot of of people will suggest a short throw shifter, but before you do that, try something simpler, like this;

http://www.rspeed.net/store/item.cfm...artNum=531-103

That shift **** changed the throws alot more than I thought it would. It's not an STS, but it helps, and it's a direct fit even though it says its for a Miata. It looks too cool, too! Thanks goes to Keven97SE for that one!

DW

BlackMax62

yeah i learned about the double clutching idea ...since this was my first 5 speed i had to learn from scratch...after a few times having trouble getting it into reverse i got the whole idea of double clutching...i guess i should have been more specific and said this was the only problem that i noticed when i first got my car...thanks for the info..

saber

Sonic

I think that the shifters throw is WAAAAAY too long, and a bit rubbery too, but then again, I was used to Mitsubishi and Honda sticks. They are WAY better feeling wise.

AREITU

First, I'd like to say, thanks for the advice. I usually never get more than one page on a thread that I start.
I learned how to drive stick on my friend's N/A MR2 5-speed (Shifts like a five-position rifle bolt), and an '89 Accord, so I think it's going to take a little time getting used to the Maxima shifter...

No VE mod for meeee!

ericdwong

What ever happened to cable driven shifters? Toyota uses them, and I believe DSM does as well. I liked these, no rubbery feel, no vibration, easy to install STS...

AREITU

The new Acura RSX has cable driven shifter. It sets a new standard for feel and accuracy of that type of tranny.

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (1)

cable driven shifters suck....you lose most of the feel in the shift....why do you think one of the FAVORITE mod of SHO owners was the cable to shift rod conversion??

inertia777

You get use to the long shifts after while. Just look at the long throws as teasers and the wonderful power you feel from that smooth award winning V6 with the completion of each shift as your just reward. I would be miserable driving an auto Max. I could not imagine not being able to down shift at 90 and simply out accelerate all but the best of cars.

ejj

iTrader: (5)

For some reason I remember hearing the the 2002 6sp Max had a cable shifter...anyone know?

AREITU

I can almost hear the VQ...

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (1)

this is true....I read it in last months Road & Track....it's a shame...

chris j vurnis

Go with the 5 speed: I have an automatic and I've always enjoyed driving other Maximas with the manual trannys... much more than driving my own car.

With a short throw shifter and the proper fluids, the shifting is just fine.. Its a little notchy but not bad. It has rod-action shifters... which is preferable to cable action shifting which makes things more vague.

I have driven Maximas with better shifter feel as compared to new generation BMW 3 series cars and Z3s. But I don't think the BMW gearboxes have very good feel...

Also, the clutch engagement on a Maxima is very smooth and predictable. Very easy for even beginmers to get the hang of. A lot of other cars have very abrupt clutch engagement so it makes it harder to be smooth.

Besides, the 5 speeds in the manual are far more useful in performance and economy than the 4 speeds in the auto...
I don't think the stock torque converter in the automatic is all that good.

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

I agree with chris, the Maxima is a decent tranny, and it is easy to learn how to drive comparable to more crisp trannys. I suppose its a tradeoff. I will disagree about the shift feel of BMWs, maybe the newer ones have a more vague feel due to BMWs constant efforts to rid the 3 series from shift **** shake. The previous gen M3 i drove was simply beautiful.