Ok a couple of months ago before I got stationed over here in South Korea I test drove both the 2k2 Maxima 6spd and the 2k2 Altima 5spd. First off I test drove the Altima; right of the bat I was severally impressed with it's performance, it seemed very quick especially from 0-60mph, in fact it defiently felt faster than the 2k1 Maxima 5spd. Then I got into the Maxima, now I was expecting a real ***** to the walls eye opening experience, but much to my suprise when I drove it the 6spd gearbox sucked. In fact it was so bad that I turned the car around because I had got so ****ed off with how hard it was to shift gears. The salesman told me that it was because the gearbox was new and I responded "No it's not; i've drove many cars and this is by far the worst manual gearbox i've ever felt. Further more if this is the way all the 2k2 6spd's feel then Nissan needs to recall all of them and put in a better shifter; preferably one that has the feel of the 2k2 Altima." Now my qeustion is for you guys that have the 2k2 6spd do all your gearbox's feel real stiff too. Just wondering because I will return to the states in November and am thinking of trading for the 6spd, but if they all seem to have as crappy gearbox's as the one I drove then Nissan can keep it and i'll just stay with my 2k1 Auto.

 

6spds should be tighter than a 5spd

have you driven another 6spd before? (ie celica, s2000)?

 

My transmission and shifter are fine compared to anything I have driven, including my previous 97 Maxima.

 

Yes i've drove the 2001 Celica GT-S and a 1999 Corvette both with 6spd. Neither felt as hard to get in gear as the Maxima did, but maybe it was just this particular 6spd. That's why i'm asking so I can find out if this is a problem many other 6spd Maxima driver's are experiencing or if it was just a freak occurence.

 

I too felt that the 6spd in my '02 was a touch on the notchy side, and to date it is still a little hard to get into reverse. However, I have noticed that some of the notchiness is gone and I feel much more at ease shifting then when I first got the car. I found that going from a 6-spd Corvette (previous car) to the 6-spd Maxima requires a lighter touch on the shifter. Letting the shifter find it's own "gate" seems to be the answer, instead of trying to force the gearshift to go where you think it should.

 

I didn't think the 6-speed was all that when it was new, but now that i've got some miles on it, it has definitely loosened up. I've driven sticks for 25 years (yes, I'm that old) there is definitely an unusual feel to it but it grows on you, unlike the rear end.

I checked out the 6-speed in an S2000 - now that's one smooth short-throw tranny, and it was brand new.

 

the 2-3 is hard to do but i like the notchyness. the shifter throws are good, altima shifter sucks.

 

I also recall reading that this is a cable vs. linkage type, I think the cables do need some time to break in. At least the shifter is not all rubbery like the VWs...

 

ya it gets better after 1000miles and adding redline MTF

 

Did you have any problems grinding gears once you added the redline? I did it to a couple of my previous cars and found that I was grinding gears a lot more on quick shifts. But then again, they were new trannies, maybe I should have put more miles on them before doing it.

 

Well so far from everybody's response's it seems that the stiffness is common with the 2k2 6spd. I just wish Nissan would make a shifter as good as the one's from Honda. I myself have owned 4 different manuals before I bought my automatic Maxima. I had a 92 Civic Si, a 93 SHO which sucked, but was very fast, a 98 Izusu Amigo and a 2000 VW Golf. None of the three other cars even came close to comparing to the smoothness of the Civic's manual gearbox. But, smooth or not smooth the new Maxima 6spd is one badass car and defeintly worth a peek. I'll just have to see when I get back in November how the new Z compares to the 2k2 Maxima.

 

The night I picked mine up, I almost took it back. I had a hell of a time with 2nd and 4th gear. With over 2k miles on it now, it's MUCH better. Still not as good as the shifter in me F-Body, but it is more accurate. Now....I LOVE MY MAX!! Best overall car I've ever owned.

 

i had the same experience, the Maxima is sticky, the altima felt better

the best gearbox i've driven is an acura NSX, it felt great, it went into gear like no other.

 

I didn't like the Altima SE's 5spd gearbox as much as I liked the 6spd Max's. I do
agree with PapaTango that it's best not to force the 6speed's gear into where you think it ought to be, rather let it "show" you where it needs to go. However, I had trouble finding 6th gear (mainly because I have driven only 5 speed manuals in the past). If it isn't necessary for you to get a four door passenger car, I would definitely wait for the 350Z. I heard that the new 350Z 6speed will not be a cable but a rod shifter.

 

would a short shifter fix the problem or would that have no effect on the part causing the stiffness?

 

I is a cable shifter. Previous Max were rod. I think they done good. The C5 has a rod shifter with rear transaxle and it take a lot of getting used to. The 2>3 shift under power is dicey.