Hey guys, I have an 03' 350 performance w 60K miles. Car is perfect in every way. The clutch howerver is hard compared to a z31 (normal?) and it sometimes scrapes in 3rd gear. I am 5-10 so im a little short for a Z, and I sometimes wonder if its just my seat position, (like to seat further back) or what. Its always 3rd gear. ( Does it more when im driving hard and beating the sh** out of some loser in a honda with a muffler the size of a small school bus..)

Thats odd... to me the Z31 is a stiff mofo of a clutch compared to any 350Z clutch I've ever experienced (and there's been a good number of 350Z's I've driven)

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

Sorry to hear about Your troubled 3rd gear shift. I also have an 03. My clutch does not feel hard, but it has always had a bit of imbalance feeling and almost wants to chatter sometimes from a stop. I have read in the past about early 350's having a weak syncro material. Should have been made with a stronger material. I dont have this problem, but then again Im not out there spanking hondas or anything else for that matter. Good luck.

Zfever....I have the EXact same car...and the Exact same Problem.

But ONLY when I am driving "Slow". If I am running hard, It does not grind at all. It's as smooth as butta. I was wondering if I was the only one with this problem.

It never ever grinds in any other gear.

Yeah it is a weird situation. Im sure its a synchro thing. Just seems to be low miles for that type of thing to be happening.

Could be a clutch pedal adjustment issue.

Also, could be a collapsed pressure plate, causing it not to release evenly.

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

One: Quit your little street racer thrill-a-thon with a bunch of nondescript pukes.

Two: You're sitting too far from the steering wheel. The current in vogue gorilla reach gangster BS lends nothing to accurate vehicle control through steering inputs or thorough clutch engagement.

Frankly, if you're inclined to disregard finding one, then I have to wonder about having offered finding two. However ....

I owned my '03 Performance model for five years and NEVER got a comfortable driving position. 5-10 like you. If the arms were correct the legs were too close. If the legs were right, then the wheel was too far away. I kept relating it to the perfect driving position of my long lost 240Z and found it consistently wanting. So much so that I ditched it for my current car, which fits so much better.

Get your seat back more upright, be more concerned with vehicle control than fashion, and quit cruising for kills.

Then, if you still have grinding issues, you know it's the car and not you. Good luck.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit was august 01, 08:54pm.

The old man speaketh!!!

I am not sure if this is the same thing, but I have read about clutch grinding issues on this forum before and I think it was something that was fixed at the dealership. Try a search, you may get some valuable info!