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Maintenance, Mods, & Tips Mods | Tips | Repairs & Troubleshooting

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Unread 03-11-2006, 03:51 AM   #1
Rich Z
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Default Shifting the six speed

I've been reading threads here and there about how some people feel that the Z06 (maybe C5s in general, but I'm only going by the stuff I have heard, and I have a Z06) is kind of rough feeling around the edges shifting gears. The transitions from one gear to the next just don't seem to feel buttery smooth in a lot of cases. And I can see why some people may think that. I doubt by a long shot that I am the best around with a stick shift, although I've had them in my vehicles off and on ever since I could drive, but there does seem to be a knack to getting the Z06 to shift smoothly.

The trick is RPMs. If you shift at low rpms the car just is not comfortable with it and kicks at you in disgust. You get clunks and jerks as it feels difficult to match the speed of the flywheel with the clutch shifting from one gear to the next when the engine rpms are not much above idle. But WIND it out a bit and see how that changes things. Hit 3K on the tach before shifting to the next gear. Make the engine growl a bit as you push the torque on up the power curve. This makes the Z feel more at home and gives the shifts a much smoother transition. The gears will just flow from one to the next when you get the drivetrain feeling more at home with what the car was designed to deliver.

Of course, it's kind of tough to do in city driving if you are trying to get the best gas mileage you can, but hey, you can't have everything! The Z06 is happiest when it is breathing well. Your ears will tell you what you need to know.
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Unread 04-18-2006, 11:08 AM   #2
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Keeping the clutch fluid clean can also help quite a bit. I had always heard horror stories of clutch pedals stuck to the floor and hard shifting but never experienced any of it. However, after awhile I did start to notice that clutch engagement was a little rougher and it did require more work to get into gear. So I popped the the hood and checked out my clutch fluid only to see pitch black fluid. I changed it by following the steps here... http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...=RANGER+CLUTCH . Ever since I have made sure my fluid has stayed clear and have had a smooth shifting tranny.
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Unread 04-18-2006, 12:13 PM   #3
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I've also read that changing the fluid in the manual transmission with Mobile 1 ATF has helped some people with smoothing out the gear shift changes. I'd be willing to try that out, but without some sort of lift, it just isn't feasible for me to get to the drain and fill plugs on the tranny. I bought my Z with 58K miles on it and am planning on eventually changing out all the fluids. Just makes sense to do that to keep everything in tiptop shape.

I think the shifter may be an issue as well. The stock shifter was kind of sloppy feeling and I often had problems catching the gear I wanted just with regular street driving. I have since put in a Hurst shifter and the throws just seemed much more precise and "dead-on". However the effort was increased quite a bit with lateral movements of the shifter because of the centering springs. I eventually took the springs out completely, and the shifter is much easier on my right arm. But the cost of that was that the throw feels a little more loose then it did with the springs in place. Not as bad as the stock shifter, but definitely different.

One tip for anyone considering changing out their shifter is to get a new knob for it. That way when you finally get that blasted knob retainer out of the shifter, you can throw that SOB as far away as you can and never need to use it again. I put the C6 shifter on, and it feels just great in the hand.
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Unread 04-19-2006, 07:01 PM   #4
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I had to have my master cylinder for my clutch replaced on my 98 Camaro SS. The clutch went to the floor every time. It engaged about a millimeter off the floor. That sucked. I'm still learning about these cars. I was never really a car person to begin with. I'm starting off with the basics of the engine first. I'm reading How to Build a High Performance LS1/LS6. Pretty good so far.

Scott
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Unread 04-19-2006, 07:08 PM   #5
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I'm considering going with a shift kit. I haven't decided yet. I read on another site where you can shorten the stock shifter by an inch or two. I've also read that a lot of the shifters Hurst, Breathless, Kirban, etc. are really hard to shift.
I may shorten the stock shifter because it's so easy. Here are 2 of my new shift knobs.


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Unread 04-19-2006, 07:24 PM   #6
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Well, I may be wrong about this, but I think the reason many of the aftermarket shifters are harder to shift is BECAUSE they are shorter. The leverage is less then with the taller stock shifter. I noticed the difference just by using a knob that set a half inch or so higher then my C6 knob. So I guess it boils down to what is easier for you to do: Just put in an aftermarket shifter, or cut some off the stock one and rethread if you need to. Actually you may gain the same benefit if you can find a really low rider shifter knob.......
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Unread 04-21-2006, 08:56 PM   #7
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I noticed that also. the long throw of the shifter doesnt help. It made it really jerky. B&M shifter was my first mod
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Unread 04-21-2006, 11:37 PM   #8
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This what I notice. When I bought the hurst shift and it was stiff. After awhile i change the springs and so on. better but not that great. So 2 months ago i decided the to flush the Oil for the Trans and Axel. I bought the mobil Synthetic. after driving it for 2 miles the shifting was night and day.
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Unread 04-22-2006, 12:13 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FourG63 97GST
I noticed that also. the long throw of the shifter doesnt help. It made it really jerky. B&M shifter was my first mod
I put a B&M in about a week ago. Love it. Night and day. No springs like the Hurst so over all the force needed is very similiar to stock. Not alot of force needed but the travel is alot less. I also noticed no side to side slop when it's in gear and your resting your hand on the shifter as you drive. I had a B&M in a C4 that I sold, and it was alot more work to shift. Now (based on the C5 construction vs the C4) it's a piece of cake. I drove the C5 for almost 6 months before the Mod, and can't believe I waited so long to put the B&M in.
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Unread 04-22-2006, 01:29 PM   #10
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This is interesting. I notice that there is quite a bit of side to side "slop" in my Hurst shifter, but I can't recall if that was there before I removed the springs or not. I guess it would have made some difference. I'm thinking I may have to put in the lighter set of springs just to try to reduce that slight sloppiness feel.

BTW, how does the lower boot work with the B&M? With the Hurst, the lower boot was basically useless and I had to monkey rig something by gluing a Hurst boot onto the GM lower boot to make a noise seal around the shifter shaft. Without it, quite a bit of noise came into the passenger compatment.
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