is the Maxima stick and clutch
07-07-2013, 05:13 AM
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2000
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is the Maxima stick and clutch
just hard to use in general, or is it because I've never replaced the gear oil (how would that affect the clutch)?
I have a BMW 335i, and I drove a Passat TDI 6-manual yesterday, and both cars are night and day to the Maxima, their clutches being easy to operate, and their sticks having short precise throws.
Being the original owner of the Max, it's hard to say if it deteriorated over the years, or was always like this. Plus, your involuntary muscles get used to the operation of the clutch. I know it was springy and hard even when the car was only 7 y.o.
The 4th gen really shows it's age today, but it was the top-of-the-line in 1998!
I have a BMW 335i, and I drove a Passat TDI 6-manual yesterday, and both cars are night and day to the Maxima, their clutches being easy to operate, and their sticks having short precise throws.
Being the original owner of the Max, it's hard to say if it deteriorated over the years, or was always like this. Plus, your involuntary muscles get used to the operation of the clutch. I know it was springy and hard even when the car was only 7 y.o.
The 4th gen really shows it's age today, but it was the top-of-the-line in 1998!
07-07-2013, 07:42 AM
#2
still top of the line today!!! you've never replaced your gear oil?? 
all fluids in any car i've owned were put on a regular schedule via the fsm/dealer recommendation. gears and clutches wear out when viscosity gets beat down, look at your mileage and check fluid regularly so your car runs at optimum levels.
all fluids in any car i've owned were put on a regular schedule via the fsm/dealer recommendation. gears and clutches wear out when viscosity gets beat down, look at your mileage and check fluid regularly so your car runs at optimum levels.
Last edited by max ride 41; 07-07-2013 at 07:47 AM.
07-07-2013, 08:48 AM
#3
Gear oil only affects the gears and synchros, but you should change it regularly anyway. The clutch fluid will have the most effect, if any, on clutch feel.
I think that clutch feel is determined by many factors, but mostly the quality of the implementation and the type of engine. The maxima has a torquey V6, especially down low, so the clutch has to be beefy. Beefy clutches tend to be harder to engage.
Both the BMW 335i and VW TDI are turbos, so their engines dont generate much TQ until the turbo spools up, somewhat past idle. The Maxima with its naturally aspirated V6 generates TQ from the get go, instantly. The VQs low end torquyness is also part of the reason that automatic maxima have a special engine mount. At a stoplight in an auto, the tranny is always engaged, so the auto VQ is always pushing the tranny. The special engine mount helps suppress engine vibration generated by the VQ, and that mount had to be developed, I assume, because the VQs low end TQ was hard to tame....and that's a good thing
Still, on the argument of implementation, I have driven BMW330is and Acura CL-S manuals. They both have silky smooth gear engagement....but I still feel the the VQ is torquier down low, hence its wee bit more clumsy engagement.
Given its addictive fun factor, the Maxima's slightly tougher engagement and its very torquey V6 in FWD platform, it's a very acceptable trade off, IMHO.
I think that clutch feel is determined by many factors, but mostly the quality of the implementation and the type of engine. The maxima has a torquey V6, especially down low, so the clutch has to be beefy. Beefy clutches tend to be harder to engage.
Both the BMW 335i and VW TDI are turbos, so their engines dont generate much TQ until the turbo spools up, somewhat past idle. The Maxima with its naturally aspirated V6 generates TQ from the get go, instantly. The VQs low end torquyness is also part of the reason that automatic maxima have a special engine mount. At a stoplight in an auto, the tranny is always engaged, so the auto VQ is always pushing the tranny. The special engine mount helps suppress engine vibration generated by the VQ, and that mount had to be developed, I assume, because the VQs low end TQ was hard to tame....and that's a good thing
Still, on the argument of implementation, I have driven BMW330is and Acura CL-S manuals. They both have silky smooth gear engagement....but I still feel the the VQ is torquier down low, hence its wee bit more clumsy engagement.
Given its addictive fun factor, the Maxima's slightly tougher engagement and its very torquey V6 in FWD platform, it's a very acceptable trade off, IMHO.
07-07-2013, 10:53 AM
#4
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 469
in general a cable-actuated clutch will offer better feel, but most fwd cars (and for that matter most modern cars, like the bmws) will have a hydraulic clutch as they tend to be easier to route into the engine bay and require less effort to operate. bmw puts a little flow restrictor in the hydraulic lines that prevents aggressively dumping the clutch, which actually makes their manual cars a little complicated to drive slowly, as in when parking. i've only driven a 99 5 series so maybe that's gotten better over the years.
i had unsteady clutch engagement with my 4th gen when i bought it and just assumed i was still bad at driving stick, but when the clutch line finished leaking out one morning and i was stranded in the garage i figured it out pretty quick. after i fixed it i felt like the god of driving manual.
as for the shifter itself, fwd cars are at an inherent disadvantage here as the shifter operates through a cable, which adds some friction and slop to the actuation. rwd cars can have the gear lever operate the shift forks directly, which is a huge advantage - if you've ever driven a miata, you'll find literally every other shifter ever made to be a huge disappointment. as cars with transversely-mounted engines go, i actually liked the maxima's shifter. i do think the throw could be shorter. i have a short-throw shifter on my volvo and it's night and day - the factory shifter is terrible, the SS kit makes it pretty decent. it's a small investment that makes a big difference in the car's feel, so maybe a maxima short throw kit is a worthy purchase.
i had unsteady clutch engagement with my 4th gen when i bought it and just assumed i was still bad at driving stick, but when the clutch line finished leaking out one morning and i was stranded in the garage i figured it out pretty quick. after i fixed it i felt like the god of driving manual.
as for the shifter itself, fwd cars are at an inherent disadvantage here as the shifter operates through a cable, which adds some friction and slop to the actuation. rwd cars can have the gear lever operate the shift forks directly, which is a huge advantage - if you've ever driven a miata, you'll find literally every other shifter ever made to be a huge disappointment. as cars with transversely-mounted engines go, i actually liked the maxima's shifter. i do think the throw could be shorter. i have a short-throw shifter on my volvo and it's night and day - the factory shifter is terrible, the SS kit makes it pretty decent. it's a small investment that makes a big difference in the car's feel, so maybe a maxima short throw kit is a worthy purchase.
07-07-2013, 12:48 PM
#5
..... fwd cars are at an inherent disadvantage here as the shifter operates through a cable, which adds some friction and slop to the actuation. rwd cars can have the gear lever operate the shift forks directly, which is a huge advantage - if you've ever driven a miata, you'll find literally every other shifter ever made to be a huge disappointment. as cars with transversely-mounted engines go, i actually liked the maxima's shifter. i do think the throw could be shorter. i have a short-throw shifter on my volvo and it's night and day - the factory shifter is terrible, the SS kit makes it pretty decent. it's a small investment that makes a big difference in the car's feel, so maybe a maxima short throw kit is a worthy purchase.
07-07-2013, 04:54 PM
#6
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Join Date: Nov 2000
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We had to replace the clutch hose (with OEM) almost two years ago as it was leaking....the Maxima clutch seems very springy and requires effort....I remember the day I got the 335i and drove it all day, and went back to the Maxima...it was as if my left leg was freaking out, it felt funny....which is why I am convinced that after switching back and forth, your involuntary muscles learn....I'll add gear oil to my list, but I'm still on the original clutch at 222k! 
07-07-2013, 11:51 PM
#7
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 469
listen to me then, talking all that trash about cables. no wonder i liked the maxima shifter better than the volvo.i think the point generally stands - the more remote is your shifter from your gears, the mushier the shifts will be - but i did not know that about the maxima's shifter.
wow..."would you kindly" get to changing that asap
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