I have to say that when I got my 19 w/ 4000 miles on it I was surprised how stiff the trans was. I did the skip shift mod after I got the crap scared out of me by a big truck filling my mirror because I couldn't accelerate in 4th. Then I did the oil change.

I also did the tsb procedure for shifter adjustment. In the last couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to drive the car in 30deg weather. The things I have mentioned doing, and the 15000 miles I have put on it, have made it into a nice trans. Not quite as smooth and easy as the 6 speed in my wife's 15 Mustang GT but close enough.

 

I too am a Rev Match fan. I got the advice at Spring Mountain to always use it. Saves wear and tear on the tranny and clutch.

 

Nothing wrong with putting premium tranny fluid in, but the consensus here is that it doesn’t not fix the grind on the 1-2 up shift when cold.

 

rev match is awesome. I can’t imagine not using it. It can also help eliminate the potential for “unsettling” the car while downshifting in a curve. I believe that at Spring MT, they mentioned that was the cause of one of the cars going off track. The driver didn’t realize he had disabled rev match. Consequently he went off roading.

double clutching will eliminate the 1-2 grind. That’s what I do for the first 5 to 10 minutes until it warms up.

 

Opposite here - I find the C7 nearly stall proof since the engine has so much TQ even if let off the clutch with zero throttle it will just creep forward. My wife loves driving it because she no longer fears stalling - the clutch isn't super heavy and engages in a very predictable fashion. I've had other vehicles where the clutch grabs too low or too high or requires a very specific RPM in 1st to take off, those vehicles we both stalled often.

The only problem I've had with the M7 is 1st gear grinding or popping out of gear when its not fully in. Also on occasion R is difficult to find. As other's mentioned rev match works great, no problems in traffic or on the track, it always gets the RPM perfect (up or down) in each gear. I did have to adjust my driving habits slightly as I used to coast to a stop in N... rev match doesn't like that since it will adjust engine revs thinking your going to shift at some point.

 

Two items that solved my issues with 1st and 2nd gear.
First was the TSB for aligning the shifter. Major improvement on 1st gear pop out.
Second item was a set of poly isolators from ZIP for mounting the shifter when I did the alignment.
Two years and all is well.
I will mention that my son has had issues with 2nd gear engagement. Since he lives 500 miles away,
he only has an issue once a year when I visit Connecticut.
I did mention last year about making sure to pull the shifter down and to the left for 2nd gear.
Yes, 7th gear is a waste. 6 speeds were easier to find.

 

Bill Dearborn is correct … palm down on the shifter, not the pistol grip style.

 

I found the shift eliminator unnecessary, as I usually run the RPM up a bit in first and shift to 3rd, 5th then 6th without a hitch so have no need for it...

 

How to start the car was covered at the Spring Mountain New Owner's school. First, let the clutch out until the car starts to move, and then add throttle while letting the clutch out the rest of the way. The car moves out nicely with no stuttering or hesitation.

The instructors said they wanted all of the students to start the M7 cars that way as it was easier on the clutch.

Bill

 

Good advise.

I've been stalling manuals since 1967.😉

If the car stutters, is the clutch damaged/worn ??

 

I have over a 104k miles on my 2015 M7. the trans is still shifting great I am confident it has many more miles

 

I have read this entire thread. And I will give myself more time to get accustomed to the transmission. I have a 2014 I bought with 5,500 miles. It now is just short of 7K miles. But a LOT of it is highway miles. So far, I DO NOT LIKE this transmission. No problems at all with stalling. The clutch and I get along fine. I believe it is the mushiest, rubbery feeling transmission I have encountered since learning on a 1963 VW bug in '65. I have alway taught people to shift by making them just use two fingers to push the shifter. Even that old VW would "know" to go from 3 to 4 at high rpms and into 2 at low engine speed. I got spoiled by a 1999 Mazda Miata. One of the car mag writers compared shifting it to closing the chamber on a pump shotgun. This feels more like the shotgun is made completely from old tires. I do NOT like a transmission telling me to shift from 7 to 4 when all I need is a little more umph to move up in a lane going uphill. I don't intend to ever compete on a track. I already do shift palm-down. I still feel like I am fighting with a sentient being that thinks it knows better than I what the traffic condition is and what is gear is best. I just got home from two days, putting about 500 miles on it and I am wondering if I ought to sell it before I put many more miles on it. So with my (bad) attitude in mind, do any of you think a short throw shifter and the eliminator would make me happier? This car cost more than any I have owned - by a long shot. And it is more stressful to drive than any I have ever driven. Well, with the exception a low-end Tesla I rented one week-end. But that's a long story . . . .

 

A CAGS eliminator is well worth it and removes one of the frustrations of using the M7.

Installing a short-thow shifter is a mixed bag. The shifts are shorter (of course) but take more effort. The feel is more notchy, but more precise. Many are very pleased but I know people who took the shifter out as they did not like the shifter.

Unfortunately this car will never shift any thing like a Miata.

 

No it won’t ever shift like a Miata but my transmission doesn’t shift anything like Araknid’s does. Two tips from me: as mentioned, get the CAGS, and stay out of 7th gear; it’s pointless unless you’re driving on the Autobahn.

 

Anytime cruising for several miles stretches over 70 MPH I'm in 7th. For spirited driving I rarely use more than 4th gear.

 

I'm happy to loaf along in 7th on the highway. These are not mouse motors which need high RPM to go 50 MPH.

 

I’ll rephrase. 7th gear is pointless to me. 6th is plenty tall enough for highway cruising for me.

 

I would prefer our cars to only have 6 gears, just to simplify the “gates” in shifting. However, since that ship has sailed and it has 7 gears, it’s silly not to use 7th when cruising above 65 MPH.

 

I agree. I believe it is GMs way of improving mpg for CAFE limits.

 

Miata gearboxes don’t have to survive 460 lb-ft. You should sell the M7 car. They are easy to sell. If you still want a C7 then just get an auto. If the M7 gearbox is your biggest complaint, then you’ll likely be very happy with the auto.