6-speed manual transmission noise problems?

General Discussion forum for Versa Owners
Sahandman
Posts: 84
Joined: Sun Jul 23, 2006 6:11 pm
Car: civic

Post

Hi dudes, I am highly considering buying a versa SL with the manual transmission, mostly cause i want to save the extra 1,200 or so u have to pay to get the cvt and instead spend it on the technology package. HOWEver! ive read many reviews from owners of the SL manual, and they say that there is a loud noise when shifting gears, some people even say its the loudest noise theyve ever heard coming from a car. This is the only thing thats holding me back from purchasing the car and im hoping that owners of the manual transmission versa can ease my worries.

Btw in Canada we have the CVT package and technology package which comes with the bluetooth, intellikey, upgraded speakers+subwoofer, leather wrapped steering wheel, steering wheel audio controls and speed sensitive audio volume. I will get the SL Manual with technology package, black exterior, black interior which comes to about $21,000 canadian including tax and freight, expensive but blame canada.


versa dan
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 5:16 pm
Car: Nissan Versa
Contact:

Post

yea the shifter kinda clicks loud but idk if it's because the engine runs so quietly or not but its not the transmission, i love my 6speed versa

will1911a1
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:56 am
Car: 2007 Nissan Versa 1.8 S

Post

I haven't noticed it being any louder than any other manual transmission. There's some noise but it's not what I would call loud.

User avatar
MacDavePro
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 2:51 pm
Car: '07 Nissan Versa

Post

My shifter does happen to make some noise, but mostly when shifting to second, and into third. It's slightly annoying, but I got over it pretty quick.

philmcneal
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:36 pm
Car: Civic Coupe Se 04

Post

hey guys can you tell me what rpms you shift at? and then how much does the rpm drops into 2nd gear? Isn't really close space as they say? So every shift drops like 500-700 rpms? Can you shift as smooth as a CVT? I haven't driven the car yet, but I'm still debating if I should stick with stick or pay up for the CVT since everyone says its a nice smooth ride.... so the 6spd is a rough one?

Please post anything about your stick! I'm mostly a city driver so the high rpms at highway speeds don't bug me that much, but is it a pain to row through the gears? Since I'm pretty sick of it with my 5spd civic 04 coupe.

Thanks for the insight!

User avatar
MacDavePro
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 2:51 pm
Car: '07 Nissan Versa

Post

Like any stick it all depends on how you drive, where you shift. If I'm leisurely driving through a parking lot I may go from 1st to 2nd at about 2,000, but if I'm going from a stop at a highway on-ramp, I'll shift at around 3,100 or so. The drop isn't bad at all - I've driven much worse cars. I drive my car through a city as well, but luckily the Versa doesn't scream at you to change gears. You have to remember the CVT doesn't exactly "change gears," so there is a difference between the way it acts compared to the 6 Speed. If smoothness of ride at slower speeds is what matters to you I suggest the CVT, but I also suggest getting yourself to a dealer and just trying both transmissions out for yourself.

philmcneal
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:36 pm
Car: Civic Coupe Se 04

Post

cool thanks for the replies! before i leave you alone i was wondering what rpms you like to cruise at? does the engine sound happy at 2000 rpms as opposed to 1500? Since the engine is tuned for torque than horsepower (which I like! gives it a diesel feeling) is there a point where you feel the engine is easy to stall? or does it have good torque at low rpms? I'm a low rpm driver, so how does that deliver for a guy like me?

haha now you know why i hate my civic, no torque ;( but decent fuel economy (43 mpg city, aiming for 50 i keep rpms wayyy low.... like 1500 for my civic hehe.)

User avatar
Ever Victorious
Posts: 4723
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 6:03 am
Car: '08 Kia Spectra5, '73 AMC Hornet

Post

Cars used to "cruise" at 1500-2000, but also used to redline at 4500-5500. Most cars now redline at no less than 6500, and their cruise speeds have increased accordingly.

The Versa is no different, it's a tad under 3000 at 60 mph in 6th gear.

As a side note, I would ignore what car reviewers say about the Versa's engine being noisy above 4000 rpm. It's still pretty quiet there, and WAY quieter than the Toyota Matrix rental I had.

And now back to the original theme of the thread:

The running of the gearbox is dead silent in my Versa. Shifting gives you a little bit of a "click" noise, but EVERY manual Nissan I have ever driven has made this noise, I simply attribute it to "Nissan-ness". It's really not even that audible if you have the stereo on, even at a relatively low volume.

The noise I DO get on my Versa is wind noise. And there's a lot of it when you get over 60 mph. This will obviously be the same no matter what your transmission is.

User avatar
Paula
Posts: 98
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:55 am
Car: 2007 Versa SL w/convience pkg

Post

I've had my 6MT for a week now, driven it about 200 miles, 90 of that on the interstate. Personally, I don't shift so much by RPM as I do by sound. The speed limit on the 4 lane, somewhat hilly highway into "town" is 45mph. In 6th gear at 45mph, the rpm's are around 2200-2300 and I have no problem getting up the hills. On the interstate, it runs just a little over 3K at 70mph.

My prior experiences (over 10 years ago!) with sticks was 4 and 5 speeds. It's taken, and is still taking, some getting used to the 6 speed. 1st and 3rd are REAL close together. I can tell you from personal experience that the Versa will get going from a dead stop in 3rd gear...... doesn't like it too much, but it will move without stalling.

Paula


Return to “Versa General Chat”