Still in the honeymoon stage with my 7.2 GT3 and am absolutely loving every mile. The car had about 4800 miles when I took delivery last week.

The only thing I'm a bit concerned about is shifting. I know that the clutch and gearbox are designed to provide direct, positive driver feedback, hence the notchiness. I've noticed however that there seems to be a slight metallic "grind" when shifting rapidly (more from 1st to 2nd, but also exists when shifting from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th but to a lesser extent). Not sure if this is normal for the GT3. I don't mind the notchiness (actually prefer it over smooth, effortless shifting), but it's the slight grind that bothers me. I know some of the reviews mention that the shifting should improve over time -- just not sure if they're referring to a couple hundred miles, or several thousand. It just doesn't seem to make "clean" shifts unless I treat it ever so gingerly -- which to me seems almost oxymoronic.

Appreciate any comments/feedback from other .2 GT3 afficionados out there. I'm hoping that this is a normal characteristic of the car, and not a defect. Many thanks in advance.

 

"They all do that."

Yeah, seriously... this is a weakness of the car. The bushings (?) are plastic and they tend to wear and fail under heavy loads (high corner speeds, especially on track). Lots of guys change out the linkage for the beefier ones on the cups.

 

grinding - like you hear gears grinding?

 

When the oil in the gearbox is cold, yes, the gears would grind if shifted rapidly. I've learned to avoid this by slowing down my shifting. When fully warmed up, it doesn't literally "grind" but still has a metallic feel to it. Is this normal? Thx.

 

That's what I was hoping to hear (that they all do that). However, hard to imagine my bushings are already worn out at 4800 miles. I'll do a search on that linkage upgrade. Thanks.

 

cold - normal
do as you are doing... just slow down the shifting when cold to avoid that

if you feel/hear grinding when the car is warm I would have it checked out by having a tech ride with you to help you pin point what you are feeling

that being said in my mind there is a difference between shifting fast and shifting directly if that makes any sense at all... shifting directly or deliberately instead of shifting "fast" will usually rectify the issue. tough to explain in writing... be direct and deliberate with the shift action as opposed to fast... it may feel slower but is not...

I know that sounds weird but think of the words direct and deliberate while shifting and it will come together :-)

when warm you should not feel/hear grinding

 

Great response -- I think I get your point on shifting deliberately versus fast/quickly. Deliberately as in "slamming the shifter directly in to the gates" like when power shifting?

 

no no no :-)

nothing slamming or power shifting like

think of a rifle bolt - precise and direct
you should not have to force/slam/etc... firm grip on shifter, direct shift, release...

no power shifting or slamming

check some 996 cup car in car videos - smooth and direct

if you are moving to quickly you very well could be grinding

a precision instrument...

relaxed without being lazy or sloppy

 

SLOW down.
the slower you shift, the smoother if feel and the faster you will be.

 

Ok -- I'll give that a try. Unfortunately, we're burried under 27" of snow so it will be a while before the GT3 leaves the garage.
I appreciate your feedback -- truly educational for a p-car newbie.

 

I've now got about 2900 miles on the RS, and once warmed up hear no noises whatsoever from any of the gear changes. I'd say at best 1->2 until warm takes a tad more effort, but still, zero noises to be heard. Every shift is very precise. (The person previous described it as a rifle bolt move..........I'd agree).

I'd go so far as to say whether cold or warm.........no noises at all. (meaning grinding gear noises of any type)

 

Thanks for the feedback!

 

it does that when cold.you have to drive the car hard,(literally drive like a maniac on the street i mean) to warm up the gear box of this car,after that it really smooths out the gear change and i dont feel the grinding at all which i still do everytime when the gbox is cold(esp 1-2shift).also shifting effort is reduced a lot, and i really enjoy the shifting when that happens.

ps once i had the car standing for a long time,after i drove it i got a lot of grinding noise and notchiness from the gearchanges not like the normal notchiness(or grinding) i got from a cold gear box. Thank God after driving a few more miles its back to normal now.

 

100%, forced shifting forces your whole body to be out of zen...

 

So I guess it's normal for these cars to have some degree of notchiness/grinding, particularly when the gearbox is cold. A gearbox filled with 75W-90 gear oil when cold, e.g., below freezing temps, would have very little lubricating properties.

My car was sitting at a lot in PA (temps in the low 30s) when I took delivery. Since the dealership was along a main highway, I had to get the car up to speed quickly. Definitely experienced grinding during the first several miles.