mlager8

So I've had my 2010GT about 2 weeks now and it's the first manual I've ever had or even driven. It's pretty safe to say my shifting skills are still pretty infantile. My question is this;
What speed and rpm's do you shift from 1st to second for a smooth transition?
I have no problem smoothly shifting from 2nd to 3rd and up, but 1st to 2nd is eluding me. I've been trying to shift at around 2500 rpm's or even a little higher to compensate for 2nd but I always get a kick and thud, sometimes a little buck. The only way I can get this smooth is to let out my clutch a little slow but I dont wanna put excessive wear on the clutch like that.

On a separate note is the stock shifter spring loaded for 2nd to 3rd? I just need to push straight up from 2nd and it will pop over and go right into third. I have no idea if the previous owned switched out the stock shifter or not. There is also a roush **** on the shifter but that really dosent mean anything except that me may of just switched the ****.

highline

well...Practice (you won't hurt the car/trans)...spring loaded, I'd believe so...PICS of shifter to see if factory or not...

GTjoe49

You're right, 2 weeks makes you a noob..lol

But soon you will be a pro. Both up and down shifting, especially in the lower gears is all about rev matching. If you let the engines rpm's slip too low while you are clutching and making the 1st to 2nd shift at any rpm, you will get kicking and thumping. Try bliping the throttle just a tad while you are rowing the gears. I trick I showed my son was to do a "double clutch" while upshifting. It goes something like this: accelerate in 1st to about 2500 rpm, engage clutch, go to neutral, lift clutch, blip throttle, engage clutch, shift to 2nd, lift clutch. The whole process should take 1 -2 seconds tops. If you do it right, you will notice very smooth shifting.

Once you master that, and you will, we will talk about heel and toeing, grasshopper....

good luck, and keep at it!

highline

^^^this....good advice^^^

mlager8

heh thanks Joe, I've heard of double clutching but never tried it, I'll have to do so later on tonight. The explanation is very helpful.
Also highline I will take a pic as soon I get home from work... I cant beleive it's only 9am

Young_Gun

Hey, I've also only been driving stick for 2 weeks! There is no RPM for a smooth shift, its all in how you work the clutch and throttle! I can race and shift at redline and you won't notice any jerk at all!

Give it a bit, you'll be shifting like a regular gear grinder (Ref Smoky and The Bandit) before long

Now - as for being stopped on a hill with a soccer mom riding your rear end... I still haven't mastered that, and burned a lot of rubber in the process. I usually roll back a bit to warn them, and some of them back off a bit, but others are totally oblivious.

Random note - if I were ever to be in a position to write a drivers ed course, driving stick shift would be part of the curriculum - and when I have kids I will teach them to drive stick myself. I believe its very important to know how to drive a manual transmission

6-Speed

Double-clutching is a good technique when down-shifting for rev-matching to a smooth transition; I never use it when up-shifting though.

Derf00

+1 Double-clutching is not the norm for upshifting when you're trying to accelerate.

ulrichw

This. Double-clutching on downshifts is overkill, but when on the track or generally downshifting at high rpms, can help save the synchros. Double-clutching on upshifts is total overkill in a passenger car.

The main thing you need to do is make sure that you're rev-matching.

What you'll find is that you will often want to start feeding in a little bit of throttle *before* you engage the clutch. How much depends on the difference in gear ratios and the speed the engine is going. In general, the higher the revs, the more they will drop before you can engage the next gear, and therefore the more throttle you have to apply as you're engaging the clutch.

Work on it a bit and you'll get a feel for it. Every manual car you'll drive will be slightly different, but all it takes is getting used to it, and you'll be shifting smoothly in all gears in no time.

TheYeti

yeah I think one of the most important steps of driving a manual is rev matching. Takes some time to master but makes shifting so much better.

Might be me, but everytime I hear about double clutching now, I just think of Fast and Furious......