Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
11-09-2006, 12:59 AM
#21
I ♥ Acer
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location:
Posts: 609
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
ORIGINAL: wwmost
1-2 i ride the clutch a little. after that i dont really ride the clutch. this is under daily driving. when i want to bash on it. i go wot, clutch in, change gears and then clutch out and RIGHT when the clutch its out go wot. the only reason it is getting jerky when you romp on it is because there is a delay from when the clutch is out to the time when you mash the peddle. get mad at the pedals lol. thats what i do[&:]
1-2 i ride the clutch a little. after that i dont really ride the clutch. this is under daily driving. when i want to bash on it. i go wot, clutch in, change gears and then clutch out and RIGHT when the clutch its out go wot. the only reason it is getting jerky when you romp on it is because there is a delay from when the clutch is out to the time when you mash the peddle. get mad at the pedals lol. thats what i do[&:]
And about the being jerky in 1st gear.. thats another thing I finally got my lil bro over.. its all about letting the clutch out smooth .. and not being timid on the gas.. be smooth yet firm .. and if it starts to jerk and hop .. just push the clutch in .. take it our of gear.. get your self together . .and go again ..
11-09-2006, 01:03 AM
#22
4th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,862
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
Thanks guys; and Alcemez that's a very good point, I guess once I'm fluid with driving "normally" than I will instinctually know where the friction point is on the clutch, rather than giving it gas BEFORE it reaches that point, or waiting too long to give it gas. Then when I learn to drive it hard I basically just have to it quicker. I sort of do that 80% thing where I'll push in the clutch ,shift gear, and then bring it up fast until I reach where I THINK is the friction point, give it gas, hold the clutch there, then slowly release it completely. Again I am very impatient. However I will NOT give up. And if anything I'll just grandma the car until I learn to shifting/clutch like an instinct THEN on to pushing the car harder and faster.
11-09-2006, 09:40 AM
#24
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Posts: 4,083
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
Its funy driving manual is like having a girlfriend. Yesterday after school I was going to the bank and I ****ed something up because I was going from 1st to 2nd and I think I didnt shift it all the way but I still let off the clutch or something therefore made a nasty grind sound. After that I got kinda pissed and Im all like "boo ****in hoo I hate manual blah blah blah" but the next morning (today) I love it again! One day you love it! The next you wanna kill it! 
11-09-2006, 10:16 AM
#25
4th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,862
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
ORIGINAL: axl rose
i've been driving stick for a wheel and the only transition that's hard for me is from neutral to 1st. after that i'm gone.
i've been driving stick for a wheel and the only transition that's hard for me is from neutral to 1st. after that i'm gone.
Matt, hehe totally man. Sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it. Mainly though I wish I learned alot earlier., but I guess ya gotta learn sometime.
11-09-2006, 11:35 AM
#26
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 770
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
it's ok man...I've been driving this car for over 2 weeks and I still will buck the car due to not enough gas pedal...usually when I'm trying to be smooth in stop n go traffic.
11-09-2006, 01:15 PM
#27
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location:
Posts: 95
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
I have been driving stick in my '03 Mach 1 since early August, and I have to say that it does take practice. I threw myself into rush hour traffic to force myself to do it without hesitation, and it worked. It now seems like second nature, and I will never buy another automatic again.
I think of the clutch/accelerator situation as a dance, and you have to work your feet in unison for a smooth shift. As far as how many RPM's you need between gears, that depends on the car and just takes practice. Too few and you stall, too many and you smoke out. I used to guess by the way the car sounds, so I stopped listening to the radio and focused on the revving. Now I watch the tach and I think I have it down to a science. An occasional jerk but no more stalling.
Enjoy your stang.... nothing finer than rear-wheel power.
[IMG]local://upfiles/51863/42F5BBAD498A40D18C428E7E82B28AD1.jpg[/IMG]
I think of the clutch/accelerator situation as a dance, and you have to work your feet in unison for a smooth shift. As far as how many RPM's you need between gears, that depends on the car and just takes practice. Too few and you stall, too many and you smoke out. I used to guess by the way the car sounds, so I stopped listening to the radio and focused on the revving. Now I watch the tach and I think I have it down to a science. An occasional jerk but no more stalling.
Enjoy your stang.... nothing finer than rear-wheel power.
[IMG]local://upfiles/51863/42F5BBAD498A40D18C428E7E82B28AD1.jpg[/IMG]
11-09-2006, 04:22 PM
#28
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 219
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
ORIGINAL: cesar5571
I think of the clutch/accelerator situation as a dance, and you have to work your feet in unison for a smooth shift.
I think of the clutch/accelerator situation as a dance, and you have to work your feet in unison for a smooth shift.
I've been driving stick for 25 years.
One thing I've seen a lot of beginners try to do is leave the heel of their clutch foot on the floor. That is, pivoting their ankle, trying to modulate the clutch with the ball of the foot, while leaving the heel planted on the floor (like you might do for the brake pedal). You HAVE to lift your foot off the floor, so you're using your whole leg to manipulate the clutch. As you get better, you'll start fine tuning the clutch pedal with foot movement, but the major clutch movement comes from your whole leg.
(I suppose that if you have a car with sufficiently short clutch travel, you could shift pretty well just by pivoting your ankle, but I've never driven a car like that, and our Mustangs certainly don't come close.)
11-09-2006, 04:57 PM
#29
I ♥ Acer
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location:
Posts: 609
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
ORIGINAL: langod
I've been driving stick for 25 years.
One thing I've seen a lot of beginners try to do is leave the heel of their clutch foot on the floor. That is, pivoting their ankle, trying to modulate the clutch with the ball of the foot, while leaving the heel planted on the floor (like you might do for the brake pedal). You HAVE to lift your foot off the floor, so you're using your whole leg to manipulate the clutch. As you get better, you'll start fine tuning the clutch pedal with foot movement, but the major clutch movement comes from your whole leg.
(I suppose that if you have a car with sufficiently short clutch travel, you could shift pretty well just by pivoting your ankle, but I've never driven a car like that, and our Mustangs certainly don't come close.)
ORIGINAL: cesar5571
I think of the clutch/accelerator situation as a dance, and you have to work your feet in unison for a smooth shift.
I think of the clutch/accelerator situation as a dance, and you have to work your feet in unison for a smooth shift.
I've been driving stick for 25 years.
One thing I've seen a lot of beginners try to do is leave the heel of their clutch foot on the floor. That is, pivoting their ankle, trying to modulate the clutch with the ball of the foot, while leaving the heel planted on the floor (like you might do for the brake pedal). You HAVE to lift your foot off the floor, so you're using your whole leg to manipulate the clutch. As you get better, you'll start fine tuning the clutch pedal with foot movement, but the major clutch movement comes from your whole leg.
(I suppose that if you have a car with sufficiently short clutch travel, you could shift pretty well just by pivoting your ankle, but I've never driven a car like that, and our Mustangs certainly don't come close.)
11-09-2006, 07:20 PM
#30
4th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,862
RE: Fast/smooth 1-2 shift on a manual tranny
The clutch is very springy. I always use my entire foot/leg to modulate the clutch but it sort of pops out once I reach friction point. Again, maybe it's my driving position or just lack of experience. In any event I won't give up, and thanks for the great advice! I drive the car almost any free time I get, just so I can improve.