Please help me with my shifting...
 

I have had my car for 9 months now. I have driven another manual car before (admittedly nothing with this much power), but I just can't shift properly on this car for the life of me. As a result, I can't enjoy the car as much I would like. Don't get me wrong, I would not want an AT, I just want to be able to use this MT properly.

For example, (lets just ignore for a moment that starting the car from standing still smoothly is hard enough) I get going in first gear, hit about say 5000 RPM. So at this point:

The clutch is fully up of course, the gas pedal is partially pressed down, I do this:

Lift my foot completely off the gas and toward the end press the clutch down. Why does my RPM go up momentarily? Anyhow, then I shift, and now the gas pedal is all the way up, the clutch is pressed and I try to slowly release the clutch (no gas), and I still feel a bump! WHY GOD WHY! As a result, I bump forward and then I slow down a lot, anyhow... Please give me exact step by step instructions. I would really appreciate t.

you need to give it throttle when you let the clutch up to give you a smooth engagement. if you notice, put the car in neutral and just free rev a small bit, try and notice the small dead spot at the very beginning of the gas pedal push. Use that dead spot to your advantage for smooth shifts. you can do this in any car.

Get on the gas sooner and don't let the rpm's drop... do you have SRM on?
Too bad your on the Milky Way, otherwise I would have offered to take you for a spin....

Seriously, find somebody that can drive a manual and have him show you, don't try and find the answer on a forum. Worst case, go to a driving school and ask for an hour lesson with an instructor

:iagree:

And the RPMs rise a bit after letting off because of the mass of the flywheel.

I'm not an expert at 6MT but from 1 to 2, I typically don't shift at 5k RPM but usually more like 3-4k. I also give it some gas while releasing the clutch and I don't get that bump. Here's my shifting process:

Let go of the gas, press down the clutch, shift into 2nd, then slowly let out the clutch while giving it some gas. Once I feel the car react to the gas pedal, I let off the clutch completely. I try to make the transition as smooth as possible. This is typically how I do it for all gears but the higher gears don't require you to release the clutch as slow. Also it's the SRM that makes the RPM go up momentarily as it tries to match the revs.

Most gears are relatively smooth except every now and then though when I feel the car buckle a little from 1st to 2nd, I just give it some more gas and it smooths out.

Not sure if this is all correct or not so if someone sees that I'm doing something wrong let me know. I essentially taught myself how to drive stick 5 years ago on a different car so all this is just my experience with it.

Thanks a lot for all your advice guys... It is just driving me crazy! Anyone in NJ/NY area who drives a manual?

you're not alone, i used to get frustrated with this before and there are other topics on this issue. Some people say to shift at a higher rpm maybe from 3k-4k or just turn srm off. Normally if i want a guaranteed smooth shift i just shift slower at low rpms going from 1st to 2nd gear. just have to be gentle and not shift like your racing. This is my first manual car so please don't flame me if im wrong. If you pay attention to the gauges that thump/jerk is when you let go of the clutch too fast without putting enough gas and the srm drops the rpm to the correct range. All in all, just shift at a lower rpm from 1st to 2nd, hope this helps.

even at wot i engage pretty gently while applying slight throttle. you have to just learn the timing (duration of pause while the rpm drops momentarily).

as for taking off from stand still try reving a tad higher before you engage and let out the clutch a tad slower.

wear the same shoes until you get the hang of it too... GL! :p

Yes excellent advice, go pay a few dollars and get professional one on one help.

Drives: Mazda mx5 2007 6sp <= FAIL! :icon17: ;)

Hey Hugoneus, I remember you're in the NJ area; whereabout? Actually, just PM me bro.

Haha so much win; two weeks ago this really old-looking dude (probably in his mid-60s to 70s?) pulled up next to me on the highway in his MX-5, glanced over, then threw up the shocker (seriously) while revving his engine.

This is my first manual car that I have owned, but kind of learned the ropes on 600whp EVOs and STis with race clutches and I found this car was just as hard if not harder than those to get shifting down. The real tricky area is the 1-2 shift as you have to simply take your time and time the shift. This comes with practice which means you just have to drive.

The reason why your RPMs seem to jump slightly when you push in the clutch pedal is because your foot must still be on the gas as you disengage. When you release the gas for a shift, don't take your foot completely off but rather keep touching the gas, depress the clutch, select the next gear and gently touch the throttle a bit then let the clutch out gradually. It takes some time to get acclimated to this car, more than most but you will get it!

In the spring, a lot of SCCA clubs put on a driver school to teach novice racers about their limits and the cars limits before the autocross season starts. This would not only be a great place to get shifting tips but also braking and handling tips in a safe, controlled environment. Great way to spend the day and a few bucks... even for experienced drivers.

I know this may be a bit irrelevant, but is it really true that the 7 sp is faster than the 6 sp mt?