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My "trick" for herky jerky city driving (6mt)
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 374
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Can you explain the reason for why it is bad to skip gears (besides the owner manual saying that)? I have heard this before but never got a really good explanation. I have a fairly good understanding of how MT works, it's a purely mechanical system - in which case, skipping gears would not do any damage (as long as you're rev-matching properly). Anyone got the in-depth mechanical answer for this? (Or a good thread to read?) Thanks.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 43
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From: Arlington, VA
Thank you! I knew I wasn't crazy.
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 3,486
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From: Seoul, South Korea
My guide for smooth driving on the 6MT:
When down shifting, rev match.
Up shifting is trickier though, you have to be really quick about getting back on the gas. What makes it jerky, is the on-off due to the drive by wire, and the torque that this motor makes. So, you let off the gas and clutch in simultaneously, select the next gear, let the clutch back out and quickly get back on the gas, with the exact same pedal pressure you had before. If you get on the gas before you let the clutch out, you'll screw it up badly, as your revs will jump up and result in an uncomfortable shift. If you get on the gas too late on the other hand, you will initiate engine braking, causing a weight transfer to the front of the car, which will result in a jolt when you finally do get on the gas, because it'll be a sudden surge of power and a weight transfer to the back of the car.
If you can time the pedal switch at the exact same time, you'll be rewarded with a "perfect" shift. This is a pain to do, imo, because of the annoying laggy drive by wire. I can still do it 90% of the time, but I do get rough shifts the other 10%. I've never had this problem on cars with cable throttle. I'm contemplating getting a Sprint Booster or grounding kit of some sort, because I'm told it helps with the response time of the throttle.
When down shifting, rev match.
Up shifting is trickier though, you have to be really quick about getting back on the gas. What makes it jerky, is the on-off due to the drive by wire, and the torque that this motor makes. So, you let off the gas and clutch in simultaneously, select the next gear, let the clutch back out and quickly get back on the gas, with the exact same pedal pressure you had before. If you get on the gas before you let the clutch out, you'll screw it up badly, as your revs will jump up and result in an uncomfortable shift. If you get on the gas too late on the other hand, you will initiate engine braking, causing a weight transfer to the front of the car, which will result in a jolt when you finally do get on the gas, because it'll be a sudden surge of power and a weight transfer to the back of the car.
If you can time the pedal switch at the exact same time, you'll be rewarded with a "perfect" shift. This is a pain to do, imo, because of the annoying laggy drive by wire. I can still do it 90% of the time, but I do get rough shifts the other 10%. I've never had this problem on cars with cable throttle. I'm contemplating getting a Sprint Booster or grounding kit of some sort, because I'm told it helps with the response time of the throttle.
1500k? Dude you're an idiot.
Needs to be changed at 1000 even, any further can harm the exhaust system and the sunroof. My Dad told me this and he owns a TV repair shop, so he knows what he's talking about.
I'm really perplexed by this - Occam's razor suggests you suck at driving a manual transmission.
You, sir, are an idiot.
u win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The main culprit for the jerky shifting is our engagement point for the clutch. It way to high or to 'late'. By the time the clutches engages, you're foot is already almost off the clutch. So there is only a small amount of travel for you to balance the clutch and the gas.
It is possible to get a smooth shift, but you have to try really really hard. Even after 2 years I still have to try really hard to get it shift smoothly.
On other cars, the engagement point is in the middle. Which makes it easier to balance the clutch and gas. It feels more natural.
Like on a S2k. You don't have try at all. It's just a smooth shift.
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Basically, once you hit the engagement point, you have to slowly release the clutch and not just let go. If you release to early, the car will jerk.
On other cars, the clutch is already fully engage so it's okay to step off the clutch early.
It is possible to get a smooth shift, but you have to try really really hard. Even after 2 years I still have to try really hard to get it shift smoothly.
On other cars, the engagement point is in the middle. Which makes it easier to balance the clutch and gas. It feels more natural.
Like on a S2k. You don't have try at all. It's just a smooth shift.
---------
Basically, once you hit the engagement point, you have to slowly release the clutch and not just let go. If you release to early, the car will jerk.
On other cars, the clutch is already fully engage so it's okay to step off the clutch early.
Hi Everybody,
City driving in my 07 G Coupe can be very rough - I especially noticed the other day with a friend aboard getting jostled around when shifting. So I discovered a new trick that seems to work well for me. I start out in 2nd and shift to 4th around 3000 revs. Makes for very smooth city driving under light/mod accel. Of course if the need arises I can revert to traditional shifting. Yes you have to slip the clutch to start in 2nd but surprisingly doesn't take much to get going and it's very smooth if you do it right... just takes a little practice. Besides, my clutch, at 20k miles, already feels messed up (takes up in different points sometimes and is not progressive) so I don't think it's a big deal since it'll probably fail prematurely anyway. Maybe this will help you if you're having trouble driving smoothly in the city.
Cheers!
James
City driving in my 07 G Coupe can be very rough - I especially noticed the other day with a friend aboard getting jostled around when shifting. So I discovered a new trick that seems to work well for me. I start out in 2nd and shift to 4th around 3000 revs. Makes for very smooth city driving under light/mod accel. Of course if the need arises I can revert to traditional shifting. Yes you have to slip the clutch to start in 2nd but surprisingly doesn't take much to get going and it's very smooth if you do it right... just takes a little practice. Besides, my clutch, at 20k miles, already feels messed up (takes up in different points sometimes and is not progressive) so I don't think it's a big deal since it'll probably fail prematurely anyway. Maybe this will help you if you're having trouble driving smoothly in the city.
Cheers!
James
This guys slips his clutch in 2nd gear, is causing premature wear on his clutch because he can't seem to shift into first and tells us hes found a trick! who are u kidding bud???
Look up REV-MATCHING before you start trying to reinvent the wheel ok...
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 665
Likes: 4
Who needs a clutch for shifting?
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Memphis, TN
The G35 naturally is a jerky-shift car. I've had 3 manual transmission vehicles prior, and I've never had to try so hard to get a smooth shift to where I don't see my girl's head shift forward in my peripheral vision. Even my Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 which has a stiffer clutch wasn't as bad.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 3,530
Likes: 1
From: SoCal
The G35 naturally is a jerky-shift car. I've had 3 manual transmission vehicles prior, and I've never had to try so hard to get a smooth shift to where I don't see my girl's head shift forward in my peripheral vision. Even my Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 which has a stiffer clutch wasn't as bad.