Reverse is kind of hard to get into

[Nevermore]

I feel like this is supposed to be a manual thread, but I have an auto and it always feels like the 'play' in the shifter is a bit more stiff in the morning before I go to work. It's not hard, per say, but it is easier to put it in park when I stop than it is to put it in reverse to get out of my driveway.

[Rayme]

You can try releasing the brake just before putting it in reverse so the car and roll a bit and better align the un-synchronised gears. I don't think I ever had a problem putting it in reverse on mine.

[DanoFA20]

Originally Posted by LIKEABOSS

Have any blow 40 degree temps yet? When it's cold it's hard to shift into reverse.

temps by me are in the mid to low 30s at night when the car is first started its a tad notchy to go into reverse but it goes in and does fine once i drive a few miles the fluid warms up and the gears feel smooth and go right in every time no grindy notchy

only thing ive noticed is the second gear down shift when its cold is kinda tough but again once driven a little its smooth i plan to change the fluid in the diff and trans come spring.

[DanoFA20]

Originally Posted by PabloN

Think there have been posts about this before in cold weather. Here in the Midwest it's been approaching freezing & reverse is just about impossible until the car warms up. I started putting it in reverse when I park in the garage and leaving it there when I start up in the morning. There may be a little more wear on the clutch this way, I don't know...

leaving it in gear will not damage anything. actually a lot of mechanics i know say in cold weather its better to leave it in gear rather than yak up the hand brake since calipers could possibly freeze the hand brake closed if its cold enough but this is a new car shouldnt be an issue no worries leaving it in reverse

[Veloist]

If you're talking about how hard it is to put the stick into reverse (unlocking and putting it in) then I kind of had the same experience.

I had trouble finding the slot because I thought you had to move the stick all the way to the left, so I was forcing mine a bit but it turns out the slot is just in between the end and the first/neutral/second gear slots. It's not all the way to the left. Sometimes you just have to find it but I'm sure you'll get use to it if you take your time to constantly put it in smoothly--then I guess it's just muscle memory from there.

But for me Every time I put it in reverse and it locks into the right, it feels like it's going to pop out or something...

[Brett]

Usually goes right in for me.

If it's a problem of not wanting to go in when cold, you could start backing in everywhere

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by Razz

It's suppose to be notchy

why? curious minds want to know!

[whaap]

Originally Posted by PabloN

Think there have been posts about this before in cold weather. Here in the Midwest it's been approaching freezing & reverse is just about impossible until the car warms up. I started putting it in reverse when I park in the garage and leaving it there when I start up in the morning. There may be a little more wear on the clutch this way, I don't know...

When I pull in the garage at the end of the day I always park it in reverse. It isn't harming a thing as it sets there over night.

[Don Ivey]

Originally Posted by jmaryt

why? curious minds want to know!

+1 That's kind of an interesting statement to make, and then not expand a bit.

[PabloN]

Thanks. All my previous cars I left in gear when parked, but I put them in neutral when starting. My concern with the FR-S in cold weather was that leaving it in reverse while starting the engine might be a little more wear on the clutch than putting it in neutral... or not?

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by Razz

It's suppose to be notchy

I've heard this about "triple cone" synchros, though they are more durable, they are also a little more finicky. But this statement doesn't sit will with me either. It's like saying "they designed it to feel like sh*t." I'm OK with 1st/2nd being stiff and a little notchy when cold, because the transmissions isn't designed to run continuously at very cold temps.

Originally Posted by PabloN

Thanks. All my previous cars I left in gear when parked, but I put them in neutral when starting. My concern with the FR-S in cold weather was that leaving it in reverse while starting the engine might be a little more wear on the clutch than putting it in neutral... or not?

Nope, makes no difference whatsoever. The clutch still engages and disengages the same regardless of what gear is selected. Reverse just uses an idler gear within the transmission to make it spin backwards, the clutch slips in the same direction of rotation as the other gears.