[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Feathergun

1.) I read about synchronizers that help align the speed of the engine and the clutch disk, does the Scion FR-S have such a thing? I've noticed that not Rev matching downshifts are rough, and I've noticed that letting the clutch out slower while downshifting helps smooth it out (although i presume this is just the clutch wearing against the pressure plate and thus translating to increased wear on clutch. Neither me or anyone I know really has ever owned a manual transmission vehicle so I've not had anyone to ask these questions to.

You are spot on. Work on rev-matching your downshifts. If your passenger can't tell when you've engaged the clutch, you're doing it right. That being said, meh, it's just a clutch. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE blows a shift now and then.

2.) Are manual cars such as this that require clutch to be depress before starting able to have some sort of remote start apparatus?

I don't know! That's a good question.

3.) Parking lots. I have a store near my house I visit frequently with nasty short but tall speed bumps I have to break hard enough to almost stall out, so I typically have to depress clutch, break until momentum carries me over, then get back in motion again, how would someone more seasoned handle this scenario and in what gear?

I hate sharp speedbumps. If I approach one while idling along in a parking lot I always step on the clutch and rest my front wheels against it. Then I tap the throttle and feed out just enough clutch to engage and let the engine inertia pull the wheels over. Clutch immediately disengaged after that. Usually I have enough momentum that the rears follow nicely.

Driving smoothly in first gear near idle is particularly challenging in this car. I tend to disengage the clutch at the hint of a lurch. You'll get the hang of it.

4.) I notice clunking sounds when shifting after being in neutral before coming to a complete stop, is that bad? Like when you're breaking coming up to a line of cars and taffic starts moving, you've already downshifted through second gear and have gone into nuetral to finish coming to a stop, now you get back in gear so you shift into second and clunk, car doesn't make the same sound while stationary.

That clunk is normal. In neutral with the clutch engaged the engine is spinning the friction disc, input shaft, and midshaft. When you step on the clutch and pick a gear, the syncro brings all that rotating mass to a screeching halt. If you step on the clutch and wait a couple seconds before engaging a gear, you'll notice no clunk. Why? The input side quit spinning.

5.) When you have to stop quickly, like traffic going down 2 lane road with no center lane suddenly stops to turn left and as you approach they finally turn and traffic takes off again, take the car out of gear into neutral and then guess at which gear to go back into when you can proceed? or do you downshift through the gears as your speed drops while depressing clutch the entire time?

Totally depends on the situation. The proper advice is to encourage you to work on being in the proper gear to respond to any situation as needed. Always rake through the gears even if you don't plan on engaging the clutch. Don't skip gates.

I do occasionally but that's another lesson.

6.) Starting to move: I go into first gear and find smoothest shifts to be near 4k RPM or slightly lower into second. Then keep on the gas in second and then usually in 3rd for like 5 seconds and then shift into 6th. I know people skip gears all the time but is there anything bad about going from 3rd to 6th as long as my timing on RPM drop is accurate?

Yes, it can be bad. Refer back to syncros and their purpose. They are there to provide sliding friction between the input and output sections of the transmission to match speeds before engaging gears. If you accelerate to redline in third gear and step on the clutch sure, you can let the engine RPM drop. While you're still in third gear, how fast is the input side still spinning? (rhetorical) Then you skip fourth and fifth gear syncros and grab a handful of sixth. That's a shitload of heat being dumped straight into one little syncro. Better to rake through fourth and fifth with the clutch still disengaged. Or, pause in neutral to give the input side time to spool down. It will take longer than you think but if you get it right you will feel the target gear drop right in.

7.) Gear shifting, does it get smoother as the shifting mechanism breaks in over time? 3rd seems to be getting easier to move the shifter knob into but its still rough going into 5th and 6th, talking specifically about the clunkyness of the shifting apparatus.

It gets better. The synchros are not effective when they are new. It took mine a good 10,000 miles to really lap into each other nicely.

8.) Slow driving in general, I've heard some people say if they are moving at all they shift into second,when i'm in a small parking lot and approaching stop sign I usually just ride it out in 1st and then coast, but if you have to drive super slow I've noticed 1st gear starts to almost try to engine break and go at the same time, what am I supposed to do?

Clutch is your friend. Work on feathering it. You are noticing the engine switch modes from 100% fuel cut to kicking back alive at, I think, around 1200 RPM. Normal for all modern engines but this one brakes HARD.