Best Manual transmission driving techniques?

[M-17]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[rawbz]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

You're still meshing the synchros and accelerating or decelerating the input shaft and clutch disk to match the output shaft.

So even double clutching doesn't achieve this right? I should be running through the gears regardless of how I shift with the clutch down?

My issue is that I feel I can only do one from like 5th to 3rd so would double clutching or running through the years with the clutch down be more beneficial

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by Pekingduck

1. it is not bad to skip gears as long as you don't over mechanical over rev the motor.

2. I never really double clutch any of the gears, but sometimes I do for 1st when rapidly down shifting from multiple gears, or going to reverse I might double clutch for that.

Great post, I just want to add one thing for the newbies...

Learn rev-matching downshifts in the higher gears and then work your way down. It's easier to get a feel for matching revs from 5th to 4th, for instance, than it is from 2nd to 1st. Downshifting into first gear is hard to master, it's not common in daily driving, and it's usually only used in pretty aggressive maneuvers. So don't focus on it as your first skill, and you'll save yourself a bunch of frustration.

[315FR-S]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

Great post, I just want to add one thing for the newbies...

Learn rev-matching downshifts in the higher gears and then work your way down. It's easier to get a feel for matching revs from 5th to 4th, for instance, than it is from 2nd to 1st. Downshifting into first gear is hard to master, it's not common in daily driving, and it's usually only used in pretty aggressive maneuvers. So don't focus on it as your first skill, and you'll save yourself a bunch of frustration.

good advice!

[M-17]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

Great post, I just want to add one thing for the newbies...

Learn rev-matching downshifts in the higher gears and then work your way down. It's easier to get a feel for matching revs from 5th to 4th, for instance, than it is from 2nd to 1st. Downshifting into first gear is hard to master, it's not common in daily driving, and it's usually only used in pretty aggressive maneuvers. So don't focus on it as your first skill, and you'll save yourself a bunch of frustration.

Good to know, as the last time I recall in my head, I had some difficulty downshifting and I do like to be a perfectionist so that was definitely one thing that bothered me years ago.

[TheRipler]

Rev matching is used to match the input shaft speed to the gear you are selecting, to reduce driveline shock.
Double clutch will match the speed of the intermediate shaft to the gear you select, to reduce load on the synchros.

If well rehearsed, double clutch and rev match should take about the same amount of time.

[bestwheelbase]

Rev-matching is the key. Anybody can snick the lever into a lower gear and draaaaaag the clutch. Those who are serious about car control will learn what their car needs to match revs and be back in-gear quickly and smoothly.

But when you're just starting out (or returning from driving an auto) it's not about speed. The important thing is that you get in to a rhythm. Review the steps in your head, then go out and practice on empty country roads. First thing I would do is learn to maintain a steady speed and move between gears 3/4/5/6. This will help you become familiar with the difference in revs at a constant road speed and later it will be more natural when you add in changes in speed (downshifting under braking, as an example).

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Scion FR-S

So you rev-match. Problem solved.

In that quote I was talking about up-shifting and why the S2000 says not to skip gears. In that instance it's more about letting the engine settle between gears rather than rev matching which usually implies adding rpms.

[Sport-Tech]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

In that quote I was talking about up-shifting and why the S2000 says not to skip gears. In that instance it's more about letting the engine settle between gears rather than rev matching which usually implies adding rpms.

Yeah, thanks, I followed up on the S2000 link above and read a few threads there, learned a great deal, as you say there is more to it than engine/driveline rev-matching to consider. Double-clutching if skipping upshift gears from now on to save those synchros.

BTW does anyone know the synchro specs for the twins? I heard somewhere there are triple synchros on 1-3 inclusive, don't know about the other gears though. It may be in another thread but there is only so much time lol.

[Capt Canuck]

^There was this article on the transmissions last month:
http://kaizenfactor.wordpress.com/20...n-or-is-scion/
The "Paul Williamsen sets the record straight" has some details and at least provides official nomenclature for more googling

[SVTSHC]

As said earlier gear skipping can mess with the way the syncros mesh in certain transmissions. Find out before you make a habit of it.

Double clutching isn't necessary these days; rev matching however is great for preserving clutch life and providing smooth engagement into lower gears. I do it more often than not.