Manual driving method

[df.dima]

Originally Posted by encity5

I've also tried using my hand twisted so the back of my hand would be facing me and I would just push up to the right, this ways goes pretty smooth and fast for me but gotta get use to the hand position.

I had this same issue first. This is exactly how I do it and by now I'm almost always on point. Its a kind of move like you'd put your palm to someones face and push them away . Just doing it in diagonal direction away from you with the shifter.
On the other hand 5-6 gives me way too much time while dropping in rpms...

[Razor]

For shifting from 4th to 5th I have found that the hand position ( the back of it facing me ) simplifies things tremendoulsly. I keep the same hand position from 5th to 6th and when upshifting. The sweet spot in this car is between 3500 and 5000 RPM , so I only down shift to 4th when I am at cruising speed.

[Vladror]

Originally Posted by enjoi23

obviously you have more experience with the manual transmission than me, but I was always taught that switching from 6 to 3rd is dangerous, well that switching gears in general was dangerous. Does it damage the transmission at all or..?

why would shifting gears be dangerous?
Shifting down is maybe dangerous if you don't take your foot off the gas cause the car will lunge forward if you don't.
Shifting gears can be dangerous if you do it at speed in corners, b/c while you press the clutch you take the power of the wheels which can make the car behave unpredictably. as a rule of thumb, ALWAYS have the car in the appropriate gear BEFORE you hit the corner. don't shift when you're hitting maximum Gs at the apex of the corner.

when going downhill, shifting into lower gear is a good way to slow the car down without having to break all the time. it prevents your brakes from overheating and it also assures that you have power on the wheels at all time to control the car better.

from the comments here so far, i feel i also need to point out that heel and toe driving is NOT right for day to day driving, it's a trick that racing drivers use but especially if you come from an automatic car, don't even try it and keep your right foot EITHER on the gas or on the brake, not on both at the same time. your left foot is only used on the clutch...

[enjoi23]

Originally Posted by Vladror

why would shifting gears be dangerous?
Shifting down is maybe dangerous if you don't take your foot off the gas cause the car will lunge forward if you don't.
Shifting gears can be dangerous if you do it at speed in corners, b/c while you press the clutch you take the power of the wheels which can make the car behave unpredictably. as a rule of thumb, ALWAYS have the car in the appropriate gear BEFORE you hit the corner. don't shift when you're hitting maximum Gs at the apex of the corner.
from the comments here so far, i feel i also need to point out that heel and toe driving is NOT right for day to day driving, it's a trick that racing drivers use but especially if you come from an automatic car, don't even try it and keep your right foot EITHER on the gas or on the brake, not on both at the same time. your left foot is only used on the clutch...

well the person who taught me says it grind the gears too hard and after awile it could really take a toll on the car. also when I drove standard when learning, I accidentally went from 6 to 4th before and the car tremendously slowed down and I know that's a given because I downshifted but it didnt feel too healthy on the cars part

[fiveoneoh]

Originally Posted by encity5

I think he's asking how to not take so long, and we aren't always racing so there are times you'd want to shift in lower rpms, the economy shift light comes on at around 2k anyway when in 4th

dude,what? there is a light that tells you when to shift? I don't recall seeing it when I test drove a MT. how annoying,it's like a saturn! please clarify!

[Vladror]

Originally Posted by enjoi23

well the person who taught me says it grind the gears too hard and after awile it could really take a toll on the car. also when I drove standard when learning, I accidentally went from 6 to 4th before and the car tremendously slowed down and I know that's a given because I downshifted but it didnt feel too healthy on the cars part

well yes if you skip gears, you need to compensate with the throttle or brakes to reduce the difference in RPMs, you shouldn't go from 7000 RPM to 2000 (or vice versa) without easing the transition but if you don't skip gears ever, you will find yourself in situations where you're unable to respond to what's happening on the road.

for instance, you're cruising in 6th at 2000 RPMs and something happens in front of you that requires you to get the hell out of the way. If you just slam the brakes, the car will stall eventually. if you brake and clutch without shifting gear the car won't move when you put you'r foot back on the gas (or might even stall). If you brake, clutch and shift down a few gears all at the same time, you'll have the car at the right RPM to move out of the way.

[Realm]

First thing I did was turn my gear indicator/shifting light on... I can't remember exactly how, but you hold the "odo" button down (make sure you leave the engine OFF, just activate your senors).

Edit: here is how I figured it out by another poster: "To get the G-Off/On, you have to hit the ODO button when the car is off but the key is in the ACC position."

Also, am I the only person who does not down shift? I like to keep strain off the transmission and just take it out of gear before a stop. Breaks are cheaper than transmission parts

[Mochikomi]

The danger in large downshifts is manually over-revving the engine. That *is* dangerous. If you shift down to a gear that is past redline for the speed you are travelling, the rev limiter can do nothing to prevent severe engine damage.

On double-clutching: If you're doing a skip shift in either direction, double clutching is useful to make the shift easier and have less wear on the synchros. It's not necessary, but it has it's place.

[enjoi23]

Originally Posted by Vladror

well yes if you skip gears, you need to compensate with the throttle or brakes to reduce the difference in RPMs, you shouldn't go from 7000 RPM to 2000 (or vice versa) without easing the transition but if you don't skip gears ever, you will find yourself in situations where you're unable to respond to what's happening on the road.

for instance, you're cruising in 6th at 2000 RPMs and something happens in front of you that requires you to get the hell out of the way. If you just slam the brakes, the car will stall eventually. if you brake and clutch without shifting gear the car won't move when you put you'r foot back on the gas (or might even stall). If you brake, clutch and shift down a few gears all at the same time, you'll have the car at the right RPM to move out of the way.

ah, I understand your meaning now. Thanks!

[ToxicSneakers]

Hmmm... I learned to crash-box (non-synchro) shift (without use of the clutch at all) road racing (track). I now have the AT with auto-rev matching and it's like old times - but much more quiet. Anyone driving the MT clutchless?

[Vladror]

Originally Posted by Realm

Also, am I the only person who does not down shift? I like to keep strain off the transmission and just take it out of gear before a stop. Breaks are cheaper than transmission parts

spoken like a true AT driver
seriously though, ideally you keep the car in a state that enables it to respond to the throttle if necessary. that means at whatever speed you're going, your gear should correspond with the situation (speed/context) you're in. So even if you're braking and keeping your foot on the clutch, shift down through the gears as you decelerate. It doesn't put any strain on the transmission whatsoever but it does mean if something unexpected happens you have power at your disposal immediately without having to shift into the right gear first.

[ST185RC]

Originally Posted by fiveoneoh

dude,what? there is a light that tells you when to shift? I don't recall seeing it when I test drove a MT. how annoying,it's like a saturn! please clarify!

There are tutorials on youtube that shows you how you can set the shift light and beeps at an RPM of your choosing.

You have to scroll through the dash options with the display button below the odo button on your dash. change it to REV and press the display button to choose to set it. Hold down on the first digit to scroll through how many RPMs you want before the shift light and beep comes on. You can also turn off the beep and only have the shift light.

The coold thing is that when you turn on the car, the tach sweeps to the preset RPM warning.

[Realm]

Originally Posted by Vladror

spoken like a true AT driver
seriously though, ideally you keep the car in a state that enables it to respond to the throttle if necessary. that means at whatever speed you're going, your gear should correspond with the situation (speed/context) you're in. So even if you're braking and keeping your foot on the clutch, shift down through the gears as you decelerate. It doesn't put any strain on the transmission whatsoever but it does mean if something unexpected happens you have power at your disposal immediately without having to shift into the right gear first.

"AT driver"? Automatic Transmission? I've never owned one before... are you saying you're supposed to downshift in a manual transmission to decelerate? If so, I guess I have been driving wrong for the past 19 years I always thought it would ease unecessary strain on the gears. Same as how I always engage the clutch even to take the vehicle out of gear... I dunno

[encity5]

Originally Posted by fiveoneoh

dude,what? there is a light that tells you when to shift? I don't recall seeing it when I test drove a MT. how annoying,it's like a saturn! please clarify!

There's a programmable shift light and an economy shift light/arrow next to the gear indicator