is it ok to slip my clutch often in 2nd gear when my rpm is below 2k?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Hence the reason for a lockout. Maybe some of them don't actually work?

Oh great my car is broke.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Oh great my car is broke.

Psssh, I'm ready to tear mine apart just to remove it. I hate that thing.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Psssh, I'm ready to tear mine apart just to remove it. I hate that thing.

Would love to see the reaction if I took my car in for service and said "oh by the way I can shift into first at pretty much any speed". The red flags that would go up would look like a Chinese, Peoples Day parade.

[RobertPaulson]

Originally Posted by PNW FRS

Last word of advice... one does need to keep the RPMs up on this rig. It doesn't like (do well) with the lower (< 2500) RPMs once you're out of 1st gear (dead stop). Between 3K and 5.5K is a great place to be... just watch for for radargun-toting LEOs.

Good luck!

I disagree entirely with this, the car is perfectly happy between 1500-3000 rpm for daily driving. In traffic i can even leave the car in second, 0 input on the gas and i'll just roll around at about 8mph at 800 rpm. my car spends the majority of her time cruising around between 2000-3000 rpm and see's about 4-5 wot redline runs per day. when you're in the lower rpm you just can't stomp on the gas and expect it to go, you need to roll on the gas as you climb the rpm range.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Would love to see the reaction if I took my car in for service and said "oh by the way I can shift into first at pretty much any speed". The red flags that would go up would look like a Chinese, Peoples Day parade.

Ok, for science, while I was on my lunch run I decided to throw caution to the wind. Lo and behold, I was able to get into first above 20 MPH! It wasn't easy. I had to shove the piss out of it but eventually I could hear the syncro rings engage and it sounded like a turbo spooling up.

So, I guess when I say "can't get it into gear above a walking speed" I mean I can't do it without going beyond my comfort level. The lockout/restrictor can be defeated but at what cost? I'll stick with being gentle and save the aggressive shifts for the occasional track day.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by RobertPaulson

I disagree entirely with this, the car is perfectly happy between 1500-3000 rpm for daily driving. In traffic i can even leave the car in second, 0 input on the gas and i'll just roll around at about 8mph at 800 rpm. my car spends the majority of her time cruising around between 2000-3000 rpm and see's about 4-5 wot redline runs per day. when you're in the lower rpm you just can't stomp on the gas and expect it to go, you need to roll on the gas as you climb the rpm range.

I do the same in traffic on level ground in first and second. Like you say, the trick is to ease into the throttle until about 2K. If it starts chattering, back off or downshift.

[Talus1]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Ok, for science, while I was on my lunch run I decided to throw caution to the wind. Lo and behold, I was able to get into first above 20 MPH! It wasn't easy. I had to shove the piss out of it but eventually I could hear the syncro rings engage and it sounded like a turbo spooling up.

So, I guess when I say "can't get it into gear above a walking speed" I mean I can't do it without going beyond my comfort level. The lockout/restrictor can be defeated but at what cost? I'll stick with being gentle and save the aggressive shifts for the occasional track day.

I found myself downshifting into 1st this morning on the way into the parking lot at work, at about 10kph/6mph. I had the clutch in for a few seconds before pushing the stick forward. I must do this everyday without noticing. So then I tried it deliberately at about 25kph/15mph, with a throttle blip but not double clutching. Sweet and smooth. I've always owned manuals and some of them were more comfortable than others doing a 2-1 downshift. I'd say the BRZ was at the "easy" end, probably because it responds quickly to the throttle blip. Not sure I'd try it before the transmission was warm, though. The 1-2 up shift and 3-2 downshift are balky enough when cold!

[Tromatic]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I do the same in traffic on level ground in first and second. Like you say, the trick is to ease into the throttle until about 2K. If it starts chattering, back off or downshift.

How odd, I was saying the very same thing.

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

No, Trom. It's impossible to shift into first gear above 4-ish MPH without double-clutching into it. But you wouldn't know that because you have the auto.

I HAVE the auto. I have DRIVEN an MT, and for some reason I had no issues. Perhaps Tcoat had driven it and broken it. Or I did. Regardless, it's not that hard. Score one for the auto, as I can hit first at any speed that won't overrev the engine.

Originally Posted by Talus1

So then I tried it deliberately at about 25kph/15mph, with a throttle blip but not double clutching. Sweet and smooth. I've always owned manuals and some of them were more comfortable than others doing a 2-1 downshift. I'd say the BRZ was at the "easy" end, probably because it responds quickly to the throttle blip. Not sure I'd try it before the transmission was warm, though. The 1-2 up shift and 3-2 downshift are balky enough when cold!

My experience as well.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by awhatzable

Im in 2nd gear... and im not moving slow enough to down shift to 1st gear!!

An experience with which I can identify, OP feels a significant difference between the effort required to force it into first versus effort required to upshift/downshift normally.

I use my fingertips to shift. At 5 MPH the force required to downshift into first is about twice that of any other single-gear downshift. Any more force I would consider to be in the range of hamfisting the gearbox.

Originally Posted by Tromatic

OP, post mileage when you need a new clutch.

Originally Posted by Tromatic

Well, if you are at 2K in second and lugging, shifting to first would put you at approx 3200. Shift the thing, that's why the lever is there. The source of this issue is you, nothing else. Why abuse the drivetrain when you don't have to?

Originally Posted by awhatzable

You can't down shift from 2>1 at 2000 rpm in 2nd gear.

Originally Posted by Tromatic

In a MT?

Originally Posted by awhatzable

MY engine chatters even with a light foot especially if its around 12mph. Is the chatter sound normal ?

Originally Posted by awhatzable

Really ??? even if I'm going uphill with passengers ? I'm noob sorry

Originally Posted by awhatzable

Sometimes I can't slow down to down shift to first because of traffic behind me and its unnecessary to slow all the way down ahead.. I can't be slowing down to first gear at every turn especially round abouts that I can just enter without the need to give way to anyone.


Does your car make noise from 1500-2000 in 2nd gear when feathering the gas ? If so, Do you drive it with the noise or do you slip your clutch ?

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I do the same in traffic on level ground in first and second. Like you say, the trick is to ease into the throttle until about 2K. If it starts chattering, back off or downshift.

Originally Posted by Tromatic

How odd, I was saying the very same thing.

No, I don't believe that you were. While we were both suggesting downshifting, you did not address OP's concern over the excessive force required to get into first at 15MPH/2000RPM.

Well, you kind of did by flinging some poo at him. I chose a different approach.

[awhatzable]

ok I found a video from another topic but it has the sound I'm talking about. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUGoW08Xd6o"]Knocking Sound near rear of FR-S - YouTube[/ame]

You can hear it when he accelerates at 00:03-00:04 Is that sound normal because I can't avoid it in 2nd gear especially when turning slowly and carefully during rain but not slow enough to downshift to first...or in crappy traffic sometimes.

[Ultramaroon]

The main message of this thread is that there are many options.

It's ok to feather the throttle and accelerate out of idle, just not uphill...

...which means there's quite a bit of overlap in the choice of using either first or second gear.

It's ok to jam it into first below 16 Km/h-ish.

It's better to double-clutch it into first. (IMHO)

It's NOT ok to drag the clutch as a standard practice.

It's NOT ok to take a big stab at the throttle right out of idle but occasional gearbox chatter is no big deal.

[3nl]

If you are over 900-1100 rpm in second, you will be fine as long as you aren't slamming on the gas. That is around 7-8mph and if you need power, you should be able to easily shift into first. It shouldn't lug in second unless you are at like 600 RPM and are hammering the gas.

The only time I "slip" the clutch for more than a second or so is in reverse inside my tiny parking garage.

Also, if you are in second and even at 2000-3000 RPM, you most certainly aren't going too fast to shift into first - it'll be hard on the synchros if you don't blip the throttle before sliding it into first, but it should go silky smooth if you are even remotely close to the correct RPMs. 1st at redline is about 35mph...

[3nl]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

It's ok to jam it into first below 16 Km/h-ish.

Why do you need to "jam" it into first at all? It should be butter smooth if you bring up your RPMs before trying to slide it from N to 1.

As long as you are matching the shaft speeds before slotting into gear, you should be able to get into first way up in the powerband - how else would the car handle extra low speed turns on the track or in autox if you had to stay in 2nd down to 10mph?

[Koa]

Originally Posted by Toyarzee

.... when you're comfortable with stick you'll find the feel and forget about such minutiae. I'm in second gear.....

CHARIZARD DROPPIN THEM MONS DICTION!

MINUTIAE! LOVE IT