New MT Driver - Possible damage and ?'s

[e_cc]

Hi guys. Love the forum! Been lurking and have compiled a few questions and concerns I'd like to run by you.

Bought a BRZ with 7k miles on in about 1 month ago having no clue how to drive MT. I'm afraid I may have beat it up a lot because the first 2 weeks I was horrible (and terrified) when driving (shifting/etc). I must have stalled and shifted horribly dozens and dozens of times. The car was certified and I have the Gold+ warranty.

Possible issues:
- In first gear, from time-to-time the car will jerk back and forth. I noticed it the other day at about 15mph.
- Pretty loud in 3rd and 4th - though this sounds like it may be normal based on other threads.
- Possibly other things out of whack that I'm too inexperienced to even realize?

Is it worth having it looked at? Anything I should say/ask in particular if I do have it looked at? My concern is that I am so new that I may not know if I have damaged it or not.

One last question as I don't want to start a separate thread: When cruising 65mph in 6th gear and needing to quickly shoot up to 80mph... how the hell do I get the power? I read about blipping/downshifting/rev matching.. what gear would I go down to? I noticed in 6th gear, I can barely move the RPM needle at all no matter how much I floor it.

[e_cc]

Originally Posted by Marchy

1, don't just drive around in 1st gear, once you are rolling, get into second gear, you won't notice the jerking as much. Also if you go on the gas and then just let off real fast, you might get some jerking.

2. describe loud in 3rd or 4th gear?

3. if you are in 6th and need to get up to speed, down shift to 4th, rev match, and go. practice makes perfect and don't rush it either. Smooth precise movements will result in a smooth precise ride.

Thank you for the reply!

1 - Noted.

2 - Loud as in it sort of sounds like I am revving up when I am not.. like maybe I am at 5k instead of 3.5k rpm. I have read that this type of engine is generally loud so that may be it? It's just that 3rd and 4th are much noisier than the rest of the gears.

3 - I am afraid of going from 6th to 4th because of losing car control.. any danger there? Or is my biggest concern making it smooth? I will read up further on rev matching.

Would you recommend taking it to the dealer to look at knowing I was pretty rough on it for the first few weeks?

[zc06_kisstherain]

1. maybe you let go of clutch too quick. time to time, you'll learn clutch engagmenet point where you need to off so get used to it and learn the vehicle.
2. is this your first sporty car? we don't know how loud is loud based on your judgement. for me, BRZ is the quiestest vehicle i owned.
3. as long as you don't burn clutch you should be fine.

last one: i don't know you ever reached Rev limiter on this car like around 7300~ 7400RPM. each gear has its maximum speed that can obtained. let say 4th gear can get speed up to 100mph @ 7400RPM. you are crusing at 65mph @ around 3000 - 4000 RPM (this is just my assumption) you downshift to appropiate gear to put into higher RPM to speed up. (like Marchy mentioned)

I suck at explaining but you get to the point. just drive a lot and and you'll eventually understand car later.

anyway, congrat on new car and welcome to the forum. don't wreck it. don't speed on public road. lol

[OrbitalEllipses]

Stop worrying and drive. When in doubt, clutch in.

[e_cc]

Originally Posted by zc06_kisstherain

1. maybe you let go of clutch too quick. time to time, you'll learn clutch engagmenet point where you need to off so get used to it and learn the vehicle.
2. is this your first sporty car? we don't know how loud is loud based on your judgement. for me, BRZ is the quiestest vehicle i owned.
3. as long as you don't burn clutch you should be fine.

last one: i don't know you ever reached Rev limiter on this car like around 7300~ 7400RPM. each gear has its maximum speed that can obtained. let say 4th gear can get speed up to 100mph @ 7400RPM. you are crusing at 65mph @ around 3000 - 4000 RPM (this is just my assumption) you downshift to appropiate gear to put into higher RPM to speed up. (like Marchy mentioned)

I suck at explaining but you get to the point. just drive a lot and and you'll eventually understand car later.

anyway, congrat on new car and welcome to the forum. don't wreck it. don't speed on public road. lol

2 - Yes, first sports car And first manual transmission. I decided I wanted to learn manual transmission and to acquire a better understanding of driving in general. Reading about the BRZ convinced me that it would be the perfect car to start with.

That was a actually a good explanation... I admit I've been to chicken to try the 6th-4th shift.

And thanks for the welcome! :happy0180: I'm happy to report that after the first few weeks of being terrified... I can now report that 90% of the time, I drive without thinking about it, I'm getting pretty damn smooth, and enjoying the ride

[Ohbean]

Just don't miss 4th and dump it into 2nd like I did once..

[e_cc]

Originally Posted by Ohbean

Just don't miss 4th and dump it into 2nd like I did once..

How'd that turn out for you?

[whaap]

1st gear is a very short gear and really is only intended to get you rolling. In fact, even though I don't do it, it's a temptation in normal driving to forget 1st gear and just take off in 2nd. Once you're rolling, for just regular, normal driving keep the rpm's between 2,000 and 25-2,700 rpm's. If you get above say 2,700, shift to the next higher gear. If you get below 2,000 downshift. As far as passing on the freeway. Wait till there's no one near you as you're travelling along in 6th gear and then try a down shift to 5th gear and accelerate. Practice that for a while and that will give you an idea what to expect if and when you feel it necessary to down shift to 4th. When you're comfortable with 6th to 5th try 6th to 4th. I will say that I get more than enough acceleration going from 6th to 5th. I have not found it necessary to go from 6th to 4th. As you're starting to let the clutch out after shifting gears give it a little more gas. When you down shift you want to do what's called rev match. All that amounts to is anticipating where the engine rpm's will want to be when you release the clutch and in anticipation of that your right foot is bringing up the rpm's to be close to what you anticipate.

Don't try to be something you're not. Just take it easy and with time and practice things will start to become more natural for you. If you have an adult in the family or a good friend who has experience with a manual have them drive you around for awhile and take in all the knowledge you can. Good luck.

[e_cc]

Originally Posted by whaap

1st gear is a very short gear and really is only intended to get you rolling. In fact, even though I don't do it, it's a temptation in normal driving to forget 1st gear and just take off in 2nd. Once you're rolling, for just regular, normal driving keep the rpm's between 2,000 and 25-2,700 rpm's. If you get above say 2,700, shift to the next higher gear. If you get below 2,000 downshift. As far as passing on the freeway. Wait till there's no one near you as you're travelling along in 6th gear and then try a down shift to 5th gear and accelerate. Practice that for a while and that will give you an idea what to expect if and when you feel it necessary to down shift to 4th. When you're comfortable with 6th to 5th try 6th to 4th. I will say that I get more than enough acceleration going from 6th to 5th. I have not found it necessary to go from 6th to 4th. As you're starting to let the clutch out after shifting gears give it a little more gas. When you down shift you want to do what's called rev match. All that amounts to is anticipating where the engine rpm's will want to be when you release the clutch and in anticipation of that your right foot is bringing up the rpm's to be close to what you anticipate.

Don't try to be something you're not. Just take it easy and with time and practice things will start to become more natural for you. If you have an adult in the family or a good friend who has experience with a manual have them drive you around for awhile and take in all the knowledge you can. Good luck.

Thank you for the great overview and advice.

I find that no matter how conservative I drive, it is always above 3k rpm's from 3rd-6th gear.

I am going to take your advice and go with 6th->5th for a while.

[Ohbean]

Originally Posted by e_cc

How'd that turn out for you?

Needed a new pair of pants after..

Thankfully only got the clutch halfway out before realizing what happened.

[whaap]

Originally Posted by e_cc

Thank you for the great overview and advice.

I find that no matter how conservative I drive, it is always above 3k rpm's from 3rd-6th gear.

I am going to take your advice and go with 6th->5th for a while.

Again, talking about normal driving and not "spirited" driving. If the terrain is relatively smoth and level I will go into 5th gear when my speed is above 35 mph and I will go into 6th gear when my speed is above 45 mph. I know the fan boyz like bouncing off the rev limiter but hold off on that till you have learned a lot more and also when you've decided how you want to treat/maintain your car.

[e_cc]

Originally Posted by whaap

Again, talking about normal driving and not "spirited" driving. If the terrain is relatively smoth and level I will go into 5th gear when my speed is above 35 mph and I will go into 6th gear when my speed is above 45 mph. I know the fan boyz like bouncing off the rev limiter but hold off on that till you have learned a lot more and also when you've decided how you want to treat/maintain your car.

I will give this a shot.

I've never come close to the rev limiter and have no intention to any time soon.

[AndyB]

I'll try to explain rev-matching.

When you are accelerating normally notice the rpm drops between shifts. I don't have a gear chart so I'm going to make one up for the purpose of explanation.

1st gear 3000rpm 15mph to 2nd gear 1600rpm still 15 mph (1400 rpm drop)
2nd 3000 rpm 30 mph to 3rd 2100 rpm 30 mph (1300 rpm drop)
3rd to 4th (700 rpm drop)
4th to 5th (600 rpm drop)
5th to 6th (600 rpm drop)

The rpm drops typically get smaller in higher gears to take best advantage of the peak power of the engine as speed and wind resistance builds. From memory, this is pretty close to my FRS.

Match rev down shifting can be practiced at a steady speed say 50 mph on a straight boring country road. Go 50 mph in 5th and note the rpm. lets say 2300 rpm, if you shift to 4th and go the same speed you will need to add the 600 rpm drop from my example chart above so you will be going 50 mph in 4th at 2900rpm. Our cam timing kicks in at 4500 rpm and makes real power above that up to 7400rpm rev limit. So if you are motoring along at 60mph in 6th at 3000 rpm dropping to 4th at the same 60 mph gets you into the "meat" of the power curve.

So how do you do it? Again practice out on a boring street with no other cars and traffic where you can go 50-60mph steady for a few miles.
1 Accelerate to speed as you would normally and cruise.
2 Note your RPM and calculate what the new RPM will be by adding the RPM difference. ex. 3000rpm + 600rpm= 3600rpm in lower gear.
3 Push in clutch with your left foot, add RPM with throttle (gently) til you see 3600rpm on the tach and hold it.
4 Release the clutch.
If you did your math right and didn't loose too much speed while doing your peddle work, you will be rewarded with virtually no "jerk" when the clutch engages.

Do it a bunch of times between the same 2 gears to build your confidence, then try dropping 2 gears with a bigger rpm change.

Next we can work on heal and toe match-revved downshifts during heavy braking

[ftc~brz]

^good! take your time and you will get better and smoother as you go. Everyone felt the same as you once. Try not to over think it and get used to it before you try skipping gears and other more advanced stuff. Just enjoy yourself

Once you master the stock set up, throw in a short shifter and learn where the gears go all over again....lol