Shift Secrets

[steve87j]

I drive alot, would it be best on gas if i shift 1st to 3rd?

try doing it, makes the ride smoother and easier since 1st gear we have ZERO torque and 2nd is always a rock unless u hit the gas perfectly.

[Brndn704]

That just puts more stress on your engine/clutch. There is a reason its a 6 speed and not a 5 speed.

[marky]

I do this sometimes.. That is when I'm going down hill and already have momentum going.. I'm always easy on the clutch.. But on normal flat roads in don't skip gears

[edward]

Originally Posted by Logical

That just puts more stress on your engine/clutch. There is a reason its a 6 speed and not a 5 speed.

Not necessarily true.

Originally Posted by marky

I do this sometimes.. That is when I'm going down hill and already have momentum going.. I'm always easy on the clutch.. But on normal flat roads in don't skip gears

It's fine to skip gears on any road surface/incline/etc, as long as the engine stays in it's useable rev range. For example, it's fine to accelerate hard through 1st and 2nd gears, then put the transmission in 5th gear to cruise at 35 mph. As always, it just requires the driver to properly rev match (typically done by timing upshifts properly, rather than the throttle blipping technique used for downshifts.) There is no one rule for how long to wait before letting the clutch back out when upshifting, since it varies with a number of factors, including where the engine is in the rev range, how warm the engine is, etc.

Additionally, becoming good at rev-matching a 6th-3rd gear downshift is vital for passing/accelerating on the highway

TL;DR - Feel free to skip gears in any context/situation as long as your are using proper technique (including rev matching.)

[BlaineWasHere]

Originally Posted by Logical

That just puts more stress on your engine/clutch. There is a reason its a 6 speed and not a 5 speed.

Please explain.

I often shift right from 3rd to 6th when getting on the freeway and I wait for the revs to mach driveline speed before I put it in 6th. It's pretty much exactly the same as a 5th to 6th shift. Actually wouldn't this be less ware as I'm only using 4 gears (and shifts) over 6?

[marky]

Originally Posted by edward

Not necessarily true.




It's fine to skip gears on any road surface/incline/etc, as long as the engine stays in it's useable rev range. For example, it's fine to accelerate hard through 1st and 2nd gears, then put the transmission in 5th gear to cruise at 35 mph. As always, it just requires the driver to properly rev match (typically done by timing upshifts properly, rather than the throttle blipping technique used for downshifts.) There is no one rule for how long to wait before letting the clutch back out when upshifting, since it varies with a number of factors, including where the engine is in the rev range, how warm the engine is, etc.

Additionally, becoming good at rev-matching a 6th-3rd gear downshift is vital for passing/accelerating on the highway

TL;DR - Feel free to skip gears in any context/situation as long as your are using proper technique (including rev matching.)

Yes exactly.. I rev match it or down shift if the car feels slow when trying to accelerate .. My friend has rev match auto on his MT FRS lol sissy.. Do it like a man.. Be one with the car

[frslee]

I believed as long as you match to the engine speed, it's fine if you skip upshift or skip downshift.

[CaptainSlow]

It's fine. The GTO actually had a system (skip-shift), that would FORCE you to shift from 1st to 4th if the conditions were right (accelerating at a certain % throttle and within a certain RPM range, for example). Most annoying system ever designed into a car, and one of the first things most people get rid of when they buy one.

[strat61caster]

Unless the gearbox isn't designed for it like the S2000 it should be fine.

[SkullWorks]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Unless the gearbox isn't designed for it like the S2000 it should be fine.

Please quantify this...as the statement stands it makes no sense what-so-ever

BTW the pesky GTO skip shift was a fuel economy trick that (i believe) was first implemented on the 'Vette

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by SkullWorks

Please quantify this...as the statement stands it makes no sense what-so-ever

Can't access the official bulletin because I don't care enough to figure out how to log into the Honda system it's stored in.

This is from the January 2006 Honda ServiceNews:
"Skip Shifting Is Brutal on Synchronizers"

Gear ratios in 6-speed manual trannies are spaced
close together so you can keep the engine speed
in its optimum range for max power and
acceleration. Shifting to the next higher or lower
gear in a close-ratio tranny causes small changes
in engine speed.
Shifting a close-ratio tranny through its gears by
the numbers puts a very small load on the
synchronizers since they only have to make small
changes to the speed of the mainshaft and the
clutch disc.
Some drivers, though, like to skip shift so they
don’t have to work the clutch pedal and shift lever
as much. They like to accelerate in 1st gear, then
pop it into 3rd gear, then into 5th or 6th. Skip
shifting, though, is really brutal on synchronizers;
it puts a higher demand on them than they were
designed to take. Skip shifting can cause
premature synchronizer wear that can cause the
gears to grind when you shift up or down.
If you’ve got a vehicle in your shop for repeated
damage to the synchronizers, go for a test-drive
with your service customer to see if he or she is
guilty of skip shifting. If that’s the case, remind
him or her skip shifting can be an expensive habit
to break. Any repairs due to skip shifting may be
reviewed and debited by your DPSM."

I got it from this: http://www.standardshift.com/forum/v...hp?f=6&t=13489
But there are a myriad of posts on S2k forums with similar advice.

I thought it was stated explicitly in the owners manual but I'm not finding evidence of it... I'll keep looking.
Edit1: This may be useful:
http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/1967...gear-synchros/

Edit2: Perused the '09 S2000 manual and it says nothing so I guess I was wrong
Thought it was common enough knowledge among sports car enthusiasts (especially 86ers, I can't imagine why you wouldn't cross shop an S2000 at least to get a good idea of what the competition is) to warrant posting without evidence, apologies.
Here's the manual for giggles:
http://owners.honda.com/vehicles/inf.../S2000/manuals

Edit3: In normal day to day driving on the street I don't think it'll be a problem, transmissions wear out eventually and a premature rebuild isn't the end of the world, hell if you're economical enough you might save enough gas money to cover the cost of the rebuild

[SkullWorks]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/1967...gear-synchros/

Edit2: Perused the '09 S2000 manual and it says nothing so I guess I was wrong
Thought it was common enough knowledge among sports car enthusiasts (especially 86ers, I can't imagine why you wouldn't cross shop an S2000 at least to get a good idea of what the competition is) to warrant posting without evidence, apologies.
Here's the manual for giggles:
http://owners.honda.com/vehicles/inf.../S2000/manuals

Edit3: In normal day to day driving on the street I don't think it'll be a problem, transmissions wear out eventually and a premature rebuild isn't the end of the world, hell if you're economical enough you might save enough gas money to cover the cost of the rebuild

I guess i never thought of the gear split internally, in reference to skip shifting.

When I do skip shift it is not in a spirited manner and I engage the higher gear very slowly...because if was in a hurry i wouldn't be skip shifting. But this is definitely something to think about, and a very good thing for people to read and understand.

[SkullWorks]

haha you edited while I was Quoting...I got all confused.

[BlaineWasHere]

^^^ That's true if you make the syncros do all the work. If you wait for the revs to fall to the correct spot the syncro works no harder than on a normal shift.

I'm not going from 3rd and putting it in 6th right away.