Jerky clutch engagement

[Namuna]

It's been a while since my last stick-shift, but on all previous manual shift cars I've had, I've always up-shifted in the following way:
1. As the RPMs hit a certain point, I press down the clutch and take my foot off the gas.
2. Up-shift to the next gear.
3. Release the clutch (from stop to 1st gear, press gas as clutch is engaging. From gears 1 through 6, let clutch fully engage and then gas)
4. Press on the gas.

There's always that slight jerkiness between steps 3 and 4 as the gears mesh and sync speeds, but for the most part it's a smooth transition.

But on my FR-S, shifting from gears 1 through 6 in that manner is VERY jerky. It's the same feeling as when you're starting out from a stop, if you don't give it enough gas as the clutch engages, the car starts jerking like it's about to stall.

To try to offset that jerkiness, I have to use the same shifting technique as from a stop...Pressing the gas as the clutch engages. BUT, between the variance of where the RPMs were from the previous gear (around 3.5k to 4k, since I'm still breaking in the motor) and trying to find the "sweet spot" of where to get it for a smoother up-shift (I dunno, around 2k to 2.5k RPMs) it just mostly results in a jerky menagerie of confounded shifting.

Am I doing something wrong? Does the clutch need adjustment? Is this how this car drives and I have to adjust?

I've got the TRD Exhaust and Intake, if that makes any difference.

Thanks.

[brzadmir]

If your ever in Staten Island, give me a shout! I'd be more than happy to show you how to avoid the up-shift jerkiness!

[1Cor10:23]

To avoid the jerkyness, I typically upshift close to ~3K, anywhere below, you'll get some feedback from the engagement. Also helps to be quick on the gas after shifting so the rpms don't drop too quickly.

[Whitigir]

You just need to control your Engine RPM a bit more. It is all about Engine Speed

[Grip Ronin]

slip the clutch alittle more

[dirtymax]

the 86 is a bit tricky to shift smooth. I usually pin it to win it if I can, throttle shift throttle in 1st and 2nd unless I'm behind slow cars then I slip the clutch a little more than I would a normal car

[zc06_kisstherain]

yeah usually 3K RPM is right point for most manual cars.

[-Ozzy-]

It actually is kind of incorrect to say that all of your up shifting after 1st gear is done without giving some gas until the clutch is fully engaged.
Your goal is to put the engine's RPM exactly where it needs to be at the car's velocity for that gear.
If you clutch and wait too long, the engine speed will drop on it's own below the target RPM for your destination gear. If you clutch and up shift, and release too soon, the engine speed will be too high for the target destination.
So for example (not real numbers): If you're going from 2nd gear at 3k RPM to 3rd gear, you want to shift to 3rd gear as fast as you can, then use the clutch AND the throttle to ease the engine's RPM to around 2.3k RPM.
Keep in mind the engine is winding down on it's own if you're not giving it throttle, so you might not need to give it any gas at all if you release the clutch as it's falling into that 2.3k RPM.
That being said, once the clutch is disengaged, you're in 3rd gear at 2.3k RPM and giving it no gas, naturally you'll start engine braking and the car will be decelerating rapidly. You also have to deal with a bit of RPM momentum, the longer you let the RPM wind down on it's own, the more sort of momentum it will have to want to keep winding down.
This is where it becomes an art form, you need to find the rhythm for shifts, the right amount of timing between clutch in and clutch out to get you to that target RPM, the right amount of gas to balance engine braking vs acceleration, and this will all change depending on if you're hooning the car or just fuel saving and daily driving.
I wouldn't recommend trying this until you're more comfortable shifting, but you can actually change gears, smoothly, without using any clutch at all if you use your throttle to match your RPM for the gears.
You can try this: next time you are in 5th or 6th, and you are going to take the car out of gear and into neutral: give it just a touch of throttle, and pull the gear out into neutral. It will slide almost effortlessly without using any clutch at all. The blip of throttle stabilizes the RPM momentum just long enough to pull it out of gear.
Don't try this yet (because you will grind your gears if it's not perfect): Now let's say you're in 2nd gear, 3k RPM, use some throttle to pull the gear out, let the RPM fall to that 2.3k RPM target, give it enough gas to hold it there, and you can slide into 3rd gear effortlessly with no clutch needed. I only explain all this so you understand the concept of why you use the clutch, so that you can use it more effectively, translating into smoother gear shifts. In my other car (2005 chevy cobalt ignition switch death trap) I could shift between all 5 gears with no clutch, because I drove it for 7 years and it wasn't a sports car, the clutch was more forgiving. I only used it really in bad traffic, so that I wasn't constantly clutching if I didn't have to (just to get it rolling in 1st). Again I just wanted to illustrate why your goal is to just MATCH the rpm for the destination gear.

TL;DR - Try shifting at the same RPM for each gear, notice how many RPM it drops between gear. Now try to shift, and release the clutch much closer to that difference in RPM. Now study how much the drop is 2.5k RPM vs 6.5k RPM. Then you will learn that if you shift at 2.5k RPM you need to drop around 700 RPM, and if you shift at 6.5k you need to drop around 1.1k RPM. Once you know that, it's as much gas and clutch as you need to get it there by the time you have fully released the clutch! Good luck!

[scionfrs2014]

The FRS clutch is a little tricky in the beginning. The sweet spot is about little bit over 3K rpm. When you get to this rpm, do not wait too long to change the gear, and release the clutch smoothly. When you get used to it, you will love this car.

[supramkivtt2jz]

just slip the clutch.

[Namuna]

Couple of people suggesting to just slip the clutch...Isn't that actually bad for the clutch?

[chas3wba0]

Originally Posted by Namuna

Couple of people suggesting to just slip the clutch...Isn't that actually bad for the clutch?

Yes, but it can take a lot of (minor) slipping before you will "kill it"... that's what it's made for

E.g. braking is technically bad for the brake pads, in that you wear them out; does that mean you don't use em? Nooo...