I've been driving 5 spds for a while, but I think I need to improve my technique. My friend has a jetta 5 spd and can shift much faster and more smoothly than me. I assume the transmission is smoother, but there must also be an element of technique.

When you guys shift for smoothness (i.e. shifting around 3K and not at full throttle, do you release the clutch quickly, or slowly release it until the friction point is reached.

when you shift for speed, I assume you just depress the clutch, shift quickly, then release the clutch, but are you giving the car any gas as the clutch is being released.

Overall, it seems like my car is difficult to shift smoothly, and if you can provide any insights, experiences or tips, it would be great.

thanks

 

When I drive my dad's 5 speed. I release the clutch very slow with no gas. That is of course only shifting from 2-3,3-4,4-5 on the take off I always use gas. But when racing it, I release it quick as possible. And also give lots of gas, just until I hear that skirch of the tires.

 

The key is just getting the RPM's to match. You have to know how much the RPMs will drop when you put it into the next gear. That way you can have the motor at the right rpms for that speed in that gear. I would advise a little bit of gas while releasing the cluch, but don't let the clutch slip too much.

Performance driving basically just shift as fast as possible, clutch in and out as quickly as possible... and gas... floor it the second the clutch is engaged.

Techniques will vary by car and the weight of your flywheel will have a good bit to do with how / when you apply gas.

The best thing to do is to simply practice... drive a 5spd more... the more you drive the better you will get.

Take care,

 

When I shift, I release the clutch slowly (in comparison to performance driving) and I give it gas as I hit the sweet spot. Exactly how long have you been driving a 5spd. Maybe ask your friend to let you take his car around the block a few times with him in the passengers seat. This way he can probably give you some tips or you can at least rule out transmission problems if you can't drive his smoothly either.

 

Personally I just think it's something you get good at with practice and a new/different car. I got pretty darn good with my (Honda) and am still learning slightly with the Maxima.

I think it's all in the timing of the throttle / clutch usage.

 

going into first gas first then come off clutch quickly, or even drop it, for second slam the clutch in, bang the gear come off the clutch and slam the gas as your coming off to get a nice chirp repeat in third

 

ive found that cable-shift cars like sunfires and cavi's are really easy to shift very fast, hydaulic cars like my dads audi have more resistance in the shifter. when i drive 5 spd., i make sure to balance things out so its smooth, but that doesnt mean i slip the clutch, timing is key (which you get from practice). like if i want to take off fast, but dont want to rev the engine alot or slip the clutch alot, i almost dump the clutch from idle, but right as i start to get into the clutches biting point, i give it alot of gas, and then continue letting out the clutch fast while giving it as much gas as the car needs to keep from stalling. i dont let the clutch out fast enough to make the car buck, just enough to get things moving fast, but i use the gas to cancel out any lurching, and to smooth things out. when i shift fast, i always shift as fast as possible, but i let off the gas just right before i hit the clutch so the revs are already dropping. when i let the clutch back out, i make sure that i dont hit the gas first, and i let the clutch out earlier too to kind of kill any excess revs that didnt drop. as for downshifting, that took me forever, matching revs well only comes with knowing exactly how much to rev your engine, and that takes a while to get used to, especially if your coming to a hard turn and you need to brake and downshift at the same time (thats where heel and toe shifting comes in)! if it makes you feel any better it took me like a year to learn to drive stick half decently, i seriously thought my driving future was over, bc i jsut couldnt learn stick right. but basically i just drove all the time (i made up alot of excuses to take the car out), and i got it in the end