Advice for shifting newb

[serega104]

Hello all
So, this is my first manual car and I think I am taking to it pretty well. It is definitely much more engaging then an auto.

I did not do the CDV mod yet and will probably delay that for a while.

I am trying to improve my normal launches. I am not looking to race at the traffic lights, but to be reasonably quick (a prius behind me does ride my butt) without clutch/transmission abuse.

At what rpm do you do 1-2 shift in normal situations?

Thanks.

[AM1N]

whatever you do, dont dump the clutch at low rpm's from 1-2 and 2-3 unless you're at a higher rpm range. by dump the clutch it means dont just let go of it really fast, engage the gears a bit more slowly but not too slowly. Honestly, the best thing i can say is practice. Experience will start to show you correct vs. incorrect and you'll get the hang of it. My only concern is you're not riding your clutch too badly when you're doing your launches.

Good luck!

[torquedemon]

when driving on a regular basis for instance at a stoplight, ease off the clutch slowly (if your inexperienced, its better that you release the clutch too slow as opposed to too fast) when in 1st gear. Eventually you will learn and be able to feel the engagement points and range of the clutch...Once you have mastered taking off smoothly from 1st then the rest is simple...

From 1st to 2nd I generally shift at about 20mph or 3000 rpm...although on this car 1st has a ridiculously long range, generally 1st gear isn't meant to be stretched too far...most of the juice is in 2-4 in the 1M

[serega104]

I practice no-gas launches to help me get better feel of the friction point. I think it helped me alot with making the launches more smooth and consistent.

[Pete_vB]

There is no "right" answer, and there is no rpm I constantly shift at. There is, however, a wrong answer: you don't want to lug 2nd gear when you shift into it. Because the motor is so flexible it will pull 2nd gear from as low as ~1500 rpm, so in very slow casual driving you could shift out of first as low as ~2700 rpm- that's your low end. If you try to accelerate more rapidly while shifting that low, however, you'll notice slow response and needing to use more throttle angle, etc, so you'd really rather have shifted higher. The faster you go the higher you shift, all the way up to redline (in first only) if you're in maximum attack.

Use the feel in 2nd gear as your guide for your shift point- if you don't like the response or pull in 2nd, you should have shifted out of first later.

[b33g33]

Ignore the provocations at lights. Just drive at your own pace knowing that if you wanted to, you could dust 95% of the cars around you.

When you're Wolverine, you don't need to have your claws out all the time.

[serega104]

Thanks for the responses. I am not intimidated by the other drivers, just trying not be a traffic obstruction, lol.

[Martillo]

wow... first manual on a 1M... Lucky, you are...