# lessons in driving stick shift



## Guest (Feb 13, 2003)

I'm not asking for lessons or giving lessons, but I've been driving manual transmission for about 3 years now and I'm still not quite sure if I'm doing it right sometimes.

I'm guessing that usually people learn how to drive standard from their dads or friends or something, so it's just knowledge passed down to you. Unless you've taken some professional lessons on how to drive standard transmission, then the hand-me-down knowledge is all you've got.

Now, I like to think of myself as a decent manual tranny driver, but there's always improvement. Things like changing gears more smoothly, more fuel-efficiently and downshifting, heel-toes, dos and don'ts, etc. That kind of thing.

I find that there are always myths and truths about these things.

Right now, I'm working on the changing gears smoothly (including downshifting smoothly). I don't like it when I've got a passenger in my car and I notice their head going forward and then backwards as I shift gears. 

Any tips anyone?


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## BIGBULS (Sep 24, 2002)

Learn to rev match (might be a bit hard with the Spec's massive flywheel), and you can do shifts smoothly and fluidly. This is especially important on downshifts. I'm not talking about ricer style "double clutching" or some idiocy, just matching revs to where they'd be in the next gear when you release the clutch......it's pretty simple with practice.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*knowledge, experimenting, concentration, knowing what you want, time*

All manual trans have a designed ideal shift range in RPM, or in my case MPHs, because my car does'nt have a tach to help me.
( dependant on: trans gear ratios, transaxle gear ratios, and designed engine torque range etc.)
My car is a 94 GA 1.6 5 speed man. trans.
gear speed range (mph)
1st 0-15
2nd 15-25
3rd 25-40
4th 40-50
5th 50-whatever
Thats what my owners manual pretty much says is the shift range of my car. I shift in those ranges most of the time, except when there is varible conditions: snow and ice, I tend to lug my gears a bit more- because I get better traction, up and down shifting. When I'm climbing up a hill, I wind my gears out a little more. etc
When upshifting, I ease my gas pedal down til I reach my desired shift speed, then slightly let off and hold the pedal at the hopefully ideal mesh speed ( this is when to have a tach,because being able to monitor and vary your RPM drop can help you match your engine output RPM to your transmisson RPM for a smooth shift ) while at the same time shifting and pushing my clutch in easy and letting out real easy at the engagement point. Then easing back into the accelerater pedal to put torque/load to the gear, and repeating the process. Its hard to always be consistant at this for obvious reasons, the object is to develop the feel for smooth shifting for your car (smooth and fluid are the key words here)
Downshifting: Its also a matter of matching your engine RPM's 
( revving up R's while your clutch is pushed in, and holding at a specific RPM ) to smoothly engage your next lowest gear at the RPM it is turning at that speed (mph) 
Highway speed to stop, the lowest I go is 3rd, sometimes just 4th, because theres no load, I can take the engine RPMs down to idle level and still get good slow down with braking in conjunction.
I struggle with being consistant more with my car, because I drive semi trucks.With 10&13 speed trans and RPM shift ranges of 300-600 rpm(if skipping a gear) differences between gears, lower engine RPM over all ,you get used to pulling a load and it taking longer between shifts, so it slows your shifting process down a bit. Then you go from sitting in the sky to sitting on the road and having to re-adjust your mindset and body motor dexterity to driving your car.
So it is a learned feel to shift smooth on what you drive.
smooth, fluid, eas into/out of, match speeds, are words that you want to concentrate on and transfering to what your doing.
A tach is an excellant tool to help you shift smooth, but you can develop with out it.
If your trans is warmed up, and you shift and hear a slight crisp click and let out your clutch easy and don't jerk foward or backward and then start to excel slightly, you hit it dead on.
My best shifts come, when you can't notice a change in speed/ acceleration/deceleration flow while shifting gears, thats the feel your looking for. 
Your mileage comes from using the lowest RPM in a given gear at the point just short of lugging your engine and getting to your higher gears to get up to speed to whats needed. Compensating for the variable road conditions: uphill, downhill, turning etc. as needed. 
I hope that helps give you something to pull from, watching others shift can help you see what you want and not want to.
Did'nt mean to write a book, sorry, but this helps. M.J.


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## Guest (Feb 13, 2003)

Actually, it does help. I mean, I've heard a lot of this stuff before, but I don't really know fact from fiction. I try some of it and it works and others don't work.

BTW, what is double clutching?


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

Double-clutch downshiftin' is da bomb. I duz it all da tyme.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*Double clutching is:*

When you rev up to the gear you want to go into, push in the clutch, to take it out of gear, release the clutch while the gear shifter is in neutral, ( while dropping your RPMs to match )
then pushing in the clutch in again to put it into the next gear.
DO not do this with your car. That technique is used for shifting big trucks if a person does'nt know how to shift without using a clutch. ( again, don't do that either, with your car )


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## SangerSE-R (Jan 13, 2003)

yeah double clutching is kinda hard found a link though.

http://www.driversedge.com/dblcltch.htm


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*Alright, so you can if you want*

Just for the heck of it,
when I was out driving today I did some double clutching, just to see. It didn't seem right to me, I prefer to single clutch, because its less effort for the same thing. As long as you mesh back in at the right RPM its the same thing- just less effort.
Maybe for downshifting it might be good for.
I still think if you got a tach, that you can see well, and does'nt distract you to much when driving, that it is going to be your best tool, to helping you develop the feel for shifting your car.
I say this because, you can moniter and adjust your RPM drop down/ RPM rev up to, when the clutch is disengaged, so you can re-engage at the RPM that meshes the gears the best.
Once you know the shift range, of RPM difference, concentrate on making that a consistancy in your shifting and it will become second nature for your car, by repetition.


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## blazinSE-R (Dec 25, 2002)

don't worry about your passengers "head bobbing." It is truly only natural. The only reason that you dont do it yourself is that you are fully expecting the shift, so you adjust your body accordingly. Passengers will have slightly slower reaction times. And as for matching RPM's, just dont keep the shifter in nuetral for 20 seconds between shifts...just pull it quickly from gear to gear and there should be no real difference between engine RPM and actual speed (or whatever they were talking about).


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## se-r-57 (May 1, 2002)

bahearn said:


> *Double-clutch downshiftin' is da bomb. I duz it all da tyme. *


 Me too. It even works great on the gixxer


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## cranium (Oct 8, 2002)

> Originally posted by _bahearn_
> *Double-clutch downshiftin' is da bomb. I duz it all da tyme. *


who would of thunk you had a sence of humor


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

It's a blast roaring into Turn 2 at Texas World Speedway and double-clutching into third gear while braking as hard as possible and not over-revving when letting out the clutch. Makes you look like you know what you're doing. Sounds Kewl, too.

I like double-clutching the Bandit just because of the loud pipe I put on it. I make sure I wait until there's a car to the right of me so they can enjoy the sound, too.


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## JT200SX-N-FX (May 30, 2002)

Not to jump off the subject, but what about downshifting, I taught myself how to drive stick, so I have heard both that it is good, and not good. I personally did not downshift my first car never, and I need brakes and rotors frequently. Now I do, and it doesn't seem like it's a bad thing.


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

Double-clutching can be easier on transmission and brakes. That said, the engine is not meant as a retardation device. Brakes by themselves stop shorter than brakes and engine. The double-clutch downshift is primarily to have the engine at speed for selected gear so as to avoid upsetting the chassis with unintended engine braking.

I never double-clutch upshift since I can almost beat the engine, anyway. That is for lazy shifters and slow, non-syncro trannies.


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## HKS20DET (Nov 8, 2002)

so what is the technical term for shifting with no clutch? at the right rpms in each gear it slips right in with no clutch (for those that dont know)

and can someone explain what powershifting is? or did i just explain it?


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*I'm not sure if its the correct technical term, but*

Shifting without using the clutch, in the truck circles is known as floating, or floating the gears.


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

Shifting without using the clutch is, well, a clutchless shift.

Power shifting means to upshift at redline under full throttle without letting off the gas. This tends to be very hard on syncronizers.


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## jblaze (Jan 30, 2003)

I have had to shift with out a clutch, when the clutch wore out in my car. I personally, in my opinion, think it is a horrible thing to do to your car if it is not neccesary. The shifter does not go smoothly into the gears. It is hard to find the points to shift. When I did this it was trial and error to find the points. And in the error, I would find that my car wanted to grind into the gears.


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## HKS20DET (Nov 8, 2002)

i found that if u get the rpm's up around 4,000 then gently pushing into the gear u want while no application on the gas... it normally finds it own way into gear at the right rpm. works for me lol


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2003)

dbl clutching is easy but heel toe is more difficult


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

Wish I could heel&toe the Bandit, but alas, it doesn't have the proper foot controls. I got it down pat in the SE-R.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Palm and finger it.


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

I didn't say I can't blip the Bandit's throttle while braking (I can), I said I can't heel & toe it...since it's not made to allow that. Yes, I'm splitting infinitesimally small hairs...

Speaking of bikes, anybody heard lately from the kid who bought the used GSXR-750 as his first bike?


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2003)

Ok, I knew what powershifting and double shifting are, but I have never heard of "heel & toe," what is that?


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## yeeharacing (Oct 27, 2002)

If you want to learn some driving techniques I can recommend a book that has helped me with my racing. There are many techniques that you can learn from the book that will help you drive your car more aggressively and the correct shift points.

The book is "Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques" The author is Ross Bentley 

The book deals mostly with road course style driving and keeping your car balanced while cornering 

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bo...760305188&itm=3 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...3565615-5844038


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## bahearn (Jul 15, 2002)

Heel and toe is mashing the brake pedal and blipping the throttle at the same time with the same foot.

It's not REALLY heel and toe as the human ankle won't actually allow that movement; I use the ball of my right foot to operate the brake and use the right side of my right foot to operate the throttle, pivoting on the ball of my foot and rolling the ankle. It's tough to be smooth AND brake as hard as possible while still allowing enough movement in the ankle to press the accelerator.


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