Ok so this is my first manual and I have some questions

1) Is it bad to shift from 4th to 6th without going to 5th?

2) Is there a reason why I can't shift from 3rd to 6th?

3) Is it bad to go from 6th to 3rd while slowing down?

4) In 6th gear my revs are at 4.5 - 5K going 75+ is that the normal rev range?


Thanx guys

 

1-3) As long as you're rev matching and are letting it "fall" into gear (giving the syncros time to spin up so it goes into gear without any force) there no problem with skip-shifts.

4) I seem to remember 4k at 80mph on my car but thats just a guess.... in my opinion its REALLY important to not get an exhuast with a drone on an eight becuase it would drive you crazy on long trips.

 

skip all the gears you want, the only thing you should watch for is bogging down the engine, or not having enough power due to skipping.

going from 6th to 3rd is fine. assuming you're going slow enough. I usually drop to 4th from 6th. It's a catch all since you can go into 4th from any legal speed. 3rd I reserve for sub-50 mph speeds.

 

When I slow down I am usually in 6th and when I reach say 30MPH I usally shift to neutral and then shift to 3rd. Car doesnt jerk or anything. But just wanted to know if it was safe to do so.

Also any ideas on the 2nd Question?

Also what is freeplay and synchros?

 

one thing to consider is engine braking. Instead of staying in 6th, drop it to 4th and let off the gas. When you hit 50, drop it again to 3rd. By that point you're slow enough to get out of gear and put on the brakes. 6th doesn't slow down the car enough to bother with...

 

If you have to ask should you really be driving a manual?

 

6th Gear is geared to do 20mph per 1k so doing 75+ u should be between 3.5k-4k

 

Yes, he should. Stop being such a toad.

 

Precisely. How else is he supposed to learn unless he asks questons?

Well, I can think of one way: search this forum. There are other threads which will help you out.

 

You can skip any gear (or as many gears) you want, just make sure you're giving the engine and transmission time to wind down before letting out the clutch.

No. But, just as when upshifting, make sure your engine and transmission are going the right speeds -- called rev-matching. For upshifting that just means waiting for the revs to fall. But for downshifting that means blipping the throttle with the clutch in so that the engine is already going the RPMs it will be moving the speed it will be moving when you put it into 3rd.

No idea what "freeplay" is. I don't see it mentioned in this thread to get an idea of the context you're speaking of. But synchros are these gears that help the gears line up when you are changing gears. Otherwise, when you were going from a fast gear to a slow gear, you wouldn't be able to get the gears to mesh together, because one would be spinning very fast and one wouldn't be. If you ever miss a shift and hear a grind -- that's the synchros grinding. Not good.

Might I suggest this informative article: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm

 

haha, wow, you're a moron and an asshat.

 

here we go again, d#$head number one scaring off yet someone else that deems to ask a question.........................

 

If he's going to be driving a manual, and is new at it, he should definitely ask. Those are good questions.

The ones about skipping gears brings back some old memories. Before automatic transmissions, when all cars were manual, shifting wasn't the cool thing it is today. In the 60s I had a sports car with a four speed transmission. Old timers, from the era of 3 speed manuals that were a chore, tended to ask if I ever skipped gears because four seemed like a lot.

The one question I don't see answered yet was about free play. That would be the first inch or so the clutch pedal moves before actually starting to disengage the clutch.

Ken

 

Yeah i know i will be asking stupid question like this when i finally get my RX-8. Right now i drive and AT 05 Mazda3. When i go to get an 8 I am going to get it MT because I think that is the only way you should get an 8 and be able to feel all of its power and the 9k redline that it has to offer. I have driven stick a couple of times and the only problem i have is starting from a dead stop into first gear. I mean i know it is equalibrium(cant spell) but i usually hit too much gas and the car somewhat shoot out to a start and jumps alittle bit. I know once i get an 8 I will be able to practice around the neighborhood since it is pretty quiet around here, get a feel for when i need to shift and how much gas i need to give when i do it and also i have hills in my neighbor hood so once i perfect the stop to 1st i will practice on the hills in my neighborhood so i can get that down and wont end up rolling back into someone.

 

Hand brake is your friend.

 

Yeah my friend said that when you on a hill, put on your hand break so u dont run into the person behind you. Is that a good tip?

 

At first it might help, yeah. But it's not a good habit to get into IMHO. I only use it on really steep hills or when driving a car that I'm not familiar with. But the first thing you should do with a new MTX car is take it to a hill and learn exactly where the clutch pickup is so you can learn how to hold the car for short periods of time without the e-brake.

 

yes. But you'll eventually be able to judge how much gas to give and not roll back (unless it's really steep, in which case you might want to use the parking brake regardless).

 

kinda beside the point but I thought I'd toss this out anyway. Yes, learning where the clutch pickup is and all of that is very good advice.

But, never ever never get in the habit of holding your car on a hill, stoplight or otherwise in gear. Clutch's are made for shifting gears, not for holding your car on an incline....

Just my 2 cents, ...........oh, and using the handbrake is good advice for those learning ............

 

Very true, which is why I mentioned holding it for "short periods of time" without the E-brake. I suppose, given the newbie-to-MTX nature of the audience, I should have clarified what a "short period" is. You should never hold your car with the clutch for more than a few seconds. And ideally only the second it takes to catch the car from rolling right before you move forward.

 

I've gotten pretty good with mine on inclines now that only if they are quite steep do I need to use it. Just a matter of practice.

 

yes, I caught your advisory. Just wanted to state it again.

My girlfriend's first reaction when approaching a stoplight is to stomp her foot to the floor on the clutch and leave it there. It has caused, shall we say, some discussions between us. (I've given up, she doesn't drive my 8 and I don't say a word to her in her car)

I was taught many moons ago how to drive a manual and how to engage it on an incline and all of that stuff and to this day I am a bit, er........**** about it........)) but I've never burned out a clutch either............)

 

My mom always pushes her clutch in "approaching a stoplight." She has never burned out a clutch in any car she has had that was a manual. All of them had over 100,000 miles on them before she got rid of them. One had 138,000 before she traded it.

You have to push the clutch in to take it out of gear.

Maybe I am misunderstanding what you mean by pushing in the clutch approaching a stoplight?

 

I don't think it's that big of a deal but many **** people like to leave the clutch out during stops to preserve it even further. I don't know how much longer your clutch will really last by doing this but I noticed that a number of drivers do this in Britain (clutch in, e-brake, shift neutral, clutch out, regardless of incline). Then again it's a little easier there as they get a yellow warning light before green during which time they put the car in gear, disengage the e-brake and go.

 

This is where I kind of get confused, when i start rolling to the stop sign do i want to put it in Neutral? And when I am stopped have it in neutral and just my foot on the brake and not on the clutch?