Anyone here got advice for smooth upshifting? I have my good days, and bad days. I learned stick on my dads old carrera. I actually got very used to it and don't experience trouble working its clutch. The 8 is so sensitive and has such a high tech feel to it though. For the most part, whenever I up shift, at any gear really, the car jerks. I think its because I have a habit of gassing it as I let out the clutch. Or maybe I don't let the clutch out quick or slow enough. Basically, in the 8, what's the best way to achieve automatic like upshifts? (My girl gets sick in my car cuz of it)

 

You're either not giving enough throttle, or giving it too much. Try slipping the clutch a little between shifting - eventually you'll know how much throttle is needed.

 

she's not the first GF who's sick of being jerked around ...

but no problem here, must be an experience issue

 

figure out what revs you need for the next gear. get off the throttle for just long enough that the revs drop that much, then engage the clutch. it's not that complicated...

 

Experience creates smoothness.

Also better if you don't think about it too much especially with the GF in the car.

 

Thats my only problem. She was with me when I first drove the car. And she kept complaining (bitching) about my smoothness. Now, even though I drive fine alone, whenever I have someone in my car (even like my best buds) I get nervous. Like I think about it too much.

 

Seems to me that the slower you try to drive the car, the less it likes it. I have found that roughly 5k will usually net me a smooth shift. Also, driving it a touch harder seems to help.

 

I found that if you put your knee against the middle column at first helps steady your footwork until you get used to it. They actually make a knee pad for that location so that your knee doesn't hurt on long drives like track days. The AFE short shifter helps a lot too. I shift gears so smooth you don't even feel the transition. Unless I'm driving spiritedly then I don't really care. I don't like to jerk the wife and kid so I shift very smoothly when they ride along. Hope this helps...

 

practice make perfect...the less you think about it, the easier it will be.

 

1st....3rd......5th......That's the easiest way to make this car smooth as a cadillac and keep the MPG in check. Just start off in 1st, shift to third, let out the clutch and apply the gas gently. You'll be amazed at the torque.

 

Is it possible that you are engaging the gears to harshly/quickly?

I let me brother drive my car a few weeks ago and he wasn't allowing the synchros to do their work and therefore causing a thump sound with a very mild transmission shutter. Could you be talking about this? if so....just go easy on the shifts and give the synchros time to react and then the shifter will pop in. Just go slow on the shifts is what I'm trying to say.

 

^ +1

I used to have this problem REAL bad (this was my first manual). If you just gently "lean" the shifter into the next gear, it'll suck itself into place right around where you want the revs to be when you let up on the clutch. I'm still a little bumpy on shifts sometimes, but the more I just "drive" and don't really think about it, the better I do.

 

tell the girl to drive her own car

 

I have a completely different suggestion. I use this during long increasing radius turns to keep the car smooth. It's almost like you are blip the gas a split second before you shift into the gear.

I'll kinda outline the points for street driving:
At around 4000rpm you depress the clutch and 'lean shift' a-la 1/2mv2, into your desired gear. Before you shift you are off the gas. But as your clutch bottoms out you blip the throttle 500rpm and then catch the clutch at the friction point as you get back on the gas.

Although it's difficult to explain driving tech in words, this method will produce a smooth gear change. It's a bit more advanced though and requires some delicate foot work.

Targatheory: for beginners like you remember a few things. In first gear it should take you 3 seconds to move through the friction point. In second gear it should take you 2 second to move through the friction point. and into third it should take 1 second to move through the friction point. Into 4,5,and 6 it's simple if you have momentum. Remember to control your clutch. You're mistakes can be solved with your clutch foot. As you move through the friction point remember that your throttle is not an on/off switch, just lean into the gas rather than stabbing at it.

 

When I was 16, I was taught to ease up on the clutch until the car started moving, then just before it stalls push it back in. This will give you a good feeling for the clutch, then just apply gas and you will see you will get used to the friction point.

With all that being said. I DO NOT recommend you do this on your car. It can't be good for the tranny.

Lots of good advice here.

It will come with practice, good luck.

 

Lol thanks everyone. I'm not a beginner though, I learned how to drive on my dad's 911 when I was 16. Ok, fine I'm a beginner with the 8, and its just so different and touchy.

I don't have problems putting the car in gear, and for the most part I drive really smoothly. I just notice that my upshifts either really suck, or I just doubt my own ability too much. I know what my problem is though, and I guess its an old habit I got from driving an old porsche so much. I slip the clutch between every gear, if even just a little. I get impatient at the fact that I'm losing speed whenever I upshift and want to get back on the gas quickly. My driving isn't always consistent. I can work the clutch to my liking, and have a really smooth ride, but five minutes later I'll be practically dropping the clutch out of laziness. And I shift at like 3000 RPM (OMG) just because I hate wasting gas and I'm jobless right now.....I notice that when I shift around 4k things get smoother.

I think I just need to find one "the bestest" way to upshift, instead of doing it differently day to day.

 

Targa...

You're a beginner in more ways than one! LOL

 

WTF is that supposed to mean. My <100 post count? Or that I went from 2 years of having only driven two cars, then not driving for a year in college, and getting back in the game with the 8.

But since I already admitted to being a newbie 8 driver, I'm gonna assume its that post count thing. Oh well, I don't live on this board, and I never do anything on this website besides reading and occasionally asking something which I feel never got fully settled. But that's besides the point.

And thanks for your guys help, I gotta say I had a lot of fun this past week, because I went out souly TO DRIVE. I only bothered with getting used to the car for like a week, after that I treated it too much like my dads car (ie, keep rpms below 3000). I guess it's just hitting me now that high revs are crucial to driving this car.

 

Just think of your GF as another fancy gauge in you car - she's there to reflect your shifting performance - plus she has memory and built in data recorder!

Honestly I find shifting like everything else - one's performance varies because things change and you are enevitably off your best sometimes. You can't be perfect all the time, you can only try. Practice different ways until you find what works.

 

I have nothing to add other than Spin9K's GF analogy made me laugh.

My wife gets mad at me sometimes for being to jerky, I just tell her is is because she doesn't know how to drive a sports car, it is supposed to GO when you get back on the throttle. Then I get mad at her for slipping the clutch all the time when I am riding in her truck... marriage is fun.

 

Haha, I've used that "its a sports car, all I did was gas it baby, I wasn't even touching the clutch..." excuse before lol. Of course, even when I don't shift smoothly, she still gives me **** for the car being uncomfortable. Her butt meter is so sensitive jeez

 

no one can tell you. Its sort of a you either learn from your mistakes and get it eventually, or you don't.

practice makes perfect.

One helpful thing is that you should close your eyes sometimes when you shift. Concentrate on making your left foot, right foot, and hand apply exactly how much pressure you want on each of them.

It took me 2 years and almost 30K miles of rx8 driving to become good at it to the point where I am at automatic transmission level.

Of course there are things you can do to make driving it easier.

1) heavier flywheel
2) lighter clutch
3) decrease final drive ratio

 

Oh I see, now please explain to my unknowledgeable mind how all those things help?

 

1. the heavier flywheel will retain more momentum, so the motor will be less sensitive to throttle inputs

2. lighter clutch.. i'm not sure what that means exactly. that could mean a pressure plate with a softer spring. if so, that would mean that the clutch would not grab as hard, so again, the sensitivity would be decreased. another way to do it would be have a clutch disk with a lower friction coefficient, so it would slip more easily.

3. decreased final drive would effectively make all your gear ratios longer, decreasing sensitivity to throttle-on or throttle-off inputs.