handydandy

i just started driving my first manual car, and i seemed to have noticed something different. i cant tell if its the tranny, engine, or just my mind playing with me. I did however seem to notice this "change" today. i dont know if this is normal.

well heres the thing:

when im accelerating forward in 1st gear and then upshift to 2nd and i press down clutch and then engage into 2nd gear, the rpm drops by 1.5k.
B/c it drops so much, when upshift to 2nd gear too early (even at 3.5k), the rpm goes way down and stutters a little, making it a NOT so smooth transition. Therefore, in order to make it smooth, i have to let the rpm drop by at least 1k and then engage into 2nd and let go of clutch so that its smooth...

for example: im driving in 1st gear and press clutch at 3.5k and engage into 2nd gear. once i let go of the clutch and finally fully engages into 2nd gear, the rpm drops to 2k. its not smooth either, b/c it kind of jerks.

so what do you guys think is wrong? is this normal? or is something wrong with my tranny or engine? or is it just my mind (i mean it is my first manual car)?

TSX 3Pedal

Honestly...I think you just need more practice since you said it's your first manual car. There's nothing wrong with the car.

Practice makes perfect ...so just go out there and drive and become more familiar with the car.

fadinglionhart

I think you might just be getting use to driving a manual. The revs usually don't drop more than 1k. Practice smoothing it out whilst shifting quicker.

handydandy

when i upshift to any gear EXCEPT 2nd, it drops only 1k....
But when i upshift to 2nd gear only, it drops by 1.5k or more....

is this normal?

blakura

If you take too long to get back on the gas after coming up off of the clutch, the rpm's will drop while the car waits for you. But if you're not having a problem with any of the other gears...take it in to the service dept. and let a technician or service advisor watch you as you make your shifts and then let them drive the car and see what happens. You car is still under warranty I'm sure?

aaronng

Yes, because the difference in 1st and 2nd gear ratios is bigger than between the other gears.

When I shift, say at 3.5k, I press in the clutch, shift from 1st to 2nd, and release clutch while the needle is still falling towards 2k. That way, even if you release the clutch quickly, it is still smooth. I don't shift slowly such that the needle drops below 2k, and when I release clutch, the engine has to climb back up 1.5k. In other words, I never ride the clutch.

psteng19

It's like this on many cars. Here's what I do.
There's two ways to go about combatting this (the rpm's I quote may be off because I don't really look at the tach when shifting out of 1st, too dangerous).

1. I take it probably to 3000ish and wait for the revs to drop a lot (sorry, don't know what RPM, I go by sound/feel), then engage clutch slowly. Very smooth shift but very slow acceleration at the same time.

2. Take engine to high RPM (probably 4-5k), very fast shift to 2nd and let out clutch quick. Not as smooth, but also not very jerky either but very fast acceleration.

This is mostly common sense, but since you're new to driving stick, I thought I'd mention it.
Honestly, the 1=>2 shift is the most trickiest of them all so don't feel too bad.
Rest assured, it's not the car, but user error instead

curls

The 1-2 shift in most cars (and moreso in the TSX) is usually akward. My advice is that you being a relative n00b to MT cars, is to NOT think so much about it.

Nothing is wrong with the car, and by thinking about it I think you are just stressing out over it and causing yourself to not drive the car naturally. Being relaxed is one of the easiest ways to drive a MT car, and by thinking about it, you aren't in the perfect state of mind to subconsciously learn how to drive the MT flawlessly.

/dr.phil

handydandy

alright, i guess i just need to master the 1-2 shift...

thanks guys!

BoxedUp

If you just remember that the clutch and accelerator pedals always move in opposite directions, you shouldn't have a problem upshifting into any gear. If your coming up off the clutch, you should be pressing down on the accelerator to achieve a smooth transistion and not jerk the car during acceleration. You know you're doing it right when your passenger doesn't even know that you drive a manual.
Conversely, when you depress the clutch, you should be coming up off the accelerator pedal.

ChrismanTSX

Just to add to this. Being new to manual, you may find it even more difficult, but I also needed a couple of weeks to adapt to the TSX. I feel that the engine revs drop much faster than my previous cars, which means that if you're taking your time shifting into 2nd, you release the clutch when the revs are below where they need to be.

I've sped up my shifting, especially 1st to 2nd, and now release the clutch a bit faster to the point of engagement. Essentially, I do my 1-2 shift as if I were driving the car a bit harder than I actually intend to: I no longer suffer from this problem anymore!

Good luck mastering the 1-2 shift!

ninjamyst

Same here with the TSX being my first MT. 1st to 2nd gets me every time. The weird thing is that I have to shift slowly to let the rpm drops and let clutch out slowly to avoid a jerky shift. Weird. But I am working on making the shift faster. Another thing that gets me is getting out of 1st. At what RPM do you guys start getting out? I usually do 1.5k but find it very very slow. I don't want to push it to 2-2.5k to avoid wear and tear on the clutch. Oh well. I look forward to driving my car even though I suck at it.

Tsx6363

i think you're just shifting a little too slowly. and your jerks might be cause you're rushing it..

aaronng

What do you mean getting out of 1st?

Say I shift at 3500rpm in 1st, and the proper RPM to be in 2nd gear at that speed is 2000rpm.

I clutch in at 3500rpm, I pull it out of 1st, and then into 2nd (do it smoothly, don't shift too quick as you are not racing and you don't want to wear the synchros). The RPM is dropping, say down to about 2500rpm. I let out my clutch quickly in one smooth action. By the time I reach the friction point, it is so close to 2000rpm, that it is smooth eventhough I am releasing it very quickly.

One way to make clutch release smooth is when upshifting, you release the clutch as the rev is dropping. When downshifting with a throttle blip, you release the clutch as the rev is still rising.

ninjamyst

[QUOTE=aaronng]What do you mean getting out of 1st?
[QUOTE]

I mean from a dead stop and going to into 1st gear. At what rpm do you guys start to release the clutch?

junktionfet

As others have pointed out, most cars are a bit difficult to shift from 1st the 2nd perfectly, and the TSX is especially counter-intuitive. This is due to the larger than normal ratio gap combined with the behavior of the drive-by-wire throttle.

It takes some getting used to, but once you master it you will be pleased. Good luck!

aaronng

Me? 1500rpm if I want to get off quickly. Otherwise, I just release the clutch a slip second after pressing the accelerator slightly. If you are new to manual, practice in an empty parking lot and try to take off in 1st without touching the accelerator. Then you'll learn to control your clutch release much better. I can take off in 1st from idle by simultaneously releasing the clutch and pressing the accelerator, without riding (clutch is totally released within 0.5 seconds), without excessive gas while being smooth (passenger's head doesn't get pressed into the seat).

Keep practicing to find ways to release the clutch quickly without any jerkiness.

cp1

Are you applying the gas as you release the clutch after you shift to 2nd? If you just pop the clutch it'll jerk like that, you have to add gas.


And about letting the clutch out in first gear, I'm not sure what you're asking, do you hit the gas, then let out the clutch? I do them both at the same time, not sure why you wouldn't.

Newplay1

Def need more practice... Once you get it down pad you will be starting and shifting from 1st/2nd/3rd no delays no jerking/shaking..

5o9

For now, start your launch around 2,000 rpm, and don't let it slip below 1,500. At low rpm the engine bogs down under heavy load, and a stall is the worst.

The drive by wire is nasty, but you get used to it and after a while can put it approximately on the desired rpm when doing unnecessary double clutching action or whatever.

I think double clutching remains a requisite skill in the tsx, as sometimes need to downshift into first gear to scoot. Think first gear is way tall and with a big gap to second, just so car barely eeks out 60 mph in second.