My car seems jerkier than I think it should. Like if I'm in traffic in 2rd gear and take my foot off the gas at 2500 rpm, the car slows down by engine braking but then when the revs drop to maybe 1200, the car jerks kind of harshly. Then again in the same engine braking situation, it traffic takes off when the revs have dropped to say 2000, and I tap the gas again, it jerks hard. I promise I'm not stabbing the throttle. I'm trying to open it smoothly, but its like it just BOOM catches and goes.

 

So just step on the clutch when you hit 1200 rpm......

 

i got the same problem. i can't figure out how to slow the car down without jerking it. especially coming down from 2nd to first gear. friggin car jerks like crazy.

 

... BIG ASS HEAVY Flywheel, that is the problem. It is dual-mass too, not sure exactly what that means but I assume it makes it worse. I usually put in the clutch, it is annoying...

 

Has nothing to do with the flywheel.

Do you really think the flywheel jerks around like that?

 

I guess I'm confused, you let a manual drop to about 1200 RPM with the clutch engaged??

I can certainly see how it would become jerky as the IAC would begin to kick start working and any slight throttle input would jerk the car forward. Letting off would produce a jerk in the opposite direction. Quite honestly I never like to get a manual below 2k revs while still engaged in gear.

Every manual I have owned was this way including the recent BMW. There isn't a fluid coupling like in an automatic to soften transitions, which is why we drive a manual.

 

If you're going to cruise around with sub 1500 RPMs the car will lurch. If you stab the gas pedal in 2nd and your in gear with RPM under 1500, the car will lurch. This is normal for a manual transmission car.

I don't mean to sound like an ass, but learn how to drive a stick. You need to use that pedal by your left foot every now and then. When the engine slows you need to change gears (downshift) or go into neutral.

It's typically pretty hard to downshift into 1st and many don't recommend it (I rarely do it, if ever). You usually cannot slip into 1st during a roll unless it's pretty slow, under 3 MPH or so. So...if your in a situation where your RPMs are too slow for 2nd don't be afraid to disengage the clutch and go into neutral. You'll restart by slipping back into 1st or 2nd, depending on your car's speed when traffic opens up again.

 

While decelerating with no throttle input the engine will begin injecting fuel again at about 1100rpm to keep the engine running, this is probaby what you're feeling. And because there is a HEAVY FLYWHEEL this transition is not as smooth as it could be. But yeah like the other say... just put in the clutch a little sooner.

 

don't worry, you'll get used to it... when I posted this back at the time that I first got my car i got all types of shit for it with ppl saying I cant drive... a few weeks later it was smooth as silk. Just takes time to get a feel for the gas. Try drivign at around 2 or 3 grand... it usually helps smooth the gas out,...

 

Listen, I've been driving sticks for years, but they've all been 4 cyl before this car. And if you drove in the traffic I sometimes have to drive in, you'd try to leave the clutch out as long as possible too. If I clutched every time the revs dropped below 2k, I'd spend 1/2 the time in neutral. There's lots of times where idle speed in 1st or 2nd gear is the exact speed of traffic. If I was in neutral, I'd be falling behind, and if I was at 3k, I'd rear end the guy in front of me. I just think the CL-S is jerkier when the fuel injectors cut in and out than other cars I've driven.

 

Yes. None of us here drive in traffic like you do. I've spent most of my driving life in Los Angeles and have also endured daily commuter traffic in London, Boston, New York/New Jersey, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco... The list goes on. It seems like almost every person on this board lives in an urban or suburban zone. I doubt the traffic you endure is worse then what others see daily too.

I don't find this car any more 'jerky' then any other that I've had. But I guess I avoid the things that you mentioned that were giving you the lurch.

Maybe you should be in 1st instead of 2nd, or 2nd instead of 3rd if you are spending too much time in the 'jerky' zone.

An aside: I also disagree with the folks that say that a manual car is harder to drive in traffic then an automatic car. I'd guess the ones that say that just aren't doing something right. I've never thought twice about traffic; I've never come home with a sore left leg; I've never ever regretted having a manual transmssion car --- in fact I'd say its more fun in a manual car because you're always doing something instead of falling asleep.

 

and to me it's a matter of feathering the gas just right...I commute from baltimore down past DC every day for work so I know stop and go traffic. As Slimey said, I think it's actually easier than with auto because I"m not riding my breaks the whole time, letting my engine do most of the breaking...

I've been driving mt since I was 15 (I"m 31 now). With this car I've never had a problem of downshifting, even into 1st. I rarely come to a complete stop without the aid of 1st gear engine braking...in fact I rarely need to touch my brakes if I have a long enough distance to let the engine do most of the breaking for me...I remeber reading a thread a while back where someone mentioned our accelerator linkage wasn't so great and I attributed the herky jerkyness to that.. good luck!

 

Slimey

I couldn't have said it better! Ditto

 

It never ceases to amaze me how fucking clueless some people here can be.... and then they talk like they know what the fuck they're talking about

Newsflash:

Bucking/jerking at low rpm has NOTHING to do with the flywheel, or the fuel injection.

 

BTW, speaking of creeping in traffic.....

I was driving a new Mercedes Benz E class the other day, and found out that it has a pretty cool feature for dealing with heavy traffic. There's a setting that makes the car brake to a slow stop as you let off the gas, without having to touch the brake pedal. So if you're creeping along in stop-and-go traffic, just touch the gas pedal a bit to accelerate, then let off and watch the car decelerate to a total stop. Very cool.

 

Why would you ever go from 2nd to 1st?

At slow speeds the clutch should be in to avoid the "jerkiness". And the only time you should be in first is if you need to get the car rolling or you're moving at SUPER slow speeds; less than 3mph.

1st is taboo when rolling, IMHO.

 

the only time I've seen people put it into 1st is if they're pulling out of a stationary position...i.e. stopped at a red light or pulling out a parking space.

 

Ummmm....yes you do probably spend half the time in neutral

 

Actually .. the car does jerk .. and will do it in all gears. When you remove your foot off the gas ... while still in gear .. after a few seconds there will be 3 short jerks. Slowly pressing the gas (while still in gear) will produce the same 3 jerks. I reported this to my dealer (as I believe it has something to do with the idling system) .. they could reproduce it (easily) .. and it turns out their brand new 6 spd does it as well.

It has nothing to do with how the clutch is used .. it is purely something in the engine management system .. be it fuel injectors .. idle controller .. or shit-ass programming .. who knows. But acura isn't doing anything with it .. so we'll just have to send them whiplash bills.

-Andy

 

LOL it true the car does jerk but I think its quite normal....at least on all the manual cars Ive driven it just that the high performance engine makes the jerking that more noticeable...I just drop it into neutral till I can accelerate again in order to not look like a rookie stick driver.

 

Thanks divindude and lou for letting me know at least the car is acting normally and I'm not crazy. You're probably right that the higher performance engine makes it much more noticeable that other cars I've driven. I do my best to keep step on the gas gently in in low acceleration situations like heavy traffic but sometimes its like it has a mind of its own.

On a side note, does it ever act like you're blipping the throttle over and over when you're holding say, 2500 rpm in 2nd when its cold? I'll let it warm up for a minute and then when I go down the alley to leave the houe, it sometimes does the bucking bronco routine. It only seems to do it when its cold (and even this its only sometimes).

 

I also wonder if the AC clutch has anything to do with it. I remember on the auto CL-S, it would practically take off at a light when it engaged unless your foot was hard on the brakes. In the manual, I can be holding a steady rpm with the clutch out and it'll jerk like I stabbed the throttle. AC clutch maybe?

 

It's not the A/C clutch .. I keep my A/C off ... I rarely use it .. I guess i like the heat. And the frequency of the 'jerks' are very regular .. and I've not been able to reproduce it by using my foot (I can't pulse my foot fast enuf) .. so it is definately something in the fuel system management.

The other thing that my car does .. and my stupid dealer refuses to even look at .. is the 'stall' that occurs at the engine approaches operating temps .. does it each and every time. Dealer laughs at me .. I guess that Acura's solution to the tranny problem is to ignore everyone's complaints.

-Andy

 

You mean that feeling where you're crusing down the street steady at 40 in 4th and suddenly, its like someone stabbed the front brakes for about 1/4 second? Yeah, mine does that too. Not always, but often. Same as you, just as the temp needed is leveling off.

 

I learned stick on an RSX and I've driven RSX-S and TSX 6speeds and both are so smooth and enjoyable to drive. We have one 6speed CLS left and I tried it for a moment the other day... drove it around the parking lot and one street and it felt like such a piece of shit I was scared to drive it any farther. Fucking thing jerked and jolted like shit when I let off the gas (or got back on it) in first or second gear.

I swear, it felt like something was wrong with it, it was that different from the beautifully smooth 6speed the RSX-S/TSX has.

Ugh. It TOTALLY turned me off to ever considering trading up for an 03 6speed CLS.


That shitty idling jerk feeling reminds me of some of the jerking the auto trans does on the CLS too if you catch it at the wrong time on the wrong grade in the wrong gear or coasting etc. I think it's just a symptom of the CLS's drivetrain, piece of shit that it is.

 

Never go below 2K RPM while driving. Whenever i'm approaching a stop, it's always neutral for a good roll, stop, then 1st and go. If i'm coming upon a stop far away, ie. a highway red light I see, then I slow down with the gears, but rarely ever slow into 1st.

 

Btw, there is never a need to downshift into first for normal street driving. This is why many cars dont even have first gear synchros. If you're downshifting into first you need to learn how to drive stick properly.

If you're slowing down in 2nd, once you get below ~2k rpm just put the clutch in.

 

You guys downshifting into first from 2nd or any gear need some help. That is what the brakes are for. Don't use first gear as a brake, ridiculous. I would never even think of doing that. First is for accelerating, not decelerating.
A brake job is a lot cheaper than a new tranny.

 

Is some of the jerkiness caused by drivetrain lash, like the slack on a motorcycle chain?
Sorry, I got all my manual driving experience from riding/racing street bikes

 

There are ways not to jerk. You just need to learn how to even out the clutch because i don't really ever jerk in these situations you guys are describing.

 

Every modern day car has a synchro for 1st gear.

Shit, I can't even think of more than 2 or 3 cars built today that don't have a synchro for REVERSE!

 

Yeah there is a 1st gear syncho, but its not like the other gears. You can't just slam it in 1st at 15 mph even though its well under redline then.

 

Trust me, the CL-S 6 is no piece of shit. The clutch takes a while to get used to and it has a good amount more torque than the other cars you've mentioned. Have someone take you for a ride who owns one. It WILL impress you, especially when you chirp the tires going into third.

 

I just got a V70R with a 6-speed and haven't driven a manual for fifteen years (and then only casually). The clutch release point on the Volvo is about an inch from the top of the pedal. First couple of weeks weren't pretty especially with max torque at 1900 RPM. Smooth first and second transitions are still a bitch but I don't blame the car, I blame my skills. I can't imagine downshifting to first every time I stopped - not only would it be a pain in the ass, it can't be good for the clutch or transmission. As I'm getting more comfortable, I'm starting to "feel" the car more and getting in to the rhythm of "which gear when". From what other R manual owners have said comparing the cars to other sticks they've driven, once I master this sucker I should be able to drive anything. I just hope I don’t break it (sigh). Beltfed, what did you think of the manual in the R compared to others you’ve driven?

 

Isn't the 6 speed tran in the TSX, the same one out of the CL-6?

 

I finally can agree with you

Same BS also follows quite a few of these type folks to their jobs...

I think I should start a college to give out true BS degree. Gets on my nerves sometimes too..

 

Uh no.

It's almost identical to the RSX's 6speed though, and it makes sense since it's the same engine, just stroked.

QUESTION REGARDING DRIVING STICK:

When I'm moving from a dead stop in first gear, I slowly let the clutch out and it's very smooth but am I wearing the clutch by doing it that way?

Also when I'm going slow I tend to push the clutch pedal in a bit to avoid any jerkiness. Again, is this wearing the clutch more to do this?

I sort of half-ass the clutch and the gas and it's a very smooth transition and driving experience but I'm sure that's got to be wearing the clutch a bit or something, right?

 

here we go everybody is an expert.....shit tom2 should be commentating on car shows etc., awesome commentary on a car you don't even own or have ever driven.

 

Sorry, thought I read it in this months Sport Compact Car mag on a TSX review.

 

I just drove a TSX 6speed again today and it's so smooth and enjoyable to drive, just like the RSX-S.

I may have to trade up for one or the other eventually and mod one of those babies.