Dropkick1

well, the title says most of it. im 1 month out of school, got hired as an accountant and decided to treat myself to a nice ride--especially since some audit clients are a nice drive away.

so, against my best financial interests i decided to sell my 2000 civic and lease a 2005 anthracite TL; i dont regret it one bit! body kit is on its way, tint this weekend, and 18's with next paycheck. ye ye!


lol, anyways, my main question is this:

i have driven stick for almost 8 years now and i use to valet, so i have driven many many diff types of MT.

but, like another poster here, had a little trouble at first gettin started off the line in 1st, without revving too high, boggin it too low, or, worse yet, stalling.

after a week and a half or so, im doing pretty well off the line. but, what i really need to know is, is shifting supposed to be hard?

i have grinded the gears a few times now, but only going into third.
although, it seems like every gear i put it in i can really feel it going in....i wish i had a better/more technical way to describe it.

it almost feels like the clutch isn't disengaging as much as it should. i know driving a MT car without a clutch is called powershifting. it feels a little like that, except, of course, not to that extreme.

is it possible my tranny/clutch has a prob, or is it just a diff feel i have to get use to?

i hope for the latter.

Pro Stock John

I have never grinded the gears on our TL, you might not be pushing the clutch all the way down or there might be a problem with ur car.

I'm still getting used to launching in 1st gear.

PoochaKannInc

You have to get used to 1st gear. After a few thousand miles, you'll be doing it like a pro.

About grinding gears. I've done it twice, while shifting to third gear. I was shifting faster than my foot was reacting. Completely my fault, not mechanical. Now I'm more careful that I don't get ahead of myself. Try concentrating more as you shift, and slowly as the miles pile on it takes less concentration, and it becomes smoother (at least in my opinion).

Dropkick1

thanks guys, but even with the clutch all the way in, do you still "feel" it going in to each gear?

i dont recall this with other MT's i have driven.

poocha, i did the same thing myself a few times. but, like i stated above, once or twice it seemed like it was in 3rd but i hadn't pushed it up high enough. seemed to take more effort than it should.

coop1018

I have grinded the gears as well. I still do. Maybe once a month my foot will be quicker then my shift. Embarrassing!!!! Other than that I have had no problems. You get use to it. Some days I will drive smooth as can be, other days I will be rough>

terse

it's weird..i thought this car was hard to drive, but my friend who used to drive an is300 drove my car no problem...i felt like a loser for stalling when he didn't even any trouble..maybe is300 is harder?

Lore

What firm do you work for? I'm work as an auditor in a big 4 firm too...

Shinj1EVA

Hey Lore, which firm? Want to push my resume to HR for me?

Dropkick1

not big 4. i was very close to getting in with KPMG (made it through 2 interviews), but, in the end, my gpa didnt make the cut.

i was pretty bummed, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as i love the firm i work for. they have given me more responsibility so far than i ever wouldve imagined, and i only work 40 hour weeks.

terse

my cousin's wife was at KPMG, and now she works for disney in burbank

SouthernBoy

To Dropkick1;

Shifting without using the clutch is not called powershifting. Powershifting is a technique used in drag racing whereby all shifts after the launch are conducted as fast as possible, using the clutch, but without removing your foot from the throttle. If you do virtually the same thing, only without using the clutch, it's called "bang shifting".

Now as to your problem. Are you depressing the clutch completely to its stop pad before attempting to shift? Does your clutch begin to engage almost immediately as you start to release the pedal?

If your answer to number 2 is "yes", your situation is similar to mine. My clutch starts engagement too close to the floor for my tastes. I started to adjust it right after I bought the car, but changed my mind and decided to give it a little time. If your situation is such that you feel the clutch is not completely disengaging, GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! You can accelerate the wear on your synchronizers if this is actually happening. If you do depress the clutch pedal completely to the stop pad and find you are grinding gears on shifts or having to somewhat "force" the shifter into gear, this is a good indication your clutch is not fully disengaging.