90BerettaGTZ

Hey..

Just wondering on how other people feel about this car's shifting transitions.. I heard from my buddy that there was a review from GM itself saying that this car is not a car that likes to shift smooth.. I mean compared to some other cars.. It just doesn't seem to have a nice point to shift at to have a nice smooth shift..

I drove my buddies brothers Toyota Celica the other night from the bar (he was to drunk) and man does that thing shift nice.. Even my 1990 Beretta shifts nicer then this car.. And that car is kind of performance orientated. And I know how to shift so I mean you can say its driver error. Cause like I said I drove the Celica and had nice smooth shifts.. Same with my Beretta.. And also the fact that I am a transport truck driver, and I drive alot of miles in a day.. More miles in a day then more people will put on it like 1 week of driving.

Any else find that this car is below normal for shifting smooth??

Just kind of sucks, cause I mean sometimes I would like a really smooth nice shift. But it just isn't going to happen in this car. I have done it sometimes (well it was ok) but I mean nothing compare to the Celica.. It just comes natural on the Celica.. This car is likes you fighting to get a nice shift. I mean my truck seems to have the same kind of shifting at the car lol.. That's not very good

MarcS

I've noticed it to be jerky at times, but it doesn't really bother me. While rolling in 2nd gear it does tend to buck slightly when you let the rev's drop too low. I'm not sure if that's normal for a standard shift car since this is my first.

b-spot

I've got no problems driving it smoothly...

I am also the type of guy that double clutches all the time when down shifting, so I don't just throw it through the gears when driving normally, i'm pretty methodical and precise about it.

tiny

ditto
when its cold, i notice it is more jerky also

wikkymaster

want to explain what double clutching is for me? thanks ive always wanted to know

MarcS

http://felixwong.com/openroad/double_clutch.html

Here's a pretty good explanation.

Taro

Now what is the difference between
-shitting into neutral letting out the clutch hitting the gas, pushing in the clutch then shiffing down( normal double clutching)

and

-pushing in the clutch, shifting down then pushing the gas while the clutch is still in to match revs?

MarcS

Both are used to "match revs" but the 2nd one you mentioned only uses one clutch press, so you would call that just plain "rev matching".

90BerettaGTZ

There is no need to double clutch in these cars.. It does nothing for this cars.. Double clutching is needed in NON-SYNCORMESH (sp) transmissions.. These are already SYCHRONIZED so double clutching is not really an advantage..

I have to double clutch in my truck, cause if I don't then it will not go into gear and it will just grind the gears.. Same with upshifting I have to double clutch as well.. Any time I am changing gears I have to double clutch.. Going up a gear I just doubt clutch and downshifting I Double clutch and put it into gear.

But like I said.. Doing it in a car will have no advantage.. Contrary to what people believe.

MarcS

You're right, but you could find it helpful on an auto-x course with heel-and-toe shifting.

Taro

It does have a little advatage, it smooths out the ride. DOwnshifting without matching the revs pulls the car down like a bitch. And doesnt feel to good either.

b-spot

When you leave the clutch in and rev you are going to wear your throwout bearing more quickly. This is also a non-lubricated part, so not the best idea.

b-spot

Absolutely wrong.

There are several advantages:

#1 less clutch wear. When you let the clutch out slowly to downshift without rev matching (as posted above, rev matching with the clutch still in is BAD) you wear the clutch as it slips to match the engine speed.

#2 Faster shifts. Instead of waiting for the revs to slowly match (letting the clutch out instantly when downshifting will jerk you to hell) you can drop the clutch out instantly if your revs are matched correctly. Also when going to pass on the highway for instance, you can drop a gear or 2 way faster than the traditional way.

#3 Less wear on your syncros. My syncros take a bit of a beating when I'm up-shifting as fast as I can when accelerating, so I give them a break when I'm driving normally. Wrecked syncros suck!

jzchev28

everytime i hear the term double clutching.....i think of the movie fast n the ferious

avro206

Why do you use the clutch at all? What kind of Transmission is it?

I usally drive an Eaton Fuller 8 speed in a gravel truck. (but have driven 13 speeds and 18 speeds) I use the clutch to go in first from a stop (and into reverse) and I don't use it again.

Upshifts and downshifts with no clutch

MarcS

You may get away with that in a large truck, but that'll tear up the syncromesh in our cars if not done perfectly.

90BerettaGTZ

I meant in a General aspect.. I don't use the clutch in my truck either.. I have driven 10, 13, 15 and 18 speeds.. I don't use the clutch the only time I use it is when I am at a complete stop.. If I am at a rolling stop then I don't use the clutch for that.. Sorry if I mis-lead ya ..

tio

I know what you mean on this one. I struggled with getting a smooth shift out of this one too ( I have been driving standard over 20 years, I have a tractor trailer repair business so I am no stranger to shifting). I think these cars are a little tougher because of the stiffer clutch and all of the torque in the throttle. I think there is a tendancy to shift much slower when not racing and the revs drop really fast in these cars. Try shifting a little quicker,still let up the clutch slower and really feather back into the thottle. Just my opinion,I am in no way an authority but WTF give it a try .

Steve.

Mercury

WEIRD.... I just got back from driving my dad's 6-speed mini cooper S. The cobalt ss is almost impossible to shift compared to this thing. I think it is that the throttle is too rev happy on the SS. Having them both be supercharged 4-cyl, I would expect the power delivery to be near the same, but the cooper S is sooo easy to drive. The cobalt SS is a wreck.

avro206

whew.... just checking!

beerbaron105

so much misinformation in this thread where to get started


you people have "revmatching" confused with double clutching... the jerkiness u can avoid is when u push the clutch in and blip the throttle then slowly release the clutch, thus the revs are already matched and its a smoother engagement

THIS IS NOT DOUBLE CLUTCHING

real double clutching is useless on our cars because of the synchos...u are in fact creating a slower car because u are spending more time trying to shift like a fast and furious wannabe, when in fact i just owned you. lol

avro206

and real double clutching is useless on anything too

tiny

no, i forgot the application, but there are certain transmissions, and certain cars that need it

avro206

my bad.

I meant any large trucks. Like semis/gravel trucks and probably buses. No clutch is needed. Its a waste of your left leg! heck I can't drive them with the clutch! (well...not very well)

l337m4573rpyr0

The smoothness (or lack thereof) of the shifter in this car is one of the few *minor* issues I have with this car. I will say that practical or not, double-clutching has made my downshifts much smoother feeling. Whether it actually does anything for or to the car, I don't know. It feels like it would be easier on your drivetrain though. With the SS being a "performance" vehicle, I would expect it to have its idiosyncrisies(sp?).