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I want to shift smoother

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#21 ·
supposedly turning off VSA makes the rpms drop a little faster. its been reported by more then a few people that they drive smoother with the VSA off.
 
#23 ·
jdm free said:
how does vsa have anything to do wit shifting?
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it doesn't; people seem to think that VSA is moderating their throttle input and who knows what else, when i've only noticed it kick in twice under the hardest of driving (autocross.) basically, if you aren't drag racing and trying to kill your car in the process, then leave VSA ON. if the VSA dimmer does not illuminate on your dash, then it is not activated, therefore doing absolutely nothing.

shifting smoothly is all a matter of operating your pedals smoothly in turn. keep the terms "gradual" and "smooth" in your conscience every time you shift during the learning process. this is especially necessary due to the drive-by-wire throttle. instead of being a direct mechanical link to the butterfly, your car's computer governs the last X amount of throttle pressure inputs to smooth out engine acceleration/deceleration. try some throttle stabs on an open road at a lower speed, and you'll get a good idea of how your throttle reacts with quick inputs -- poorly. you need to train your feet to smooth everything out.

get your left foot into the habit of quickly releasing the clutch to its engagement point while shifting, and feathering from there on. it's at this point that you want to SMOOTHLY give the car some gas. if the car lurches or bucks at all, you are releasing the clutch too far too soon. if the engine speed increases before smoothing out into gear, you are either not releasing the clutch enough, giving too much gas too soon, or both. just try to keep it all smooth, and find that sweet spot.
 
#24 ·
mrhappypantz said:
Can anybody offer me some advice on how to make smoother shifts? First manual car so ya I'm a nooby.:sadface:
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you will probably not get any advice on how to shift smoother, because there really isn't any. hard to tell you how to do it on here. i want to shift smoother too, but unless you're making a huge mistake, it won't matter. imagine asking how to shoot a basketball better. kinda have to be there in person, and even then that might not be enough to teach somebody.
 
#25 ·
enojy said:
it doesn't; people seem to think that VSA is moderating their throttle input and who knows what else, when i've only noticed it kick in twice under the hardest of driving (autocross.) basically, if you aren't drag racing and trying to kill your car in the process, then leave VSA ON. if the VSA dimmer does not illuminate on your dash, then it is not activated, therefore doing absolutely nothing.

shifting smoothly is all a matter of operating your pedals smoothly in turn. keep the terms "gradual" and "smooth" in your conscience every time you shift during the learning process. this is especially necessary due to the drive-by-wire throttle. instead of being a direct mechanical link to the butterfly, your car's computer governs the last X amount of throttle pressure inputs to smooth out engine acceleration/deceleration. try some throttle stabs on an open road at a lower speed, and you'll get a good idea of how your throttle reacts with quick inputs -- poorly. you need to train your feet to smooth everything out.

get your left foot into the habit of quickly releasing the clutch to its engagement point while shifting, and feathering from there on. it's at this point that you want to SMOOTHLY give the car some gas. if the car lurches or bucks at all, you are releasing the clutch too far too soon. if the engine speed increases before smoothing out into gear, you are either not releasing the clutch enough, giving too much gas too soon, or both. just try to keep it all smooth, and find that sweet spot.
Click to expand...
:yeahthat: This is probably the best written description here. Ultimately, you'll just begin to feel it and understand what everyone's saying.
 
#26 ·
you will get used to the car, it took me like a week to get used to this clutch. now, you can not even tell when i shift. you will be fine
 
#27 ·
i roll off the clutch a lot slower on 1st and 2nd gear. even a bit on third. i can basically dump the clutch on 4-6. i hope im driving the right way, lol.
 
#28 ·
enojy said:
shifting smoothly is all a matter of operating your pedals smoothly in turn. keep the terms "gradual" and "smooth" in your conscience every time you shift during the learning process. this is especially necessary due to the drive-by-wire throttle. instead of being a direct mechanical link to the butterfly, your car's computer governs the last X amount of throttle pressure inputs to smooth out engine acceleration/deceleration. try some throttle stabs on an open road at a lower speed, and you'll get a good idea of how your throttle reacts with quick inputs -- poorly. you need to train your feet to smooth everything out.
Click to expand...
:yeahthat:

Also, since the SI's notorious for rev hang, my shifting goes as follows:
1. depress clutch
2. shift
3. wait for half a second while the rev hang's...... hanging
4. clutch out (not dumping clutch, just fast and smooth)
 
#30 ·
To all you people saying to feather the clutch and let it out slowly doesn't this cause a lot of wear on the clutch? I do this too because it's the only sure way for me to shift smoothly but I'm afraid that its burning clutch? Is it standard?
 
#31 · (Edited)
Koss said:
To all you people saying to feather the clutch and let it out slowly doesn't this cause a lot of wear on the clutch? I do this too because it's the only sure way for me to shift smoothly but I'm afraid that its burning clutch? Is it standard?
Click to expand...
Clutch is meant to slip. Its sole purpose is to act as a buffer when trying to bring 2 spinning objects to the same rotational speed.

It's true that anytime you use the clutch, you wear it out. It's just like your brakes. Do you usually worry about your brakes burning while driving (assuming you drive like a normal person hehe)?

Just don't depress the clutch partway and keep it there while you're driving.

Also, "slowly" varies from person to person. I release the clutch pedal smoothly in about a second.
 
#32 ·
I learned clutch engagement by going around a parking lot using only the clutch to engage the engine. After awhile, you get a sense where the engine and clutch come together. Once you know that, you know approximately where you can shift gears. Practice makes perfect!
 
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Discussion starter · #36 ·
Turns out I can shift perfectly fine it just depends on how cold I am.

Also I don't have a rev hang issue right now. Hoping it stays that way.
 
#39 ·
hmm well we all bought the si for hard drive...well almost many ppl...
im not saying the car is not capable of smooth shifting...but we just can't expect it to shift smooth as 04 manual solara...
 
#40 ·
It's pretty much the rev hang that messes it up. Wait like a second longer to release the clutch and the shift will be so smooth you won't even feel it.
 
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