Another Generic n00b thread

[vedran]

welcome to SS,

good luck on the swap.

the lude is much more fun with the short-geared manual than the problematic tiptronic slushbox, i'm sure you will enjoy it.

[watkins]

What a typical SS welcoming. Welcome to SS.

We're that family of distant cousins that doesnt really fit in at family gatherings, only in internet form

[RomPirate]

wow, this thread took a strange turn pretty quick! lol

Thanks for the warm welcomes!

[RomPirate]

me again!
I was looking at the extended FAQ:

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No Rev-Match Downshifting

by CaliforniaZX

There are a few reasons for a no-rev match downshift:

   1. You have already braked so much that your RPMs have dropped almost to idle and you are on the brink of lugging so you need to downshift.
   2. You have not quite mastered the rev-matched downshift quite yet, but still want to get in the habit of downshifting before a turn. 

The no rev-match downshift is pretty self explanatory but here are some pointers:

   1. Make sure your revs are low enough to attempt to downshift without rev-matching. By low I mean from 1-1.5k.
   2. When downshifting, hold the clutch in for about one second for the RPMs to drop a little more.
   3. Do not dump the clutch, rather bring it out slowly, like you would a normal launch.
   4. ALWAYS finish your shifts BEFORE you turn. 

Here are some example scenarios:

A. You are traveling 30 miles in 3rd gear and approaching a 90 degree turn.

   [b]1. Start braking and wait for your rpms to drop.[/b]
   2. Once your Rpms are around 1.5K clutch in and shift down to second.
   3. Hold clutch in until RPMS drop to about 1k and let out.
   4. Take the turn. 

B. You are traveling 45 mph in 4th and you suddenly have to slow down to 30 because of a slow car.

  [b] 1. Start breaking until your RPMs drop again to 1.5K[/b]
   2. Again, once your Rpms are around 1.5K clutch in and shift down to Third.
   3. Hold clutch in until RPMS drop to about 1k and let out. 

What i see is, its saying its safe to brake without pushing in the clutch, right? The way i'm reading it:

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1) Without pressing in the clutch, foot off gas and apply the brakes until you get ~1.5k rpms
2) at ~1.5k rpms, still braking, clutch in
3) Downshift
4) stop braking, ease clutch up and complete the turn.

Is this right?

[theholycow]

It's perfectly safe to brake without using the clutch until you approach idle RPM. Below idle you risk stalling the engine if you don't do something about it.

[jomotopia]

What i see is, its saying its safe to brake without pushing in the clutch, right? The way i'm reading it:

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1) Without pressing in the clutch, foot off gas and apply the brakes until you get ~1.5k rpms
2) at ~1.5k rpms, still braking, clutch in
3) Downshift
4) stop braking, ease clutch up and complete the turn.

Is this right?

really for #4 i would finish the downshift while still braking if it's a non-rev matched shift. i would do it like this

1> off gas and brake
2> as you are almost to cornering speed and almost to the corner, clutch in, downshift, ease clutch up, all while still braking
3> stop braking and turn

[RomPirate]

Hey guys how is it going

Well i FINALLY finished my whole job this morning. All the mechanical work was done from tuesday to thursday... im pretty sure it could have taken less than 2 days total, but when all you've got is 3 guys,jack stands, hand tools and a transmission jack well dropping the transmission becomes a daunting task!

I've been driving around the block a few times. I did pretty good i think, for having no instructor just tons of reading from SS. I'm getting the hang of launching. The launching on a slope is still intimidating, but i can get it after a few goes. I grind-ed 2nd gear once... I'll never do that again lol. I keep forgetting to downshift to first gear. My old "tiptronic" transmission automatically did it. i've been driving for 15 minutes, then taking a few breaks to let the clutch cool off after so many stalls. eh?

well i'm out to practice. ILL BE BACK!!

[AHTOXA]

Sounds like you're doing well!

[Leedeth]

Dude holy shit did this guy just do a 5 spd swap?

[theholycow]

Dude holy shit did this guy just do a 5 spd swap?

Yup.

Without having driven manual before.

Then he got in it and drove it.

Chock full of badassery, IMO.

[ihartmacz]

That was an excellent write up on the swap!

I enjoyed reading it! That was totally bad-ass!

[RomPirate]

lol, I just got around to reading the other comments. Thanks guys! It was well worth it


Im having a bit of trouble downshifting. When I do a no rev match downshift, I let it out sloowly, maybe too slow and it still sorta jerks. However, what ive tried is:
Say im in 4th
1)Clutch in, foot still on gas
2)increase gas a little, hold it steady. Same time shift to 3rd
3)clutch out smoothly


This gives a much smoother downshift than other attempts at a rev match downshift (or at least how I understand it goes)
The way I understand its written in the FAQ:
1)Clutch in, foot off gas
2)shift to lower gear, at the same time blip the throttle. (The way I understand blipping is tapping the gas and releasing it, not keeping it steady)
3) Catch it at the right point with the clutch and on the gas to smooth it out


1st method is alot easier and smoother for me. Any opinions?

Thanks

[theholycow]

A "blip" is more of a "stab" than a "tap".

The second method is the generally accepted proper way to do it but the first works better for me, too. I suspect it differs from car to car as well as from one driver to the next.

Practice makes perfect. Try practicing at lower or higher RPM ranges, it may be easier at a different RPM than where you're currently doing it; once you get good at it then you can optimize your RPM.

[Evicatos]

I actually just gave up on non double-clutch rev matched downshifting because I just couldn't get it smooth. I forced myself to learn the whole double clutch thing and it really made a difference. The gear slides in smooth as butter. You should give it a shot, only one more step and I actually found it easier to learn than single-clutch since it was a sequence of steps instead of clutch in + blip at the same time (probably part of the reason why I'm having a really hard time getting heal-toe down; my brain just seems to not think that way).

[RomPirate]

im back

things have gotten better. Its uncommon when I stall (I'd say I stall 1/35 launches or so) but its still a nerve racking issue. I have learned the cars warning signs, to give it more gas when shaking and let the clutch out slower etc. I've gotten better at the so called "see saw" method, and can launch with less than 1500 rpms. Sometimes 1k-1100 HOWEVER sometimes I find myself revving it up to ~2k and letting the clutch out slowly until the car gets moving. This is pretty useful when I have to inch forward a bit pretty quickly. Bad to do?

My 1-2 launch is still jerky. Sometimes I can get it spot on, my passenger(s) wont even notice the shift but when I do the revs usually jump down once its smooth... Waiting longer obviously would help, but its kinda hard to wait "longer"(where a fraction of a second can make a smoother shift) when your launch only once every few minutes. I've been driving for 8 days today exactly, i'm guessing practice and time will smooth it out?

Which leads me to another point... I've found that by NOT looking at the tach when shifting, I generally shift smoother... Sort of weird but its sort of a feeling ya know?

Pulling into my driveway concerns me the most about the clutch. Handbraking, 2k gas up, slow clutch release and giving it more gas as it starts gripping seems to work. However there is a bit of chatter and shaking almost like its about to stall... Anyone have any tips for "uphill stop and go traffic"?

I'm going to go on a limb and guess that most people are going to say:
1) i'll get better with time.
2) So long as I dont rev up to 4k rpms and dump the clutch i'll be fine.


Thanks again