jerk free shifts

[jhg1232]

I have a mazdaspeed3 and whenever I shift i push clutch in, shift, clutch out slowly, then gas it.
However when im pushing in the clutch the rpms fall to idle like levels and then when i release clutch theyre rising back up so i guess it causes the slight jerk.
This mainly happens when im going from first to second gear

How can I get smooth shifts without any jerking?
I have tried giving gas right when I get to the engagement point when coming off the clutch and it has given me smoother shifts but i want to know, is it bad on the clutch to give gas while releasing clutch?

In addition, everyone says dont slip the clutch but isnt it kind of necessarry when driving at very slow speeds like when parking, or reversing?

Any input is appreciated

[potownrob]

welcome to the site; you've come to the right place

you've essentially answered your own questions in your post; you are on the right track and don't seem to be doing anything wrong (unless you're adding a LOT of gas while engaging the clutch). now all you really need is time and more practice to get things down smoother. the mazdaspeed 3 probably isn't the easiest car to drive smoothly, but members on here have gotten better in time (not sure if we have any current members with MS3s). the 1-2 shift is usually the toughest to get down smooth in general, but it will come with time.

[Boston Fit]

Try this: when you clutch in, ease off the gas without completely coming off of it. Keep giving it enough gas to hold RPM's at the target range for the next gear.

[PaintDrinkingPete]

I have a mazdaspeed3 and whenever I shift i push clutch in, shift, clutch out slowly, then gas it.
However when im pushing in the clutch the rpms fall to idle like levels and then when i release clutch theyre rising back up so i guess it causes the slight jerk.
This mainly happens when im going from first to second gear

How can I get smooth shifts without any jerking?
I have tried giving gas right when I get to the engagement point when coming off the clutch and it has given me smoother shifts but i want to know, is it bad on the clutch to give gas while releasing clutch?

In addition, everyone says dont slip the clutch but isnt it kind of necessarry when driving at very slow speeds like when parking, or reversing?

Any input is appreciated

welcome to the site; you've come to the right place

you've essentially answered your own questions in your post; you are on the right track and don't seem to be doing anything wrong (unless you're adding a LOT of gas while engaging the clutch). now all you really need is time and more practice to get things down smoother. the mazdaspeed 3 probably isn't the easiest car to drive smoothly, but members on here have gotten better in time (not sure if we have any current members with MS3s). the 1-2 shift is usually the toughest to get down smooth in general, but it will come with time.

I agree. You will get better with practice and experience driving the vehicle. Having said that, despite the fact that I've been driving manuals for close to 20 years, I still have a jerky shift from time to time...it happens.

One other thing, when going from 1st to 2nd gear, the longer you wind up in 1st, the harder it is to get a "smooth" shift into 2nd. Unless you're trying to accelerate quickly or starting on an incline, try dropping into 2nd earlier, as soon as you get the car adequately moving after launching in first...that may help

[daleadbull]

It seems like you know what to do to smooth out your shifts but you've let the people saying "NEVER SLIP YOUR CLUTCH" get into your head.

Don't be afraid to give some gas while releasing the clutch both when shifting and launching. I myself have this problem and have to keep reminding myself daily until it becomes second nature.

If your rpms drop to idle when shifting from 1 to 2, then either you're shifting too slow or shifting too early. You can fix this by balancing the gas/clutch during the shift like you said you tried to do or just shifting faster or both.

It sounds like you're letting the rpms drop too low when shifting, so you can also try winding out 1st gear a little more if you find that the rpms drop to idle while shifting. The most important thing is getting the gas/clutch balance right then you should be able to shift smoothly at any rpm.

One other thing, when going from 1st to 2nd gear, the longer you wind up in 1st, the harder it is to get a "smooth" shift into 2nd. Unless you're trying to accelerate quickly or starting on an incline, try dropping into 2nd earlier, as soon as you get the car adequately moving after launching in first...that may help

It sounds like he's letting the rpms drop too low while shifting so shifting earlier might only exasperate the issue. Also I don't think that shifting early leading to smoother shifts is necessarily true in every car. In my car for example, when shifting at low rpms I have to be really slow and smooth with the clutch in order to get a smooth shift but at high rpms I can just clutch in and clutch out and not have to think about it that much. This is mainly due to rev hang that's programmed into my car at low rpms.

[tankinbeans]

What Bull said...

Don't worry about slipping the clutch. It's designed to slip, that's its job.


Oh, and welcome to the board.

[theholycow]

I have tried giving gas right when I get to the engagement point when coming off the clutch and it has given me smoother shifts but i want to know, is it bad on the clutch to give gas while releasing clutch?

That's exactly the right thing to do. By giving it enough accelerator pedal input to prevent it from jerking, you are preventing slipping the clutch. If you instead let it sit at idle and jerk, then that is slipping the clutch. (In reality it's a harmless level of slip, but I'm explaining it on a strictly technical level to point out that you are already doing the very best thing that can be done.)

In addition, everyone says dont slip the clutch but isnt it kind of necessarry when driving at very slow speeds like when parking, or reversing?

Don't slip the clutch excessively. Do slip it as necessary for launching, low speed driving, reversing, and smoothing shifts.

Also don't shift during a turn if you're in a race and have no traction to spare -- but go ahead if you're on the road driving safely like you should. Also don't hold the clutch pedal to the floor for 10 minutes straight while idling outside the store waiting for your wife to come out -- but go ahead and hold it to the floor at a stop sign for 10 seconds. All this stuff is okay and necessary to do in moderation, not okay to do in the extreme, and the message gets mangled by the time it reaches a lot of people who get a paranoid fear of doing these necessary things at all.

One other thing, when going from 1st to 2nd gear, the longer you wind up in 1st, the harder it is to get a "smooth" shift into 2nd. Unless you're trying to accelerate quickly or starting on an incline, try dropping into 2nd earlier, as soon as you get the car adequately moving after launching in first...that may help

It sounds like he's letting the rpms drop too low while shifting so shifting earlier might only exasperate the issue.

This varies for each person/car. For some it will exacerbate the situation, for some it will improve it. The idea is to experiment.

[daleadbull]

One other thing, when going from 1st to 2nd gear, the longer you wind up in 1st, the harder it is to get a "smooth" shift into 2nd. Unless you're trying to accelerate quickly or starting on an incline, try dropping into 2nd earlier, as soon as you get the car adequately moving after launching in first...that may help

It sounds like he's letting the rpms drop too low while shifting so shifting earlier might only exasperate the issue.

This varies for each person/car. For some it will exacerbate the situation, for some it will improve it. The idea is to experiment.

Hey I just noticed that I used "exasperate" instead of "exacerbate". Haha thanks for calling me out without actually calling me out, nicely done.

[theholycow]

Hey I just noticed that I used "exasperate" instead of "exacerbate". Haha thanks for calling me out without actually calling me out, nicely done.

I didn't even notice, I just read it as exacerbate.

[jhg1232]

thanks for all the help guys! another question, is it ok to let go of the clutch fast once im giving gas on clutch release ? clutch in, shift, gas+release clutch quickly or should i still slowly release the clutch?

[tankinbeans]

thanks for all the help guys! another question, is it ok to let go of the clutch fast once im giving gas on clutch release ? clutch in, shift, gas+release clutch quickly or should i still slowly release the clutch?

Do whatever you need to in order to get a smooth shift. Generally, for all shifts aside from 1>2 the clutch action will be minimal. What I do is clutch in, shift, wait for a second - so the revs can drop - and let off completely on the clutch. My shifts tend to be pretty good, with the occasional jerkiness - which I can put up with.

Obviously this will depend on your specific car and how it behaves to different inputs, but you'll get to know that as you drive it more. Its personality will become more obvious and you'll learn how to work with it.

[FRSstyle]

shift faster so that when you get into second, the rpms haven't dropped to low.

ironically, you letting the clutch out slower and smoother is giving you the jerk because the revs are falling too much. watch where the rpms land when you jerk and then try to let out the clutch before the revs drop below that point when you shift to second.

[whatjones911]

I want to know which technique is better/less wear for the clutch. Is not letting the gas pedal off completely to hold the revs a bit after clutch goes down or add gas as clutch comes out?

[IMBoring25]

It makes absolutely no difference how far you come out of the gas or when you add it as long as you have it where it should be by the time the clutch starts hooking up again. Personally, my target is letting off the throttle to the point that there's no load going through the transmission in the new gear as I put the clutch in and continuing that same release until I get to the point where there's no load going through the transmission in the new gear as the clutch is starting to hook back up. Most of the transmissions I deal with are too balky for that to work effectively so I wind up holding the throttle steady briefly where I want it as the clutch is coming out but that's my personal goal.

[whatjones911]

Personally, my target is letting off the throttle to the point that there's no load going through the transmission in the new gear as I put the clutch in and continuing that same release until I get to the point where there's no load going through the transmission in the new gear as the clutch is starting to hook back up.

I don't quite understand this. Can you explain it further?