Upshifting question

[vw100]

I am confused how can you shift smoothly every time when you don't shift at the exact same rpm every time? Because you can perfect your timing when shifting at a particular rpm, but practically you shift when it feels right depending on how fast you accelerate/road conditions,etc
To add to that: Different gear-you have to change your timing, it is different for all the gears. It is different for different cars.
Is it a big deal if you can't nail the shift every time? Ok i have asked this before,i know it will stress out the whole drivetrain and the clutch but is it really anything to worry about as long as you and the passengers are happy with your driving?
It is a manual and it is not supposed to be as smooth as the auto, but it drives me crazy when i can't get it smooth, i feel as bad as i would if i were to grind the gears i only miss it by 300 rpm at the worst. Not a bang, feels good but you can still feel it. I would be completely ok with that as long as it isn't doing much harm

[Rope-Pusher]

Feather your clutch engagements and nobody will be the wiser.

[theholycow]

You're way overthinking it. With practice you will automatically deal with different speeds and gears by feel, subconsciously. The clutch is there to smooth whatever mismatch remains if you want. Also, a lot of people who are as worried about it as you are are actually trying to shift a lot smoother than an automatic, rather than merely as smooth as an automatic. Get in an automatic and lay on the accelerator hard, there will be no doubt about when it shifts. Get in an older automatic or a sport-tuned one and even with very mild acceleration you'll feel it shift. You may have never noticed before because you weren't looking for it or didn't know how to feel it.

[Rope-Pusher]

As you hesitate a moment right where the clutch is starting to engage, remember,.......

[IMBoring25]

If you're getting everything within 300 RPM, you're already doing better than most ever do. It shouldn't hurt anything. Personally, I too try for imperceptible shifts with little excess slippage, but understand that it is a very challenging target, especially if, as you indicate, you use different shift points when appropriate and even more so if you don't always drive the same vehicle.

[vw100]

You're way overthinking it. With practice you will automatically deal with different speeds and gears by feel, subconsciously. The clutch is there to smooth whatever mismatch remains if you want. Also, a lot of people who are as worried about it as you are are actually trying to shift a lot smoother than an automatic, rather than merely as smooth as an automatic. Get in an automatic and lay on the accelerator hard, there will be no doubt about when it shifts. Get in an older automatic or a sport-tuned one and even with very mild acceleration you'll feel it shift. You may have never noticed before because you weren't looking for it or didn't know how to feel it.

alright guys. Really helpful replies
I have never driven an automatic so may i ask you some basic questions on how to drive one?
1. Do all gear selectors have a unlock button and do you only need to press when shifting into R and out of P ?
2. Do you need to apply the foot brake everytime you move the gear selector ? (ex from n to d)
3. What happens on hills, do you need to move quickly from brake to accelerator so it doesn't roll back ? (Some have an auto hold future and you can activate it while moving, right ?)
4. when stopped in traffic do you need to put it into N or is D and foot on brake ok ?
5. Do you engage the handbrake every time you park the car ?

[Squint]

alright guys. Really helpful replies
I have never driven an automatic so may i ask you some basic questions on how to drive one?
1. Do all gear selectors have a unlock button and do you only need to press when shifting into R and out of P ?
2. Do you need to apply the foot brake everytime you move the gear selector ? (ex from n to d)
3. What happens on hills, do you need to move quickly from brake to accelerator so it doesn't roll back ? (Some have an auto hold future and you can activate it while moving, right ?)
4. when stopped in traffic do you need to put it into N or is D and foot on brake ok ?
5. Do you engage the handbrake every time you park the car ?

Well, this is weird. I can't remember anyone actually asking these questions about an automatic...

Regardless,
1. All shift knobs have a button of some variety - and it is required to push to move between most selections (PRND2L, for example). However you can get into neutral without having to push the button, but there is some resistance so it doesn't just accidentally fall into neutral or anything.
2. No, for example, you can be coasting in drive slowing down, and move it to neutral without a problem at all. Or if going slowly enough, manually shift into 1st/low and then into drive without a foot on the brake.
3/4. I've never driven an automatic with a hill hold - probably because in an automatic, you leave it in drive so when you release the brake, the car tries to pull forward. There are hills which are steeper than a car's idle speed could handle, but from an engineering perspective, I have to believe they have something built in that prevents too much transmission damage if the rolls back slightly before someone gets on the gas pedal. Maybe RP or someone can answer that for certain.
5. I only engaged the handbrake while parking on hills. It probably is good practice to use it all of the time though the majority of people do not do so.

[vw100]

3/4. I've never driven an automatic with a hill hold - probably because in an automatic, you leave it in drive so when you release the brake, the car tries to pull forward. There are hills which are steeper than a car's idle speed could handle, but from an engineering perspective, I have to believe they have something built in that prevents too much transmission damage if the rolls back slightly before someone gets on the gas pedal. Maybe RP or someone can answer that for certain.

yes i am confused about hills. Well logically the engine at idle can make enough torque to move the car on most conditions and on really step hills it may only hold the car in place . Thats what i know from a manual, there is enough torque at idle to do these things.
However reading about the hill holder i got confused

[IMBoring25]

A traditional automatic uses a fluid coupling called a torque converter that can be conceptualized as one oscillating fan blowing syrup across another oscillating fan.

It is possible to have a hill steep enough for an automatic to roll back. This is not damaging unless you try to hold it there with the throttle instead of the brake, which could overheat the torque converter in time. It's also natural to just add more throttle to your launch to compensate.

Cases where a hill holder could be useful on an automatic include:

Off-road-oriented vehicle intended for use in extreme terrain.

An automatic that is not mechanically an automatic. Some terms include Automated Manual Transmission, Sequential Manual Gearbox, and Dual Clutch Transmission.

A car programmed with stop/start or neutral idle.

A car with very low torque off idle that would have more rollback than customers expect.

[vw100]

A traditional automatic uses a fluid coupling called a torque converter that can be conceptualized as one oscillating fan blowing syrup across another oscillating fan.

It is possible to have a hill steep enough for an automatic to roll back. This is not damaging unless you try to hold it there with the throttle instead of the brake, which could overheat the torque converter in time. It's also natural to just add more throttle to your launch to compensate.

Cases where a hill holder could be useful on an automatic include:

Off-road-oriented vehicle intended for use in extreme terrain.

An automatic that is not mechanically an automatic. Some terms include Automated Manual Transmission, Sequential Manual Gearbox, and Dual Clutch Transmission.

A car programmed with stop/start or neutral idle.

A car with very low torque off idle that would have more rollback than customers expect.

thanks so normally i don't need to mess with the auto holding, i just need to move quickly from brake to accelerator, right ?
end staying on the brake and on D position for a long time is ok right ? (no need to put it into N)

[theholycow]

thanks so normally i don't need to mess with the auto holding, i just need to move quickly from brake to accelerator, right ?
end staying on the brake and on D position for a long time is ok right ? (no need to put it into N)

As you were with manual, you're way overthinking the automatic. It is designed to be as simple as pressing the brake or accelerator pedal to slow/stop or accelerate. You just drive it and your feet will figure it out very quickly. When you take your foot off the brake the car will creep forward or, if on a moderate hill, hold itself in place...or on a steep hill it will roll back slowly. There is no need to use any positions other than P, R, and D for normal driving, though you're welcome to use the other positions if you have a reason to or just want to. You definitely do not need to put it into N while stopped or any other normal conditions, most people never use it. It's mostly used if you need to push or tow the vehicle (but most do not tolerate high speed towing or long distance towing).

[Rope-Pusher]

The real deal with having to push the brake pedal in order to shift out of the Park position goes back to "Unintended acceleration in Audis" back in the 1980's. Due to pedal positioning and a sprinkling of stupidity, drivers were pressing on the accelerator pedal when they thought they were pressing on the brake pedal. When the cars didn't slow down, they just pressed harder. Oftentimes, little Suzy didn't just get pinned to the back wall of the garage by Mommy's car, little Suzy got pushed through the back wall of the garage by the demonically-possessed Audi Mommy was driving. Do you think anyone wanted to hear that the car was fine, that little Suzy's demise was due to Mommy pressing harder on the accelerator pedal instead of realizing her mistake and stepping on the brake? Audi came close to leaving the US market because of this.

Yadda, Yadda, Yadda and several years later, you now have to press on the brake pedal before the trans can be shifted out of Park.

I don't think that all slushbox shift knobs have buttons - some have serpentine gates to make it more difficult to select the wrong gear positions.

[watkins]

And then there are the rotary shifters. Ick.

[IMBoring25]

Pushbutton park locks are unusual (if they exist at all) in column shifters.

[vw100]

so to put it simply.. if i see a button on the shifter i push it everytime i need to move the shifter, shouldn't hurt a thing
and about the brakes i push them too unless i need to move between N-D-S, that's it ?