7000 miles and I finally learned to shift my car

So ever since I first got the car shifting has been kind Rough at times. Either all in or really slow. over the past couple days I finally learned how to use the rev matching and get a nice smooth shift out of my car.

It changes with the AC on. Atleast it does for me.

it's hard to be smooth because when your accelerating slightly the revs don't drop between the shift nearly as fast as if your are braking. sometimes its a blip sometimes you gotta hit it harder.

Have you removed your clutch assist spring or replaced it with the Steeda one? That will take care of it.

I do it by lifting the clutch before hitting the gas, as the rpm does not drop as quick. Timing is another key factor of course.

BmacIL said:

Have you removed your clutch assist spring or replaced it with the Steeda one? That will take care of it.

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I've been thinking about it but Was curious about what it changes. I like my heavy spring. I drove my civic the other day and thought the clutch was messed up. The mustang is fine It just takes a little longer than it should for the rpms yo drop for the rev match

Steeda spring makes it feel much better but I don't think it has an effect on rev matching. Had it on my eco, ripped it out before trading it in and put it in my gt right when I got home from the dealership.

phatsesh said:

So ever since I first got the car shifting has been kind Rough at times. Either all in or really slow. over the past couple days I finally learned how to use the rev matching and get a nice smooth shift out of my car.

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Maybe I am doing it wrong - what do you mean by rev matching?

@bmac - regarding the spring, is it a swap to a lower, er - looking for correct word, weight or pull?

saf1 said:

Maybe I am doing it wrong - what do you mean by rev matching?

@bmac - regarding the spring, is it a swap to a lower, er - looking for correct word, weight or pull?

Click to expand...

When you're downshifting, you hit the gas real quick before you engage the lower gear. It helps smooth out the shift because a lower gear at the same speed means higher revs. Hitting the gas pops the revs up closer to where they would be at the lower gear. It takes quite a bit of practice to get it right.

saf1 said:

Maybe I am doing it wrong - what do you mean by rev matching?

@bmac - regarding the spring, is it a swap to a lower, er - looking for correct word, weight or pull?

Click to expand...

As for the clutch spring, I found that at the engagement point with the clutch, I had no feel....and the 1-2 upshift was always bucking a bit...

Once I pulled it out, it changed the feel completely throughout the full travel and enabled me to feel exactly where it bites.

Some people like it, some don't. Not sure about swapping it over to a different one...but it's easy to pull out to try and put back in if needed.

Horse said:

I do it by lifting the clutch before hitting the gas, as the rpm does not drop as quick. Timing is another key factor of course.

Click to expand...

Need to add that what I wrote above is for regular up shifting. Down shifting needs different techniques.

BmacIL said:

Have you removed your clutch assist spring or replaced it with the Steeda one? That will take care of it.

Click to expand...

I took mine out and didn't replace it with anything.

Easily one of the best mods I've done to the vehicle.

phatsesh said:

I've been thinking about it but Was curious about what it changes. I like my heavy spring. I drove my civic the other day and thought the clutch was messed up. The mustang is fine It just takes a little longer than it should for the rpms yo drop for the rev match

Click to expand...

Take out the spring man. You'll enjoy it far more. The way the mechanism is designed, the spring goes from adding pedal effort (you're compressing the spring even more) to reducing pedal effort (the spring is releasing) at an inflection point. Notice how the pedal goes from firmer to soft once you get to a specific spot in the travel. This point happens to be pretty much right where the clutch bites. Shifting is much easier and more enjoyable with the spring removed or replaced with the Steeda spring.

It took me like 5K miles to not look like an idiot on the street. I figured out heal-toe at about 20K miles with this pedal box. I still shift goofy when the AC in on sometimes.

saf1 said:

Maybe I am doing it wrong - what do you mean by rev matching?

@bmac - regarding the spring, is it a swap to a lower, er - looking for correct word, weight or pull?

Click to expand...

The steeda spring just keeps enough upward forces on the pedal to make sure it always stays up all the way. Otherwise it feels basically the the same as with no spring. It's a much better driving experience.