Being smooth while driving M trans?

[Prodigal]

Mach 1 Tremac 3160

I’m here to admit my driving with a manual transmission is anything but smooth. It’s the shifting under medium acceleration that’s pretty bad. My clutch foot ends up releasing and then partially engaging again under the acceleration of the car. Around town under light power, no issues. Hammering it under full power, no issues. Just when trying to be mildly spirited it’s not pretty. I only drive the car maybe a 100 per month so lack of practice I would like to think is part of the problem but I’m open for other thoughts or criticisms.

ETA: Steeda clutch spring and perch are already installed.

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[JustSomeGuy]

Practice. That’s it. No tricks or easy solutions.

 

[Jaymar]

It's not all you, the factory clutch on the V8 car is way over-assisted with the helper spring.

https://www.steeda.com/steeda-555-7...bvK990yxSIvq2g3TJ1d0V3rzkSrijBsQaAnlrEALw_wcB

 

[WildHorse]

It's not all you, the factory clutch on the V8 car is way over-assisted with the helper spring.

I recommend not replacing a damn thing until you get your shifting to a point where you don't have to think about it.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

It's not all you, the factory clutch on the V8 car is way over-assisted with the helper spring.

https://www.steeda.com/steeda-555-7...bvK990yxSIvq2g3TJ1d0V3rzkSrijBsQaAnlrEALw_wcB

I don’t disagree that the spring is more than necessary, however, there are plenty of people in the world that can shift smoothly, rev match, and use the clutch to its full potential without the Steeda clutch spring.

The issue the OP is having will not be fixed with anything but seat time.

 

[AZlb5.0]

Tthere’s nothing more important than practice. If there’s a place you can go where there’s plenty of curves, you don’t have to attack the curves, just learn to shift through and around corners. This will help you in everyday shifting.

 

[cerbomark]

try slowing all your inputs down.

 

[PC_GUARD]

If youre having medium acceleration jerkiness here are some tips to PRACTICE.

When I got in my s550 last year, I have never had a "remote" disconnected driving car, so I wasn't smooth, even with the majority of my life driving manual trans stuff.

Let's start with easing into a roll. The least amount of throttle you can get away with, and not chatter.

Let's say your car is up to temp and ready for work.

You ease off the clutch and acceleration moderately. Apply a fingers worth of tension on the shifter, let off the throttle enough for it to fall out of gear, clutch to floor, into gear while maintain a little throttle, off the clutch, left foot on the floor board. We're not talking racing, we're practicing for feel and tone.

Get out of the habbit of keeping your foot on the clutch pedal.

You can double clutch too. And I do that a fair amount when it's cold or traffic is stupid.

The "quick" shift method translates across the spectrum and will help you learn what your car likes.

On a down shift, I rev match 95% of the time, heel toe, NEVER slip the clutch on any shift.

Last note. Do not hold hard pressure on the shifter, EVER. Whether I'm racing or not, I'm barely putting tension on the shifter, for it to fall out of gear. Taking the torque off the input shaft is all it take, a ms, feather the throttle and off you got, smooth as butter.

In your mind, try to make your manual sound as if it's an automatic, that's the goal at this point.

Racing, doing it this way you will leap forward every shift, that's when you know you're in the pocket

 

[Jaymar]

I don't think telling someone who asks for help to just learn how is really helpful. I find the clutch in the GT to not be very good at giving feedback. Whenever I drive my Ranger and go back to the Mustang I have at least one event where the clutch comes out quicker than I anticipated. The Ecoboost Mustang was crappy but livable, the GT clutch in my opinion is terrible. I could adapt because I've driven far worse but I stand by my advice to replace the spring.

 

[Oakley]

here's some tips other than the obvious practice.

1. let the engine do the work. you can put it in gear, give it ZERO throttle, and as the clutch grabs the car will walk forward. same for reverse.
2. shift after 4K once you're moving. these cars do not like you to shift them low.
3. develop your mechanical sympathy. you can feel the synchros from your shifter, you can feel the clutch grab, all of it is there in factory form (but the clutch helper spring is a 2 minute mod that helps a ton).

 

[RocketGuy3]

If you have a pre-2018 model, you probably also have the worst rev hang of any Stang I'm aware of. It seems to be very difficult to shift smoothly without slipping the clutch on every shift or just shifting very slowly when there's that much rev hang.

 

[PC_GUARD]

If you have a pre-2018 model, you probably also have the worst rev hang of any Stang I'm aware of. It seems to be very difficult to shift smoothly without slipping the clutch on every shift or just shifting very slowly when there's that much rev hang.

The rev hang is to help you shift and usually only happens if you're into it.

 

[Dave2013M3]

I also want to point out you want to wait until the car is fully warmed up. I noticed my car's shifts much smoother and the transition between gears with a medium pace is much smoother when it's warmed up. You just need to drive more get to practice down

 

[Toretto]

Driving smoothly in manual isn't my problem, it's the brakes that I can't ease into. A few of us on the forum have made the same observation that the brakes seem to be either on or off, which I hate sometimes as it makes it look like I'm braking last minute/suddenly while giving myself a whiplash haha

 

[Johnny Rockit]

Adjust the seat with your eyes closed to where working the pedals is comfortable. Then adjust the steering wheel. Rinse and repeat. You will get better quicker if you are consistently in the same position.

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