Can’t shift smoothly

[GreenS550]

Slip the clutch a little bit when shifting and pay close attention to your pedal feel as the car starts to grab. Let up the clutch pedal very, very slowly and try to memorize it. Once you can get it down, practice over and over and try letting up a little quicker. Then quicker, etc. Eventually you will be able to shift so quickly and engage the clutch and throttle so smoothly it will amaze you.

The reason a lot of manual transmission folks have a problem is because they don't get the tiny fraction of engagement with specific throttle input down. They just accept jerky shifting.

You can master it and then it's a thing of beauty.

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[CompOrangeFanatic]

I have the FR power pack 3 with the no lift shift(NLS). When this was working I had absolutely no violent shifts at WOT at any rpms, even at redline which is 7500. This feature is great for not placing violent stresses on the drivetrain when shifting at WOT with the rev hang. Somehow, I lost this feature when I had my new clutch/fly wheel installed in which I had to do a crank relearn. I haven't spoken to Ford Racing about it, but I'm going to get an aftermarked tune done in the next few months anyways so its not worth my time. I've done some research on the WOT boxes and this feature looks like its available to use. I may get a WOT box just for this feature as its alot easier on the driveline at WOT.

 

[Balr14]

In the old days, when people drag raced with manual transmissions, we just had to practice, practice, practice. You should be able to shift in about 1 second with very little change in rpms.

 

[Syphon5.0]

I after a day of driving with the Steeda clutch spring... I don't notice as much of a difference as people say there is. Some people say night ans day difference. But I only noticed a small difference. Its a little better. What I do feel is that it feels like there is less travel in the clutch.

 

[Coosawjack]

It's not a big difference it just gives you a bit more "feel" in the pedal!!

 

[Syphon5.0]

It's not a big difference it just gives you a bit more "feel" in the pedal!!

I did notice there is a little play at the top of the clutch now. Like and 1/8 of an inch of nothing. I think the Steeda assembly would fix it but not worth 70$.

 

[Coosawjack]

Mine feels good with no free play at all......is there a stop at the top that you might be able adjust??

 

[Syphon5.0]

Mine feels good with no free play at all......is there a stop at the top that you might be able adjust??

Not sure.

 

[Coosawjack]

Me neither......I don't fold up well anymore and it was a job just getting the OEM spring out........never thought to look to see if there was any adjustment??

I put a Braided SS Slave Line on my 2014 car and it was a HORRIBLE JOB......ZERO clutch feel improvement......will never do that again!!

 

[Lapptopp]

Have a 17 stick: Lose the clutch assist spring so you can feel what's going on. A real clutch should be a workout for your left leg anyway. My car shifts smoothest between 3 and 4k. Good luck, have fun!

 

[TheCowGod]

I've have my 2015 MT82 for a week and a half.. and I can drive it smooth if I really try... but its that damn clutch spring...makes the car jerky if you arent releasing the clutch slow. Almost 100% of people suggest the Steeda clutch spring. Mine should come tomorrow. They all say the Steed is much smoother... you can feel the clutch engagement better so you know when it get on the gas. With the stock spring it makes this feel less apparent so you kinda have yo guess when your clutch is about to engage.

Oh my god. I've been struggling with this exact problem with my car -- I've been driving manual for over 20 years, and yet I was really struggling to shift my Mustang smoothly. I had to really focus on each shift, and do it slowly, or else it would jerk all over the place. Hadn't heard about the clutch pedal spring. This post sent me on a google quest, and after seeing everyone rave about what an improvement it makes after pulling it, I just went out and pulled mine and went for a drive around the neighborhood.

It's just like everyone says. Yes, the pedal is noticeably stiffer, but nothing crazy, and within a few minutes you get used to it. But my god, shifting feels so much more intuitive again, just like on every other car I've driven. Highly recommended. The only possible reason I'd hesitate is if I had a daily commute with a bunch of traffic -- the heavier clutch could get annoying if I was regularly sitting in stop-and-go traffic. But for regular, everyday use, it's not an issue at all, and well worth the tradeoff.

 

[ALLSTOCK]

try the steeda clutch spring out. its only like 25 bucks i think.

When I first got into the 2019 mustang i could not shift for the life of me.
Popped in the steeda spring and it made a HUGE difference. Helps you learn where the grab point is.
After about 6 or 7 months i ended up getting a new mustang. This time around i didnt bother swapping out the clutch spring.
The stock spring is much heavier which results in less feel, but also makes the action of pressing down and releasing the clutch much less fatiguing.
The steeda spring is much lighter which results in more feedback, but makes the action of pressing down and releasing the clutch pedal require some effort.

I dont plan on putting the steeda spring back in. I think once you learn it using the steeda spring you're pretty much good.

*edit* as someone noted there is some rev hang after shifting up. so you dont really want to dump the clutch immediately after shifting. give it like a brief half second pause after shifting into gear, before letting off the clutch.

 

[Armageddon Turbo]

Just takes practice. For me it is all rhythm.

 

[Flipping Bird]

Just takes practice. For me it is all rhythm.

I hear that. This was my first manual transmission in a decade (except bikes). It took me a good 6 months of driving to have high confidence in my shifting. Overall I am happy with the mt-82.

 

[20CanadianBullitt]

I'm still practicing my shifting, sometimes I nail one and it's smooth as silk, then the next one is . . . . well not so smooth! It's been over 40 years since I last drove a manual so I know a bit of practice is needed. But overall, I'm satisfied with my shifting and I know it will improve every time I get the car out.

FYI - I did the Steeda clutch spring a couple of weeks ago and at the same time I did a clutch pedal extender. I'm 5'11" and I felt uncomfortable sitting so far forward because there's a fair bit of travel in the clutch pedal as we know. So my seat is now back about 1.5" and the Steeda spring has given me much better control over the clutch. Based on very little driving since I did these "mods", I'd say the combination of the two has helped smooth my shifts somewhat. At least it feels that way.

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