Stick shift feel

[Diomedes]

Am I doing something wrong, or do I need to get it serviced:
when I'm moving, almost at a stop, and shiftdown to 1st gear, I have alot of difficulty getting it there, and it's rough, almost grinding motion. Should I have some service done to it, transmission oil?

The car is relatively new to me, but when motionless the stick is much easier to put into 1st.

 

[superdoughboy4]

Probably shouldn't shift down to first until you're at a complete stop. It's just better that way.

 

[nate0123]

Probably because 1st gear has no synchros

You should not be down shifting into 1st while moving anyway

 

[TRUE]

My car does the same thing! Every stick car ive ever drove tryin to down shift to first when around 10mph has given me some resistance. so i think its normal

heres a tip for ya, when you go to down shift into first and it IS giving you that resistance, just put it in 2nd. believe it or not 2nd idles/drives just as good if not better than it would in 1st in those situations

 

[Conk]

its normal mine does it too just the car trying to tell you not to downshift into first while moving

 

[TRUE]

its normal mine does it too just the car trying to tell you not to downshift into first while moving

yup^ just stay in second youll be fine

 

[Diomedes]

Probably shouldn't shift down to first until you're at a complete stop. It's just better that way.

I think I agree with that.

Ok, well i feel a little less weird. I agree, no point in downshifting to 1st to continue moving. What i really mean is, you're pulling up to a stop sign, and you just put in your clutch and anticipate the fact that you'll need to get rolling from a standstill, so you basically clutch shift to 1st before the car stops.

Probably shouldn't shift down to first until you're at a complete stop. It's just better that way.

That has occurred to me, it's just that I was never explicitly explained that concept when learning stick. It's not like i learned nothing from the people that instructed me, but i'll go so far to say none of them were particularly great.

Actually, might as well ask: What does it take to stall while in 2nd grear? moving at 5? Not moving at all? I *could* try it myself, but it's better to hear someone else's thoughts first.

 

[nate0123]

Actually, might as well ask: What does it take to stall while in 2nd grear? moving at 5? Not moving at all? I *could* try it myself, but it's better to hear someone else's thoughts first.

Any vehicle with any torque whatsoever can be started from a standstill in 2nd. Requires a little more slipping of the clutch to avoid bogging, and I wouldn't do it all the time, but it can be done fairly easily, especially on a level or downhill surface.

 

[superdoughboy4]

Any vehicle with any torque whatsoever can be started from a standstill in 2nd. Requires a little more slipping of the clutch to avoid bogging, and I wouldn't do it all the time, but it can be done fairly easily, especially on a level or downhill surface.

This.

Cars with crazy torque, ie C6 Vette, can be started from 6th gear. Lulz
It won't go particularly fast from the get go, but it does have the power to push through and get to the speeds it would normally be at that gear.

 

[cali_axela]

There's a sweet spot just before you come to a complete stop, at a little under 5mph, where it'll slide into 1st like butter -- even easier than it does when at a complete stop... absolutely no resistance whatsoever. I always shift into first at that spot if I'm coming up to a quick stop where I'm going to get going again right away.

To find the sweet spot: with the clutch in while coming slowly to a stop, just keep some light pressure on the stick towards first gear, and when you hit the magic speed you'll feel that sweet spot where it just falls into first almost on its own with just very light pressure. After a few tries of finding it like this, it becomes second nature to hit first at that point while about to come to a complete stop.

And like the others have said... if you're still rolling at all (and not on a steep hill) just use 2nd, it works great even at like 3mph, as long as you don't need to accelerate super quick right away.

 

[TRUE]

To find the sweet spot: with the clutch in while coming slowly to a stop, just keep some light pressure on the stick towards first gear, and when you hit the magic speed you'll feel that sweet spot where it just falls into first almost on its own with just very light pressure. After a few tries of finding it like this, it becomes second nature to hit first at that point while about to come to a complete stop.

i so gotta try that! lol

 

[cali_axela]

I HAVE to do it...otherwise it's literally impossible for me to get into first at a complete stop without double-clutching with a rev bump (all straight-cut gears) which is a little annoying. But I did it that way before I needed to too just because it's nicer on the trans and quicker.

 

[Diomedes]

"slides into 1st like butter".... Hey, I like the way that sounds. Though Ive started to do it much later today, and the shift is fine, I'm going to look into this 5mph/butter situation.

 

[mobius120487]

i know mine "slides like butter"
in the immortal words of Jimmy Eat World "WOO HOO!!"

 

[cali_axela]

I love when it slides in like butter... wait, weren't we talking about transmissions a second ago?

 

[mobius120487]

maybe.....

 

[hat1018]

Oh my. I hope this is resolved soon it could get.......messy?