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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Driving / December 2005Shifter technique
This page: http://www.answers.com/topic/manual-transmission-driving-technique says that to move the shifter when changing gear you should (in this example, changing from 2nd to 3rd): "move the knob up to neutral, one column to the right, then up to the new position on the top row." I have observed people doing this in real life and it seems very slow and error-prone. I've seen people get to neutral and then occasionally have trouble getting to 3rd as opposed to 1st or 5th. The way I was taught is: hold your palm out flat, and push/pull the shifter in one smooth diagonal motion with the fleshy bit of your palm. When doing this, my shoulder moves but my hand, wrist and forearm stay relatively rigid, and my hand moves in a straight line (not up-sideways-up). It results in a fast shift and it never goes wrong. My instructor described it as a "slap", it is quite similar to slapping the shifter knob, except you keep on pushing after the first contact. Changing from 1-2 and 2-1 still involves the diagonal push (or pull if you are in a left-hand-drive car, I imagine), that way it can never go wrong and accidentally select 4 instead of 2, etc. > This page: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > and error-prone. I've seen people get to neutral and then > occasionally have trouble getting to 3rd as opposed to 1st or 5th. The quickness of a shift is not as important as accuracy. The instructions are correct for accuracy as well as reducing linkage wear/tear. You should actually "find" neutral before selecting the next gear. Experience will reduce or eliminate inaccuracy. > The way I was taught is: hold your palm out flat, and push/pull > the shifter in one smooth diagonal motion with the fleshy bit of [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > described it as a "slap", it is quite similar to slapping the shifter > knob, except you keep on pushing after the first contact. That's one way. I was taught to shift more gently, first to neutral, then into the next gear. > Changing from 1-2 and 2-1 still involves the diagonal push (or pull > if you are in a left-hand-drive car, I imagine), that way it can > never go wrong and accidentally select 4 instead of 2, etc. You can make diagonal moves with the shift lever, of course. I'm unaware of any linkage designed for that particular move. Some cars have shift "gates" designed to prevent the driver from making less than "positive" (90 degree angle) shifts. ----- - gpsman > > This page: > > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > wear/tear. You should actually "find" neutral before selecting the > next gear. Experience will reduce or eliminate inaccuracy. Utter nonsense. "Neutral" isn't a position left or right; only forward and backward. You "find" it every time you move the gear lever from one gear to the next regardless of how long you take. > > The way I was taught is: hold your palm out flat, and push/pull > > the shifter in one smooth diagonal motion with the fleshy bit of [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > You can make diagonal moves with the shift lever, of course. I'm > unaware of any linkage designed for that particular move. Some cars It doesn't sound like you're the slightest bit aware of what is actually going on inside a shift linkage actually. > have shift "gates" designed to prevent the driver from making less than > "positive" (90 degree angle) shifts. Ferraris do, but the gates are rounded to allow precisely the kind of motion that the previous poster was talking about.  SignatureAlan Baker Vancouver, British Columbia "If you raise the ceiling 4 feet, move the fireplace from that wall to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard." > > The quickness of a shift is not as important as accuracy. The > > instructions are correct for accuracy as well as reducing linkage [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > and backward. You "find" it every time you move the gear lever from one > gear to the next regardless of how long you take. *Utter nonsense*?! I stand corrected. It's better to shift to the wrong gear fast than the correct gear in more time...? Guess I just lost my mind for a moment. > > You can make diagonal moves with the shift lever, of course. I'm > > unaware of any linkage designed for that particular move. Some cars > > It doesn't sound like you're the slightest bit aware of what is actually > going on inside a shift linkage actually. Well, maybe not. I just know none of the parts of *my* linkages move diagonally. > > have shift "gates" designed to prevent the driver from making less than > > "positive" (90 degree angle) shifts. > > Ferraris do, but the gates are rounded to allow precisely the kind of > motion that the previous poster was talking about. You mean like in this Lotus? Maybe my eyes need calibration but... http://www.juststuff.freehosting.net/images/lotusgate.jpg or http://tinyurl.com/d9x7x ----- - gpsman Gotta love your sig tho... > > > The quickness of a shift is not as important as accuracy. The > > > instructions are correct for accuracy as well as reducing linkage [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > the correct gear in more time...? Guess I just lost my mind for a > moment. People who do it correctly never shift into the wrong gear. I've never shifted into the wrong gear, so don't blame me for your incompetence. > > > You can make diagonal moves with the shift lever, of course. I'm > > > unaware of any linkage designed for that particular move. Some cars [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Well, maybe not. I just know none of the parts of *my* linkages move > diagonally. And none of it has to. The diagonal motion of the shift knob is a combination of the fore/aft motion of the shift rods with the left/right slide of the selector finger within the a particular rod's slot. > > > have shift "gates" designed to prevent the driver from making less than > > > "positive" (90 degree angle) shifts. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > http://www.juststuff.freehosting.net/images/lotusgate.jpg Yup. Your eyes apparently need calibration. Notice that the ends of all "fingers" are rounded. So you push/pull diagonally and the lever moves forward until it reaches the area where the rounding begins and then it moves laterally as it continues to move forward or back. > or http://tinyurl.com/d9x7x > ----- > > - gpsman > > Gotta love your sig tho... SignatureAlan Baker Vancouver, British Columbia "If you raise the ceiling 4 feet, move the fireplace from that wall to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard." > You can make diagonal moves with the shift lever, of course. I'm > unaware of any linkage designed for that particular move. Some cars > have shift "gates" designed to prevent the driver from making less than > "positive" (90 degree angle) shifts. > ----- Well... this may be cranking up the wayback machine a little bit, but there were at one time aftermarket shifters available for "standard" (i.e. 3-speed manual) transmissions that were specifically designed with stiff springs to throw the shift lever over into the 2-3 gate so that 1-2 shifts could be completed with one fluid, diagonal motion. The factory shifter on my Porsche 914 (and I would assume contemporary 911s, until they went to a conventional shift pattern) works exactly the same way, with 4-5 being an additional gate to the right. You can achieve a quick 1-2 shift simply by pushing the stick forward with the heel of your hand. 2-1 downshifts can be done quickly as well, simply by keeping leftward pressure on the stick while pulling back. (this is ASSuming, of course, that whatever transmission we're discussing has a synchronized first gear, which is true of the Porsche but not true of many of the old American 3-speeds - in which case a double-clutch, or if you feel like showing off, a clutchless rev-match, is a must.) That said, unless one is racing, I would pause in neutral briefly to let the synchros do their thing unless one really likes causing undue stress on the transmixer's innards. Unless one is very familiar with rev-matching and has some experience driving a "crash box" I wouldn't drive a synchro box like that. nate > This page: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > and error-prone. I've seen people get to neutral and then > occasionally have trouble getting to 3rd as opposed to 1st or 5th. OK, you are dealing with an author (on the answers.com web page) who doesn't know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle and you are observing people in real life who ALSO don't know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle. Shifting from 2nd to 3rd (for example) should be one smooth, quick motion. If you have to think about it, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!! Just push up on the gear shift. The shifter will naturally want to settle between 3rd and 4th when it slips out of second so further upward pressure will put it in 3rd gear. If you're worried about wear and tear, don't be. I've put hundreds of thousands of miles on a manual tranny (several times) and never had to service one, ever, beyond periodic fluid changes (drain and fill). -Dave > > This page: > > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > of thousands of miles on a manual tranny (several times) and never had to > service one, ever, beyond periodic fluid changes (drain and fill). -Dave I don't recall ever having to 'think' about what I am doing. I just shift. I suppose now I will try to see what I am doing and screw it up. Harry K > I don't recall ever having to 'think' about what I am doing. I just > shift. I suppose now I will try to see what I am doing and screw it > up. > > Harry K LMAO!!! I've had that feeling before. -Dave >> This page: >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle and you are observing people >in real life who ALSO don't know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle. If your transmission does not have synchros (or they are worn out/broken) wouldn't you have to do precisely what was described (along with appropriate clutch disengaging/reengaging and rev-matching)? > If your transmission does not have synchros (or they are worn > out/broken) wouldn't you have to do precisely what was described > (along with appropriate clutch disengaging/reengaging and > rev-matching)? I suppose, but in ordinary passenger vehicles, how likely are you to have to worry about that today? The article referenced includes several obvious mistakes. The huge one is that it says to release the clutch pedal *gradually* while upshifting. Well, I guess that's proper technique if you LIKE replacing your clutch every few months. :) The clutch pedal is binary, NOT analog. If you are attempting to upshift while the car is in motion, you do NOT ride the clutch. That is, unless you really are looking for a good excuse to trade that vehicle for something else. -Dave > >> This page: > >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > (along with appropriate clutch disengaging/reengaging and > rev-matching)? When did you last come across a non-synchro box ? Other than in an historic vehicle perhaps ? Graham >>>>This page: >>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Graham My '84 GTI had no 2nd gear synchro. I think it had one when it left Westmoreland, but it didn't by the time I got it :/ A lot of 3-speed sticks didn't have first gear synchros until the mid-late 60s but then again usually you didn't use first gear unless you were starting from a dead stop. nate Signaturereplace "fly" with "com" to reply. http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel > >>>>This page: > >>>> [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > mid-late 60s but then again usually you didn't use first gear unless you > were starting from a dead stop. Goodness. My first car was a '66 IIRC 1500cc ( the larger engine ) Ford Cortina. It had a 4 speed box with full synchromesh. Nice box in fact. British Fords of that era and later for some time were noted for nice gearboxes with lovely changes. Graham > > >>>>This page: > > >>>> [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > > Graham Over here a lot of transmissions were off the shelf units, Borg-Warner units were especially popular. I am sure that at least the T-85 and T-86 had non-synchro first gears; however, the T-85 based T-10 4-speed and probably most subsequent designs were all synchro. I'm not sure about Muncie, Saginaw, et. al. transmissions... nate > >> This page: > >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > (along with appropriate clutch disengaging/reengaging and > rev-matching)? If the synchros are gone in the modern/contemporary manual tranny you ain't gonna get it in gear trust me. The 3rd gear synchro died FAST on my Toyota sedan and believe me I'm a quarter century experienced driver with a clutch and I tried every bag in the book to get the sonofabitch to go into 3rd when she was dying...... bitch wasn't gonna go in with that synchro dying......and I was left revving up on 2nd then bogging on 4th..... till I bit the bullet and got the replacement tranny..... > > >> This page: > > >> [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > with that synchro dying......and I was left revving up on 2nd then bogging on > 4th..... till I bit the bullet and got the replacement tranny..... If your car had blocker synchros that failed in such a way as to be in the blocked position, I could see that happening. Otherwise, nope. Shifting without synchros isn't *that* hard. SignatureAlan Baker Vancouver, British Columbia "If you raise the ceiling 4 feet, move the fireplace from that wall to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard." . > The 3rd gear synchro died FAST on my Toyota sedan and believe me I'm a quarter > century experienced driver with a clutch and I tried every bag in the book to get > the sonofabitch to go into 3rd when she was dying...... bitch wasn't gonna go in > with that synchro dying......and I was left revving up on 2nd then bogging on > 4th..... till I bit the bullet and got the replacement tranny..... I know what you mean. A cold quick shift from first to second would beat the syncros almost every time - and the '77 Corolla hadn't even reached 180k miles yet! all the other gears were OK, though Midlant >This page: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >I have observed people doing this in real life and it seems very slow >and error-prone. I believe this is known as "Granny-shifting." > This page: > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > if you are in a left-hand-drive car, I imagine), that way it can > never go wrong and accidentally select 4 instead of 2, etc. Most gearboxes are 'biased' to 3rd - 4th anyway. To change from 2nd to 3rd just needs the gear knob to be lighly pushed 'upwards'. I sometimes do it with just a couple of fingers. It'll drop into the gate for 3rd naturally. Selecting 5th *does* require a conscious selection of the gate though. As does initially engaging 1st. Graham < snip > > Changing from 1-2 and 2-1 still involves the diagonal push (or pull > if you are in a left-hand-drive car, I imagine), that way it can > never go wrong and accidentally select 4 instead of 2, etc. Eh ? To move 1-2 or 2-1 just push forwards or rearwards, ensuring the biasing spring doesn't move it towards 3-4. Graham >< snip > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >To move 1-2 or 2-1 just push forwards or rearwards, ensuring the biasing >spring doesn't move it towards 3-4. Yep. And with my own car, a one-motion shift from 5 to 6 is much more reliable than a "stop in neutral and select the next gear" shift, which has the potential of selecting reverse instead. (well, attempting to select reverse). Not the shift pattern I would have chosen, granted. SignatureThere's no such thing as a free lunch, but certain accounting practices can result in a fully-depreciated one. |
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