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Shifting

N

npoe1

Senior member
I know that is a pretty dumb question, but I want to be sure of doing it right. I have heard a lot that if you are careless your clutch won?t last, so I want to know how to do it properly and if the way that you make the shifts also can affect the transmission.


Thanks,
 
ease off the clutch while you give it a little gas. both feet have to work in tandem but after a little practice you will be fine. if you give it too much gas you will burn the clutch and/or burn-out, too little gas and you will stall.

try to avoid hills/inclines until you get a little practice under your belt.
 
Practice. It's too hard to explain it in text. If you aren't a dumbass, you can figure out what is good for your clutch and what isn't.

Slipping = bad, basically.

Unless you're really thrashing it, a new clutch should last at least 100,000 miles.. if not 200,000.
 
Originally posted by: RKS
ease off the clutch while you give it a little gas. both feet have to work in tandem but after a little practice you will be fine. if you give it too much gas you will burn the clutch and/or burn-out, too little gas and you will stall.

try to avoid hills/inclines until you get a little practice under your belt.
Click to expand...

I actually practiced on a hill the first day I started driving a stick. Of course, I lived in a hilly neighborhood so I would have been pretty well borked if I hadn't learned right away.
 
Usually when I shift to 5th at 2500 RPM, I can just move the foot abruptly from the clutch and the gear enter very smoothly, but I can not do that from 1st to 2nd because the car bumps and it is smoother as I go to the upper shifts.

It is ok to try to shift in that way?
 
Shifts are only good if they are smooth, if they are not smooth, your timing/technique is off... Smooth? Good job. Jerky/abrupt? Practice more.
 
what others have said. if your engine is too loud for the speed you're going (like it sounds like you should be going 40 when you're going 20) you're probably burning clutch
 
Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
always fully depress the clutch pedal when shifting, and never ever hold a car on a grade with the clutch. what are you driving btw?
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I?m driving a Ford Fiesta 1.6L; it?s like a Focus but smaller.

Then, does it harm to suddenly depress the clutch, like break something or make it wear off faster?
 
I think you should learn how a clutch works exactly, then you'll have a better understanding of what hurts it and what doesn't. howstuffworks.com

*EDIT* While you're at it, look and see how a manual transmission works. With the shifter forks and synchro's and whatnot. I think a lot of people would be shocked when they see the size of the parts they're slamming together when they shift without using the clutch.
 
npoe1, check the owner's manual for info about the tranny. shift points, maintenance, etc. for example, it's a damn good thing i read mine. 1st gear max speed 20mph, 2nd max 30mph, 3rd max 40mph, 4th, 5th and 6th = full steam ahead cap'n! of course, ymmv
 
Make sure you are at least at 6000rpm before you change gears, then don't use the clutch at all from 1st to 2nd, and from 3rd to 4th, just ram it in there 😉










^^^ just kidding, don't attempt that 😉
 
Originally posted by: Jeff7181
I think you should learn how a clutch works exactly, then you'll have a better understanding of what hurts it and what doesn't. howstuffworks.com

*EDIT* While you're at it, look and see how a manual transmission works. With the shifter forks and synchro's and whatnot. I think a lot of people would be shocked when they see the size of the parts they're slamming together when they shift without using the clutch.
Click to expand...

*technically*, if you do it correctly, you aren't "slamming" anything together by shifting without the clutch.

However, most people aren't going to do it properly, especially while learning, so yeah. 😉
 
um...not using the clutch while shifting gears causes excessive wear on the transmission....not good...its "clutch out, shift, clutch in, accel" for first, your going to have to let it slip a little, if you dont you'll be doing burnouts all the time. its a balancing act of clutch and accel to get into first. on steep hills and you dont want to roll back, you can use the parking brake/e-brake/handbrake to hold you in place gradually letting it out while letting the clutch in and accelerating.
 
Originally posted by: alimoalem
what others have said. if your engine is too loud for the speed you're going (like it sounds like you should be going 40 when you're going 20) you're probably burning clutch
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Uhm you only burn up clutches when you ride the clutch pedal or slip it a lot when shifting or going up hills slowly.

Doing what you described will prematurely wear and/or burn up the engine/transmission.

Unless you're foot is on that pedal or a worn pressure plate if failing to clamp sufficiently, or the clutch does not meet the engine output requirements, there should be no slippage under any other circumstances.
 
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