So I've had my MINI for exactly one week right now, and with the exception of the dead animal, things have been going very smoothly.

This is, however, my first manual transmission, and I believe I'm getting the hang of it. I only stall out occassionally now, I'm doing much better on inclines, and my shifts into 1st and 2nd aren't quite so choppy all of the time.


I have a couple of questions, though:

1) I find myself regularly shifting from 1st -> 2nd -> 4th in areas where the speed limit is 35 or 45 and then 1st -> 2nd -> 3rd (or 4th) -> 6th in areas where I'll be going faster than 45. The only time I ever shift into 5th is when I want to get up to 70 pretty quickly or if I want to pass somebody on the highway. Is this wrong? Am I doing something incorrect? All of the shifts I make beyond 2nd are smooth, even if it's going from 2nd -> 6th. Is this bad for my car or my gas mileage?

2) What is everyones thoughts on down-shifting? I've heard conflicting things from people...some say to do it because it decreases wear on your brakes. Some people say not to do it beacuse it increases wear on your engine. Which is it?

Any other manual-transmission related tips you can give to a newbie would be much appreciated. Thanks!


~jeff~

 

I don't skip gears... although I may not make it into 5th or 6th until its ready. I have always downshifted - and if you do it correctly, by matching engine speed and vehicle speed, the amount of clutch wear is insignificant. I used to have an instructor who made me drive with out using the clutch...while I don't recommend it - it cetainly emphasizes matching revs. Brakes? I have tons left on all pads and I am at 40k ! but the main reason to downshift is vehicle control and not just saving brakes. - Sounds like your doing well. Keep persevering... driving manual transmission is a nice art that will stay with you for ever - like riding a bike. I am afraid to say that most driving problems that I see on the road is people not understanding the physics of driving... driving fast into corners and then braking... and so on. Of course we can truly hold automatic transmission responsible for encouraging many poor drivers into drinking their coffee, talking on the cell phone and changing CDs all at the same time.

 

The main reason for a manual (stick) shift if that the tranny will not do things you don't expect.

Skip changing (missing gears out) is fine, it will blunt acceleration on the way up the gears but so long as the engine isn't struggling it'l be fine. 2nd to 6th might be a bit of a stretch though, maybe try 1,2,4 then 6.

Using engine braking willl decrease wear on brakes, however I m=normally do it for 2 reasons, first to give more rapid acceleration for overtaking or exiting a corner and secondly to slow down for any reason.

Tips? Don't down shift into 1st, don't rest your foot on the clutch (wears the thrust bearings).

To prevent stall, listen for the change in engine note when lifting the clutch, this is the bite point, practice holding the car on a hill without any breaks, just on the clutch bite point, to pull away raise the clutch as you depress the throttle.

 

I rarely skip gears and I have only owned one automatic in my life time and yes my MINI is a 5 speed. There is really no problems with skipping gears if it fits your driving but matching speed with your gears is definately something to think about. Downshifting...I have always done it and have never had issues and yes it does increase brake life as well. Happy Motoring!

 

Welcome the the superior world of manual shifting. Once you get used to having a clutch pedal there is no turning back.

I skip gears often. Like others have said, the trick is to match the revs. Normally I do it when I have reached the speed I will be maintaining and I just skip into the gear I know I will be using. 2nd-6th is a real stretch, but 3rd-6th is quite doable at the end of freeway ramp when you are up to speed. The trick is to make a slower shift so that the RPMs have a chance to drop. You'll get the hang of it.

Another important part of the art of shifting is reacting to slope. You can shift up sooner when going downhill (and also use a higher gear at lower RPMs) and will need to shift sooner when going uphill. There is a "universal law" that you always use the same gear going down a hill as you would use going up it. Let the engine hold the car on long down hill stretches. I often cross the Blue Ridge and am constantly amazed to see people (with automatic transmissions, no doubt) riding their brakes all the way down a 6% grade for two miles. By the time you get to the bottom of the hill you can smell the brakes as well.

I also downshift all the time and always have when driving a car with a manual transmission (going on 30 years now . . . ). The MCS has decent compression so you can use it to slow the car down. If you match the revs I do not think you will shorten clutch life, though I bet a clutch job costs much more than getting new brakes!

Another habit that separates the experts from the clueless is using the brakes to hold the car on an uphill while stopped. You'll see some idiots feathering the clutch pedal in and out to hold the car (very hard on the clutch and the throwout bearing). On most hills a quick take off or heel-and-toe approach works fine, but on steep hills you need to master the art of using the hand brake and releasing it as you take up the clutch pedal.

There are a number of threads on the art of heel and toe that you can search for.

Have fun!

 

I noticed that a friend of mine had an utterly appalling habit when driving a manual.

She snicked it out of gear when approaching corners, lights, crossings etc, braking with the brakes, but having the car in neutral.

Then she would swear and stir the stick to find an appropriate gear (usually the wrong one) and then fumbles the change to the right one.

She drives a stick every day too !

As a motorcyclist (instructor) I teach that you should ALWAYS be in the appropriate gear and never, ever be (on a bike) in neutral.

I told her this and then demonstrated how easy it is to be in an appropriate gear all the time when driving and told her that the advantages where potentially huge and she took the advice.

A couple of weeks later she called me and told me that she thinks that my advice saved her life, she was heading for some traffic lights and diligently changed down the box (like I had shown her) as she approached, suddenly she realized that to avoid a truck she needed to gas the car and dive to the left, as she was already in 2nd the car responded and she made it out of the way 'with an inch to spare', then watched the truck that she had got out ot the way for ram the car that was in front of her prior to her move. They had to cut the driver out of the car that was hit...

She feels that had she been in neutral, the chances of her finding 2nd and moving fast would have been slight.

 

also make sure when your at a stop to not have your foot on the pedal and only push the clutch in when you think the light is about to change and then select your gear and go. it reduced wear.

 

Welcome to wonderful world of selecting your own gears, there is some fantastic advise here. I have never used the handbrake to hold the car while taking off uphill, I find it awkward, besides the MINI's pedals are positioned perfectly for heel and toe driving. Practice keeping the left side of your foot on the brake an the right side to feed the gas, if you let the clutch out just until the rpm starts to drop and slowly feed the gas and let off the brake at the same time. It takes practice, but worth learning now. I also always down shift, matching the rpm the vehicle speed using the same heel-toe technique while braking. I drive hard and usually get 175-200k miles out of a clutch.
Whatever you do, do NOT let other drivers intimidate you if you are having trouble, take your time and it will become second nature before you know it.
Cheers, -Dan

 

Right . . . manual transmissions create great drivers who drink their coffee, talk on the cell phone, change CDs and double clutch at the same time! I'm still a novice and I'm not sure if I should pour my coffee from the thermos into the cup using the dash mounted cup holder, or one near the shift lever . . . would using a hands free phone increase the wear on my brakes or my engine?

 

if you get an r56 with esc it has hill control so you dont roll back, wonder how well it would actually work