Right after I exited this thread earlier today I had an errand to run. Backing out of the garage onto the back alley I was very conscious of what I'd been doing for years with no thought. It is all feel when maneuvering in close quarters. You just have to get used to it and make it second nature. By years I mean, my first car was a '62 TR roadster followed by a '64 E type roadster. I learned the hard way back then about wearing out TO bearings.
Hang in there, pay 'tention and strive for smoothness is shifting. Before you know it you'll quit thinking about it too.

 

Great! The hill trick will help a lot so maybe try that out as well.

-Luccia

 

For those with non-s cars, what rpms are you typically upshifting at? Do you mostly follow the suggested shift points from the car? I'm usually into the next gear by the 3,000 rpm mark, but I wonder if I'm getting the most enjoyment out of my car.

 

Anywhere from 3-3500 RPM. It depends on how aggressively you are wanting to drive the car that day. Usually I shift around 3k to help with gas mileage, but I always try to keep the RPM around 3 above 2 when cruising in a gear.

-Luccia

 

ok, that's basically what I'm doing. For the record, I was inquiring about mid and sport modes, since green mode is a given. thanks.

 

My 6MT non-S Cooper is on its journey to U.S. Just curious, at what RPM does the software prompt you to up shift in each of the drive modes?

 

My experience has been that green mode wants you to shift as your approach 2K, and mid mode prompts a shift just after 2K, maybe 2,200 RPM. Not sure about Sport, since I don't really follow the prompts in that mode.

 

Does the F56 come with a hill gear like the Gen 2s?

Freaked me out at first, I kept thinking there was something wrong with my car. Sure it prevents some riding of the clutch on a hill, but it also makes teaching someone about clutch engagement points that much harder.

After a year in my R59 I have adjusted, but upon reading this thread I am glad I had my R53 around to teach my kids in.

 

I always found those prompts to be way to low, usually before the torque band even kicks in.

If your goal is fuel economy then follow the prompts. If your into more spirited driving then your shifts will end up much higher (4000+ on an S).

Make the effort to understand all of the compromises between the various driving styles, and then drive they way you want.

I like spirited driving, almost always in the torque band, with fast shifts. The compromise in my R53 is an average of 22mpg and a new clutch every 65k miles. Same driving style in my R59 and I am getting almost 26mpg.

 

You really need to get a feel for when to up or downshift based on sound and feel.
Shifting up just based on the computer prompts or at a certain RPM all the time will not give you the best gas mileage and may put unnecessary strain on the motor.

 

If you use the hand brake instead of the pedal, hill assist will not engage.

 

I had my friend sit in with me and I found out that I over-rev the engine just a little. He was telling me that you should catch the rpms (while releasing the clutch) and you shouldn't accelerate until you are at the engagement point/ fully off the clutch. Does this sound right? I was accelerating before the engagement point.

I also didn't know that you could reverse without using the gas pedal! Is this bad for the car?

Lastly, the "clutch smell in the grill of the car" is just "normal warm car smell" and I'm not actually smelling clutch. I guess I'm just paranoid.

I also found that if you are careful enough (at normal speeds) that when shifting gears, 2 to 3 or higher, that you can get away with not giving the car gas (is this due to the rev-match?) and still have a very smooth gearshift. Again, is this bad? should I avoid doing this?

 

I seem to remember reading that earlier in the thread.

 

"No Gas Start - Using only the clutch with no throttle input to get the car moving. Let the clutch out very slowly and you will feel it start to grab at the friction point. Continue to let it out slowly and the car should start moving forward slowly. If your car is really lacking for torque you may need to give a tiny amount of gas. This is a good thing to practice for a while in a flat empty parking lot when you first get your car, so that you can get a good feel for the friction point."

 

Check the link below. You may find it helpful.

http://www.joomag.com/magazine/jagua...16262091?short

 

I'm not sure on this one honestly. I definitely know some model Audi's do it too and it freaked me out when I was driving an S5 once. I would disengage the clutch slowly and the car would move forward without me pressing the gas pedal.

-Luccia

 

You will definitely be able to distinguish a clutch smell if you're really burning it so I'm glad that it wasn't what you were smelling.

-Luccia

 

Silly question on the clutch stop - do you HAVE to have a short throw for this to work, or can you do it with the regular shifter? I don't have a ST in at the moment - my wife would balk at the idea. And yes, the most common one is adjustable, I know, I know.

 

No, clutch stop works with or without.

 

I have only had one automatic car in 40 years of driving. I did in the clutch on my R56 @ 20k miles and learnt a valuable lesson....
One of the ways that modern manual transmission cars cut the amount of engine noise into the interior of the vehicle is to use a DMF (dual mass flywheel) these have a lot more weight than the older style. The ones they used in the R56's were in my of a poor quality. It was said that on the R56 if you messed up and could smell burning that your clutch was done and you would have to replace it in a year. That has never been so on any other car I have owned...but as Ryan says above you should avoid slipping the clutch. You can get off the line very quickly without doing this. It is just practice.
The F56 have a much better DMF than the R56. On my last F56 they had to pull the gearbox and I had a look at my clutch and could see that the construction was superior in every way....but I'm still careful! These are not trucks we are driving...