UH SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL and brake!

 

you should play around and figure out what works best for you... but when you let up quickly you should stop when it engages because if not it will jerk... if you just let up quickly all the way you are dropping the clutch and you could stall or jerk really bad.... when i was first learning i always thought of it as a teeter-totter (if that makes sense) because when you let up the clutch you press the gas and when you press the clutch you let up the gas... could i go scientific and say they are inversely related? haha that could be way wrong but it sounds smart

 

that makes sense - teeter totter and inversely related

Thanks much!

 

Actually, I switch gear as I am pushing the clutch down and very soon after I start pushing on the clutch. Then let the clutch out as soon as the gear lever is in the next notch. The peddle never reaches the floor.

Not saying your way is right or wrong, just that on my car that make for a very smooth shift. Otherwise it is notchy as if the gears are not quite lined up.

Another thing - 2nd to 3rd is typically a difficult shift on most cars. Can be tough, not matter what you do, to make that one smoothly

 

2nd to 3rd is the most fun shift but i do love throwing into 4th that seems like a harder more powerful throw than 1st to 2nd

 

Hill assist only came with MINIs that have DSC.

 

Why would you not want to downshift when going down a fairly steep hill? On a steep enough hill, even automatics should be downshifted to use engine braking to help maintain the rate of speed as opposed to the brakes.

If you are coming up on traffic, then use your brakes, especially if traffic is stopping rather quickly.

If you have slowed down to the point where your engine is starting to lug, you either need to downshift or take it out of gear (hopefully if you are to the point of taking it out of gear it is b/c you are down to second gear and no longer have a lower gear to go to - by that point you should be about to come to a stop anyway).

 

I've definitely been downshifting and using my brakes for sure. A quick question in response to this quote, "...point of taking it out of gear it is b/c you are down to second gear and no longer have a lower gear to go to..." From that quote, I take it that someone shouldn't shift down into first when on the road and just put it into neutral? I had been told from the person teaching me to drive a stick that you should try to keep it in second gear and above when on the road and that first gear is really for areas like the driveway and certain portions of a parking lot...is that correct?

I do believe that after my question above, everybody has answered everything I have ever wondered about when driving a manual.

Thank you so much everyone! You all are a great group of people!

P.S. - I've been driving a manual for about 6 days now and the MCS and myself are doing quite well....haven't made any stupid moves or mistakes yet!

 

Yes, normally you should not downshift into first when in motion.

 

That's what I figured. Thanks so much!

I do believe that is the end of my truly newbie questions. Thanks for your patience and honest responses.

 

I would say that a lot of the "should's" that people have been told, a lot of it is old school (I should know because that's me...old school). I think the only "should's" that you should follow are 1) don't grind the gears, work to make the engagement as smooth as possible, 2) don't use the clutch as a brake, if you down shift and the car jerks when you let out the clutch you are using it as a brake, match the engine speed to the road speed so when you let out the clutch the engine does the braking not the clutch, 3) the idea that you need to downshift when slowing down is old school from back in the day when cars had drum brakes and they would fade out in 30 seconds (been there), the disk brakes (the Mini's especially) are so good you don't need to do that, just use the brakes and save the wear and tear on the engine and drive train, it has enough to do to accellerate the car, plus they are easier and cheaper to replace; the exception is track days and racing, there you want to use all the slowing power you can get, 4) "don't use first except the driveway" is another old school "should", the MCS will do 40+ mph in first gear, that is second in a lot of other 4-bangers, I say use it when you want to; however with that said I find that 2nd will pull very strong from almost nothing to right up to 60 mph...and I would not down shift in to 1st when slowing down because 2nd does pull so strongly.

Ideally you want to be smooth with shifting. Banging it, grinding it, etc is hard on the engine and drive train parts and those parts are expensive and hard to replace. For accelleration, let the engine to that, no need to "pop the clutch"; for braking let the brakes do that. And, yes, I know I will catch grief for saying that but that is my way of thinking.

From the tone of your posts it sounds like you are have fun with your new Mini and "rowing through the gears" . That is fantastic!!!! Well, I think that is what BMW intended when the launched this car and they should be applauded for making such a fun car available to the mass I know I enjoy mine

 

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to drop you all a quick line and just say that you all are great! After chatting with all of you on here and a bit more practice, I've been shifting like champ ever since!

Again, thanks so much for all of your help and patience!!!!

 

Just wondering if you guy have any advice on the 1-2 shift. I've been having a lot of issues with it being very bumpy and jerky when I'm getting on it a little. I'm sure it's something with my clutch work. I don't know if I'm letting it out to quickly, too slowly, or what it is. I'm fine with all the other shifts, this one is just giving me trouble. If I'm moving slowly it's no trouble. I'm guessing it's something to do with the big difference in gear ratios going from 1-2. The differences on the other shifts is smaller. So, anyone have any thoughts?

 

Just a guess (without seeing how you are driving) is that it is more a timing thing. If you get on the gas in first, lift all the way off the gas when shifting to second, then what may be happening is that the revs are dropping a lot before you let the clutch out and you are not getting on the gas enough to bring the revs up to match the car speed in second. You could try just lifting off the gas just enough so the revs barely drop when you push the clutch in and then the engine speed will better match the car speed when you let the clutch out. Actually first to second is fairly close and it is easy for revs to drop to below the car speed in second and the car will jerk when the clutch is let out.

 

I suspect I will expose myself as a doddering Olphart, but doesn't anyone remember how to double clutch? Especially when downshifting, it is SO much smoother and easy on the drive train.
No, it isn't necessary. Yes it takes some practise, but I drive a lot of miles a year, with various trannies, 3 speed, 4, 5, 6, 9,10,13 and a couple of automatics (12 speed).
Average a total of 100,000 miles a year and I haven't had to have a clutch or trannie job in 30+ years.

The first time my daughter ever touched the gear shift in our old International (after watching and my lecturing), she climbed in the seat in the Arizona desert, put it in first gear ,eased out the clutch while idling, and proceeded to shift up, without missing a gear, 1 to 13, then back down 13 to first, without ever touching the clutch again. Not a hint of a grind...(This is not technically double clutching, but uses the same 'style' of speed matching. Easy to remember the speeds...a 200 rpm difference for each gear, 400 rpm to skip a gear.
It isn't as linear in a Mini, but a bit of observation of what rpm matches what road speed in what gear should allow you to shift and a deaf passenger should never know you shifted. *NORMAL non exuberant driving...all bets off when you shower down. but you should be able to smoothly and quickly shift down 1,2, or 3 gears in a VERY short time given the quick revving engine in our beasts.
Sorry to pontificate, y'all.
At least, ;earn to heel and toe...(Braking with your right foot big toe, whilst braking with your right heel. It really isn't hard, and very handy.

 

Whoops..can't seem to edit...last two lines of previous post SHOULD say "blipping throttle with right heel"

 

The hill assist does make hill starts very easy. In fact when I was teaching my son how to drive a stick with my MINI, I felt like he got cheated out of learning an important skill.

 

As long as you press the clutch pedal far enough to disengage the transmission from the engine, you don't have to press it all the way to the floor. If I am accelerating hard, I will only press the clutch pedal about half way which allows for much quicker shifts. If you don't depress it far enough though, you will grind the gears.

 

This probably varies by car. I know that on mine the clutch starts to catch pretty close to the floor, so you do have to put it to the floor, or pretty close to it for each shift.

 

These cars are so light and stiff, and the clutch so precise, it's more like launching than accelerating. Quick and smooth and fun!





I'm old enough, and have driven enough heavy equipment/trucks but really, there's no need to double-clutch anymore. At least not in cars. Synchro gearboxes don't require user input to align the gears between shifts.

What is helpful (although not necessary) is rev-matching; making sure the clutch disc always meets the flywheel and pressure plate at the same RPM. (As you explained in your story about you daughter)

If I'm traveling at any speed, I never let my clutch out against an idling motor. (But I will do compression braking once the clutch is fully released --I'm not that ****).

The Mini isn't the easiest car to do heel/toe braking/rev matching, but with a little practice...

 

If you are new to a manual transmission I wouldn't worry about ideal shifting RPMs, "speed shifting", or anything else really other than just focusing on how to engage the clutch smoothly in 1st gear everything else will drop in place with time and practice. Whenever I'm teaching someone how to drive a stick, one of the first things I do is to take them to a SLIGHT hill - just a slight upward gradient. I have them learn how to "rock" uphill back and forth - to allow the car to gently roll back a little and then ease the clutch out again and again while giving it just a little gas each time less and less so they can "feel" the clutch just start to engage rolling them forward and likewise feel just when it disengages and the pedal position that allowed them to do it. Then with each "rock" make smaller and smaller pedel strokes both with the gas and clutch until they start to get a feel for the exact clutch pedal position that with a slight release and slight gas pedal push will cause you to rock back and forth. You'll kill the engine a lot at first and find yourself revving it up too much, but eventually learn how to do it smoothly. It usually only takes about an hour to learn how to master the technique which will then allow you to both smoothly work through the other gears and learn the very important skill of an uphill takeoff. That's my ten cents. Good motoring!

 

I always suggest looking a diagram of a clutch and flywheel working together. Once someone understands how the concept of a manual works, they tend to pick it up much quicker.

As for me, I learned in a parking lot. Driving around using only the clutch. Using this method is pretty hard on the clutch though since you're trying to constantly slip the clutch. But it gets you used to the contact point.

Rev matching is an invaluable skill to have once you've learned the basics. Although, I'm kind of disappointed in the throttle response in the MC even with sport on. Much more difficult to blip than I remember in my previous S. :( I miss my 06 S so much...

 

I found that the 2nd Gen S has a bit of a lag on the trottle blip and it tends to hold the revs once up there, so it is doublely difficult to match engine speed to the car speed to make a smooth shift. I found that with some care and timing you can get the revs up but you won't call it a blip. All in all, the really great trans and clutch these cars have make it easy to shift...just takes practice.