My question is for those of you who have a manual transmission.

I've driven manuals before but in my new 09 MCS, there seems to be quite a bit of distance between when the clutch pedal is fully pressed down to fully released. It seems like there's empty space between the first half of the release (pressed all the way down to about half way). In the second half of the release, I can feel the clutch start to engage. So at a stop, should I begin to throttle lightly once I begin releasing the clutch (the way I learned) or at about half way, when the clutch actually begins to engage? Also, when shifting between gears, am I supposed to always press the clutch pedal all the way down or just enough for the clutch to clear the pressure plate?

Thanks. I just want to get into the habit of doing it right and make my clutch (and transmission) last.

 

I would say to be safe and ensure that you give both clutch and tranny the most life, make sure you just take it to the floor, then shift and release. All the engagement points will be different from how they are set at factory, so yours may start higher than most. I know mine kind of has a beginning 1/4 dead spot, but I still take it to the floor and for starts I get my revs up then release. Just incase ur catch point is quicker than you are thinking, you don't really want to start reving while its beginning to catch, your better off having it already reved to where u need before the catch.

Just my .02 though others will chime in (I'm just up too late and need to go to bed haha)

 

Mine is the same with a very high clutch engagement point. I find that the only way to be smooth is to lift 1/2 way then complete with both gas and a final lift of the clutch. It is a relearn for me as well and it is not easy given that I have other manual cars.

I wanted to see if there is a clutch stop so the clutch movement is not so large. I have seen them before at websites like bavauto.com but they seem like they are no longer available. I met someone at Watkins Glen with a 1997 M3 with the clutch stop and it seems to work well.

 

The R56 clutch definitely has a longer travel and higher bite point than previous MINIs. It was bit disconcerting when I first drove one. Its also one of the reasons it was difficult to have an R56 and an R53 at the same time.

The way I was taught to drive is to give it a little gas before starting to release the clutch. I see no reason to change that. (I was taught to drive properly by a professional, as is common where I come from.)

Also from what I hear you should always puch the clutch all the way to the floor when changing gear. Not doing so is supposed to be bad for the clutch. Its probably quicker to push it to the floor anyway, the floor stops your foot, rather than you having to leave everything hanging in midair.

 

Tip: Coordinating clutch and throttle action is decidedly easier if you have the sport button engaged. Much less accelerator travel is required to launch, rev-match, etc. Like many others, I never drive without the sport button lighted.

 

I press all the way. my old e30 with a clutch stop was a lot easier to shift. but I am used to mini now. I also have the sport button on all the time.

 

That is not neccessarily true. I never use the sport button. I tried it out once, and have never turned it on again. Seems to make it too difficult to finesse starting from a dead stop.

It is something to be tried and decided uopn by each driver. I have no problems with smooth launches from a dead stop while keeping the engine RPM below 1500. Shifts are also nice and smooth. I do use full pedal travel and never attempt speed shifting.

Yes, I am a conservative driver where acceleration is concerned. However, I loathe using the brakes when a proper drift through a nice curve is at hand.

 

Wow, I was going to ask this exact same question .
I to have had many manual cars and trucks in my past and learned to push clutch all the way to floor .

Also think my R56 has allot of travel before engaging. Have been experimenting lately with just pushing clutch in about 1/4 way down when shifting . Seemed to give me smoother shifts.
If this is wrong, if so I will definetly continue to push clutch to floor .

 

Of course you "should" always push the clutch all the way to the floor. But after driving Lewis every day for over a year and almost 20k miles, my left foot knows exactly how far it has to go down. And when I'm in a hurry, that's as far as it goes down, forget the freeplay at the bottom. No slip, crunch, or stuffing gears that aren't free.

 

Ditto on the sport button. I find the throttle control very difficult with the sport button off. The throttle with the sport mode off reminds me of the old Benz's with the mechanical throttle linkage. Push the pedal and wait. With the sport button turned on I find it so much easier to make smooth starts. BTW, does anyone know if it is possible to have the sport mode default on when starting??????

 

+1 I have found that I do not like the way throttle response with the sport button. Its to much on/off instead of having a nice control when starting off and when getting back on the throttle between shifts

It's definitely people need to really sit and see which they prefer and not let the "sport" part of it deter them and think they are only driving spirited/sporty if they have it on.

 

I agree with you Misslindsey. I found that depress the clutch 3/4 of the way fully releases the gear and allows the changing of gears w/o any grinding or noise. My other cars with manual has a much lower and quicker clutch engagement point.

I track the car so I am looking to smooth out all inputs.

 

Sport button: On
Clutch travel: all the way to the floor
Start throttle: Around clutch engagement, not upon release

This is what I do and it works well for me. I don't see any reason to start the throttle too early if it's not near engagement yet. What I actually do is take the clutch up to just below the engagement point then start giving it throttle. Sort of resetting it as if the engagement point is as soon right after release. Of course this is all done very quickly once you get used to the engagement point.

 

This may be a little off-topic, but I've always found the transition from 1st gear to 2nd gear the roughest for me. There seems to be a very small sweet spot where the clutch engages smoothly while accelerating. For me, it's either a bit of a "clunky" shift or a slightly over-rev'd shift. Every now and then it's spot on. Anyone have any tips on how to do this better? BTW, I've driven stick for over 10 years.

Tony

 

Yes, see post #28 of the following thread: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...=103258&page=2

 

I drive like mataku too.. except for the sport button part.. i find it hard to rev-match with the sport button ON ---> it's just waay too sensitive for me.

@tonyro: I've faced the same problem too, even though i've been driving a range of manuals for 6 years. What I usually do is that (if i'm not in a hurry), I shift from 1 to 2 at a relatively low rev, around 2k rpm in the MINI and engage the clutch as slow as I do on the first gear. Been working pretty well for me.
The thing about 1 - 2 shift (i thnk) is that the car loses inertia too quickly. So by the time you move the stick from 1 to 2, the craft loses a lot more vehicle speed, compared to 2-3 shifts & above. So, unless u're drag racing.. just take it slow. Save the clutch

 

Yup, same exact here. I won't be smooth otherwise.

Difference here though is that I am one of the Sport Mode users. I was real hesitant about using Sport mode on a daily basis but after hand-calculating my gas I'm losing 1-2 MPG per tank. I haven't looked back since - as a matter of fact the two times I stalled in the past 3 months were when I forgot to hit the button. But yeah, Sport is a lot more sensitive between 1-2, but I've gotten used to it where I can oh so lightly feather the throttle in those gears and get a nice, slow smooth start if I wanted.

 

Same here. Actually, that's how I know I forgot to press the damn button when I'm leaving my house.
I really can't drive the MINI without the sport button ON. I got used to it since day 1.

 

I have driven many different manual transmissions and have to admint that my MCS has a feel that has taken me some time to understand. It sure seems like I need to be more nuanced in how I use the clutch and throttle. For quite a while I felt like I was going to stall it but realized I just need to add the RPMs more generously as I release the clutch. After 1000 miles it is getting more automatic but I still find myself thinking about my take-off and shifts more than I used to.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but for those of you who like the Sport Button, this is the best mod I have ever made... Sport Button Auto On

I push the clutch to the floor for when starting from 1st gear or when stopping.

Between gears, I don't clutch to the floor. Just enough to disengage everythng, shift into the next gear and then release. My left foot can rest on the floor as it only takes a little ankle work. My shifts between gears are much, much smoother.

Of course, being so close to the engagement point, you have to make sure that you push the clutch far enough. Not enough and it will grind. Don't do that. Bad.

Jeremy

 

I find the clutch in the R56 the most mindless of all the cars I've driven to date. It's even easier than a BMW 135i, which is basically a manual tranny for dummies. The R56's pedal travel is medium, whereas the R53's pedal travel is short, and something like an Evo IX has loooong pedal travel. What makes the R56 so awkward to drive initially is how "dead" the throttle feels. This really throws off most peoples' learned coordination with manual transmission balance between throttle and clutch. It took me about 2000 miles to really get the hang of how weird the R56 throttle feels, but the clutch is super easy.

To the OP: Always fully press-in the clutch pedal during gear changes, it'll keep the components in working order the longest. Even though it may seem like the bottom half of the pedal doesn't engage the clutch, it does begin to engage very slightly from right off the floor. You don't want to change gears with the clutch engaged, it'll put wear on the clutch, and strain the dogs and gears in the transmission.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Are you sure you just didn't forget to push the sport button?

 

Yep, that dead pedal feel is gone with the sport button.

 

The clutch on this car is a good one, but one that has a few nuances. THere is a bit of a deadspot (I always use sport button, steering is way to loose for me without it on). I feel like im having extra trouble getting used to this car as my other manual car, a 98 M3 is the exact opposite. Its a heavy clutch and has a very linear feel, no deadspots. Going from a heavier clutch like this to the MCS, makes me feel like im going to put my foot through the floor sometimes!

Definitley a nice clutch, i just got to get used to it. As someone else said, i never have had to really think much about getting moving and shifting in my other cars, but this one im more conscious of it. Then again ive only had it a few months.

 

I feel I shouldn't have to push some stupid "feature" button to get the throttle to function normally. MINI intentionally wants the throttle to feel either lazy and linear, or hyper and variable. That said, I don't like the feel of the steering in Sport mode, nor do I like the roller coaster boost controller in Sport mode. If you've ever driven a normal turbo car [cable throttle and normal wastegate] the R56 is a joke of an imitation in terms of boost modulation in Sport mode. I already proved last year there's no power difference between having Sport mode on or off, however not only is it easier to modulate the boost in part throttle with Sport mode OFF, it's also much easier to activate overboost with Sport mode OFF.