I have a couple of times now (gritting my teeth) have had my timing off and ground the gears - if only briefly - but it truly kills me... Am I alone or have you too done this? I just hope I haven't done *any* damage. The thought of harming MINI's transmisson really irks me. I'm hoping it's more embarrassing than anything else.

Dave

 

I'm also hoping!! (been there, done that! )

 

I have done it a few times, when I am not really paying all that much attention. It is highly embarassing, but I wonder if you can hear it outside the car.

 

Everyone has done this a couple times and you haven't done any serious damage until you make a habit of it. . .

Don't worry about it. ...

 

Let's just start out by saying, I've never owned a manual car till my Mini. I've driven a few manuals before, ranging from an Eagle Talon TSI to a 3000GT VR4 TT. So I'm not the worst person, but I am far from the best. For the past two months I have been getting steadily better with my manual and what's nice about it is that I notice it a lot in the way my passengers react each time I shift. Meaning, they do less and less of the jerk forward, jerk back move.

The funny thing is, last night on my way home I ground my gear!? Neadless to say I took a quick glance around, making sure no one noticed and then sped off ahead of traffic till I was all alone in the left lane, and then started to cry.

But having been down the road of learning stick, I've ground and been witness to grinding of gears all too often (luckily on someone else's car). You shouldn't have much to worry about, as long as you don't make it a habit!

-Nick

 

Every once in a while I grind my gears Some how it just happens I wish I wouldn't do it...


Art

 

I find that it's very, very easy to grind going into reverse with the new Getrag 5-speed. The car has to be absolutely stationary, the clutch has to be depressed 101% and held with some pressure, your breath has to be held, and your face contorted into a grimace.

I don't worry about it too much when it happens. Unless it's happening regularly, the clutch should be able to take it. I'm definitely as careful as I can be with this car, though, since so many experienced stick drivers have had clutch problems.

 

I've been driving stick since 1968 (never owned an automatic in all that time) and hubby has been driving stick even longer than that. Both of us have been known to grind a gear from time to time. Reverse in the MINI is the most likely time, but we've both "missed the mark" in other gears as well. Our clutches live long lives and our cars generally shoot past 100K with little more than tire and brake replacement and regular maintenance. Unless your MINI sounds like you're blending a frozen margarita as you motor down the street, don't lose any sleep (or tears) over it.

 

Yep, it even happens to old folks like me who were brought up with stick shift cars. I noticed if my seat position is set too far back it makes gear grinding more likely. Still, it's very rare and doesn't hurt anything, plus, I always apologize to MINI when it happens.

 

So have i, and it really sucks. Especially when people are in the car.

 

Don't worry, we all have done it, especially while learning. Some of us may have even missed a shift at high speeds on the track, errors happen..... Don't make a habit of it and don't let it grind hard..... Think of it this way, are you going to care about this issue in 10 years, by which time you probably will have a new car anyway... Learn from this minor mistake.... and your under warranty too, right?? Just forget to tell you dealer that the gears got a bit ground if you have a problem, but I seriously doubt it will be a problem...

 

Grinding gears usually happens when you:


a) You don't fully depress the clutch pedal all the way to the floor

b) When you prematurely release the clutch pedal before the transmission fully settles into the chosen gear. For example you are shifting from 4th to 5th gear and before the stick reaches the 5th gear gate you quickly release the clutch and bingo, you gring the gears

c) "Speed shifting" is another known cause for grinding gears. This is a very bad habit and sometimes I catch myself doing it. You are not in a race circuit when driving the car in the street, therefore make your shifts smooth and in a more calmed manner. Allow the engine/transmission to work in harmony with each shift.

d) You still don't know how to properly drive a manual transmission car. Practice, practice, practice!

e) When shifting, open your right hand and with a fully extended palm grab the shift **** from the head. Make sure you hand comfortably grabs the shift ****. Avoid shifting from the stick rod itself or grabing the **** as if you were chocking a chicken!! If you fail to grab the stick by the shift **** as intended you will either miss shifts or grind the gears causing premature wear and embarrasement!

f) Uncomfortable seat position settings and/or uncomfortable shoes. Driving too far away from the pedals can cause frequent grinding. A seat back that is too reclined and far away may cause your left leg/foot to be in an uncomfortable position. Remember that in manual transmission cars, seating posture and comfort are Paramount. Leave the reclined seats for drivers of automatic cars. They don't have to worry about a clutch pedal, but for the rest of us a good seating posture makes the difference between smooth, comfortable shifting and or fatiguing, grinding gear driving. Also, avoid seating too close to the pedals. This is not good either!

Go to www.miniusa.com and see the section for racing/autocrossing tips.

It happens to us all. May be this is one of the downsides of manual transmission cars but it is something that can be greatly minimized by paying attention to what you are doing. Practice, practice, practice. Always FULLY depress the clutch pedal all the way down, don't rush your shifts and always make sure the stick has reached the desired gear gate before releasing the clutch pedal.

In the last 2 years I have been driven MCS with manual transmission and in my opinion, the Getrag gearbox is one of the easiest and most forgiving manuals I have driven in a very long time and I find them to be nicer than the Honda manual gearboxes that I drove for many years before. Honda manuals are known for longetivity and smoothness, so if the Getrag compares or supasses it, it is a very commendable thing to say

 

Grinding gears on a frequent basis does cause premature wear of the transmission components. While the Getrag trannies in these cars are pretty sturdy, they are not designed to take this kind of abuse 24 hours a day. Eventually the transmission will give in.

Practice, practice, practice and practice This is the only way you will minimize the chances of grinding your gears under normal driving circumstances.

 

I've been driving sticks for almost 40 years. I seem to have problems with my MCS that I haven't had with other cars. What happens is this: I'll be shifting up and, thinking I've got the car in the next gear, I let out the clutch and G-R-R-R-R-R-R!

I've come to the conclusion that this must have something to do with the cable-operated shift mechanism. (All the other manual tranny cars I've owned - maybe 10 of them? - have had the linkage mounted directly on the transmission.) Maybe the cables don't quite give as much "feel" or something?

As someone else mentioned, having the seat in just the right position is important. I've found that I'm much more to miss a shift after someone else (my wife or daughter) has adjusted the seat!

 

You are doing 2 things wrong:

1) Speed shifting
2) Releasing the clutch prematurely before the shifter settles in the desired gear gate.

I have never experience problems in this regard with either my '04 MCS and the '05 MCS I have now. In fact I find the Getrag in my '05 MCS to be even smoother than the one I had in the previous '04 MCS. Unlike some "vague" feeling shifters outhere, the MINI Getrag tranny gives the driver a lot of feedback. it is up to you whether you are interpreting the transmission correctly or not.

The MCS Getrag is a transmission that demands a certain degree of "finesee" when you shift the gears. Do your shifts more camly and DO NOT RELEASE the pedal until you have reach the desired gear gate.

And make sure you are sitting COMFORTABLY with the pedals either not far away or too close. Your left leg should have a slight bend but still be able to extend and reach the pedal comfortably.

 

and not in the past few months. Now I can tell when it's not completely in reverse and correct accordingly.

 

I wonder how many people think they are actually grinding the gear teeth? lol

 

MINIUSA has some EXCELLENT tips regarding driving seating posture, shifting, braking, etc under the "Freestyle Racing" section of the website. A good read for ALL:

www.miniusa.com/link/motoron/freestyle/mastering/performancetips/tip1

 

Thanks for the confidence boost, all! I've actually had four manually transmission cars previous to my MCS and two automatics so I feel I'm just relearning what I knew pretty well years ago. Fortunately the grinders only happen once in a loooong while (although I've only had April since May 31st.

And I've stalled it three times. Yes, I'm counting.. for now.

~4100 miles so far...

Dave

 

i seem to do it alot into reverse, like it isnt engauged all the way. or i try to pop it into reverse to early, the car hasnt stopped rolling yet, and it makes a nasty noise....

 

i grind too on occasion. biggest thing for me is that my MCS has a long shifter and long throw (even with the Helix shortshifter) and my G35C has
a very short shifter and very short throw along with very different
gear ratio's.


it's VERY noticable outside the car, Meg. it's not like you make an
embarrassing noise and blame it on someone else. oops...

 

I HATE the incredible popping stick! This happens to me every so often -- I shift (NOT speed shifting and making perfectly sure that it's in the appropriate gate) and then it pops back out, my revs shoot up, and I look like a boob taking her first turn in a manual.

C4... again, I'm shocked that this has never happened to you.

 

It has happened to me in other cars, but we are talking about cars with manual transmissions without syncros . May be I managed to grind the gears of some of my Acuras and Hondas I used to own as well from time to time.

The only time I managed to grind the gears in a MINI was in my '04 MCS. Going from 4th to 5th gear I released the clutch too soon before the shifter was settled in the 5th gear gate and BAM! Horrible grinding noises Immediately returned to 4th gear and tried again

I learned to drive in a modded 1974 Renault 12 Rallye sedan with a 4 speed gearbox and no syncros. Believe me when I say that if you are forced to drive a beast like that for long periods of time, you get to be real, real good at shifting sophisticated gearboxes like the dual cone syncronized Getrags in our MINIs.

This is a 1970's Renault 12 (The car I learned to drive was yellow )



I learned to drive in one of these babies: Gordini Rallye version



Oh and no power steering, no power brakes, pure raw driving satisfaction!

Oh and I hate to tell you this, but if your gear shift "pops out" on you after you finish making the shift either there is something wrong with your transmission or you don't yet have the skill to properly drive a stick shift car.

 

I also had the pleasure to drive one of these.... (Sorry the chicks were not included)



Mine was a '76 model with a 4 cyl 850cc engine (Around 40HP tops) in the same orange color as the one in the photo, but the front grille was slightly different. The car had sticky black vinyl seats, no radio, no A/C, no power steering or brakes and a dashboard mounted 4-speed manual which was actually easier to use than the customary floor mounted shifter.

A peek of the interior: (This one has seatbelts that mine never had to begin with. Also I had the older style dashboard)



This car took us everywhere but by modern day standards, it was the equivalent of the flinstones car!

I doubt the Renault 4 was ever legally imported into the US, at least in mass market quantities.

 

05MCS. I also grind gears the odd time between 1st and 2nd after someone has adjusted the seat and it's not back in my normal position. Never had this happen with other cars.