I've driven many different cars with manual transmissions, and every single one of them would "lock out" first gear (I wouldn't be able to move the shifter into first) once moving more than a few miles an hour. However, on my Mini I find I can easily get into first when doing 20 or 25. I haven't let the clutch out at that speed, since I don't want to break anything, but is this normal, and is it safe for the gearbox, knowing it has some reliability issues?

 

My stock '06 MCS does 30 mph at redline in 1st gear. I have never really noticed if it has a lockout after that.

 

Actually, it's not a lock-out. It is very difficult to synchronize the first gear and most transmission manufacturers don't bother. Hence you are unable to get into first gear when the car is moving. It is generally the same with reverse gear....you can't generally ram your car into reverse gear while it is moving forward.

 

You might not be able to get into reverse but you sure can grind em...


Art

 

I've never owned anything but sticks and none of the 7 have "locked" out 1st.

 

compared to other MT cars that ive owned, MCS has been most
user-friendly getting into 1st gear even while moving forward.

it's not unusual for me to shift into 1st during a tight turn as
2nd is too tall on the 03's.

 

So it's perfectly OK to do it? That's great. My last car was a Toyota Celica, and at anything over 5mph or so, I'd have to really jam the shifter to downshift into first, and it just didn't feel "good". I had a '78 Camaro when I was a teenager, and it was completely impossible to downshift into first gear when moving.

 

if you match the engine revs to the speed it would be in 1st gear when you let off the clutch, any car will slip right into first gear while moving. i double clutch into 1st all the time, especially around slow turns...

 

Don't know if 1st is a synchronized gear in the Mini - if unsynchronized, you should double-clutch into 1st to avoid a grind. I agree - it's easier to get into 1st while moving in my MCS than in any of the other dozen or so manual trans cars I've owned...

Double clutch (harder to describe than to do):
Clutch in
Pop out of 2nd
clutch out while in between gears, rev match motor with clutch out
clutch in
shift into first
clutch out

No damage, but there have been thousands of threads on countless bulletin boards on the relative merits of downshifting vs. braking. Basically summarized: brakes to slow, downshift to go (downshift under braking only if hard lower-gear acceleration is required immediately after the braking zone). Match-rev Downshifting only puts one shifts-worth of wear on the clutch, trans and engine (matched-rev shifts assume you don't drag the clutch to bring the engine revs up).

Brakes are cheap, clutches are not. Brake to slow, downshift to go.

 

yep, it's all good. most j-cars will prevent you from entering 1st while in motion unless you double or even triple clutch and match revs.

 

True, but I do find it a little tricky doing an up-hill start. Am I alone on this?

 

What is "triple" clutching?

 

I usualy don't go back to 1st unless i'm at a dead stop, left turns in 3rd gear are fun and right turns in 2nd are nice too

 

I'll check on all this tomorrow morning on the way to work.

Look for me, I'll be the gray Mini on fire on eastbound 40 between Rio Grande and 12th Street.

 

You are experiencing double cone syncros. But you are also wearing them out quickly by doing that at speed.. The syncros have to spin up to match the speed of the gears and shafts. It is not a good practice to "abuse" the syncros like that..

 

1st gear is synchronized, that's why the original poster had a hard time getting his other cars into 1st while rolling, the synchro was preventing engagement. as far as braking vs downshifting to slow down, i agree with you 100%. i only downshift into 1st during "spirited" driving to get ready for exiting the turn. as a few of you have mentioned, 1st gear is quite tall in the earlier trannys, which is why i downshift into 1st while moving. i have never done this in any other car i've owned. it also makes it a little challenging to start from a dead stop uphill.

 

 

what trouble do you have at a start up a steep hill? I have not noticed a problem

 

Oops!!

 

i don't have a problem, but since 1st is really tall, you do have to slip the clutch more than any other car i've driven.

 

Use the parking brake to hold the car while you slowly let out on the clutch and apply gas. When you feel the clutch engage, then start to let the parking brake down. No slipping....

 

uh... yeah, i did that when i was 16 and learning how to drive, no need for that anymore, i can drive pretty well now... but thanks anyway!