I just got my MCS last week and am still getting used to the 6 gears. I had a Honda Civic (5 speed) for 15 years before getting this mini, and I find that the civic had smoother shifting. Does anyone else find this to be the case? I notice that from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd especially, I feel a roughness with the stick, as if it's passing through notches to get from one gear to the next. I want to be sure that I'm operating it correctly and that there isn't something that needs tweeking with the gears. Perhaps it's part of the break-in period?

Also, I've been following this pattern for shifting. Would you say this maximizes fuel efficiency? Should I be keeping it in 5th longer?

1st 0-20 mph (shift at 3K rpm)
2nd 20-30 mph (shift at 3K rpm)
3rd 30-40 mph (shift at 3K rpm)
4th 40-50 mph (shift at 3K rpm)
5th 50-60 mp ((shift at 3K rpm)
6th 60 + (shift at 3K rpm)

thanks for your input!

 

Based upon what you described, I think your feeling may have resulted from an old Honda gearbox that did not have very well defined gates. I find the R56's gearbox to be very smooth and the "notches" that you feel should be normal (assuming that I am interpreting what you have typed correctly). Do you feel like you have to put in too much effort to get the gear to engage?

 

Yes, very smooth. I upshift much earlier than you in normal driving. The R56's turbo motor makes near max torque at 1600 rpm.

 

My regular MC has the same feeling. I do feel the notches when shifting gears. Not used to it. I can really feel it when I'm shifting slowly, but when I'm ripping through the gears I can't tell. When it was snowing this morning the shifter was especially rough. I hope this is normal.

 

i use to drive a 87 acura legend 5 speed and i think i know what you were experiencing. The slightest tap could move the shifter into the gear.

I think a lot of the ease of shifting and underdefined gates was due to a well worn transmission. When i first started driving my MINI, i was also amazed at how taught the transmission felt. It did feel a little notchy to me but now im at around 2.5k and it feels really nice!! through the break in process it will get smother and smother.

 

I don't feel like I have to put much effort to get it into gear, but it just doesn't feel smooth. The gates do feel well defined (I am assuming that means that it's easy to sense what gear you're moving into), but as another NAM member noted, the worn transmission of a honda civic probably got me used to a certain smoothness that one doesn't find with a brand new MCS. I don't have enough technical knowledge of how gears work in a car to know what is causing that sensation of the stick moving through "notches". Are they there to help the driver avoid getting the car into the wrong gear by accident?

 

When I test drove the R56, the very first thing I noticed is how much smoother the gear shift was in comparison to the R53. Don't get me wrong I do like the feel of the R53.

 

It feels almost the exact same as the transmission on my old BMW, but I think BMWs have generally been accused of having rather 'notchy' feeling transmissions.

 

I like honda gearboxes, theyve always seem super smooth to me =]

 

You can save a little fuel and engine life by shifting at lower rpm. 3k and 4k make a pretty noise, though

 

If you're looking for the most fuel efficient shift points the best way to do it is turn on the instantaneous mpg display on the tach and watch what happens before/after you shift.

 

Mine is buttery smooth, and one of the many reasons I chose my MINI over a Civic or Mazda 3.

 

Mine has that feel, too - but I like it. Not being terribly experienced with the whole manual driving thing, I like that it's easy to tell which gear I'm in. When I hop in company cars that are manuals, I'm always afraid I'll miss a shift because the gates are so sloppy. It does seem to take a bit more effort when it's cold, but that's normal (I think).

 

Max torque is at 1600 if the throttle is all the way open. In normal driving you will not be reaching but 35% or less of the power output for a given rpm.

I shift at around 2k for all gears and am in sixth gear by 50mph.

YMMV.

 

The "notchy" feel comes from the tranny having double synchros. It's exactly how my turbo Eclipse transmission felt after i got double synchs installed.

 

I LOVE my COOPER S! Shifts like a dream and handles like its on RAILS!!!!!!!

 

I had a 350Z 6 speed before my Mini and this shifter is heavenly compared to the 350Z. Very smooth and silky...

 

optimal shifting points tend to make for somewhat of a boring driving experience, although for casual driving it does make sense to me. It's fun to slam the pedal to the floor to see how fast I can get up to 50mph in 2nd gear before shifting to 3rd.

 

You mean we have a 5th gear??? I normally skip 5th and go right to 6th.

 

I have a Honda Civic and an R53, the MINI stick is much heavier, but to me that's a good thing. I noticed that the stick in the R56 is a little lighter and smoother than the R53, but it still has a good feel. A lot people think Honda makes the best stick shifts in the world because they are so smooth & light, but I must admit after driving the Honda all week I can't wait to get into the MINI and get some proper feedback from the steering & stick, it makes it more enjoyable to drive.

 

you've only had it a short while, give it some time to loosen up. It'll be alot better than the Honda

 

Ha! My wife asks me why I do that at times. Because I can.

 

My partner & I have been driving 5-speeds for years in US trucks, Jeeps, and a couple of different German cars. Even spent a little time with a Honda 5-speed. She & I both agree with Jahmills. Our R56 shifter and clutch give us just the right amount of feed back and a really solid/well-defined shift pattern. Making our just-a-cooper pretty darn responsive, considering the power available.

Smooth is a realative term. The 5-speed in our Jeep with 175K miles on it is really smooth by this point - but not exactly what I'd call responsive, even with that nice old 4-liter six.

Peace !
Spearsy

 

The "when to shift" change is going to be big for me... I usually shift at around 6-7000 rpm in my RX-8... 8500 when I'm feeling frisky.

 

Not particularly. The shift gates are very vague; there's too much play.