i was wondering if someone may be able to help me. i just passed my break in period and i decided to drive the car a little harder. i noticed that when i give it some gas and shift quickly that i feel a pretty good "thud" between 1st and 2nd. it has happened twice and doesnt happen in any other gear. does anyone else experiance this?

 

The 1st - 2nd has always been a harder shift than others. I'm new to manual as well, but I just try my best to release the clutch slower than others. I did notice that if you shift around 2000 rpm, then it's really smooth. Otherwise, I haven't been able to get it completely smooth with out going super slow.

 

when im just cruising around town its fine. but if i decide to go full throttle and shift hard and quickly i notice a "thud". this is my first front wheel drive car, as my others were rear wheel drive and i drove those cars hard without any problems. so i dont know if its a mini thing, front wheel drive thing, or just me not being used to it.
thanks tho

 

I'm experiencing the same. And am doing the same

1st -> 2nd also seems crunchy at times.... maybe 65%. And sometimes I feel a thud when putting the transmission into 1st from a stop.

 

You can definitely hear it going into gear when going into first. This is my first manual, so I don't really know what's normal and what's not normal.

 

Mine is at 1175 miles, and I have not noticed such thuds.

 

well under normal driving onditions the mtranny is smooth as silk. theres no thuds, no grinds, nothing. i love the way the tranny feels. its only when i want to drive it hard that i feel a thud from 1 to 2. i dont know if this is normal but it definitely deters me from slamming gears from 1 to 2. but otherwise i love the feel of the tranny and how it performs

 

sorry.. i wasn't reading closely enough.. i'll check this out next week when my baby is in..

 

If you are shifting hard from first to second, then it's a good chance that the thud you are hearing is the engine rocking back and forth. You hear it in the Mini because it's fwd, and the engine shifts differently than a rwd car.

I could be completely wrong though, this is just my guess.

 

thats what i was thinking, but this is my first FWD car so i have nothing to compare it to. i guess i'll just take it easy 1st to 2nd. nonetheless its still a fun car to drive

 

All seems normal to me, but i haven't driven much RWD. Shift feels solid for autox. Engine response is slower than I would like, maybe that is what you are feeling is related to that. Rev matching usually requires a good .5 or more second.

 

No thud here.

 

Rev it up to 4000 RPM or more to see if it happens then. I think you're not spinning the engine fast enough. Shifting at 2000RPM will drop you into below 1500 when you go to the next gear. The engine is meant to go fast.

 

I hear it as well.. If you dump the clutch off the line, or especially the 1 to 2 drag race shifts, it makes a loud THUD noise.. I'm guessing it's 100% normal, not sure if it is something to do with runflats or if its the getrag tranny.. I can't imagine the engine is moving that much to make such a loud knocking type noise, if anything its probably the clutch grabbing on ever so quickly *bang* then the wheels spinning............

 

thats exactly what i feel. i hope its normal. i was messing around the other day and i noticed a lot less with the sport button on. i'm thinking the increased throttle response helped rev-match it a little better. who knows. i'll play with it more im sure

 

--Until it breaks!! lol...jk

 

...and thats what the warranty is for.

 

I've noticed the same problem myself. I'm also pretty new to manual and can't seem to get a good feeling for the clutch (especially the 1st - 2nd shift), even when I'm revving up to 4k rpm. My clutch seems to engage super late. Feels like it's only got an inch or so before it's all the way out.

 

The 1-2 (and 2-3) shifts smooth out considerably if you use the sport button immediately upon startup.

 

It's definitely easier with sport mode on, but it still lurches a little going from 1st to 2nd. Maybe it's just my goofy feet that can't hold the clutch in the right place though.

 

No, it's not clumsy feet--it's a touchy clutch. Lots of people have complained about it, including me.

 

Had a couple friends drive my car (they've been driving stick since they were born though), all they say is 'get used to it."

Was thinking I could get a clutch stop to help with this, but the Mini won't start unless the clutch is just about on the floor, so seems like that idea is out...

 

Hi there, I just purchased my first mini! I love driving it but am a little sad about the 1st to 2nd grind. Basically I cannot shift into second quickly, I have to do it slow otherwise it grinds - loud! I have had the dealer look into it but service found nothing. I've heard this is a problem with the new 6 speed's. Is this something that can be adjusted? I keep reading about synchros. Any input is appreciated.

 

You could always let the clutch 'slip' a little bit more than dumping it and you won't get the grind/knock noise... of course the clutch wears quicker..but hey..what are warranties for!

 

What do you mean "slip"? I usually just pause in the neutral position before fully going into 2nd.