[freeze]

Before starting to drive my new MCS a couple of months ago, I had never owned a standard transmission car. Although I have had considerable motorcycle experience, there are some significant differences. In browsing the Internet, I have found two different seemingly authoritative sites that give very different advice on the best way to move the shift lever. This is for plain ordinary street synchromesh shifting, nothing fancy like double declutching. I am interested in input from anyone who knows which of the following two approaches is best for the MCS Getrag transmission.

Recommendation number one:
“When shifting across the H such as between 2nd and 3rd gears, do not try to make a conscious jog in your hand movements. The linkage needs very little input to make the diagonal path across neutral. Your shift should almost look like a straight diagonal line. Making a distinctive zig zag through neutral is strong-arming the shifter and will slow the shift down.”

From: http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving...shifting.shtml

Recommendation number two:
“i) All the ‘Stick’ movements have to be consciously ‘horizontal’ and ‘vertical’. This where most people go wrong.
ii) Getting from one position to another has to be the ‘slotting’ way and not the ‘hammer-blow’ way.
iii) While shifting from one gear to another, give it a brief pause in Neutral EVERY TIME and then ‘slot-over’ to the next. NO drag-like move is to be made from one gear to another in a ‘single-stroke’ but always in two ‘slotting’ ones as above.”
From: http://www.indiacar.com/index2.asp?p...ftinggears.htm

(Part II, Page 2)

[BRMCooper]

from 2nd to 3rd i just use the palm of me hand behind the knob and the netural spring brings the "stick" to the central position under 3rd! and 1st to 2nd can be done with no clutch (BUT over time this will bugger ur gearbox up!) with a short shift gearstick its lovley

[E Yorks Andy]

Recommendation number 1 sounds like the correct way of doing things in a modern vehicle. I think number 2 probably still drives (and loves) his Hindustan Ambassador!

[obehave]

Another vote for method 1

Been driving manual tranmissions since the '70s. Top loaders, mechanical linkage and cable linkage, all the same method.

[Rakey]

didn't realise there was so much to think about when changing gear, I just wait till it is about to bounce off the rev limiter and shift to the next gear

[Beecher]

chaulk me up for number 1. I only roll the palm of may hand around the stick to shift, and i drive the thing hard. However, that said, when driving my 06 mustang, you have to be very slottly while shifting (its a hell of a pain going from one car to the other, the clutch is like a rock in the mustang, and the shifting has to be so damn precise. A fraction of an inch off and it will not go into gear. however, i do prefer the hard clutch (that will get fixed in the mini sooner or later, buti have another car to build before going in to to many mods on the mini). So ultimatly, it depends on the car, but as far as the mini goes, number one is the best way. oh, the mustang is RWD as well, and that may be why, the stick goes into the tranny rahter than threw linkage forward and over to the tranny, which is probably why, there is no deflection in the shifting as there would be in the minis linkage.

-Beecher

[Yasser]

Quote: Originally Posted by BRMCooper

from 2nd to 3rd i just use the palm of me hand behind the knob and the netural spring brings the "stick" to the central position under 3rd! and 1st to 2nd can be done with no clutch (BUT over time this will bugger ur gearbox up!) with a short shift gearstick its lovley

I also do it like this

[jamiep]

I have never had to think about how to change gear, I just drive! If you have to think on each change you may find yourself being distracted which is never a good thing. If you have not driven a manual car maybe some lessons are in order before you go out. In the UK if you take your test in an auto that is all you are allowed to drive

[holder]

Quote: Originally Posted by BRMCooper

from 2nd to 3rd i just use the palm of me hand behind the knob and the netural spring brings the "stick" to the central position under 3rd! and 1st to 2nd can be done with no clutch (BUT over time this will bugger ur gearbox up!) with a short shift gearstick its lovley

Do you have to watch the RPM when shifting with no clutch?

[insane*mini]

Just curious, how do you shift without using the clutch? Link please?

-Cody

[Wooly]

Quote: Originally Posted by insane*mini

Just curious, how do you shift without using the clutch? Link please?

-Cody

you cant!!! i think he was talking about a semi automatic or something. well as far as i know you cant just push it into gear or itll crush all the gears up and stall if in 1st.

[jamiep]

It is possible to change gear without using the clutch by rev matching - pull to neutral, blip throttle and engage new gear at correct revs, but as said previously it will damage the gearbox. In a previous car I had the clutch stick while engaged (can't remember whether the cable snapped or stuck) and managed to get the car home about 20 miles using this method

[Fabio]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wooly

you cant!!! i think he was talking about a semi automatic or something. well as far as i know you cant just push it into gear or itll crush all the gears up and stall if in 1st.

as jamiep said it can be done with using the revs correctly but your gearbox wont last too long i've heard a few stories

[faster,Tobias!]

Before syncromesh gear boxes it was pretty much the only way to shift. God, do I suddenly feel aged....

[Beecher]

tobias, that is only after the tranny got worn, and striaght cut gears. When the tranny was tight and new, you had to double clutch the old clash boxs. No offence, but i kind of doubt you would be old enough to have driven a new straight cut gear box, unless you drove trucks (loris for you brits) in which case it is a differnt storry. hahahah. (my first passion is 1930s cars (my first car was a 1940 ford, and im still only 22).

-Beecher

[Yoda]

I just got a JCW MCS 6 speed manual. One thing that I need help is that to gain the smalletst time possible from naught to 100 kph. I should shift up at what RPM? 4000?

[burns24ricky]

yeah its possible to shift without the clutch, before my mini i drove a '66 chevy truck and it was really easy to shift with no clutch, but as for the mini its a little more difficult.

[burns24ricky]

o yeah and i would probly shift at 4200-4300, something like that, so you dont lose all that momentum the enginejust built up and it will transfer that momentum to the next gear.

[cct1]

Quote: Originally Posted by Yoda

I just got a JCW MCS 6 speed manual. One thing that I need help is that to gain the smalletst time possible from naught to 100 kph. I should shift up at what RPM? 4000?

Maximum torque is between 4000 to 6000 RPMs; so you want to shift a bit higher than 4000 so you come into the next gear at about 4000 RPMs. It's gear dependent (you can shift a little sooner in 1st, a little later in 4th), but if you shift roughly at 6000 RPM's you'll hit the next gear at about 4000 RPMs.

[simeds]

i normally close the door, take my keks down and sit on the bog and let nature take its course, hopefully without much straining.


oops just read the post title properly, that ' f ' sure looked like a ' t'