[Quads]

Hi All,

I have had my MCs for about 4/5 weeks now and have done about 1000 miles. The car drives and handles superb.

But I keep thinking to myself that I might have a slight problem with changing gears into 2nd gear.

The gear change from 1st to 2nd feels really notchy and does not feel smooth as I think it should and sometimes I can feel the car jerk when changing up to 2nd gear.
The only smooth gear change I can get is at really slow speeds below 6mph.


Have any other mini owners experienced this?
Do you think I should take to the stealership for a quick diagnosis ?
Anything else I can try ?


I thought maybe "running" the car for a thousand miles might loosen up a few things, but Im sure this'nt the case.

Any help would be appreciated

thanks in advance

[pappillon]

Quote: Originally Posted by Quads

The gear change from 1st to 2nd feels really notchy and does not feel smooth as I think it should and sometimes I can feel the car jerk when changing up to 2nd gear. The only smooth gear change I can get is at really slow speeds below 6mph.

Hi Quads,

Had a similar situation when I first started driving my MCS and overcame it by changing my driving style (with lots of help from the guys on this site. You may want to search out some of the old threads on this topic).

Regardless of what speed I get up to in 1st, when I change into 2nd, I do everything a little more slowly than I'm used to. That means taking my foot off the acceleator more gently, putting the car into 2nd and then bringing up the clutch to just before biting point and holding it for a split second before accelerating again. What this seems to do is allow more time for the revs to die down enough for a smoother change (apparantly, the MCS is made to hold on to its revs for longer than usual).

You're bound to get many helpful tips from the more experienced people on here but don't worry, it's just a matter of time..............

[stellablade]

I found I had the same 'problem' on my MC. Good advice pappillon. Getting a smooth change from first to second takes some practice.

Quote: Originally Posted by pappillon

Hi Quads,

Had a similar situation when I first started driving my MCS and overcame it by changing my driving style (with lots of help from the guys on this site. You may want to search out some of the old threads on this topic).

Regardless of what speed I get up to in 1st, when I change into 2nd, I do everything a little more slowly than I'm used to. That means taking my foot off the acceleator more gently, putting the car into 2nd and then bringing up the clutch to just before biting point and holding it for a split second before accelerating again. What this seems to do is allow more time for the revs to die down enough for a smoother change (apparantly, the MCS is made to hold on to its revs for longer than usual).

You're bound to get many helpful tips from the more experienced people on here but don't worry, it's just a matter of time..............

[ImaVunDerBrah]

Quote: Originally Posted by Quads

I keep thinking to myself that I might have a slight problem with changing gears into 2nd gear.

The gear change from 1st to 2nd feels really notchy and does not feel smooth as I think it should and sometimes I can feel the car jerk when changing up to 2nd gear.
The only smooth gear change I can get is at really slow speeds below 6mph.

I had this same problem when I first got my cooper. My MINI is my first manual, so I kept thinking it was me, but after my family took it around the block they noticed the same thing.

I've actually found the opposite solution - When going to 2nd I tend to go a little faster and let it rev a little higher than I normally would. I eventually got used to it and everything is smooth sailing now.


-Stef

[Quads]

Hey...

thanks for all the knowledge... on this.one..

Im not going mad after all !!

[shiredweller]

Quote: Originally Posted by Quads

Hey...

thanks for all the knowledge... on this.one..

Im not going mad after all !!

You may still be..........just not about this.

[GTmini]

As posted, you usually just have to wait a long time before changing...it's super awkward, especially since it completely interrupts your flow and really impedes driving "quickly." I still can't get used it myself. Every now and then I'll do it for a couple of days and then I run out of patience again and it quickly drives me nuts. There are plenty of threads about the problem with the MCS revs hanging for too long and debating whether the cause is bad engine software or the flywheel.

Another thing I've found that's helped (and is a bit odd) is that if you pull (for me in LHD land it's "push") more towards the right side of the car while changing down into second (with any delay) increases the odds of it being a smooth gear change.

Having a full tank also helps considerably, but I haven't quite figured out an explanation yet. Having more mass would absorb the jolt you get when re-engaging the clutch, but shouldn't smooth out the gear change...unless since you have more mass you continue accelerating a bit after disengaging the clutch and therefore the revs don't have to drop as far.

The MINI drivetrain is an enigma wrapped inside of a puzzle and best described with metaphor

[Steevo]

For the fastest get away I find the MINI in first gear excellent for balancing clutch and throttle - I don't have any gizmos to prevent wheelspin. It's when I hit 2nd things go pear shaped and I usually end up spinning the wheels (@30mph!) for a moment until the power eases off and I get control back... then of course it's up to 6000rpm before 3rd...