Clutch & gas timing

[torpedo]

I've been driving standard a little over a year now. Still I find shifting from 1st to 2nd the most difficult to get smooth. Especially when you just reached 3K RMP, and about to depress the clutch you get the CLUNK feeling. It happens almost every morning. but as you warm up or the car warms up, it gets better. I am not sure if it's the car or it's my timing.
Recently, I discovered it might be my gas foot problem. If I let go of gas just a bit before clutching in, I get the CLUNK sound, but if I clutch in first then ease off gas, it's better... Similarly from 2 to 3, but less effect.
You know it's the feeling the car slows down just for a second as you shift from gear to gear, and it's especially bad from 1 to 2 I don't know why. I now think it might be because you let go off gas before you clutch in so the car slows down abruptly as engine slows down. But if you clutch in before easing off gas, then the car will stay constant speed while you shift to the next gear.
Does anyone concur with me? I think the best way might be do both at same time, but it is almost impossible. I am not talking about any noticeable delay between two actions. I mean just a split of a second. YOu must do one before the other, even just a slightest difference. If you clutch in just slightly before easing off gas, it's alot smoother I felt.. Is this true???

 

[MrElussive]

I know exactly what you're talking about. The way to make it smooth is to shift at 3K rpm (the higher you shift from 1st to 2nd, the less smooth it is), and push the clutch in while letting of the accelerator slowly. As for the clunk from gear 1 to gear 2, that is just because the gearbox is still cold. Once the car warms up, everything settles in and works fine. But really the correct answer to your question is that manual transmission just isn't as smooth as automatic and it never will be. You are always going to feel the gear changes and there is always that weird inertia when you want to upshift and you push the clutch in while in gear. It is just part of driving a manual transmission.

 

[torpedo]

I know there will always be that pause feeling when you shift gear in manual transmission especially when you go fast! But I am not talking about going fast, just normal acceleration. I've had someone drive the same car (an old man used to be a race car driver) and it felt so smooth. I am sure if you are careful what you do, and do it at exactly right timing, stick shift can be as smooth as hell. (although not necessary and probably not as much fun). I've driven automatic car that feels jerky when accelerating hard. So it all depends.
I am going to practice "smoothness" by going slow. I find if I always want to go fast and race with someone, I can never learn to drive smooth. I am going to practice timing at different shift point, 1K 1.5K 2K 2.5K and 3K.
The only thing I didn't realize until now is that I let go of gas way too abruptly and quickly that's why it's got the hung up feeling. If I clutch in just before letting go of gas, then I can probably shift even faster because there is no drag for engine slow to the right RPM for the next gear. My other previous problem was that I had to wait for engine to slow from let's say 3K to 1.5K going from 1 to 2, and it felt it took hell long time. The reason was probably because the "inertia drag" by the flywheel and delayed engine to return to lower RPM.
Am I making any sense here? I swear when that old man drove the stick, it felt smoother than automatic.

 

[wookie]

I found that for me, the best result for 1-2 shift seems to be the following:

(1) letting 1st go as high as 3.5K
(2) step in the clutch at the same time of releasing the gas so that by the time the clutch pedal is 3/4 the way in, the gas is complete off
(3) shift into 2nd
(4) quickly release the clutch pedal and gently step on the gas pedal so that by the time the clutch pedal still has about 0.5 to 1 in (guess) to go, the gas is on the way down also by 0.5 to 1 inch. Once the clutch pedal is at this position, then release it at a slower pace so that it takes about 0.5 second to complete the last 0.5 to 1 in of release motion. Also, the application of gas is in a smooth and continuous motion (takes about 0.5 seconds to do the first 0.5 to 1 in of the motion). Holding the clutch down for more than 1 second once you are at the 0.5 in mark produces unpleasant thrashing sound.

my $0.02

 

[MrElussive]

Here is what I do if I want to be ultra smooth, shifting from 1 to 2:

1.) Accelerate in 1st gear to 3K rpm.
2.) Push clutch in while slowly letting gas out.
3.) Shift into 2 and apply very little gas while bringing the clutch back out.

Just my $2.00 worth.

 

[E46S54DR]

rev matching......