Question about missed shift.

[Shankmeyster]

I would have recommended learning to drive stick on some beater before buying a manual you didn't know how to drive but hindsight and all that. Best to be very careful when downshifting now because that can cause the motor, trans, or both to blow up. Neither will be warranty once they pull the ECU log. The fact that you have done this 3 times and not learned your lesson is worrying.

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[Testa_Rossa_]

I would have recommended learning to drive stick on some beater before buying a manual you didn't know how to drive but hindsight and all that. Best to be very careful when downshifting now because that can cause the motor, trans, or both to blow up. Neither will be warranty once they pull the ECU log. The fact that you have done this 3 times and not learned your lesson is worrying.

I feel decently confident I've adequately learned my lesson. I was somewhat panicking in traffic and manhandling the shifter more than I should have. I tried again today and applied only a small amount of force and let the centering do it's thing. I also made sure to place my hand on the correct side for whatever shift I was about to attempt as well as not letting the clutch back in unless I was absolutely sure I was going into the correct gear, checking my dash indicator.

While I agree learning on some beater may have been better this is where I'm at and am trying my best. I started this thread to get some more insight and knowlege so I am better prepared and do not make the same mistake again.

 

[HondaFan777]

Been driving manual transmissions for 30+ years. 5 to 2nd could be a huge problem if you were going faster and over rev the engine. With that being said. If you are new take your time, to master a stick shift car is to feel where the gears are. You picked a fairly expensive car to learn on though. I would've bought a beater to learn on 1st before learning on a R.

1st gear is only to start from a dead stop, use 2nd for rolling stops.

 

[Testa_Rossa_]

Been driving manual transmissions for 30+ years. 5 to 2nd could be a huge problem if you were going faster and over rev the engine. With that being said. If you are new take your time, to master a stick shift car is to feel where the gears are. You picked a fairly expensive car to learn on though. I would've bought a beater to learn on 1st before learning on a R.

1st gear is only to start from a dead stop, use 2nd for rolling stops.

I wasn't going any faster than 45-50 which revved it to just about 5k, I also didn't fully let off the clutch and immediately pressed it back to the floor once I heard it ramp up. Thanks for the advice, no first unless I'm at 0 mph.

I thought being in second would bog down the engine being that the revs are near idle but I tried it yesterday with some low speed turns and it took it quite well. Lesson learned.

 

[TypeRD]

Your revs shouldn’t be near idle unless idling. Lugging the engine can be very bad…maybe just as bad as over revving. Read up on lugging the engine. This is why I said before you want to keep the car pretty near 2.5k RPMs most of the time.

 

[pudharee]

Once you get the car moving from 1st gear to 2nd gear, NEVER go back to 1st. First is only to get the car moving from a stop. Even when you are proficient with shifting I don’t recommend ever shifting to first gear while the car is moving.

Could you please explain why you don't recommend shifting into 1st when the car is moving? because I always shift into 1st to drive over large speed bumps?

 

[TchnoZ33]

I’m not a mechanics guy so…definitely can’t give you the detailed answer but overall it puts unneeded strain on the transmission and its components. The reason I say it is unneeded is because there isn’t any reason that you can’t go over those speed bumps in second gear. Now…does that mean you can’t do it in a safe manner? Definitely not. I think you can shift down to first safety but I just don’t see why you would ever need to.

But im going to leave this answer to someone smarter than me.

 

[TypeRD]

Could you please explain why you don't recommend shifting into 1st when the car is moving? because I always shift into 1st to drive over large speed bumps?

Of course some situations require downshifting to 1st when already moving. It’s not super often, but these are the instances when I do it :
- Pulling slowly into my sloped driveway and into the garage.
- Driving in parking lots.
- Driving slowly in school zones and over speed bumps etc.

The main point is that there’s no need to downshift to first when rolling to a stop.

 

[TchnoZ33]

Of course some situations require downshifting to 1st when already moving. It’s not super often, but these are the instances when I do it :
- Pulling slowly into my sloped driveway and into the garage.
- Driving in parking lots.
- Driving slowly in school zones and over speed bumps etc.

The main point is that there’s no need to downshift to first when rolling to a stop.

I don’t know if I agree with this. Would be interesting to see how others feel. Once I have the car in second, I have never had issues driving in a parking lot, going over speed bumps, or any of those. And it doesn’t cause any lugging.

but I would be interested to see what others think on this topic lol. Kinda interesting for sure.

 

[TchnoZ33]

Although going up a steep drive way for sure; but that’s also because I usually end up stopping before to position myself properly lol

 

[TypeRD]

I don’t know if I agree with this. Would be interesting to see how others feel. Once I have the car in second, I have never had issues driving in a parking lot, going over speed bumps, or any of those. And it doesn’t cause any lugging.

but I would be interested to see what others think on this topic lol. Kinda interesting for sure.

It’s situational and perhaps even boils down to preference or driving “style.” I tend to drive VERY slowly and carefully in crowded parking lots, into my garage, and over speed bumps. I don’t stop before entering my driveway unless something is blocking me…so I downshift to 1st. Some speed bumps are pretty big and if taken too fast I’d definitely bounce and scrape when driving over them too. Again, 1st gear is my best gear for this.

My point is that it’s not unreasonable to downshift to 1st sometimes. Driving slowly, I personally like the throttle control that 1st gear provides. It can be super helpful. To each their own.

 

[TchnoZ33]

Well said. As for the new guy learning to drive stick, don’t downshift to first unless you are going from a stop. Once you a proficient, then you can but situational lol.

 

[mbaapk]

You are not lugging unless you gas it in too low a gear. Driving in second is fine even from a start as long as you don’t punch it. It’s not good but shouldn’t cause any issues.

Downshifting from 40-50 to second sucks and we have all done it but its well within mechanical range of second gear. Just don’t make it a habit (which I know you won’t) and if you money shift second under 55 you’re likely just fine but will wake you up quick not to do it again.

Enough with the fear mongering.

 

[Testa_Rossa_]

You are not lugging unless you gas it in too low a gear. Driving in second is fine even from a start as long as you don’t punch it. It’s not good but shouldn’t cause any issues.

Downshifting from 40-50 to second sucks and we have all done it but its well within mechanical range of second gear. Just don’t make it a habit (which I know you won’t) and if you money shift second under 55 you’re likely just fine but will wake you up quick not to do it again.

Enough with the fear mongering.

I can thankfully report I have not done any missed shifts since my original post and have found shifting up and down pretty easy once I learned how to position my hand based on what gear I am going for. I feel pretty confident but still check my gear indicator on the dash before letting up off the clutch while I am still growing used to the car and manual in general.

As for what gear to be in at low speeds I can throw my findings into the ring and say I find it handles second gear in parking lots and slowly pulling off busier roads very well with no lugging or jittering of any kind. I have shifted back down into first once or twice just to move over a sizable speed hump but otherwise I've found it unnecessary in the CTR.

I'm slowly weeding out my personal issues operating the car and a manual transmission in general and I'm really proud of myself given I've only had the car for about 10 days. Right now my biggest issue seems to be taking off in first without stalling at a red light lol, seems like my best starts are achieved by pushing the revs to about 2k and slowly letting off the clutch and holding it at the bite point for 2-4 seconds so the clutch can do it's thing, finally letting off once the revs dip and start to climb again.

Any more advice would be appreciated, thanks for everyone's help thus far!

 

[PointByPatrol]

I have completed exactly one money shift in my car. Shit sucked. Car is fine.

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