Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Do you upshift without pressing the gas pedal?

  1. #1
    Senior Member fc321's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Miami, FL
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    624
    Thanks
    765
    Thanked 252 Times in 160 Posts

    Do you upshift without pressing the gas pedal?

    I was looking on YouTube and see many people saying they dont "give it gas" at all when upshifting and that they wait until their foot is completely off the clutch before pressing the gas pedal.

    Is this normal? I had been in the habit to press the gas pedal a little bit when I feel the clutch bite (probably at the 80% mark I start to press the gas)


    2015 Mirage DE 5 speed Manual - 30k miles

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 44.9 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 53.9 mpg (Imp)


  2. #2
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    10,120
    Thanks
    4,030
    Thanked 2,781 Times in 2,100 Posts
    I try to give it some gas just before clutch engagement. I hear some clacking noise if I don't.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  3. #3
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Florida
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,225
    Thanks
    324
    Thanked 936 Times in 539 Posts
    You're getting deep into the "finer points" of driving a manual transmission with this question.

    The answer is "it depends". It depends on how quickly you're accelerating mainly. And, I guess to some extent, if you're hypermiling... and if so, how hardcore you are about it.

    So, if you're accelerating super-slowly. Sure, you can wait until the clutch is comletely engaged to get back on the gas. You could be losing momentum during the shift, and by letting the engine RPM fall to idle, you now have to spin it back up again... so it's very arguable that you're actually saving any fuel by not executing the shift more quickly and getting on the gas AS you release the clutch.

    Flip-side, you could get on the gas too early and/or too much. You don't want to do that, either.

    What you really want is to have a seamless quick shift that feels as good or better than a smooth automatic transmission shift. Why make it so quick? Because you don't want to lose momentum during the shift. And you don't want to let the engine RPM fall to below that perfect point where they match up with where they should be in the next gear.

    But, not so quick that you're forcing it. Always practicing "mechanical empathy", and not abusing the car.

    As I said, deep into the finer points.

    Do what feels right. But, what feels right should be very smooth. Racers and old-school car guys call this "matching revs". The engine rpm matches the appropriate transmission input shaft speed as you release the clutch, it allows you to release the clutch much faster (less clutch wear), and it is almost imperceptible when done properly.

    (yes, I'm a driving instructor, and I teach people to drive stick at least a few times per year)
    Simplify and add lightness.

  4. #4
    Senior Member fc321's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Miami, FL
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    624
    Thanks
    765
    Thanked 252 Times in 160 Posts
    That makes alot of sense. I notice that in 1st and 2nd gear i let the clutch out alof more slowly than in gears 3-5.

    I can shift 3 thru 5 perfectly every single time but 1 and 2 I still dont feel I am being smooth enough. I am a hypermiler and I am doing pretty good on my gas numbers.

    Just today I got 54 in the city (no a/c, drivers window open) and I almost never get under 45, very rarely. But I just want to make sure I am not doing anything that would wear out the clutch faster. I want to see 250k miles out of my clutch.

    I never rest my hand of the shifter, I never rest my foot on the clutch, I dont ride or slip the clutch. But If i see a green light changing to red I will downshift to 4 and coast to the redlight

    In the city i like to pulse and glide, I go up to 50 and coast in Neutral until I drop to 40 and then go to 5th gear and accelerate back to 50 and repeat this over and over
    2015 Mirage DE 5 speed Manual - 30k miles

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 44.9 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 53.9 mpg (Imp)


  5. #5
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Florida
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,225
    Thanks
    324
    Thanked 936 Times in 539 Posts
    I found the shifter in the Mirage to be hopelessly "clunky". It just inherently shifted too slowly and made me feel like a noob driving it. Or, if I shifted fast enough for things to feel "right", I almost felt like I was forcing it... and I don't like forcing it. I solved this problem by replacing the super-light plastic-cored stock shift knob with a heavy (450 grams) stainless steel knob. $17 from Amazon Prime.

    Here's what I had to say about it immediately after installing it:

    "I can't overstate what a profound difference this stupid shift knob made in the way this car shifts. I'm not kidding! I thought that it was just a matter of me needing to learn how the car wanted to be driven. Shifts didn't feel right. Just a little clunky. I was thinking about changing to some better transmission fluid. Timing always seemed a little off unless you revved it way past 5k.

    Now, the extra weight of the knob give the shift some momentum. Quicker shifts are effortless and don't feel like you're "forcing it" at all. As a result, even casual shifts feel GREAT! Revs don't drop too far between shifts, and the whole driving experience smooths out.

    Yeah, my wife doesn't get it, either."

    So, yeah... the car was designed to be an appliance with wheels. It gets the job done, but they didn't spend a lot of time or money on the finer points of "drivability". You can tell the difference when you drive something like a Mazda or a Honda. Mazda is really good about making a car feel like more than the sum of its parts, even the lowly Mazda 2. (they call it Jinba Ittai) The Mirage is close... but, needs a few tweaks to make it "feel right".

    That's my take, anyhow.

    (don't get me started on heel-toe downshifts or left-foot braking...)
    Simplify and add lightness.

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Loren For This Useful Post:

    LetItMarinate (05-23-2018)

  7. #6
    Thoraxe the Impaler LetItMarinate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Springfield MO
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    60
    Thanks
    109
    Thanked 18 Times in 13 Posts
    I agree with getting a heavier shifter. I moonlight as a delivery driver and the little knob shifter did cut it. I got a long bent shifter stick adapter which puts my shifter knob around the ac controls. I tried going back to stock and hate it. Upgrading your shifter stick is a must!
    Shake and bake baby

  8. #7
    Senior Member fc321's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Miami, FL
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    624
    Thanks
    765
    Thanked 252 Times in 160 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by LetItMarinate View Post
    I agree with getting a heavier shifter. I moonlight as a delivery driver and the little knob shifter did cut it. I got a long bent shifter stick adapter which puts my shifter knob around the ac controls. I tried going back to stock and hate it. Upgrading your shifter stick is a must!
    Can you take a picture? I would love to see how it looks. Im still using the stock shifter knob
    2015 Mirage DE 5 speed Manual - 30k miles

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 44.9 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 53.9 mpg (Imp)


  9. #8
    Senior Member stevedmc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Baton Rouge
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    758
    Thanks
    7
    Thanked 288 Times in 193 Posts
    Driving a manual transmission is an art. I drive by feel, not instructions from a YouTube video.

    If you are shifting smooth, you passenger shouldn't be able to tell the difference between your manual transmission and an automatic.

    Many people who get in my car don't even realize I'm driving a stick shift until 20 or 30 minutes into the ride.

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to stevedmc For This Useful Post:

    fc321 (05-23-2018)

  11. #9
    Thoraxe the Impaler LetItMarinate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Springfield MO
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    60
    Thanks
    109
    Thanked 18 Times in 13 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by fc321 View Post
    Can you take a picture? I would love to see how it looks. Im still using the stock shifter knob
    It's kind of janky but it works for me. As you can see with it in first it's close to the dash. If your going to get a long shifter I would advise in getting a bent one. It's probably around a 30 - 45 degree bend. I'll measure later.

    Name:  0523180717_HDR.jpg
Views: 1766
Size:  89.1 KB
    Last edited by LetItMarinate; 05-23-2018 at 12:42 PM.
    Shake and bake baby

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to LetItMarinate For This Useful Post:

    fc321 (05-23-2018)

  13. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Florida
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    107
    Thanks
    16
    Thanked 26 Times in 16 Posts
    Depends what im driving, the mirage heavily depends on traffic pattern at the time. But I always shift before the next gear falls below the rpm limit of that gear (3250 shifting to 2600 type thing) never had any issues on my first 900 miles with this car (bought it on the 14th...) I love the stick, I beat the **** out of the car, average 38-43 a tank. I would love a -slightly- shorter throw (not the 40% shift reduction currently available) and a heavier knob.

    TLDR; mirage drive normal very on gas right before the clutch locks up. Miata gas at 60% Clutch lock up. Race car, never lift lol


    2018 mirage ES manual

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage Es 1.2 manual: 41.6 mpg (US) ... 17.7 km/L ... 5.7 L/100 km ... 50.0 mpg (Imp)


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •