DRIVERS LOVE 6MT – but do passengers like it too?

[PRUVEIT]

Ultimately, I try to drive smoothly... But... Hey it's fun to see their heads bobbing.


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[FC4]

Most people will not be able to drive a manual car smoothly their first time. By the second or third day of practice, operation should be quite smooth.

[3pedalfan]

I have enjoyed almost 1200 miles rowing gears since delivery in late August and IMO the trans. is smoother and easier to use than my '81 Honda Accord (every DD vehicle I have owned since has been a MT.)

My M3 is a DD for business use and occasionally I take clients in the vehicle. Last week was one such occasion and it took over an hour of city driving for the client to realize I was using a clutch. Yes, I do use all comfort settings for those outings, but the car is so darn easy to drive in any setting!

[Lups]

Originally Posted by captainaudio

When operation is smooth you will not see passengers head bobbing.

Clearly you guys like your passengers more than I do.

[TheFlyingMouse]

Originally Posted by Lups

Clearly you guys like your passengers more than I do.

Nah. It's all about saving strain on my own neck so I can break it at a time of my choosing.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by TheFlyingMouse

Nah. It's all about saving strain on my own neck so I can break it at a time of my choosing.

My neck is fine. It's the husband I'm trying kill.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by captainaudio

Or perhaps we're smoother drivers.

Smooth never killed anyone.

Honestly, I can't remember having anyone I'd bother to be smooth for in my car. My kids complain instantly when we go "boringly" and my mission in life is to keep the hubby away from my car.

And I agree with sir Jackie, but I still downshift to get the wobbly heads rolling

[M2Crew]

There's more to it than smoothness. The shifts must be fast. Slow, smooth shifts will destroy your clutch life.

Anyone can shift smoothly if you take forever to modulate the throttle and clutch. If you can shift fast without jerkiness, you're good enough.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by captainaudio

And so will fast jerky shifts and in extreme cases they can unsettle the car to the point where you can lose control and destroy the entire car.

As you said shifts should be fast and smooth. Jerkiness is the car telling you it does not like the way it is being driven.

To be honest, I make the car sickness happen with the gas, not with the sifts.

I get to drive alone mostly (well kids too, but they love taking off fast) and when I have adults in my car, I actually have to consider their necks. I don't like adults. They make a lot of noise and they touch my stereo.

[Falafel Combo]

Originally Posted by captainaudio

When operation is smooth you will not see passengers head bobbing.

Originally Posted by captainaudio

+1

A well driven MT car is a smoothly driven MY car.

Originally Posted by captainaudio

Or perhaps we're smoother drivers.

Originally Posted by Bimmerchop

QFT

If you or your passengers are experiencing jerky shifts, then it's time to put in a bit more effort in learning to drive a MT car. Yes, while driving aggressively shifts will be felt. However, regular DD can be just as smooth as an auto if you know what you're doing.

Blah, blah, blah ... "if you can't drive a manual like me, get some lessons! Clearly you don't have a clue what you're doing! ... but please, take no offense."

Obviously everyone on this forum can learn a thing or two from these internet warriors!







My neck snapping action comes from holding on to gears, and letting off the gas when I get aggressive. Not from up or down shifting. I like the feel of the engine braking and hearing the exhaust backfire. Hell, I got pretty close to snapping my own neck a few times!!!!

Gosh darnit! I forgot. I need more lessons! Ok, got it!

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by dhoggm3

Shifting up is buttery smooth but the spouse complains about rev-matching downshifts - they sound too sporty.

My wife complains when I run with rev matching off. She loves the bark.

[AndyLu]

Nope. My wife gets car sick at times but with me driving her around she hasn't said one thing. Must be a great driver

[CRtoE92]

Some people think the car is gonna break down riding in manual car because of that little delay during shifting

[Warranty P]

Originally Posted by TheFlyingMouse

It's possible to drive a manual smoother than a fluid automatic. You ease on and off the power and clutch (without burning it). Wait for the rpms to be correct on upshifts, and rev match the downshifts. It's an art form and you can derive a lot of satisfaction from working to get perfectly smooth shifts.

Smooth while power shifting? No. The DCT can't even do that and it keeps one clutch engaged at all times. Changes in torque levels at the wheels make heads bob if they're too abrupt.

Thanks for this, MASTER DRIVER.

[TheFlyingMouse]

Originally Posted by Warranty P

Thanks for this, MASTER DRIVER.

You know, I really don't get all the hostility on forums sometimes. Some people genuinely don't know what's possible with a 6MT, nor where to look if they want to learn more. The comment was obviously not targeted at most of the people on this forum, probably including yourself.

But hey, I can shut up and stop posting if this is the kind of response I'm going to get for trying to be helpful. I didn't think I attacked anyone in my post, but perhaps I should have predicted that the thread would explode into a small flame war. Sorry for making a mistake.

[TheFlyingMouse]

Originally Posted by bigsid05

I drove MT for a long time and now drive my DCT in manual all the time but I've never experienced anyone driving a MT as smoothly as a traditional auto. Unless you get going really slowly, the interruption in the short first gear as you shift to second always causes a little head bobbing. The rest of the gears are no problem with a little skill though.

Sorry, just saw this post.

Everyone may be doing this already, but just in case, what I try to do (and I'm certainly not able to do it 100% consistently) is to neutralize the power before I disengage the clutch. If your car is not accelerating or decelerating when you disengage, you won't get a perceptible jerk in first gear. Instead, it's smoothed out over a longer period of time by controlling the throttle. (Technically you need to be decelerating at the same rate the car does naturally when you disengage).

Every automatic I've ridden in has a notable kick when it changes gears, although the very best of them are smoother than I can be consistently. Doesn't stop me from trying though, since getting that perfect shift is one of the things I find most rewarding about rowing my own gears.