6MT Driving Guide?

[Bleser]

Hello all!

I have been driving manual transmission cars all of my life and am getting use to my new-to-me 2017 M3 6MT, but am looking for general tips from experienced F8x 6MT drivers for both casual / normal driving smoothness and tips for shifting when you want to get up that onramp faster than the other guy.

For smoothness I've read/learned that if you start to push in the clutch pedal just before you take your foot off the gas, the head-bob/lurch effect is greatly reduced, especially with the 1-2 shift. It take some getting used to but I've already noticed a big difference.

For performance driving:

1. What launch RPM do you use? Is there a launch mode to hold the RPM?
2. Do you always "drop" the clutch for the best launch, or is there a better way?
3. When shifting fast/hard, is it as simple as taking it to 7K RPM and then moving through the gears as fast as you can, just momentarily taking your foot off the gas, or so some folks "powershift"?

Thanks for your time and apologies if a guide like this is already out there - I searched a bit and didn't find anything.

[Banksie]

Buy one of these!

[nicknaz]

Hi my $0.02 for hard driving is that whenever you find yourself downshifting to high rpm for a corner exit, see if you can keep the gearbox 1 gear higher and just carry more speed through the corner.

[Bleser]

I've actually watched the video about the clutch stop and am not sure it would help with my wife being unable to drive a MT at the moment and will be needing to teach her soon... I think one of those would make learning quite tricky, yes?

[MyFragileHalogen]

Personally that clutch stop feels weird and I don't like using it.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by Bleser

I've actually watched the video about the clutch stop and am not sure it would help with my wife being unable to drive a MT at the moment and will be needing to teach her soon... I think one of those would make learning quite tricky, yes?

Quite the opposite imo. The clutch stop removes a lot of the dead space between disengagement and when the pedal hits the floor. Makes smooth engagement much easier as the pedal travel is much less.

[ntg44]

The only useful thing I can contribute is during wide open throttle runs, I've noticed that there's a small window of time after a shift where the turbo lag is significantly less. I don't power shift or slam through gears, but If you can beat the flywheel from dropping and settling to the next gear's rpm and hit the gas RIGHT after releasing clutch pedal fully, you will notice the turbos hit full boost about what feels like 0.5-1 second quicker. If you get on the gas too early, the car will cut throttle, and if you wait too long the lag will be much longer. But when you hit it at just the right time in 1-2 or 2-3 shift, the car surges forward and it's incredibly satisfying. I smile every time I get it right.

[avantix]

Lifetime MT driver, here's my opinion/advice.

Launching depends on tire compound, tire size and outdoor conditions. Assuming a nice 75 degree day with stock sized ZR compound around 3k-3200 will produce a little wheelspin but will be quick off the line. Progressive throttle is required otherwise you will light up the rears quickly. Dumping the clutch will shock the rear tires and induce more wheel spin making it harder to go WOT until the tires settle so again just a slight touch of feathering will product optimal results.

Regarding shifting the power band on this engine is right up to 7300 if memory serves (this is where peak power is hit) and redline is 7600. I try to shift around 6700 on a daily basis when spirited driving, no sense winding up the motor on my way to work everyday and around 7100-7300 on track. No powershifting for me, I stopped doing that a long time ago, it's brutal on the drivetrain. Regarding turbo lag between shifts.....there is none. I've owned a couple of 6MT 335s before and the lag between shifts was abhorrent. The car would almost stall between fast shifts because the DME was pulling boost. Not so with this engine/dme. If you time it just right like someone above mentioned and do a quick shift you will feel a surge and the rear end will get squirrely on you. Very intoxicating

Have fun with your new car, 6MT is so satisfying to drive on the F80/F82 cars and the transmission is buttery smooth, it does however have a couple of quirks when pushed hard

[R3dliner]

Don't get use to the auto rev matches. This thing has spoiled me. My rev match downshifts are terrible now.

While the clutch stop does help, I find that just depressing the clutch halfway up to the engagement point makes the shifts much smoother.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by R3dliner

Don't get use to the auto rev matches. This thing has spoiled me. My rev match downshifts are terrible now.

While you’re at it, don’t get used to traction control either

If Op is completely to 6mt and high hp rwd, consider going to autocross and letting the organizers know in advance that you’re there to slide the car around or better yet rent a skid pad and get after those rear tires

[Bleser]

Thanks all, great advice here!

I've tried the "only depressing the clutch halfway" before and find that really hard to modulate, but can give it another go to see what it does.

I assume when doing spirited/fast shifting like mentioned above there is little to no time spent feathering the clutch between shifts, correct? Really just trying to only have the clutch depressed long enough to physically move the gear selector and then just pop the clutch out and getting back on the gas at the 'right time'.

I'm excited to try these techniques - I feel quite lucky to have such an exciting commute now (or really any trip to anywhere ).

[ntg44]

Originally Posted by Bleser

Thanks all, great advice here!

I've tried the "only depressing the clutch halfway" before and find that really hard to modulate, but can give it another go to see what it does.

I assume when doing spirited/fast shifting like mentioned above there is little to no time spent feathering the clutch between shifts, correct? Really just trying to only have the clutch depressed long enough to physically move the gear selector and then just pop the clutch out and getting back on the gas at the 'right time'.

I'm excited to try these techniques - I feel quite lucky to have such an exciting commute now (or really any trip to anywhere ).

In my experience, any sudden jerk when shifting triggers traction control on this car. Unless TC is off, I've never found a case where popping/sidestepping the clutch was useful. The flywheel has too much mass for any fast left foot work.


Gradually releasing the clutch also isn't really necessary. This car doesn't really like to be shifted that quickly, at least compared to my other cars. Again, the flywheel's mass is the enemy here. No sense in shifting super quickly to lurch the car forward or gradually release the clutch pedal to bring down the revs quicker. Just let your left foot come back quickly and naturally after shifting, and let the spring on the pedal do the work. And then focus on that window I mentioned in my previous post to get that boost up in the next gear ASAP.


It's hard to describe without driving the car, but I usually drive in Efficient throttle mode for better control, and I believe I'm just starting to tip into the throttle when the clutch pedal is on it's last 1/4 of travel back to its undepressed state (transmission is fully re-engaged though). Because the throttle tip in isn't as touchy in Efficient mode, it's easiest to nail the shift in this setting. It's documented on here that Sport and Sport+ have some anti-lag tricks to build more boost between shifts, but honestly, I can't tell the difference, and I find that I'm faster on the street in Efficient mode because the throttle tip in isn't so sharp and I can nail those shifts with minimal lag.