sterkrazzy
Autocross Champion
- Location
- United States
- Car(s)
- Turbo. Blue.
Clutch in and shift the gear at the same time. There shouldn't really be a pause as you let the clutch pedal out.
You want to do it as 1 fluid motion as much as you can. As soon as you push the clutch in you shift at the same time. By the time you've pushed your clutch pedal down it should already be in the next gear and the next thing to focus on is making sure you keep it smooth as you let the clutch out and give it a little gas.
Pushing the clutch to the floor also isn't necessary. Seems like a lot of people still do this, but if you can learn the grab point the clutch only has to be pushed past that point. Chances are you'll grind your gears once in a while trying this. It happens to me very rarely still when I accidentally do a lazy/half assed shift.
You want to make sure the rpms aren't dropping below where they should be while shifting, you're shifting too slow if that happens. If you're driving at 5k rpms and need to shift, and at the speed you're at the next gear will put you at about 2k rpms then you don't want to see those rpms fall below 2k. Don't worry about the actual rpms or trying to memorize what rpms you're at in different gears, just know you need to be catching the rpms as they fall.
If you put a lot of focus into being smooth without being quick and deliberate you might end up making things a bit more difficult for yourself.
I wouldn't advise a beginner to shift into gear without using the clutch. Hell that's not even something I've tried and I've been driving manual for about 12 years now. Shifting out of gear though is a lot simpler, and something I maybe just barely take advantage of with every shift.
Really you just need a ton of time getting used to it. The more you drive it the more you'll experiment with how you're clutching in and out and giving it gas. You'll start to realize different things the more you practice and you'll start to pick up your own techniques.
You want to do it as 1 fluid motion as much as you can. As soon as you push the clutch in you shift at the same time. By the time you've pushed your clutch pedal down it should already be in the next gear and the next thing to focus on is making sure you keep it smooth as you let the clutch out and give it a little gas.
Pushing the clutch to the floor also isn't necessary. Seems like a lot of people still do this, but if you can learn the grab point the clutch only has to be pushed past that point. Chances are you'll grind your gears once in a while trying this. It happens to me very rarely still when I accidentally do a lazy/half assed shift.
You want to make sure the rpms aren't dropping below where they should be while shifting, you're shifting too slow if that happens. If you're driving at 5k rpms and need to shift, and at the speed you're at the next gear will put you at about 2k rpms then you don't want to see those rpms fall below 2k. Don't worry about the actual rpms or trying to memorize what rpms you're at in different gears, just know you need to be catching the rpms as they fall.
If you put a lot of focus into being smooth without being quick and deliberate you might end up making things a bit more difficult for yourself.
I wouldn't advise a beginner to shift into gear without using the clutch. Hell that's not even something I've tried and I've been driving manual for about 12 years now. Shifting out of gear though is a lot simpler, and something I maybe just barely take advantage of with every shift.
Really you just need a ton of time getting used to it. The more you drive it the more you'll experiment with how you're clutching in and out and giving it gas. You'll start to realize different things the more you practice and you'll start to pick up your own techniques.
