How can I improve my SHIFTING techniques?

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by taleof2bricks

However, on 1 occasion, when I was in a hurry, from a stop, I somehow managed to shift into REVERSE, instead of 1st!

Really? The reverse spring on my car excessively hard to overcome; I almost feel like I'm bending the darn shaft. No way in hell I could ever overcome it by accident. In fact, the only way to do it and not feeling like something is going to break is to quickly (but strongly) push the lever, rather than gradually.

And yes, I also shift with 3 fingers (index in front, thumb and middle behind), so always feel what the shifter is doing. You can feel the synchro resistance in second, and can also feel the gate in 5th (rarely get it perfect), but shifts have always been smooth and precise. And have never rushed them either. There's no perfect tranny, but if I rate the best (Porsche's) at 10, I'd give ours a 9. Not bad at all. Clutch pedal has the perfect feel and engagement point, but don't like how it grabs. Again, nit picking, but I feel BMW has no excuse for not making it at least as good as Porsche. Both are Getrags, I believe, and BMW doesn't have the rubbery feel of a cable shifter, like Porsche. Oh well.

[abehwang]

Originally Posted by bmw_enthusiasm

This is so funny when power is on and say I hit a little hole or a bump,
the throttle is soooo sensitive that will transfer the vibration from my body to to my leg and the gas pedal!
and the car will kick back and forth from the variation of the RPM's
(say 1500--->2000>1500>2000> within fractions of a second..

has anyone experienced this when they are caught like that by surprise on a bump?
the throttle will go back and forth and I don't think this is so great for the engine..
so I am really carefull when I execute gas, I do it determined and 'surgically'

LOL this happens to me on cold starts especially when i kinda wanna go quickly
the car pulls me back and jerks a little forward causing my leg to move and hit the gas even more, pulling me back and bringing my leg upwards which releases the gas, jerks me forward... the oscillation makes me laugh LOLLOLOLOL

[raywong]

I always thought my shifting was not not so good, not so smooth, I always try to ride the clutch a little shift to shift to smooth it out. until I test drove some hardcore super car with sequential gearbox like the F360 F1, Lambo SL E-gear... when I floored the throttle and hit the next gear, I thought I was hit by another car! I realized I was way to annal about how smooth I shift. just do it, clutch in, clutch out, just do it.
the weight of the fly wheel also affect shifting, rpm drops a lot quicker with lighter flywheel therefore you need to move a lot faster.

[SuperJoust]

Thanks for making this a great thread!
He're some more questions to add in.
One, would any of this change or get easier with a Short-throw shifter kit installed?

And then...

Originally Posted by jphughan

...The shift actually takes LONGER at higher revs because higher revs means the RPM difference of a given speed in 1st and 2nd gear increases as you go higher up the rev band, e.g. 15 MPH might only be a 750 RPM difference between 1st and 2nd, whereas 40 MPH would be ~2000 RPM difference in 1st gear compared to 2nd gear. Synchro resistance increases along with that discrepancy, as evidenced by the difference in resistance on a shift at 15 mph compared to a shift at redline.:

Sorry if my math brain isn't making the most of that statement, but by those examples, if I'm shifting from 1>2 what would I want the RPMs to be at if I'm going 15 mph in first gear versus 40 mph? Another way of putting it: would I want lower or higher RPMs for 40 mph than 15 mph?

Originally Posted by Totti

...Sometimes I'm bouncy, sometimes the throttle isn't sensitive enough and I don't give it enough gas.

It's all down to learning the dynamics of any new transmission - part of the fun. It's only crappy when there are other people in the car

So, quick story about that: Once last week, I was first in line at a stop light turning left. The guy behind me had actually been riding my tail pretty closely for the past 20 min. But I had forgotten about him, and on green I attempted a smooth takeoff but instead rolled out like a spaz doing bouncy jolts over and over. The guy behind me came speeding around to the side and glared at me like, "OK I get it, already!" and sped off.

[jqsmooth]

Originally Posted by abehwang

one thing is that it will never feel like an automatic.
from 1-2 shift,
-i release throttle but not all the way (5% throttle) but dont take my foot off the pedal and clutch in simultaneously
-shift 1-2
-press the throttle more as the clutch engages (10-15% throttle) and it smooths out really well

the tach doesnt bounce or over rev. its a good perfect gear change pitch

IT WORKS!!! HAHAHA Thanks for the tip!!!

[abehwang]

Originally Posted by SuperJoust

Thanks for making this a great thread!
He're some more questions to add in.
One, would any of this change or get easier with a Short-throw shifter kit installed?

Either way, the rpms will drop at the same speed. There won't be a change. The only difference is the shorter throw. If you're not shifting quick enough with the OEM stick... then you can try the SSK. Some people like the short throw of the SSK instead of the long throw.

Originally Posted by SuperJoust

And then...
Sorry if my math brain isn't making the most of that statement, but by those examples, if I'm shifting from 1>2 what would I want the RPMs to be at if I'm going 15 mph in first gear versus 40 mph? Another way of putting it: would I want lower or higher RPMs for 40 mph than 15 mph?

Umm.... lower RPMs if you want to cruise, higher RPMs if you want to GO GO GO

[gallian93]

Originally Posted by mdosu

yeah, the only need I can think of for the power and power + feature is for 6MT cars on a track where it aids in a quick rev match downshift. As mentioned, the revs drop really quickly in the M3, so with power on, you can rev it with less pedal travel and therefore quicker and for a better match if you're new to the process.

^this^
i have power on as the default setting.... coz when i didn't and had it programmed in the M button and went in to M mode i was over-rev ing ALOT when trying to rev match on a power down shift....
and finally.....
Practice.. practice ...ZZZzzzz

[M4Now!]

Originally Posted by bmw_enthusiasm

has anyone experienced this when they are caught like that by surprise on a bump?
the throttle will go back and forth and I don't think this is so great for the engine..
so I am really carefull when I execute gas, I do it determined and 'surgically'

Ha ha - yes, have experienced this too (also happens with DCT) where the clutch is engaged and you bump over a ridge out of a store driveway etc. Pretty funny

[Titanium Silver]

I don't get this. If your shifting is jerky, you are just poor at operating the clutch and need some practice. I see these posts all the time. When I first got my E92 I was a little sketchy on shifting and it was a little jerky. It took a couple weeks before I could shift smooth like an automatic. No pauses between shifts when driving slow. When shifting fast, you should be able to screech the tires with no lag in acceleration.

[Titanium Silver]

I don't get this. If your shifting is jerky, you are just poor at operating the clutch and need some practice. I see these posts all the time. When I first got my E92 I was a little sketchy on shifting and it was a little jerky. It took a couple weeks before I could shift smooth like an automatic. No pauses between shifts when driving slow. When shifting fast, you should be able to screech the tires with no lag in acceleration.

[M3er]

Originally Posted by abehwang

LOL this happens to me on cold starts especially when i kinda wanna go quickly
the car pulls me back and jerks a little forward causing my leg to move and hit the gas even more, pulling me back and bringing my leg upwards which releases the gas, jerks me forward... the oscillation makes me laugh LOLLOLOLOL

i know...like a wild horse that kicks in at the beginning..

[fuddman]

Originally Posted by SuperJoust

I'm a new M3 owner and want to get better at getting the most out of this thing. I'm particularly wondering about going from 1st to 2nd. Whether I am launching from a stop, or just wanting to gradually ease in, I feel I'm not shifting efficiently.

Whenever I try and shift from 1st to 2nd, it gets blocked and has to stop and hang in neutral for a beat before I can fully move on to 2nd. There's a significant loss of momentum there, and I figure there must be something better I can do to improve that.

Even more, sometimes I can take off just wrong and my car does kind of a bouncy, jerky motion for a few seconds before smoothing out.

Your seat position is important. Your seat should be positioned so that your clutch pedal hits the floorboard firmly. When you hit a long stretch of highway which does not involve shifting, you might want to bring your seat back allowing you to stretch your legs more comfortably.

If you encounter bucking movement when you first start off it means your car is not sufficiently warmed up. Depress the clutch and slowly engage it again and the beast will calm down.