Driving manual more smoothly

[CoupeLover]

Hey guys I just got myself an Altima coupe last week in the 6spd manual, this is my first car in stick and I really want to learn to drive it more smoothly. The drive to work this morning was especially bad in terms of when I shift up to a higher gear. I keep having the whole car shake, I really want to learn how to get the smooth transition into the next gear. Any advice? A friend of mine told me that I'm letting off the clutch too quickly and that I'm not giving it enough gas. I've been trying to improve on that, but it's a real hit or miss. Yesterday was a much better day than this morning. What should I be doing to improve, besides just driving more?

[bone_stock_240]

Just drive more. If your upshifts are really rough, you are probably letting the revs drop too much before putting it in the next gear. Try giving it some more gas, and easing of the clutch a little slower. In my 240, my revs would drop about 500 rpm between gears, so it may help to use that as a rough guideline. Also, try pushing the clutch less. you do not need to push it all the way to the floor when you shift. I wouldnt even fully disengage it when I shifted, just pressed the pedal down 1 or 2 centimeters to lessen the torque on the transmission and then shifted. You need to be careful though, because it is easy to grind gears this way if you are less experienced. Just practice alot, and you will get the hang of it.

[Lyte00]

I just got the 3.5SE 6spd myself. My first manual also. My only problem so far are hills (have gotten better) and feeling out the engagement point other than that everything has been pretty smooth.

[CoupeLover]

So you're saying that I should rev the engine to a higher rpm before shifting? I usually try to shift around 2,500 rpm. Should I be shifting at a higher rpm?

I love driving it so practicing isn't going to be a problem.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Ideally, you want the engine to be turning at the same speed as the transmission when you shift. That way the gears mesh more easily and you get smoother shifts. If you let the revs fall too much before shifting, the synchros in the transmission have to make up for the difference in speed before the gears can mesh easily, so shifts take more effort and time, and you can get the clunking or jerking you described.

There are a few methods you can try:

1: Just get more experience with the manual. Once you're better with the clutch, you'll be able to shift more quickly and it won't be as much of a problem. Most likely, once you have more experience with the manual, you won't need to worry about the next to methods in regular driving.

2: Rev matching: blip the throttle quickly before shifting into the next gear.

3: Double-clutching: This was common before transmission synchros. When double-clutching, you don't just depress the clutch, shift, then let off the clutch pedal. Instead, you depress the clutch pedal, shift OUT of gear, release the clutch pedal (which matches the engine and transmission speeds) then depress it again, shift into the next gear, and let off the clutch as normal.

[OldmanPurdy]

So you're saying that I should rev the engine to a higher rpm before shifting? I usually try to shift around 2,500 rpm. Should I be shifting at a higher rpm?

I love driving it so practicing isn't going to be a problem.

No 2,500 is what I usually shift my 3.5 altima at, I think what he meant was when you push the clutch in you may be letting the rpms drop too much before you get back on the gas/let out clutch. When you do that the drivetrain forces the engine back up to the proper speed which causes a jerk.