Does anyone have any tips on smoothing out the 1-2 shift? I find that in traffic, I don't have much time to wait for the RPMs to drop because 99.9% of the other cars have automatics, and the vehicle behind me is ready to ram into my rear bumper each time I try to shift smoothly. Without any traffic, I can take my time.

Should I shift into 2nd gear as soon as I start moving?

 

Get 4.10s and start in second?

 

you'd be surprized how much of a difference a half inch forward or backward on your seat position can help... just give the switch a little tap and see if that makes it smoother... if not.. try another tap... or try 2 in the other direction.. micro adjustments...

 

well, first off, the 1-2 shift is the most critical for a couple of reasons: foremost, this is the shift that will occurmost often and thus the gears and syncros in the transmission will take the most abuse and need to be used with care. secondly, the 1-2 shift, if not done in a timely fashion, as you point out, can lead to a jerky ride and a loss of momentum in speed and time. you need to take the car out and do some experimenting with the shift speed and the rpm range you're shifting at.

i would say that at least 2500 on the tach for the 1-2 shift and possiby much higher if you want to maintain a higher speed.

so the rpm range is one factor, but the more critical factor is the speed of the actual movement of the shifter. some cars can be shifted quite rapidly and no harm will occur to the syncros. that's why it'simportant to practice what rpm range and shifting speed to use. the quicker you can get into the next higher gear, without the car jerking or lurching, the better, for performance and economy.

one more tip: if you find that a rapid shift cause the gears to grind, one trick to save the syncros and still prevent the car from lurching during the shift is to blip the gas pedal as the shifter is passing thru neutral postion...you momentarily pause the shift in neutral asyou blip the throttle. my 76 alfa romeo had the transmission in the rear, similiar to the c5/c6 vettes and the only way to save the syncros andstill shift rapdily was the pause and blip method...and the best part, with the 4.6 the sound will be so sweet....

jackg
06 sts6 wishing i had bought a gt instead......

 

Maintain a bit of throttle on the shift and make it as quickly as possible to avoid driveline lash. You should eventually just learn what to do and it becomes second nature.

You won't hurt the car shifting quickly, unless you're grinding the gears. In a 5 speed you simply plan on yanking the trans to inspect the face teeth and replace the clutches every now and then.