Manual Trans drivers - what's your shifting technique

I've been a 6MT driver for almost my entire driving career. I've owned a 993TT (back then you could only get a 6MT) for 18+ years.

I can shift that trans smoother than a tiptronic. Upshifts, rev matched downshifts, you name it.

However, I am nowhere near as proficient on the F355. Even my casual driving upshifts are embarrassing. I'm not bucking or stalling or anything, but its not super smooth.

Granted, I've spent 95% of my time with the car under the hood and only 5% behind the wheel and practice makes perfect but I want to speed up the learning curve.

So, if you've driven a gated 355 (well) please share you shifting techniques with me. cruising, spirited, all out racing, I'd like to hear it. Please be as specific as possible.

Double clutching, full clutch pedal depression or just enough to disengage, speed of shift from one gear to the next, one fluid motion or 2 part (gear to N pause N to gear) etc. I want to hear it all.

I find on the 993, I've got a bit of hang time between upshifts and I can be a little casual on the shifts before the tach drops below where it needs to be to match the next gear.

On the 355 most of my shifts are either too slow and the RPMs drop too far before enaging the clutch in the next gear and the trans ends up having to wind the engine back up or I do it to fast and the RPMs were still climbing and the car rushes forward as the trans catches up to the engine (this sounds way worse than it is).

Thanks

 

I put it to the floor and right before the rev limiter starts to talk I YANK the next gear

Wait wrong car, sorry I'm old

 

The double clutching is (IMHO) only necessary when shifting with a very cold transmission. Fun to do on downshifts even if warmed up, but only necessary when going up or down and the synchros balk. This transmission is not like a Porsche 993 (which I have also owned long term).

Try shifting slower and matching the revs better when up to temperature. Rev matching is the key -- also, having the clutch adjusted and depressed fully during the shift...if that is not too obvious.

It is just a different car.

 

But Seriously, They dont like to shift at lower RPMS or when cold

 

Shift at higher RPM's and don't completely take your foot off the throttle when shifting.

 

Heel&toe....best for your clutch imho

Side-flip isn't my thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUodMtqk7mo

 

there is nothing particular about the 355. just drive it more and it will all come together

 

All 355's I've driven were smooth like butter, one 348 however was terrible. So I guess if your 355 doesn't go smooth, something can be wrong!

 

my questions pertains to a fully warmed up car.

what are higher rpms, 4K - 5K?

 

I was the same as you when I got my 355 in that I couldn't drive it really smoothly - and I'm not novice to a manual. Then I realized you have to shift it quickly and positively for it to be smooth because the engine revs so quickly. See this video for example, heel toe rev matched downshifts and all, you just need to bang it in the gears, even at lower rpms because the engine revs so quickly. It took me 500 or so miles to get the hang of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acpYaCgwcos

 

It focused my mind when i started competing in a series for road cars that had to be driven to the track. Before i got a stronger friction plate i used to tear the material off regularly and had to drive home with no clutch.
You remember how to match revs changing gear without a clutch - try it.
If i'm driving quickly i use a little clutch but as little as possible due to time it takes to push peddle right down on changing up and make the move into the next gear by pushing in right direction with a fast change gate with the edges champhered.
when changing down and braking i match revs whilst heal and toeing otherwise rear locks up of course.
i tend to do that generally when slowing down, as a habit, and to be frank i like it!
I do make sure my linkage is spot on, trickier in the 348, but can still need a fiddle in 355.
of course the points about being warm are important.
and i suppose i also use the flexibility of the cars when dawdling along and am technically in the wrong gear for ages, but easy to change if you want the power over 4k for something.

 

It focused my mind when i started competing in a series for road cars that had to be driven to the track. Before i got a stronger friction plate i used to tear the material off regularly and had to drive home with no clutch.
You remember how to match revs changing gear without a clutch - try it.
If i'm driving quickly i use a little clutch but as little as possible due to time it takes to push peddle right down on changing up and make the move into the next gear by pushing in right direction with a fast change gate with the edges champhered.
when changing down and braking i match revs whilst heal and toeing otherwise rear locks up of course.
i tend to do that generally when slowing down, as a habit, and to be frank i like it!
I do make sure my linkage is spot on, trickier in the 348, but can still need a fiddle in 355.
of course the points about being warm are important.
and i suppose i also use the flexibility of the cars when dawdling along and am technically in the wrong gear for ages, but easy to change if you want the power over 4k for something.

 

My 355 shifts hard to super slow until trans warms up...not motor trans. My 355 shifts better at high RPM for sure but not lightning quick. First the long throw H pattern looks great...but...it looks great. Enough said. The stock shifter has a lot of flex in it Flex= slower less accurate shifting. Its a street car (somewhat mass produced) it has performance and looks but you cant have 100% of both. Its an old car its not that fast and shifts slow.. (I've read threads on here from guys that track these cars hard that say they cant shift at the rate the new Hondas can .... can) no kidding? welcome to the new era of short throw shifters for $39.99 My Spider is almost 20 years old...I was excited about this post because I have always wanted to ride with another 355 owner to see how they shift. I am mostly over 3 grand when I shift 4g is more likely and my car sees 7g often...face it the car is a real dog until you spin it up ...with a shifter that moves a foot at the knob (exaggerating but you get my drift) A 02 996tt would embarrass my car in a race...BUT..people will walk right by it to get a pic with my Spider...but honestly I pull her hair hard every time I drive her...this may sound disillusion but honestly the harder I drive that car over time it seems to keep running better than before..my 2 cents flame on haters

 

When i used to drive the standard it was more about the throttle and less about the clutch. You need to get your throttle correct, both for up and down shifting. I found it difficult at first because the throttle was much stiffer than other cars with electric throttles.

 

RPM's above 4k; fully depressed clutch; slight feather to throttle between shifts. Not necessarily a quick shift, but process can be sped up if you are opting to get on it.

I prefer not to downshift to slowdown, instead limiting downshifts to provide a bit of adrenaline; you know the feeling, cruising along at 75 in sixth gear, and just because you want to hear her roar (maybe a tunnel) you drop her into fourth and press the throttle to the floor...

 

The advice I was given on buying My 348 was that the most important thing to remember when gear changing (apart from don't bother with 2nd until everything has warmed up fully), was rev-matching between shifts (both up and down the box, but especially down the box).

Double de-clutching shouldn't be necessary on a car with syncromesh as speed matching of the gears is already taken care of (you're not going to do any harm to the gearbox by double de-clutching, but you're not really gaining anything either - and you're doubling the amount of wear on the clutch components with every gear change).

The pedals are ideally placed for heel & toeing, but it takes a fair bit of practice to get right (and should ideally be practiced initially on a track or at least when there's no one else on the roads with you! [not only is it safer but it also saves you from a lot of initial embarrassments when you get it wrong and fluff your changes!] ).

Apart from all of that, it's clutch fully down, man-fully yank the gearlever into the next gear (with the Ferrari there's no flicking the lever around with two fingers like you can with a BMW's gear-lever! - However, you need to persuade the next gear to engage, not force it to!), apply some throttle to get the rev-match right (and if you're heel & toeing on a down shift then you'll be applying a bit of brake pedal at the same time), and release the clutch pedal steadily.

Smoothness is the key!

 

thanks all for the tips. looking forward to more seat time.

 

I still am not great, especially when downshift rev-matching. My throttle cable is really notchy and weird, not smooth at all, so that's a big part of the issue.

I usually double-clutch when it's still warming up, like mentioned above.

On my tranny, you have to shift from 5th to 6th very fast, or it will not get into sixth, probably synchro issue? If you miss the shift, you have to put it into neutral, go back into 5th, and try again. Not even double-clutching 6th will work.

I am also one of those people that hovers my foot over the clutch pedal, and only sets it on the dead pedal once I know I won't be shifting for a while. It usually causes snobs who think they are racecar drivers to call me out on "resting" my foot on the clutch, that gets kinda annoying.

 

When driving the F355 hard it is easy to shift smooth. Just driving at a normal level and shifting at lower RPM's it is much more difficult to shift smooth. I either shift very quickly or if shifting slowly give a slight throttle blip to rev match. With straight pipes and a capristo exhaust the throttle blip method is much preferred!

 

My throttle is weird too. First thing I did when I got it was have the shop adjust and lubricate but it's still weird.

 

Agree that is is easier to shift smooth when driving it harder. My throttle is a bit sticky when going from completely off the gas to just cracking it open a little, as in traffic. Sometimes I put the clutch in and blip the throttle just enough to free it up and then let out the clutch.

Here is a link to one of my laps at Sonoma raceway with redline shifts, heal/toe and double clutching down shifts to match the motor and the tire speed when braking into a corner. And it is a Capristo exhaust.

http://youtu.be/g08WDJfO_b8

 

Yes

I have my throttle cable and pedal and engine throttle linkage set up beautifully but there are times when the throttle is closed and when i want to just move away very slowly by applying say a 5mm movement of my foot on the pedal that there is a definite resistance ...feels like vacuum is sucking the butterflies shut and i have to give the pedal a blip to free it up.

Anyone understand what is going here?
I had the chokes cleaned out so it's not carbon deposits holding the butterflys shut.

Is it vacuum?

 

Two issues as I understand it, balancing of the individual throttle bodies and the linkage. There was a change to the linkage and throttle bodies after assembly number 28137. Cable lube helps a little.

 

Yes

These two were well sorted on my cat.

New, updated linkage was fitted.
Throttle bodies still original.

Still feels like a vacuum to my foot.

 

There will always be some resistance as you have 8 throttle bodies.
You have to anticipate the resistance at low speed and adjust the revs to
drive around it.