Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

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Ewilon1988
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Ewilon1988 »

theholycow wrote:When you have rev hang, that's all you can do. It's fine.
What would you do cow when you had rev hang and you had to shift at like 3500-4000 Rpms?
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by theholycow »

Ewilon1988 wrote:What would you do cow when you had rev hang and you had to shift at like 3500-4000 Rpms?
If I'm shifting at 3500-4000 then there's something big and scary coming up behind me awfully fast and the last thing on my mind is whether the box of computer parts in the trunk is going to move around a little. At that kind of acceleration rate I'm shifting fast and nearly dumping the clutch because I'm in a hurry; just smooth enough not to be abusive. The clutch is made to absorb that sort of thing and the jerks who designed rev hang into the car knew the clutch would have to handle it.
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Ewilon1988
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Ewilon1988 »

I meant it more for instances where I'm like first at a light or pulling out onto a highway. Not with someone directly behind me lol.
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Teamwork »

Ewilon1988 wrote:
theholycow wrote:When you have rev hang, that's all you can do. It's fine.
What would you do cow when you had rev hang and you had to shift at like 3500-4000 Rpms?
I second Cow, in this instance. In leisurely driving- I'm not sure if I could name an instance where I'd wind out 1st gear past 3k, nevermind 3.5k. I feel like if I wind out 1st gear past like 3.5k the sensation is very "rubber bandy" with not much go. I usually short shift out of 1st at around 2.5k and if need be would wind that gear out instead if someone was hot on my tail. If you're revving that high you probably won't care too much for smoothness and non-jerkyness.

Just add a touch of throttle to your upshift and don't wait on the revs to fall (it'll smooth out the transition)... you'll bog the shift and as cow told me "nobody got time for that".

EDIT: Also, since our engines are similar but I can't really remember specific characteristics. I would short shift out of 1st and wind out 2nd and 3rd- meat and potato gears. I still have quite a bit of torque in 4th even- I'm sure you don't have too much issues getting out of your own way with even more power then my engine and AWD to factor in.
Ewilon1988
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Ewilon1988 »

Thank you for the reply Teamwork! I guess I just need to get it out of my head that winding it out should be smooth. I know when I watch my brothers drive they wind it out and it's not very smooth either. Figured they just didn't care. Yeah, I have no issues moving quickly if I need to with this car lol.
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Teamwork »

Ewilon1988 wrote:Thank you for the reply Teamwork! I guess I just need to get it out of my head that winding it out should be smooth. I know when I watch my brothers drive they wind it out and it's not very smooth either. Figured they just didn't care. Yeah, I have no issues moving quickly if I need to with this car lol.
No shift should be putting you through the windshield or the head rest but smoothness is pretty relative to the situation and car in my experience. If you're trying to beat a short green light that surprises you and is starting to turn yellow then sure, maybe I would wind out 1st gear but for things like Long Island impatience or a spirited entrance ramp from a slow speed/gear I find 2nd gear the true workhorse gear. I can get to 60 in only 2 gear changes if the situation presented itself. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th all have a fair amount of torque pull that is usable and that you can feel in your seat- once I get to 5th and 6th the engine needs to be woken up though I can pass real slow pokes without downshifting in either of these also.

Again, as Cow said though if you're making a spirited run and winding things out to high rpm's > smoothness is probably not your #1 priority in the end (speed changes and speed is).
Ewilon1988
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Ewilon1988 »

i don't think my body moves that much when I shift fast at a higher rpm(spirited run), so I guess I'm doing something right. Just need to tell myself it won't be smooth every time.
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by theholycow »

At higher RPM even an automatic isn't that smooth...and anyway, why would you want to be smooth? Smooth is boring. Feel the shift, feel the power, enjoy feeling alive.
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Ewilon1988
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Ewilon1988 »

You're right about that Cow. My girlfriend has a 2015 Audi A3 and since I drive a standard now I pay more attention to driving and driving habits. I noticed her shifts on her automatic and was like hmm maybe they're not as smooth as I remember them to be.
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by potownrob »

Ewilon1988 wrote:You're right about that Cow. My girlfriend has a 2015 Audi A3 and since I drive a standard now I pay more attention to driving and driving habits. I noticed her shifts on her automatic and was like hmm maybe they're not as smooth as I remember them to be.
doesn't the A3 have a DSG box??
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by IMBoring25 »

Actually, it's a DCT, so there's no excuse.
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by theholycow »

Yeah, if anything's going to be smooth, a dual clutch box should be the smoothest of all (at least for sequential shifts) with all that gear overlap.

(For those who are unaware, a dual clutch transmission is actually two sets of gears and two main clutches and the computer alternates between them, never fully releasing one clutch before the other one is mostly engaged, so there is never any interruption of power. The gears effectively overlap. Some traditional planetary automatics use a similar but less complex scheme, I think.)
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Ewilon1988
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Ewilon1988 »

I have no clue what she has lol, but I do know that I felt her car shifting. Not saying it's pin you to the seat bad but I still feel it
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Teamwork »

Ewilon1988 wrote:I have no clue what she has lol, but I do know that I felt her car shifting. Not saying it's pin you to the seat bad but I still feel it
110% positive it's the DSG. It's because no matter which model she has.. 1.8T, 2.0 TSI, or even the TDI... they all use the DSG. I think VAG makes one of the better ones too in terms of performance and daily grind livability. I was highly considering leasing an A3 if I still was a good lease candidate (I'm not). I like it a lot- but I wish it was still a hatch.
Ewilon1988
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Re: Shifting into second as soon as you get rolling

Post by Ewilon1988 »

I tell you this much, that thing drives like its floating on a cloud. It's so damn smooth. I get a nice reality check when I go from my rally car type setup to her car. Makes me only a tad bit jealous
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