This is my first manual car and im not sure what gear i should do things in. everyone i ask drive different cars and say its different.

How do i go over a speed bump? what gear should i be in? i tried 2nd but i go to slow and it will bog down to fast, and im told you are not supposed to shift into first unless stopped. so how do you roll thru a speed bump??

i appreciate all answers!!

 

You can shift into first going slow... I cant tell you what speed exactly cause i dont look at it when I do it, i just do it by feel. There are too many factors to give 1 exact answer so everyones is for the most part gonna be different. Im lowered and have to go really slow over speed bumps, almost a complete stop.

 

The owners manual has a section that gives the speed ranges in each gear.... Like JDMchris said "I do it by feel", it's kind of like making love or playing a harmonica except that your tongue isn't involved in shifting gears.

 

You can shift down to first pretty much anytime you want if you know what you are doing and the speeds are not too high to wring out your engines RPM to the moon once downshifted. I used to always at speed when doing gymkhana in my 5R Teggy drop to first coming into a very tight turn-around so I was never out of VTEC (even with a 4500 VTEC turn-on). Never really had to in the S2000 because the auto-x courses never really had such drastic tight turn-abouts. Occasionally, but no where as often. Learn to rev-match and make sure as I said, you are not going to fast or else you will hear your engine scream bloody murder.

 

I hope that harmonica is cleaned, and often

I drive an AT but with the paddles all the time... in my case I usually downshift to 1st when I'm around 15-20 mph and slowing down to a stop. Any faster and the car won't let me (but in your case you'll have to be more careful obviously). Even then the transition from 2nd to 1st is pretty damn rough and I try not to do it if possible.

 

In the fit I usually coast over speed bumps in 2nd gear while having the clutch held down. Than after I go over the speed bump i release clutch and give it gas, it does bog sometimes but not enough to stall. I almost never down shift to 1st gear. Only when I'm coming to a stop, and I think the light will turn green right away or I'll be able to go right away I will shift to 1st and have the clutch held down. And if I'm not able to go right away, I'll put it in neutral and wait. lol.

If you go over a speed bump in 1st, it will feel too "jerky". Unless you're going fast and you underestimate the speed bump until your within a few feet of it. In this situation I will slow down and coast over the monster bump slowly. Than I will continue in 1st(if I'm going that slow) after passing the bump.

 

ok the making love and shifting has me laughing! my friend had a new eclipse and said the gear and rpm was way different so different gears for different folks.

ok so im gonna roll over the speed bump and if i slow down too much ill shift into first. i was just told first gear is only for when you are stopped.

ok thanks guys!!

 

This is my first MT car too, but you'll get used to it and it becomes second nature to drive it. I used to always watch the tach while driving but now I just drive by feel and sound(like most people). I remember when i bought the car back in 08, I would drive it for hours late at night when there were no other cars out. Just to get used to it and because it was the funnest thing ever! LOL. Although I had one incident a few weeks after getting the car. I was driving to the store with my buddies to get more beer(i was a tad buzzed). Suddenly I thought I was speed racer and for some reason thought i had a 6th gear(uh oh). LOL. Good thing it doesn't let you put it into reverse while you're driving. HAHA

and yes all cars are geared differently.

 

On a low-powered car like the Fit, you'll definitely need to use all the gears to make the most of the engine's meager torque. You can't drive off from a full stop in second gear, unlike bigger-engined cars or torquey diesels.

First gear is primarily for setting off from a standstill or crawling in traffic, although you can also use it for extreme engine braking when going down a very steep slope. From personal experience, I think you shouldn't need any lower than second gear for going downhill.

I've driven cars with manual gearboxes 90% of the time ever since I started driving. The tachometer will help, but pretty soon mechanical sympathy should take over and you'll be able to do it by sound and feel.

As a rough guide, though, this is my usual shift pattern. This is pretty standard for low-displacement cars - it'll work with any car with an engine 2.0L or smaller.
To 2 - 20 km/h (12 mph)
To 3 - 40 km/h (25 mph)
To 4 - 60 km/h (37 mph)
To 5 - 80 km/h (50 mph)

If you're being a fuel miser:
To 2 - 20 km/h (12 mph)
To 3 - 30 km/h (19 mph)
To 4 - 40 km/h (25 mph)
To 5 - 60 km/h (37 mph)

Note that for overtaking, you'll have to downshift to 3rd or even 2nd. They're pretty much the best gears for the job. 4th is too tall for the engine to accelerate the car.

 

I think it would be a good idea to get out on a country road and learn which is the appropriate gear to shift down to for passing someone at a certain speed. 2nd is good to 58 mph 3rd hits the rev limiter right at 80 and I will leave it up to you to decide how fast you can do in 4th and 5th.....It is important to get around people as quickly as you can on some two lane highways to avoid a possible head on collision and learning at what RPM your car accelerates from strongly and when to shift before hitting the rev limiter....Maintaining a safe following distance from the car in front of you will give you room to begin accelerating before pulling into the passing lane to pass as well as better vision the road ahead..... Cars with small engines require more you to shift up and down far more than more powerful cars but it is a lot of fun to a lot of people.

 

In cars with small engines and Tiny-Tim portions of torque, where you have to row through the gears to make headway...having a nice shifter helps a lot. I'm glad to say the Fit's is pretty good.

+1 on overtaking. In times like these, knowledge of your car, your engine and its gear ratios pays off dividends. The buzzword usually bandied about here is "time exposed to danger" - a proper overtake aims to minimize this on a two-lane road with oncoming traffic, lest one risks a head-on collision. Wind out the engine to redline if necessary.

 

1st. Just for starting from a stop or going up a steep hill very slowly (crawling speed). I use this over speed bumps too because I baby my car. I shift down into first if the car is just barely rolling but no more than that.

2nd. All slow driving and around slow corners, in parking lots, etc.

3rd. Best gear for a lot of stuff, cruising around town pretty slow (around 25) and also great for high RPM accelerations like when you are getting on the highway.

4th. Can be used to cruise a lot betwween 25-40.

5th. Highway crusing but can also work on state roads and such where you cruise 40 or 45+.

The reason there is no set mileage is because it depends on the circumstances. Are you going up hill? Do you need to accelerate hard?

You use a MT as you see fit (no pun intended). You can make your shifts at around 2500 RPM or as high as the redline. That is a huge difference in what the car is going to do. So you can run 2nd without ever going over 25 MPH or you can use it to accelerate from 15 to highway highway cruising speed on the on-ramp. You'll figure it out in time but watch that redline.

 

i would use 1st gear if the bump is fairly large and need to slow down to a craw.

for speed humps (the bigger yet shallower ones) i use 2nd gear.

 

yea im basically good to go with all the gears except 1st and second. i just didnt want to put the car in first going over a speed bump and mess something up. i tried 2nd going thru a bojangles and it stalled. oops.

but when i get time i am going to just stay in the car for a while and practice everything!!

you people are so helpful. i love this place!

 

I really worry about a person that has only driven a car with a car with automatic transmission and a V8 that gets into a Fit and gets into a situation where they are overtaking and passing without understanding the limitations and strengths of the Fit.... It is important for these people to take it easy until they have become thoroughly familiar with using the the gear box and being in the right gear for the situation and doesn't require thought but has become so natural that thought is not required.... It's much like riding a multi speed bicycle without index shifting while riding on a road with lots of hills and tight turns and maintaining the optimal ratio to keep moving without losing speed or wrecking your knees.

 

Holding your tongue just right helps A LOT when over-taking on country roads in the Fit as well! LOL As you become more familiar with your car you will begin to get the feel for how much gas to give it when coming off of a speed bump, rolling along, clutch in, shifter in second gear. The Fit is very forgiving in situations like this, and will generally sputter a little and then crawl away, leaving your dignity intact. And of course if you don't stall it every once in a while you just aren't trying hard enough....

 

nice infos here.. thanks!