After 4 mos. driving my 2010 Fit, I have finally achieved smooth upshifting. I think my problem before was that I was trying to make the release of the clutch one smooth motion. What I do now is quickly bring the clutch up to the friction point but then I work slowly thru the fp being sensitive to the engine. Way smoother!!!

 

Romulus Glad to hear you're getting it. It would have been a bit more meaningful to others if you had kept all your shifting questions under a single post, however, as opposed to starting a few new ones.
K_C_

 

KC. Thanks for the heads up. It was never my intent to piss anyone off.
So if I have a question about rev matching, I should stay on this same thread?

 

Glad your getting it. You'll be sitting in a rental car one day and jab the brake to the floor trying to declutch.

 

I hope to learn the skill for when I go to Europe; however, it is an antiquated skill, no? Kind of like hand cranking your car? The hybrid controls seem even simpler.

 

I'm a sucker for antiquated skills. Since getting divorced, I've been teaching myself how to bake. Yeah, it's easier to drive down to Safeway and buy bread, but nowhere near as satisfying.

Dunno about the rest of Europe, but automatics account for an astounding 28% of cars. I can't say I saw a single automatic during my time spent in Europe unless they were brought over by the US Government and/or service members. Even the minivans (er... people carriers) had standard shift.

 

Right on with the bread baking! As we age, it's important that we learn new skills . At, I as I like to think a boyish 69, this is my first stick.

 

I don't think you pissed anyone off, just a suggestion to keep a learning thread whole - that's all. Us 'old dogs' can learn new tricks... Second nature after a while.

Take that trip across the pond. Go to the UK and rent a car for a week. Shifting issues will quickly be replaced by trying to remember to stay on your side of the road. You'll have a ball...

 

Since its been suggested that I keep all my learner queries in the same thread, I will now ask a downshifting question. What are the characteristics of a good rev match? I assume there should be no jerk. How much of a rev should I hear? Anything else?

 

Up or down it should be a smooth transition. I've followed your posts and you've gotten sound advice - you know what to do [and I'm pretty sure you know how], now it's time to do it.

Drive your Fit like a daily driver and think of my grandma sitting in the back seat reminding me that she's holding a cup of tea...

 

damn, how many shifting threads are you going to make? lol

 

FIT-SHIFTING something about it.

 

I still have trouble once in a while because of the fricken clutch delay valve. Throw me in an older hydro or cable clutch car.. and I'm smooth as glass.

 

I'm paying closer attention recently - this thread has me looking.

With most normal, every day, up shifts it seems my foot comes off the accelerator and I use the throttle delay to match the next up gear and grab it and, at that time, I get back on the gas as the clutch engages... nice thing the engine revers do not drop straight off, as with cars of old, and the next shift is most set up. Simply back on the throttle.

No sharp moves - smooth shifting, clutch and gas pedal work.

Thanks for getting me to look...

 

Yes, no jerking when you re-engage the clutch (i.e. when you let go of the clutch pedal). That's the main consideration.

As for hearing revs...just enough. That should be your only telltale clue that you've performed a downshift. Better too many revs than too little when you're starting out, but when you keep at it you should steadily close in on "just the right amount of revs."

 

You need to get a Electronic Throttle Controller.. It eliminates delay and lag making up or down shifts a breeze.... Even in the slowest responding EC5 mode there is no rev lag when you lift off of the throttle and depress the clutch pedal at the same time..... I have to admit to having a hard time adjusting to the weird shifting and gokart quick steering when I first got my car.... For the first 1500 miles I was thinking I had really messed up by purchasing the thing because it was so squirrelly... I started using my hearing aids again so I could hear the engine and exhaust and it helped me get the clutch down immediately and driving very fast on winding country roads got me accustomed to the quick responding steering in short time.... It is really a pretty quiet and smooth little car in it's stock form and very low on torque at low revs.. I can understand why Romulus is having the difficulty he is..... I still have a little difficulty with my wife's Forester due to outrageous rev hang when I have to wind out a gear to merge into traffic on freeways or passing slow moving cars on 2 lane highways.

 

Okay, color me a little confused - but does the US drive-by-wire throttle pedal really make rev-matched downshifts that hard?

My GD1 has a good old throttle cable. The GEs here all have DBW throttles, but my seat time in them is insufficient in working out just how the electronic throttle changes the rev-matching dynamic.

 

It isn't a problem if you aren't having to wind it out in a gear to pass or merge..... When you lift off of the accelerator and depress the clutch it seems that revs climb for a moment making a quick, smooth shift difficult... From a dead stop the slow throttle response when depressing the throttle will have you engaging the clutch before the revs build or revving higher than necessary and slipping the clutch excessively if you aren't able to hear the engine.... The light feel of the throttle pedal as it comes from the factory adds to the exasperation...... You can adapt to this unnatural feeling fluke like Krimson Cardinal has stated he has but then when you drive a car with a more natural feel you end up having to consciously re adapt to the way it responds.

 

I've had to adapt a bit to every car I've driven.

You are tempting me into an ETC Coyote. When I first learned of it on this forum I was interested - a nice little jewel that will smooth out a few rough edges and pep things up, however, I still stand a bit reluctant.

My objective is to learn how my FIT drives and then drive it that way. When I uncover my 69Alfa the pure pleasures of driving a sports car will return. 1750cc, mechanical fuel injection, snappy transmission and an instantaneous throttle response.

It is tempting, however...

Type100 The throttle delays are not really related the the drive-by-wire set up. EPA started requiring it for air quality issues a while back.

I like the DBW set up. Fewer moving parts and, in my opinion, better response, save for the built in environmental throttle delay that will be there anyway.

 

Oh okay, thanks Coyote.

Second time I've noted this: even on my cable-throttled car I have some so-called "rev hang" on quick upshifts so I guess the throttle type isn't the issue. Clutch delay valve seems the most plausible explanation.

Didn't mean to thread-jack, was just curious if there was something different with our cars. Apologies