manual transmission newbie - questions

typemismatch · Aug 9, 2018

I use only the e-brake on level surfaces, e-brake and 1st gear when facing uphill, e-brake and reverse when facing downhill.

I don't generally recommend leaving cars in gear when parked, unless you're on a hill. The pressure of the car on the trans moves the engine slightly. It's just more wear and tear that you don't need to put on your car when parking on reasonably level surfaces.

TheShadow · Aug 9, 2018

Something else worth mentioning when deciding how to park the car - if you are living in areas that get very cold in the winter using the e-brake to park the car may not be the best idea as it can freeze solid against the rotors. Just because of that I have been in the habit of parking in a gear (I park in reverse almost exclusively but I also don’t live in a very hilly area.)

tinyman392 · Aug 9, 2018

FifStreet said:
So the CTR is my first manual transmission car. I have some questions. (I know these questions aren't really specific to the CTR, but bear with me please)

- I read the "break hold" section in the owners manual, but I still don't understand what the real world application of it is? Do I just leave it on all the time?

- I'm really having trouble making the shift from 1st gear to 2nd gear smooth, what speed/RPM combo should i be making the shift at?

- When I park it, should i be leaving it in neutral or putting it in gear?

- I was told the vehicle has a hill start assist, but I don't see it in the car settings. how do I know its working? I still roll back sometimes on hills.

Brake hold simply applies the brakes when you're at a stop/on a hill until you give it enough gas to break the hold. I don't use it, it's annoying IMO.

Shifting from 1st to 2nd is going to be a little rougher due to the gearing and rev hang. You can try to time the rev hang perfectly, which is a little difficult to do. What you can also do is push the clutch in, shift, bring the clutch out to the biting point for a split second (not even) to let the synchro meshes do their thing then fully release the clutch. Note this will slip your clutch slightly. It's probably bad that I've gotten into the habit of doing this anyways.

You can leave it in neutral. You should put it into gear as a failsafe if your parking brake fails. Put it in first (or second) when parking uphill, reverse when parking downhill. I've still not developed the habit of doing this unfortunately, trying to break it though.

I believe to have hill assist kick in, you have to have your foot on the brake, push the clutch all the way in, shift into gear, then release the brakes. It will hold for a split second while you get going. I could be wrong on this.

jred721 · Aug 9, 2018

idragmazda said:
Brake hold is one of THE MOST underrated features of new Hondas.

This feature alone makes me want to buy Hondas for the remainder of my life, unless of course another manufacturer is able to come up with this device (without infringing on Honda's patents presumably)

This is how I use it. I commute about 40+ miles a day in mostly city traffic (about 50 mins each way). Lots of stop and go traffic. The feature shines in stop and go traffic. Basically, you're in 1st gear puttering along and have brake hold turned on. Then you come to a stop (which may last a long time or no time at all). Once you are rolling to a stop, put the car in neutral and apply the brakes until you stop. Then once you are at a full stand still stop, let off the brake and rest both of your legs. The car holds the brake in position. Then once traffic begins moving again, clutch in and put in 1st and roll away.

If you do this 50+ a day, the stress relief on your feet / legs / ankles really adds up. It's a godsend for commuters.

It's also great for hill starts on very steep inclines where the factory hill-start assist does NOT kick in. Same thing, roll up to a stop. Take right foot of brake. Use clutch with left foot and throttle with right foot. Car will begin to move forward and will not roll backwards because brake hold stays activated.

Brake hold is actually a feature that Honda is pretty late to adopt when it comes to implementing it into their cars, and is far from a Honda exclusive feature. As with most features, it started being offered on mostly luxury cars ex: both my 2013 Mercedes and 2015 Bimmer have the brake hold feature, and keep in mind the 2013 Merc is 5 years old now. It is great that Honda did decide to put it in though nonetheless because its about time mainstream manufacturers put it in their cars, and I was actually surprised that it had it.

Maverick1 · Aug 10, 2018

I was always under the impression to always put the car in gear when parking, just in case the parking brake failed.
At least that's what I was taught in driving school, many moons ago.

typemismatch · Aug 10, 2018

tinyman392 said:
What you can also do is push the clutch in, shift, bring the clutch out to the biting point for a split second (not even) to let the synchro meshes do their thing then fully release the clutch.

Synchros have nothing to do with how the clutch engages. Synchros are for aligning the gears on the input/output shafts when you move the shifter from one gear to the next, they prevent grinding.

If you're struggling with the car bucking or lurching between gears, that comes down to the timing of how you let off the clutch and transition to the gas.

The rev match system should help smooth that out.

pawnstar · Aug 10, 2018

I've been driving manual cars for almost 20 years, this is probably the only transmission that's given me frustration especially 2nd gear. It was awful when I first got the car. Changed my fluids to amsoil and the transmission is smoother now. My 2nd gear is still notchy but better than before. Makes me miss my s2k, that was silky smooth.

Captaindicki · Aug 13, 2018

idragmazda said:
Brake hold is one of THE MOST underrated features of new Hondas.

This feature alone makes me want to buy Hondas for the remainder of my life, unless of course another manufacturer is able to come up with this device (without infringing on Honda's patents presumably)

This is how I use it. I commute about 40+ miles a day in mostly city traffic (about 50 mins each way). Lots of stop and go traffic. The feature shines in stop and go traffic. Basically, you're in 1st gear puttering along and have brake hold turned on. Then you come to a stop (which may last a long time or no time at all). Once you are rolling to a stop, put the car in neutral and apply the brakes until you stop. Then once you are at a full stand still stop, let off the brake and rest both of your legs. The car holds the brake in position. Then once traffic begins moving again, clutch in and put in 1st and roll away.

If you do this 50+ a day, the stress relief on your feet / legs / ankles really adds up. It's a godsend for commuters.

It's also great for hill starts on very steep inclines where the factory hill-start assist does NOT kick in. Same thing, roll up to a stop. Take right foot of brake. Use clutch with left foot and throttle with right foot. Car will begin to move forward and will not roll backwards because brake hold stays activated.

Exactly. Brake hold is a God send! It's the new Hill start assist in my opinion. I engage it every time I drive. Brake hold made a already great car even better

LongRun · Aug 13, 2018

FifStreet said:
I'm really having trouble making the shift from 1st gear to 2nd gear smooth, what speed/RPM combo should i be making the shift at?

There is another thread on this site that goes into great detail about shifting, and I suggest you read it if you want to really understand what is going on. The short answer is that the difference between 1st and 2nd gear on the CTR is too big for comfort, and at a normal shifting cadence the engine will still be revving too high when you engage 2nd. This is not really due to "rev hang" per se, it is mainly due to the inertia of the engine and flywheel, how long it takes to slow down, and how big a difference there is in the gear ratios.

The solution is simple: ease the clutch in when shifting into 2nd (somewhat like you do when starting from a stop and going into 1st gear), don't pop it like in higher gears. Alternately, accelerate to speed in 1st gear, then wait between gears with your foot off the gas for a count of 2 or 3 until the engine slows down and rev-matching engages, and then put it in 2nd.

FifStreet said:
When I park it, should i be leaving it in neutral or putting it in gear?

The owner's manual says to leave it in gear, in 1st or reverse. I always leave it in reverse, because that provides the most resistance to the car rolling away. To avoid putting pressure on the gears unnecessarily, I do the following in sequence:

Come to a complete stop with one foot on the brake and the other on the clutch (and the wheels turned if on a hill)
Engage the parking brake fully
Turn off the engine
Move the gear selector to "reverse"
Release the foot brake and wait for the car to settle
Release the clutch

This puts any resting stress on the parking brake where it belongs, but leaves the gears engaged to create resistance if the parking break should slip.

Wabby · Aug 14, 2018

I see many choose to put the car in neutral and use eBrake.
After driving manual since '99, I have always done it different.
This is my first car with eBrake, and all other cars has had the handbrake. By experience these wires tend to stretch by overusing the handbrake. You can also hear how the ebrake pulls when you use it.
Also parking on handbrake over time makes the brakes stick to the rotors. Specially here in winter (down to minus 30 degrees), these type of brakes might get stuck if they start to dry.

I only use this brake in hills. Flat, I always put it only in 1st gear and no eBrake/handbrake.

Zeffy94 · Aug 14, 2018

For the one 1-2 shift, I’m finding that keeping the clutch engaged for 3/4 of a second after the next gear is selected, then easing the clutch out to the bite point and adding a little gas before fully releasing is giving me smoother 2nd gear shifts. It doesn’t get me up to speed as fast as most automatics, but once in 2nd gear you can hammer it to make up if you want.

FK7_ASM · Aug 14, 2018

repeet said:
Some people never really get a smooth shift. If this is your first manual transmission, then plan on it taking 30,000 to 40,000 miles for you to really get comfortable with it.

Preach it lol. I took me 3 subarus to really get a nice smooth shift as well as rev matching.

manual transmission newbie - questions

typemismatch

Senior Member

TheShadow

Senior Member

tinyman392

Senior Member

jred721

Senior Member

Maverick1

Senior Member

typemismatch

Senior Member

pawnstar

Senior Member

Captaindicki

Senior Member

LongRun

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Wabby

Senior Member

Zeffy94

Senior Member

FK7_ASM

Honda Service Advisor

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