Can’t shift smoothly after 1 year

Hoang_Honda

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31k miles on my Si. I've learned that If I want a butter smooth shifting from 1-2-3 I will release the clutch very very slowly and start to add gas around 80% at the end of the clutch. Im no expert Si is my first manual car, I still remembered my gf and her mom really hate to have a drive with me but now they can even sleep in my Si during trip :) btw I always shift at 3k - 3k9 rpm.
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SiGeddy

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It's funny I've driven numerous manual cars in my lifetime (my favorite being my 1986 accord) and I swear it varies day to day.. some days every shift is smooth and other days I'm rocking back and forth like I'm on a bull lmao.

25k miles in it might be time to change the transmission fluid because there have been numerous times in the past month I have a hard time getting into first gear and reverse :dunno:
 

A2typeR

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This car has bad rev hang, I have to slow my normal shifting technique by 2 times compared to my ND Miata.

I literally and to say keep the clutch depressed in my head and then release other wise I will get the RPM dropping from 3-4K RPM to 1.5-2k RPM everything. I find it easier if I actually go up to around 5k RPMs or higher and then the upshift usually feels much better.

But yeah if I drive normal for me, rather quick shifts I’m always beating the engine before it drops the RPMs to the proper level.

now my car is TSP stage 1 tuned so I can’t quite recall
 

yyalb

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After deleting my clutch delay valve, I can shift a lot smoother and quicker. The clutch is much easier to modulate and the jerk I sometimes got before doing 1-2 and 2-3 is no longer there.
 

amirza786

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After deleting my clutch delay valve, I can shift a lot smoother and quicker. The clutch is much easier to modulate and the jerk I sometimes got before doing 1-2 and 2-3 is no longer there.
I'm not saying you did the wrong thing, but here is a possible reason doing a CDV delete can be problematic down the road. According to Wikipedia:

"A clutch delay valve is an automotive component added to the clutch system of an automobile to standardize clutch engagement speed. Its purpose is to engage the drive train of an automobile without introducing shock to the drive train components by engaging too quickly. By preventing drive train shock, CDVs also prevent an automobile's balance from being upset, which aids in handling characteristics.

Clutch delay valves operate on the principle that engagement only needs to occur at a certain rate to be efficient and that engaging at a quicker rate can damage the drive train components of an automobile. Engaging the drive train to the engine too quickly can damage drive train parts, including the transmission, differential, half shafts, axles, and CV joints. Engaging the drive train too slowly can damage the clutch friction disc and cause clutch slippage"

Basically after doing a CDV delete, you have to be very careful not accidentally let off on the clutch to hard or letting off to soon, something most of us have done one time or another. My mechanic recently had a car in his shop that had drive shaft damage caused by a cdv delete, so I would be careful when doing it or advising others to do it
 


yyalb

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Thanks for reminding! I am fully aware of these risk but still decide to do it. I did it not to dump the clutch and chirp the tires, but to make the car smoother to drive. After the mod, the shock I feel when shifting is much less than before, which also should mean less shock and wear to the drivetrain. I will be more careful when releasing the clutch since doing so wrongly will cause my wear to the drivetrain, but I don't think it will break anything as long as I don't do it on a daily basis or doing something really stupid.
 

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I'm not saying you did the wrong thing, but here is a possible reason doing a CDV delete can be problematic down the road. According to Wikipedia:

"A clutch delay valve is an automotive component added to the clutch system of an automobile to standardize clutch engagement speed. Its purpose is to engage the drive train of an automobile without introducing shock to the drive train components by engaging too quickly. By preventing drive train shock, CDVs also prevent an automobile's balance from being upset, which aids in handling characteristics.

Clutch delay valves operate on the principle that engagement only needs to occur at a certain rate to be efficient and that engaging at a quicker rate can damage the drive train components of an automobile. Engaging the drive train to the engine too quickly can damage drive train parts, including the transmission, differential, half shafts, axles, and CV joints. Engaging the drive train too slowly can damage the clutch friction disc and cause clutch slippage"

Basically after doing a CDV delete, you have to be very careful not accidentally let off on the clutch to hard or letting off to soon, something most of us have done one time or another. My mechanic recently had a car in his shop that had drive shaft damage caused by a cdv delete, so I would be careful when doing it or advising others to do it
This is why im hesitant to do this mod. Not because it WILL hurt anything but because it CAN. And the only deciding factor on if i break something will be human error. I feel like im pretty good at driving stick. But, im human and sometimes i fuck up. The idea of having that cushion of safety helps me relax while driving. Maybe once the car isnt so new....
 

yyalb

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This is why im hesitant to do this mod. Not because it WILL hurt anything but because it CAN. And the only deciding factor on if i break something will be human error. I feel like im pretty good at driving stick. But, im human and sometimes i fuck up. The idea of having that cushion of safety helps me relax while driving. Maybe once the car isnt so new....
I also had hesitated for a year before pulling the trigger. There are two main reasons why I eventually did it:
1. When the car is cold in winter, I contantly grind gears at 1-2 shift, sometimes 2-3, even though I was doing everything right, shifting smooth and slow and keeping RPM before shifts under 2.5k. I know my brake/clutch fluid are 32k miles old, but this gear grind is still unacceptable for a stock drivetrain. (My trans fluid is newly replaced). I did some search and found it to be very similar to the infamous type R gear grind. And the solution for that seems to be a CDV delete. Here is a video:
2. Only some BMW, Dodge, VW and Honda has this mechanism. I don't think/believe that these companies install the CDV in order to make the drivetrain weaker. If other manual cars can live without CDV, why cannot our SIs?
I know it's a bold conjecture, but I'd love to take that risk. I'll keep an eye on it and let you guys know if anything goes wrong on my car.
 

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Only 300 miles on my Si so take my opinion with a grain of salt...

I find the Si tranny to be extremely notchy. I have noticed though if giving it moderate acceleration and then shifting, the stick slides into the gates smooth as silk and feels amazing. Since the car is still not broken in though, I've been going pretty easy on it and can usually feel the gears engage on each shift. Not an issue IMO, just different compared to my other rides. I do anticipate it will improve as I rack up some more miles though.
 

amirza786

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Only 300 miles on my Si so take my opinion with a grain of salt...

I find the Si tranny to be extremely notchy. I have noticed though if giving it moderate acceleration and then shifting, the stick slides into the gates smooth as silk and feels amazing. Since the car is still not broken in though, I've been going pretty easy on it and can usually feel the gears engage on each shift. Not an issue IMO, just different compared to my other rides. I do anticipate it will improve as I rack up some more miles though.
I know this sounds like a broken record, but once you break her in and do your first oil change (please don't do one of those "I change my oil every 3K" silliness), my advice is to also change your OEM manual trans fluid to Amsoil Synchromesh. You wont' be sorry
 


Zeffy94

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I just got orthopedic inserts for my shoes to help with flat feet issues and because of the very foreign feeling (after walking around on flat feet for over 8 years), it's taking a lot to get used to (which I was warned). My issues are that there's more weight in my shoe thus my smooth clutch movements have become less smooth. Took a while to get 2nd gear shifting to be smooth too, but it is my first stick shift vehicle ever.

Sucks though, I am getting a lot more jerky shifts in 2nd, 3rd and 4th and it's just like "great, how long will this last".
 

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I've found in leisure driving, skipping 2nd and going to 3rd seems to match the rev hang delay. Same going right into 5th from 3rd. As long as accel. isn't an issue,
 

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After almost 6 months of ownership with this car my experience is that the heavy dual mass flywheel causes revs to drop very slowly especially in 1st and 2nd. Thus the long pause to let the clutch out to get smooth shifts. Rev hang is also a factor but the main culprit is after the rev hang the revs still drop too slow. After I installed a CTR RMM, I found that it was easier to make smoother shifts in those lower gears since the stiffer mount prevents the engine bucking if you release the clutch too early. I think to truly get smooth shifts though without having to hesitate in between the shifts is to get a lighter flywheel that will allow the revs to drop faster. It sounds like all the owners with emans CTR retrofit flywheel love it since the revs drop normally and the drivability is excellent since it’s OEM. It’s a shame though that a lighter flywheel solution is not cheap for parts and labor.
 

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Still on the OEM fluid at 37k and mine shifts smoothly. I must be lucky :rolleyes:
 

FC3L15B7

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Title says it all. I’ve driven 3 other manual cars when I was test driving which car to buy and distinctly remember that there wasn’t much effort in getting a smooth shift (just release the clutch smoothly and add a tiny bit of gas at the end). With my Si it seems like every single shift is unpredictable and extremely sensitive. It’s almost impossible for me to shift smoothly without adding gas in gears 1-3 and yes I am being smooth and steady with the clutch pedal as I understand the mechanics of rev matching. Having such a light clutch pedal doesn’t help either since I can feel no friction. It’s made me even regret buying a manual car even though I love manuals. Has anybody dealt with the same problem or have any solutions for me because I’ve put 13k miles on the car and most days I cannot shift in a smooth manner. It’s extremely frustrating
It is one of the more difficult transmissions to smoothly shift, according to anyone, regardless of how long they've been driving manuals for. It took me around 3-days to learn how to shift it smoothly. What I found is, the rev hang is not always the same and if it's one of those times where it hangs more or hangs less, that causes an abrupt shift, but if you're experiencing LOCKOUT when shifting gears, it's more likely that your clutch is not fully depressed.

My recommendation is to focus on getting the clutch to the floor, as clutch drag will wear out the synchromesh, cause grinding or "lock out" your gear change. If you're definitely not dragging, try shifting slower, giving a chance for revs to drop and more time for the synchros to work as they need some time to clutch and match teeth.

Whenever you do experience lockout, do not force it into gear. Either go back to the previous gear and then try to upshift again, or, clutch in, blip the throttle and slowly clutch out as you settle into the gear. Don't let the clutch out fast as your road speed will have changed and you will shock the drivetrain.
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