A couple of thoughts....
Are you driving in 1st for any length of time? Normally you are only in first gear for a very short amount of time, and only accelerating. As dafrazi said, the gear ratio is going to cause the car to re-act pretty noticeably to any input to the accelerator, which might be the jerkiness you mention. It is difficult to be really smooth in first gear because of this. Also if your throttle linkage is worn it might make this situation even more noticeable. I'm not sure if your year had mechanical throttle or dbw.

Also, when my clutch started to go, the first thing I noticed was jerky response while driving in lower gears, mostly in traffic situations. At first it seemed like a throttle problem...no matter how smoothly I applied throttle, it seemed that the car would hesitate and then take off rather abruptly. As it turned out this was the clutch telling me that it was going. It would not engage smoothly anymore, and this was more noticeable in the lower gears first.

 

is sorting the clutch out expensive?

 

when my bro had that issue on his e36 it was a flexdisc issue. also your plugs may be misfiring but i doubt it if its only in 1st.

 

thanks miked

whats a flex disc and is it expensive?

 

does it feel like it's choking for air? any problem codes?

 

You're right it shouldn't get worse as you drive. But if it is just jerky when driving in first gear, I doubt it is the clutch unless you are riding the clutch while driving in first gear. I think the owners manual says to shift out of first at like 8 MPH which means you can drive in second pretty much any time your moving. Personally, I'm only in first when stopped or sitting in traffic.

When it's hot outside and the AC is on, you will notice a big surge when accelerating while the AC compressor is running. When I first noticed this, I thought I had a misfire or a DV problem (since I had just installed a new DV). The AC will kill your gas mileage when it's on. I use about 1/8 of a tank more a week with the AC on.

Is your car making any unusual noises? wierd exhaust noise or rhythm? any blowing air noises?

 

no unusual noises, no wierd exhaust noise or rhythm. no blowing air noises, no problem codes, no choking for air.

turning AC off does seem to solve it but I haven't tested extensively enough to be sure.

there is one other thing perhaps unconnected. On extreme right lock i.e turning a tight corner there are few grind type noises not loud enough to scare me but enuff to think something isn quite right.

like everyone else i use 1st gear when required, don't worry i know how to drive a manual - i'm from england.

 

grinding noises from where? you said its under tight turning, and not related to your gearbox/drivetrain...maybe a powersteering problem? if so, check for fluid leaks.

 

I never doubted that you knew how to drive a manual. Not every car drives the same. So if this car is new to you, I thought that maybe you weren't familiar with it's quirks.

I'm staring to think that it is a control problem..as in computer control. One of the sensors maybe acting up, causing problems with your air-fuel mixture and if this is an intermittent problem, you will drive yourself nuts trying to find the source of the problem.

Otherwise, I'll have to agree with "abacab." Get your clutch checked out. If you know what your looking at you can do it yourself. Otherwise, take it to a shop. Shouldn't be very expensive to get inspected. If it needs to be replaced, your in for a big hit to your wallet.

 

the flex disc is a part in the drive train that helps reduce vibrations but when worn, can cause them.