As I get used to driving the 6 speed S4 I was wondering if there were any good tips to shifting smoothly... [:'(]

I've searched the Forums and read some pretty good discussions - but I just wanted some feedback from other S4 drivers as well...
It seems like When I down shift - I get a jerky movement when the cluth engages - [:@] I've read that a way to remedy this is to
tap the accelerator (while clutch is disengaged) so when you down shift - the rpms are higher and match, making for a smoother transition...? -just wanted to be sure I understood that correctly.

Also - when accelerating and shifting to the next higher gear - how can I avoid the same feeling of the clutch engaging (almost feels like popping the clutch while in first [:'(] - that sudden jerk or stall) but this doesnt seem to a problem when shifting at Higher Rpms - and accelerating quickly - only when driving leisurely. Could it be Im not shifting at high enough RPM?

Are there any recomendations as to what RPM to be at when shifting to various gears?

Thanks for the help all - sorry for my rookie question...

[sm=sigh.gif]

 

Check this out...
http://www.318ti.org/notebook/shifting/

 

THanks - I actually read that in another thread.. Its an excellent write up - I was hoping to et something more specific to the B5 S4...

 

Maybe this is too simple, but, when driving casually you should go ahead and ride the clutch a bit, slowly easing it in and out.
When driving fast, you should bang it in and out, very quick like.

It works really well for me, even before I got the RS4 clutch, and now even moreso.

 

ditto for me here too.

 

Thanks Jay!

Hey, nice vid's on your site. I do click a couple links when I'm there; just returning the support.

 

I'd say for most daily driving, don't even bother with the down shift if you can avoid it, like when you are coming to a stop. Just use the break and put it in neutral as you are slowing down.

 

True. Anything below 4,000 rpm or so, you need to ease in/out, between 4-5K it's a delicate dance between easing and/or hammering, over 5K just bang it fast. The faster the better of course, your rpm will not drop much if you do it right. If coming to a stop from say 3rd, don't bother downshifting to 2nd (it can be jerky), coast in neutral to a full stop. You got plenty of brake bite not to worry about engine braking at that point.

 

Thats what I was looking for ! ! !
Thanks guys - that really helped out alot - there really is no need to downshift to 2nd from 3rd.
Plus - when going fast I noticed the difference in shifting - and babied it when going below 4k rpm.

Another amazing thing was the RPM matching - when downshifting, in neutral tap the throttle a bit to raise rpm to match ,
and when done correctly you cant even tell you shifted gears ! its seamless.

Thanks for the advise every 1 .. it helped...

 

The only real reason I downshift all the way down to second is because I am working on my heel-toe. But when I'm feeling like an easy drive, I tend to coast it in after the RPMs drop under 2k in the gear I am in (except for 5th, I downshift to 4th).

On the subject of Proper Shift Techniques....

I was on the highway today and wanted to pass a car so downshifted and blipped the throttle to keep it real smooth, but when I upshifted back to fifth, somewhere along the chain of command from my brain to my left leg, my nuerons left out the part about pushing the clutch in and I ground 5th for half a second before I realized it wasn't slipping into gear as usual. My car smells like a damn machine shop.