[Mhrob24]

New to driving manual. Picked my car up about a month ago. Have gotten way better and can get away basically driving it anywhere, but I’m still not happy with my driving. 2 things are concerning me:

1. The 1-2 shift in this car is ass. I’ve heard others mention it I think, but holy shit is it bad. Prolly worse for me because I’m new at this, but for the life of me I cannot get a fairly smooth 1-2 shift unless I take wayyy too long letting out the clutch. I can get a good shift with minimal jerk, but the time it takes me to let off the gas, clutch disengage , shift, and then slowly engage takes too long in regular traffic. I’m getting people beeping at me and I’m sick and tired of it lol. Any tips on this particular shift? Every other shift I’m golden at…I just let right off the clutch and no jerk.

2. Are most of you guys just feathing the clutch to take off without using any gas? I’m asking because I’ve been doing this since I started getting better with knowing the bite point, but when I do this, I get this vibrating/shudder, which I believe is just the engine bogging….Is this bad practice? I think maybe I’m still just to quickly passing by the bite point, but even if I do it very very slowly there is still SOME bogging. Idk if this is just normal or it’s my own doing.

[Dave07997S]

You just need more practice.

[gondolafanclub]

I'm going to be in the same boat as you shortly, something I've wondered is how the different engine modes affect the 1-2 jank

[Dave07997S]

It took me about 2-3 days to get the 1-2 shift smooth. Then again I have been driving a manual since I was 12, I am now 60.

[techwhiz1]

When I test drove a G80 a few months agot I didn't think is was horrible.

I don't drive a manual regularly but enough and I also ride a motorcycle so I guess for me it's something that never goes away.

Practice, practice and more practice.

[BRAKE!]

1-2 shift is the most difficult to smooth out in any car because of the low ratios (set up this way to help with acceleration). Even in my Porsche the 1-2 is difficult to smooth out.

This car is not a Carrera GT, don't drive off with only the clutch. The car shuddering is telling you it needs throttle. Curious - why did you think this was the right thing to do?

[Ghostemoji]

I’ve only owned manual cars and it took me a good 2 months of daily driving to reliably get the 1-2 shift smooth. It seems like I kind of do a slight pause just before the end of the pedal travel.

I also do the almost-no-gas takeoff from a stand still when I’m just driving “normal”. It does feel like it’s about to stall when you do that. I will say that’s it’s just about unstallable. The only time I’ve stalled it is when I half ass tried to do a brake stand the other weekend. LOL…

As far as engine modes go, I started out driving in efficient all the time but eventually liked sport plus better. The initial switch to sport plus put me back into hurky jerky starts and 1-2 shifts, but I got used to it.

[Mhrob24]

Originally Posted by BRAKE!

1-2 shift is the most difficult to smooth out in any car because of the low ratios (set up this way to help with acceleration). Even in my Porsche the 1-2 is difficult to smooth out.

This car is not a Carrera GT, don't drive off with only the clutch. The car shuddering is telling you it needs throttle. Curious - why did you think this was the right thing to do?

Well, I’ve heard from ppl that if you drive a powerful enough car, that you can simply just take off from a stop by feathering the clutch without giving any throttle, then give it throttle once you start going. It’s true because I can, but I just don’t like the sound it makes when it sudders like that, so I figured maybe I’d ask to be certain.

[mikejsully]

BRAKE! Speaks the truth.

I’ve had my car for a week now and it took a few miles for the transmission to loosen up. BMW is not known for their easy out of the box manuals. They tend to get better as you gain miles.

The 1-2 is pretty easy compared to some of my previous vehicles, but …This car also likes smooth deliberate inputs. That doesn’t necessarily mean slow shifts.

Remember young Jedi- slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Once you get some more time with the manual it will become second nature.

The shudder on take off is your car begging for some throttle.

If you want an easy and fun no brainer transmission try a Honda. They make some of the best feeling transmission linkage available (besides Porsche)

Have fun!

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by Dave07997S

You just need more practice.

This. Not sure why someone would purchase a ~$70k, 500 hp car as their first manual transmission vehicle : Really should buy a cheap beater to learn on, then purchase the expensive manual.

That said, yes you should give it throttle when taking off in first gear. Don't know who told you not to do that, but they were wrong. My Z06 has ~680 hp & will literally drive off in 5th gear without any throttle input (Top gear actually did a top speed run starting in 5th gear), but I still give it some gas leaving in 1st gear. As others have said the smooth 1-2 shift is the most difficult to learn regardless of vehicle. Practice in parking lots & hope your clutch holds up

[vampire81]

Originally Posted by Mhrob24

2. Are most of you guys just feathing the clutch to take off without using any gas? I’m asking because I’ve been doing this since I started getting better with knowing the bite point, but when I do this, I get this vibrating/shudder, which I believe is just the engine bogging….Is this bad practice?

yes, it's bad.
try to avoid bogging/shudder.
tapping the accel pedal (continuously) should overcome this.

[Geighty7]

Originally Posted by Mhrob24

Well, I’ve heard from ppl that if you drive a powerful enough car, that you can simply just take off from a stop by feathering the clutch without giving any throttle, then give it throttle once you start going. It’s true because I can, but I just don’t like the sound it makes when it sudders like that, so I figured maybe I’d ask to be certain.

That’s just clutch chatter. Try giving about ~400rpm at least for a clean get up. You don’t need to slip your clutch by any means with the throttle, but this car isn’t the no beans at all type, she doesn’t like it.

As for the 1-2 shift: CDV delete would help, but since your new I don’t recommend that mod yet.

I’m at 700hp 6MT tuned and been driving manuals my whole life, and I can tell you that while you can get off the line without gas, its not ideal. Give her gas right at the bite- the more you master the quicker and easier this habit becomes.

[BIGW0RM]

I’ve had my fpg 6MT a couple weeks now and I’m jumping ship. I was a die hard 6MT until DCT and 911 PDK came into my life. I’ve had two G80 autos and totally missed DCT. But I wanted a change. So I picked up this 6MT M2 thinking it would be fun. And it is. But im over it. Going to get another M2 but in Auto ASAP.

Oh and while I love FPG paint on the M2. I’ll never get frozen paint again. Super easy to wash. But the worry of one scratch that I can’t buff out has me going right back to gloss paint too.

[BgsDks]

Don't be shy - don't granny it. Get on the throttle and get off clutch a bit aggressively. That is what this car is designed for and that's what it wants.

[ednir98]

Originally Posted by Mhrob24

1. The 1-2 shift in this car is ass. I’ve heard others mention it I think, but holy shit is it bad.

It really isn't. Only my first day with it was a little rough after going a year without driving manual. You'll get the hang of it.

Originally Posted by Mhrob24

2. Are most of you guys just feathing the clutch to take off without using any gas?

I always have to give it a little gas going into first or else it feels rough, this is true of every manual car. You need to find the balance of gas and clutch. Watching videos and practicing will get you there.

Originally Posted by BIGW0RM

I’ve had my fpg 6MT a couple weeks now and I’m jumping ship.

You really think it's that bad? What makes it so bad? Is this your daily? How many miles do you drive?

There's nothing unique about this manual transmission, it's as easy to drive as a manual could be so this just comes off as drama.

[gil]

You have to give it some throttle to ease the rev hang at the same time you release the clutch

[BIGW0RM]

Originally Posted by ednir98

You really think it's that bad? What makes it so bad? Is this your daily? How many miles do you drive?

There's nothing unique about this manual transmission, it's as easy to drive as a manual could be so this just comes off as drama.

No! It has nothing to do with that. Clutch stop makes 1-2 so much smoother. At least it did for me. The manual is fun.

My rowing days are just over. That’s all. I’m just not into it as I was when I was younger. That’s all.

[ednir98]

Originally Posted by BIGW0RM

No! It has nothing to do with that. Clutch stop makes 1-2 so much smoother. At least it did for me. The manual is fun.

My rowing days are just over. That’s all. I’m just not into it as I was when I was younger. That’s all.

Understood! Sorry, I misinterpreted your post as there being something wrong with the transmission.

[BIGW0RM]

Originally Posted by ednir98

Understood! Sorry, I misinterpreted your post as there being something wrong with the transmission.

After having a 6MT E92 m3, and DCT e92 m3. As well as having a f82 6MT M4 and a f80 m3 DCT. Plus two g80 auto m3. And now the 6MT g87. I do agree that the DCT/ autos do seem to match the engines better.

[ednir98]

Originally Posted by BIGW0RM

After having a 6MT E92 m3, and DCT e92 m3. As well as having a f82 6MT M4 and a f80 m3 DCT. Plus two g80 auto m3. And now the 6MT g87. I do agree that the DCT/ autos do seem to match the engines better.

I don't doubt the S58/ZF8 is better. My G87 is a weekend/fun car so I only drive it when I'm in the mood. Sometimes getting in the X5 afterwards is a relief (auto, no buckets, tons of miles, not worried about damage, etc.)

[wjones14]

Practice will improve your 1-2 shift, but for an immediate fix you could try short-shifting it. That is, taking off slowly in first gear and shifting into second at 10-15 mph.

[RobM2]

I actually think a CDV delete would help with a novice trying to learn, so long as you aren't shifting like a mad man. The CDV will save your transmission if you do something crazy but it also makes it very hard to learn proper shifting as the clutch engagement point seemingly floats around.

CDV delete, clutch stop, and SSK best things I did to this car.