6MT: 1,2,3,4,5,6 vs 1,2,6 [not a math problem]

[silverf0x]

I drive 3.66miles to my office (and back of course) every other day when I don't work from home, so needles to say I don't use my car much.

My car is a 6MT and my drive is done only in a 30 mph zone with 7 stop signs (no lights). On a "crazy" day I can do 45mph (but not for long stretches), but I normaly keep it a 35mph.

Launching from a Stop sign I mostly do 1st gear to 10mph, then 2nd gear to 25mph then I go straight to 6th and cruse from there.

I was wondering, since I don't do a lot of mileage, if I should do the whole sequence 1,2,3,4,5,6 instead? I'm afraid I could damage something maybe since I don't user the 3rd, 4th and 5th gear a lot??

I take the car on the highway maybe 1-2 times per weeks and of course I happily take highway ramps like we all do and I also cruise at around 75mph so the car won't build up gunk and stuff.. but is that enough?

[theswoleguy]

shift however you want, makes no mind as long as you don't drop to a gear outside a rev range and over rev the motor. If you want to skip shift by all means. You may or may not have to rev a bit higher before shifting as the RPM drop will be significantly greater and you dont want to drop to like 600 rpms and lug the motor.

[silverf0x]

I never go under 1k RPM and definitely never over rev, so thanks :)

[mr shickadance]

just because you don't use the gears doesn't mean that they are not moving. The entire transmission is one massive moving part

[BaumerS4]

I skip shift all the time, up and down. Hell, the little shift indicator on the gauge calls for 6th gear at like 35 mph...

[SportVier]

Well, while it seems you may have purchased the wrong car for the job you're definitely saving the synchros on 3-5.
I'd be more worried about the fact that the engine never gets up to full temp.

[silverf0x]

Well, while it seems you may have purchased the wrong car for the job you're definitely saving the synchros on 3-5.
I'd be more worried about the fact that the engine never gets up to full temp.

I try to leave it running a little bit before I start and before I turn it off to give a chance to the temperature.. but I admit this concerns me as well

[Johnnycash]

buy a nissan leaf for your daily commute, and drive the s4 when you have the chance to you know actually drive the thing!

the money you save on gas might easily justify a 10k lease on an ev

[mr shickadance]

I drive 3.66miles to my office (and back of course) every other day when I don't work from home, so needles to say I don't use my car much.

My car is a 6MT and my drive is done only in a 30 mph zone with 7 stop signs (no lights). On a "crazy" day I can do 45mph (but not for long stretches), but I normaly keep it a 35mph.

Launching from a Stop sign I mostly do 1st gear to 10mph, then 2nd gear to 25mph then I go straight to 6th and cruse from there.

I was wondering, since I don't do a lot of mileage, if I should do the whole sequence 1,2,3,4,5,6 instead? I'm afraid I could damage something maybe since I don't user the 3rd, 4th and 5th gear a lot??

I take the car on the highway maybe 1-2 times per weeks and of course I happily take highway ramps like we all do and I also cruise at around 75mph so the car won't build up gunk and stuff.. but is that enough?

the only thing you really need to watch out for is that with your short driving, its very easy to burn out the car's battery as the alternator does not get enough time to adequately re-charge your battery.

A co-worker of mine had this happen to him as he lives about 2 miles from his work, and therefore the constant 5 days a week strain on the battery is enough to drain it pretty quickly.

[SouthernBoy]

just because you don't use the gears doesn't mean that they are not moving. The entire transmission is one massive moving part

True. That's why it is referred to as a constant mesh transmission. When you "shift" gears, you are not really shifting any gears at all. All of the gears are in fixed positions.


As for skip shifting, I would not recommend doing this for a variety of reasons. But especially in the case of the OP. He wrote that he travels just 3 2/3rds miles to and from work. That is not enough time to thoroughly warm up the engine and all of the fluids in the drive train.... let alone the exhaust system. He should try to increase that to 10 to 15 miles in order to get a good warmup.

[silverf0x]

Well summer is finally arriving so I'll be going to the Drag strip and hopefully to the track as well for some lapping but yeah I think I'll try to do some detour for my daily commute...

[Senseless]

Corvettes, Mustangs and Camaros force you to skip shift in order to save fuel, so I suppose it's more efficient to keep the engine revving as low as possible. That would be my first mod, if I owned any of those.

[mr shickadance]

True. That's why it is referred to as a constant mesh transmission. When you "shift" gears, you are not really shifting any gears at all. All of the gears are in fixed positions.


As for skip shifting, I would not recommend doing this for a variety of reasons. But especially in the case of the OP. He wrote that he travels just 3 2/3rds miles to and from work. That is not enough time to thoroughly warm up the engine and all of the fluids in the drive train.... let alone the exhaust system. He should try to increase that to 10 to 15 miles in order to get a good warmup.

skip shifting is perfectly fine cold or hot, as long as you are not dogging the engine (i.e. running the rpms way low so the engine is struggling)

[S4 00 2.7]

Corvettes, Mustangs and Camaros force you to skip shift in order to save fuel, so I suppose it's more efficient to keep the engine revving as low as possible. That would be my first mod, if I owned any of those.

correct. my vette stock had the 1-4 skip shift from the factory (like they all did).

Lol @ waiting until it's warm!

[SouthernBoy]

skip shifting is perfectly fine cold or hot, as long as you are not dogging the engine (i.e. running the rpms way low so the engine is struggling)

My comments about skip shifting revolve around those who may not perform this procedure properly. When done correctly, and when doing what you have mentioned here, there is no harm no foul in it. The problem arises when, during the shift, the clutch is engaged before engine speed has dropped enough to match wheel speed in the much higher gear(s).

[GeoJoe]

2nd to 6th doesn't sit well with me.... high revs to bogging down just doesn't sound & feel right

maybe a 2nd to 4th to 6th...

[vwblackb5]

OP, why not extend your route from 3.6 to 7-8 miles or so by going a longer way? Stop at Starbucks or something just to get your engine oil to temp and enough time for your alternator to do its thing. As far as skip shifting 1-2 then 3rd to 5th if you don't care about fuel economy.

[sangaroo]

I drive 3.66miles to my office (and back of course) every other day when I don't work from home, so needles to say I don't use my car much.

My car is a 6MT and my drive is done only in a 30 mph zone with 7 stop signs (no lights). On a "crazy" day I can do 45mph (but not for long stretches), but I normaly keep it a 35mph.

Launching from a Stop sign I mostly do 1st gear to 10mph, then 2nd gear to 25mph then I go straight to 6th and cruse from there.

I was wondering, since I don't do a lot of mileage, if I should do the whole sequence 1,2,3,4,5,6 instead? I'm afraid I could damage something maybe since I don't user the 3rd, 4th and 5th gear a lot??

I take the car on the highway maybe 1-2 times per weeks and of course I happily take highway ramps like we all do and I also cruise at around 75mph so the car won't build up gunk and stuff.. but is that enough?

I had 6.2 mile commute 6 days a week for last 3 1/2 yrs. If my oil temp doesn't hit 220's especially in winter, I drive extra few miles to bring it up to 220's. Engine gets redlined when warm least 2-3 times per week.

I have carbon cleaning, coil & spark plug svc, supercharger oil svc, coolant flush, accessory belts and tensioner svc, and new engine mount (034 motorsports) for next week.

Car has 81k miles on odo, no code thrown during its life except the thermostat. Ware and tear items replaced are control arms and ball joints.

[jimrobbington]

2nd to 6th doesn't sit well with me.... high revs to bogging down just doesn't sound & feel right

maybe a 2nd to 4th to 6th...

I do it all the time. Redline in 2nd is around 65 mph, well above the low range for 6th. Just need to wait for rpms to drop before engaging 6th.

[Evan2]

Corvettes, Mustangs and Camaros force you to skip shift in order to save fuel, so I suppose it's more efficient to keep the engine revving as low as possible. That would be my first mod, if I owned any of those.

On the vette they only do it to avoid the gas guzzler charge, I hated it as I am military and going on base you are always driving slow. When I got tuned we took it off.

[viceroy1976]

I don't have any problem skipping gears in general, but I do think 2nd to 6th is a bit much.
On my commute, I'll go 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th.

[AudiS4SD]

I go 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 usually. Sometimes start in 2nd if I'm already rolling some.


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[kr3w45]

Wow, 6th gear going 30mph! You drive an S4- keep those rpms where your engine wants them to be and it will warm up faster too!

[silverf0x]

Wow, 6th gear going 30mph! You drive an S4- keep those rpms where your engine wants them to be and it will warm up faster too!

35mph

[kr3w45]

35mph

You and your car will be much happier in 3rd or 4th at 35!

[Thurston]

I skip gears all day long but rarely find myself in 6th gear - i wish i had the sense to drive calmly in 6th gear but I love the response in 3rd or 4th so I rarely escape those gears unless I hit the interstate. 1st to 2nd is brutal and slow to shift, i'm going to need the slave line sometime I suppose.

[jimrobbington]

I skip gears all day long but rarely find myself in 6th gear - i wish i had the sense to drive calmly in 6th gear but I love the response in 3rd or 4th so I rarely escape those gears unless I hit the interstate. 1st to 2nd is brutal and slow to shift, i'm going to need the slave line sometime I suppose.

Honestly, I think it has more to do with the DMFW taking forever to slow down between shifts. Though I did the LWFW and SS line at the same time, so who knows. I can now shift right into 2nd as fast as possible without issues.

[AudiS4SD]

Honestly, I think it has more to do with the DMFW taking forever to slow down between shifts. Though I did the LWFW and SS line at the same time, so who knows. I can now shift right into 2nd as fast as possible without issues.

Pardon my ignorance...

DMFW and LWFW?


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[jimrobbington]

Pardon my ignorance...

DMFW and LWFW?


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Dual mass flywheel vs lightweight flywheel.

[AudiS4SD]

Dual mass flywheel vs lightweight flywheel.

Thank you!


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[TexasDfwS4]

Why not that's how the Stronic feels in comfort mode lol. the talk about transmissions is always the same... if you shift well then the transmission will appreciate your efforts by lasting longer IMHO..

Now if your trapped with the desire to please ones self then the balance is the game. Starting price for admissions is Audi S4, and list goes on. 53 and still feel the need... and now that I've spent time in this platform, I find myself fulfilling my racing desires. I bought the Roch-euro not impressed, it was a fun party favorite but not worth it. I am of the age where we can have a little fun and get away with it. the noise (about to say toys but thought better), is the only thing I don't like about upgrading this platform. The intake: perfect the sound is low and the intake is above average. And the exhaust is almost perfect minis the sound...

[jimrobbington]

Thank you!


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You can read my full review of my first LWFW experience and impressions here if you really want more info

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=685451

[AudiS4SD]

You can read my full review of my first LWFW experience and impressions here if you really want more info

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=685451

Thanks, I remember seeing that a while back.


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[JustPlaneChris]

Reviving an old thread here....

I too skip shift on my morning commute with all the slow sheeple, and I also only drive about 4 miles each way. I find my self typically doing 1-3-5-6. It seems to (maybe) save a bit of fuel, plus it avoids the 1-2 shift which I seem to only get smooth about half the time (much to my wife's amusement).

I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to get crappy gas mileage in this car, partly because I just can't seem to drive it gently, but mostly the lack of highway cruising. Then again, I didn't buy it for the gas mileage.

[AudiS4SD]

Reviving an old thread here....

I too skip shift on my morning commute with all the slow sheeple, and I also only drive about 4 miles each way. I find my self typically doing 1-3-5-6. It seems to (maybe) save a bit of fuel, plus it avoids the 1-2 shift which I seem to only get smooth about half the time (much to my wife's amusement).

I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to get crappy gas mileage in this car, partly because I just can't seem to drive it gently, but mostly the lack of highway cruising. Then again, I didn't buy it for the gas mileage.

Yea the 1-2 shift for me is hit or miss it seems. Sometimes silky smooth, other times very jerky.

I've resorted to doing some math with this car to accommodate smooth shifts...which kinda works, especially for down shifting (works for upshifting as well).

3 -> 2: what is my MPH? REVs to match = MPH.
EX: 25 MPH = 2,500 RPM for 2nd gear

4 -> 3: REVs to match = MPH - 1000.
EX: 40 MPH = 3,000 RPM for 3rd gear

As for 4th gear, a factor of 2 usually works (EX: 40 MPH = 2,000 RPM).

For 5th and 6th, I haven't really paid attention as those shifts go smoothly.

OK, enough geeking


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[JustPlaneChris]

I've resorted to doing some math with this car to accommodate smooth shifts...which kinda works, especially for down shifting (works for upshifting as well).

Ah, I have to admit this car has spoiled me, because mine has the option that automatically blips the throttle on downshifts! It's really only that 1-2 upshift that I still struggle with, but granted I've only had the car for a month.

[AudiS4SD]

Ah, I have to admit this car has spoiled me, because mine has the option that automatically blips the throttle on downshifts! It's really only that 1-2 upshift that I still struggle with, but granted I've only had the car for a month.

All our cars have this so-called "feature". However, it will only auto-blip over a certain speed -- it's not all the time. I think the magic number is 55 MPH (haven't been able to find an actual number anywhere).

Any slower and you're doing the rev-matching yourself. Hence, my math geekiness.


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[JustPlaneChris]

Hmm... that doesn't seem right, mine does it well under that speed, down as slow as 35 mph. It does only seem to do it when you're on the brakes though.
At any rate... I'm not a balls-out driving kind of guy, so to me it's more of a "neat trick" than something I'll depend on to win races. :)

[AudiS4SD]

Hmm... that doesn't seem right, mine does it well under that speed, down as slow as 35 mph. It does only seem to do it when you're on the brakes though.
At any rate... I'm not a balls-out driving kind of guy, so to me it's more of a "neat trick" than something I'll depend on to win races. :)

It will technically do it at any speed, but at the cost of slipping the clutch. If you are braking hard, it will work -- but once you engage the clutch the REVs are matching the speed you are slowing down to (again, like I posted above). Whatever gear you are in when slowing down is matching the proper speed/REVs. Compare this to when you are doing, say 70 MPH in 6th gear, then downshift to 4th -- without blipping, then engaging the clutch, the REVs will automatically go to the appropriate REVs.

This fully automatic mode is only above the 55 MPH (or so) speed. I've played a lot with this and anything slower will require you to blip the throttle. If you're braking, you will have to heel/toe (something I have not mastered). Just be careful on the clutch.

[JustPlaneChris]

Interesting! Clearly I need to play with it more.