Smooth gear transmission

[AnaKara]

Hi to all,

new to the forum, new driver in general!

I bought a second hand Toyota Yaris 1.3 2012 in November 2018 (approx.9 months ago) with 44k km at that time.

I am a new driver, so limited skills. My observations for which you might can share your thoughts below are:

*. for the first few km after i start driving the car my gear switch is pretty bad. I found it very difficult to get from 2nd to 3rd smoothly, and from 3rd to 4rth. I am attempting a gear change when the rpm is 3000. when i press the clutch in the revs drop very quickly and as a result i engage the 3rd gear well below (?) its ideal rpm and car makes this sudden move/kick. In general it feels like an idiot! This improves as the car continues driving...

*.I tried to adapt my driving skills by 2 ways.
1) was by changing gear when have 3200-3300 rpm but god... this car is noisy! never liked this solution.
2) by not releasing my foot from the acceleration for more than a tiny little second if not less...

Is that common? Is it my yaris? Is it me not being a skilled river? I hate that this car did not give me any confidence as a new driver but kept on reminding me that I suck! I learned how to drive on a Suzuki Swift... i dont remember me having this bad experience nor i recall such a noisy cabin.

In 2 weeks time i have the 15k planned service and i am planning to discuss that with Toyota. But before saying anything that might inspire them for any unnecessary replacements... I would like to hear your feedback.

My main complains with this car is the noisy cabin and the non smooth gear transmission. The arrows which are helping you to change gear on time turn on asking to gear up, at 2000 rpm! Seriously? If i clutch in at 2000 rpm my yaris will go to the idle 800rpm within 1/10th of a second! hehe How am I supposed to engage 3rd on 800rpm and 20km/h?

[ern-diz]

Hello - Sorry for the trouble you're having. I would like to provide helpful input, but it's very difficult going only by a description and not being able to see what's happening in-person. Nearly impossible to say if it is driver or mechanical.

Having said that, I will say that these are small engines (yours even smaller at 1.3L), so they're designed for high RPM. When my brother wants to push his 2012 Honda Civic SI, he'll take it up to 8,000 RPM. The car is screaming but that is what they are designed to do. I think most would say that regular driving shifting happens at around half of the car's redline. I don't have an RPM gauge in my Yaris but I'm probably always shifting somewhere around 3,500 RPM. You can shift at 2,000 RPM but maybe since you're a newer driver, you don't have the finesse with it yet, so maybe consider shifting at a little higher RPM until you get more used to the characteristics of this car.

Since you're a newer driver, I will remind you that when you shift into the next gear, you should be pushing the clutch in and out somewhat slowly. You shouldn't be letting the clutch slam back up after pushing it in. You can also apply a tiny bit of throttle to rev match and create for smoother shifting (like what you mentioned in the #2 solution above).

I will admit that when I first got my Yaris, I found it revved up more than I liked when pressing in the clutch pedal to change gears. I was staying on the gas pedal too long because I was used to the timing of the car I had prior. It took me a little time to adjust for the Yaris' shifts. This also may be happening to you coming from the Suzuki.

The last video series I saw on driving stick-shift was by The Smoking Tire and wasn't bad. If you're doing what is instructed in this video, then perhaps there is something mechanical happening with your Yaris.

How To Drive a Manual Transmission - Part 1: The Very Basics

I hope it helps!

[johnwk]

I agree that it's hard to diagnose at a distance, but it does sound like something you'll smooth out as you drive more. It took me a long time to feel completely confident with a manual transmission.

The main thing I would advise is to relax about how quickly you're performing each shift. I don't mean you should wait until you're at a higher RPM before shifting (although that may help, too), but rather, take your time with the process between pushing in the clutch and letting it out. This means you don't have to rush to release the accelerator so quickly while shifting.

Here's how I like to think of upshifting:

—Step 1 is to press the clutch and release the accelerator at approximately the same time and approximately the same speed. Nice and smooth. As soon as step 1 is complete, you can coast for a second and catch your breath. You're doing great.
—After you've caught your breath, step 2 is just to move the gearshift into the next gear, keeping your feet as they are. Again, if you want (and if you have some momentum), take a second to relax and prepare to pay attention to what your feet and your car do next.
—Step 3 is the most important step—this step is to "rev-match" with the accelerator, which means—before releasing the clutch—to press the accelerator enough that your engine RPMs are high enough for the speed your wheels are moving. This is not an exact science, but it's something you'll develop an intuitive feel and muscle-memory for. You're aiming to have your accelerator at approximately where you'll want it to stay as soon as your shift is complete. (For example, if you're upshifting, it will probably be pressed a bit further down than it was before you began shifting, but obviously it won't be floored.) And hold the accelerator right there!
—Finally, step 4 is to smoothly release the clutch.

In my opinion, you do not need to pay any attention to your tachometer or the shift-assist arrow in order to shift well. In fact, these may be holding you back. With some conscious practice, it will become very natural to rev-match without thinking about it. As long as you're paying attention to how the shift feels and how the engine sounds, your feet will soon figure it all out.

It might also help to spend some time in a parking lot practicing these steps very slowly and deliberately.

I know the feeling of lacking confidence on the road—especially when struggling with a manual transmission. But I encourage you to think of it this way: when you overcome this difficulty with your Yaris, it will be a breeze to operate any other manual transmission!

Final tip: I think the cabin noise is to be expected with such a lightweight car, but if you're interested in trying to improve it, some different tires will probably make the biggest difference. (I'm not sure what tires are available in Holland, but I think a local tire shop, or Google, should be able to tell you which tires will be quieter.)

[AnaKara]

Gents,

thank you very much for your time and effort. I cannot express how much i appreciate your initiative to help me out.

I did already my first 2 commuting trips to work, and i am so much more improved! My mistake was not releasing the clutch slowly enough...
I did this and for a magic reason Yaris is behaving excellently now!
There were a few "wow" moments for me... wondering why i didnt do that correctly before.

It is the first time since i got my Yaris that i enjoyed my rides!
I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks/months in order to excel it and obtain the driving finesse you all have!

Thank you again!

In approximately 10 days will go the Yaris for its planned service! Looking forward to receive it serviced, refreshed and clean!

Regards,

A

[ern-diz]

Excellent!