Time and time again I have read articles on what transmission oil is best. The most common complaint is that it is difficult to shift into first or reverse and it makes a grinding noise when you do. This is generally a problem with the sychros and do-dads inside the transmission but it can be overcome with proper shifting technique (and possibly helped by upgrading your tranny oil).
Scenario A: You are coming to a stop light or stop sign.
If you tried to just shift down into first normally you will be met with resistance from the transmission. If you wait until you are stopped there is a chance you will get that embarassing grinding. So here is what you do...
When you hit about 15-25km/h put your foot all the way down on the clutch and shift into neutral. Take your foot off of the clutch and then put your foot all the way back on the clutch (you have now "double clutched"). At the same time you are doing this you need to hit the throttle. The purpose of the throttle is to match the revs of the motor with the revs of the wheels. With the revs at about 3000-4000rpm (depending on your speed) you should now be able to shift into first gear with little resistance. You should be able to accomplish this by a single punch of the throttle. What this does is "reset" your synchros to get them out of the way and then rev matching allows you to shift without needing the synchros (synchro=synchronizer=helps match engine and wheel speeds, but they don't work well in DSMs).
You will know if you hit the right rpm if when you let out the clutch the second time (while you are in gear) the car does not learch forward AND you can not feel the clutch playing catch up. If you want to slow down a little faster you are going to have to include the brake somewhere in there. With practice you CAN hit the brake with the left side of your foot and then tap the throttle with the right side of your foot.
Incidentally this method of shifting can be used for all downshifts with the same technique. It will save your clutch and transmission from those messy down shifts.
Scenario B: You want to go backwards.
In a honda this is not a problem, DSM's don't seem to like retreating though. Again you can overcome this...
As you slow down while going forwards shift into neutral. When you reach a complete stop shift back into first (you can use the technique above but it is important that you are fully stopped before you shift into first). Now simply shift into reverse.
I don't know why this reverse thing works but I never grind gears anymore so I don't complain.
Scenario A: You are coming to a stop light or stop sign.
If you tried to just shift down into first normally you will be met with resistance from the transmission. If you wait until you are stopped there is a chance you will get that embarassing grinding. So here is what you do...
When you hit about 15-25km/h put your foot all the way down on the clutch and shift into neutral. Take your foot off of the clutch and then put your foot all the way back on the clutch (you have now "double clutched"). At the same time you are doing this you need to hit the throttle. The purpose of the throttle is to match the revs of the motor with the revs of the wheels. With the revs at about 3000-4000rpm (depending on your speed) you should now be able to shift into first gear with little resistance. You should be able to accomplish this by a single punch of the throttle. What this does is "reset" your synchros to get them out of the way and then rev matching allows you to shift without needing the synchros (synchro=synchronizer=helps match engine and wheel speeds, but they don't work well in DSMs).
You will know if you hit the right rpm if when you let out the clutch the second time (while you are in gear) the car does not learch forward AND you can not feel the clutch playing catch up. If you want to slow down a little faster you are going to have to include the brake somewhere in there. With practice you CAN hit the brake with the left side of your foot and then tap the throttle with the right side of your foot.
Incidentally this method of shifting can be used for all downshifts with the same technique. It will save your clutch and transmission from those messy down shifts.
Scenario B: You want to go backwards.
In a honda this is not a problem, DSM's don't seem to like retreating though. Again you can overcome this...
As you slow down while going forwards shift into neutral. When you reach a complete stop shift back into first (you can use the technique above but it is important that you are fully stopped before you shift into first). Now simply shift into reverse.
I don't know why this reverse thing works but I never grind gears anymore so I don't complain.
