"The Big Easy - Great Event! (almost!)

Keith Quistorff · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 3:31 pm

Vincent Keene wrote:

I've never had this problem (2 to 5) in ANY car I've driven.

Like Mike W, I had this problem (shifting from 2nd to 5th) on Sunday, too. This never happens to me when driving on the street, but when trying to control steering direction with one hand at speed during a hot autocross lap while using the other hand to shift, that momentary split of limited brain resources can get out of sorts. I've always sucked at multi-tasking, I guess this is just one example of it.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 3:35 pm

Wes Eargle wrote:

Les's tranny is teh crappay compared to mine for whatever reason, even when driven back-to-back.

Since we have a lot of Miata owners in THSCC I'd love to hear some others chime in about this problem. Right off the bat I can think of:

Jim F.
Mike W.
Brad M.
Frank C.
Chuck F.
Jim P.
Kevin B.
Kevin H.
Rob L.
Gordon T.
David S.
Vincent K.
Ryna H.
Wes E.
Les D.
Dustin F.

AdamBreakey · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 3:38 pm

Also:

Todd B

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 3:39 pm

Mine is like butta 2-1, 2-3 or 3-2, especially when compared to the pathetic transmissions in my previous cars.

Les Davis · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:04 pm **Posts:** 2059

Vincent Keene wrote:

Les Davis wrote:

However, if I hadn't spent 2 seconds trying to get my darn car in third...

I've never had this problem (2 to 5) in ANY car I've driven. The Miata shifter is pretty good IMO (compared to the Talon, CRX, and my Z-24) so I'm puzzled here. However when using the "death grip" (fingers and hand fully griping the shift knob) I've found it very easy to go 2-1 instead of 2-3 even at 50MPH in the Miata. Open the hand, let the heel of your palm do the shift, and 3rd is almost impossible to miss when going 2 to 3.

I've never had it before in any other car either. And overall, the Miata shifts pretty well. It just so happens that my Miata has never been capable of going into third with any kind of aggression even pre-boost. It shifts fine into 3rd at lower rpm street shifts. But is very problematic now with boost at high RPM. Compound that with the fact that I"m now apprehensive about it anytime I try to do it at speed and I think that just makes it worse. My car also only just turned 57K miles this weekend, and Wes's 100K+ mile tranny does indeed shift better than my car. I have heard other Miata owners complain about this issue, but my car is really bad.

Les Davis · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:04 pm **Posts:** 2059

Ryan Holton wrote:

Mine is like butta 2-1, 2-3 or 3-2, especially when compared to the pathetic transmissions in my previous cars.

Funny, cause when Tom owned the car, I believe he claimed my shifted much better...

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 3:53 pm

Ryan Holton wrote:

especially when compared to the pathetic transmissions in my previous cars.

Like I said, my frame of reference is mostly a first gen DSM, not exactly the poster child for a good feeling shifter.

Patrice Bousquet · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 4:05 pm

When I bought the Miata some year ago I put some Redline oil in the tranny and the diff. I immediately saw a difference when shifting
it shifted much better, and the difference was even more noticeable on cold morning.

Patrice

Brian Herring · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 4:06 pm

Keith Quistorff wrote:

Les Davis wrote:

My car is so hard to get into 3rd, I really have to want it to go there, to take the chance. I wasted alot of time making that shift, with all the grinding and whatnot. I swear if my car would shift easily into 3rd, I would have been at least a couple tenths faster and maybe wouldn't have been beaten by a girl. :wink:

My car shifts from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 2nd perfectly fine during normal driving, but those shifts get extremely difficult for me at autocrosses. Wish I could blame the tranny, it's really just my pee-sized brain having problems processing the mechanics of those 2-3-2 shifts along with the other inputs it's getting. :shock:

The 'right' gear for Sunday's course in my STi would have required the following shifts: 1-2-3-2-3-2-3-2-3-2. Not sure how the other guys in STi's dealt with it, but I tried different combinations of riding the rev limiter in 2nd (instead of the first and/or third 3rd gear shifts) and also just leaving it in 3rd (instead of the third and/or fourth 2nd gear shifts) and bogging through the slower sections. If only I had a gear that was halfway between 2nd and 3rd . . . :lol:

1st --> 2nd, turnaround --> 1st --> 2nd --> 3rd, wide offset slaloms --> 2nd --> 3rd (rev limiter barely), "box of confusion" --> 2nd --> finish.

- dow

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Quote:

I'm finding heel-and-toe to be very 'un-natural' feeling in my STi, while it's almost 'automatic' in my BMW or Scott Chastain's S2000 - not sure if it's the brake pad knock-back issue w/04 STi's or the pedal spacing.

Keith - even when the pedal was acting normally (not often), the pedal spacing just didn't feel right. My WRX pedals feel perfectly spaced and are at the perfect height during hard-braking downshifts. Seems like they should be the same, but I guess not.

I had even done the same slop-removal brake pedal adjustment on his STi Sunday morning that I had done on my WRX the day that I bought it, too. Weird.

Brian Herring · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 4:10 pm

Kevin Allen wrote:

Quote:

I'm finding heel-and-toe to be very 'un-natural' feeling in my STi, while it's almost 'automatic' in my BMW or Scott Chastain's S2000 - not sure if it's the brake pad knock-back issue w/04 STi's or the pedal spacing.

Keith - even when the pedal was acting normally (not often), the pedal spacing just didn't feel right. My WRX pedals feel perfectly spaced and are at the perfect height during hard-braking downshifts. Seems like they should be the same, but I guess not.

I had even done the same slop-removal brake pedal adjustment on his STi Sunday morning that I had done on my WRX the day that I bought it, too. Weird.

Hmm... strange. I don't find it that bad at all, even coming from a WRX. I use my actually 'heel' though, and I dont slide the right side of my foot over from the brake pedal though (the 'other' method).

- dow

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

I tried it both ways, and it just didn't feel right. So I had to revert to the noob way - brake/clutch, move shift lever, clutch pedal up, gas pedal down. :oops:

Brian Herring · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 4:33 pm

Kevin Allen wrote:

I tried it both ways, and it just didn't feel right. So I had to revert to the noob way - brake/clutch, move shift lever, clutch pedal up, gas pedal down. :oops:

Maybe you should drive an 05. I don't seem to have that issue.

- dow

Chuck Frank · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 4:43 pm

It's much easier to miss shifts with the Miata if you death grip the knob and/or try to steer it. Just slap the knob with an open hand. Also Les, since your engine is putting out more torque than stock you may indeed find a problem in shifting due to torque roll of the engine/tranny. This is a known issue with 1st gen Miatas. Try installing a torque limiter strap to reduce/eliminate the problem.
I also agree with Patrice, redline made shifting less "notchy" feeling.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Tue Sep 27, 2005 4:46 pm

Patrice Bousquet wrote:

When I bought the Miata some year ago I put some Redline oil in the tranny and the diff. I immediately saw a difference when shifting
it shifted much better, and the difference was even more noticeable on cold morning.

Patrice

Redline is not magic , it can only do so much for people that developed the bad habit of going to 1st instead of 3rd. There was plenty of my Redline on course in February :shock:

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