oh and one other thing, I sometimes have to double clutch to get my car into first or reverse, not nearly as much since i put in the short throw shifter, now I have heard that it could be the throw out bearing, or maybe it was pilot bearing, not sure, but from what it sounds like here it could maybe be synchros.. just curious on what you guys think..
and why would the short throw make these symptoms almost disappear, maybe the oil I added to the shift tower? b/c in theory every other component would move in the same manner as with a stock shifter, however I do get more of a 'click' into gear now as well
any thoughts or comments are appriciated...

 

The heel-toe downshifting is crucial in good racing. You want to be in gear to start accelaration once passed the apex and you CANNOT downshift in the middle of a curve or you'll end up in the dirt. The only remaining option is to downshift as you aproach the curve, while you brake. It might be hard to master but eventually it gets as natural as regular shifting.

 

ah ha, so I was doing my little jig to late then, have to remember to dance before the turn not during it... makes sense hard to dance and turn at the same time lol, thanks for the advice man...

 

I'm guessing you don't really get what double-clutching is yet. You shouldn't be downshifting into first unless you're racing the clock because 2nd does just fine if the car is moving, and when are you ever putting the car into reverse while it's moving at all? Spur gears commit suicide over that. O.o

Let me reiterate.

(For downshifting)

Rev-matching: Spins up the engine to match the transmission for a lower gear. Synchros handle intra-transmission gear speed matching. Clutch re-engages with the flywheel at the same speed, so no lurch when the clutch is let out.

Double-clutching: Car is shifted into neutral and clutch re-engaged. Throttle is blipped so the engine spins up the front "half" of the transmission for the lower gear. Clutch is pushed back in for safety, and the lower gear is selected with the input and output already at the same speed, so the synchros don't do any work. Clutch is let back out, no lurch.

Heel-toe: Any of the above while braking with the ball of your right foot. It's only used when you need to slow the car down and immediately follow it with power; usually a turn.

Edit: Hmm, I think I know what you mean now. You're getting a grind when you try and use first or reverse because you have a worn transmission. Ok, but double-clutching will put the tranny at idle speed, and you want to stop it. Try building the habit of shifting into 3rd before you select 1st or reverse without letting out the clutch (synchro function is independent, remember). If your 3rd gear synchro is good, that'll bring your gearbox to a halt so you can mesh the gears.

 

I have to do a form of double clutching just to get my car to shift. Clutch in, shift into neutral pull clutch out with foot (stays down) put back down and into gear. Yet down shifting is fine. Once I get it fixed I won't be surprised to find my self double clutching for no reason....

 

i dont know, its seems to me that my brakes have lasted longer due to me heel-toe downshifting upon coming to a red light. maybe im just nuts, deffinately useful for racing if in a lower speed turn and hitting and apex, but needing to downshift in order to properly hit said apex. clutching in during a turn is suicide, specially on 2 lane mountain roads in the middle of the night.
anywho, double clutching and rev matching, i know the difference, but wouldent double-clutching take more time then rev-matching? or is it just for synchro reasons?

peace

 

Purely synchro reasons. It was developed before synchros existed.

It does save your brakes a little since the engine does some of the braking.

 

thanks, thats what i thought. hahahah, im not ****** crazy, my friend (gti vr6) keeps trying to tell me that heel-toe is useless for that reason. he thinks that just because hes been driving stick longer than me he knows all the answers.

peace

 

I highlighted the problem.

It's a known WRX problem. The STi trans is A-OK though.

There is also a law suit open with GM/Subaru to extend the drivetrain related warranty due to it.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/sub_wrx.html

 

Even with the weak synchros on an NA tranny, I haven't experienced any issues going from 4 to 3 or 3 to 2 on the track, or the autox, maybe I'm just lucky?

Try doing that when your rear tires are at the limit of adhesion due to cornering and accelerating at the same time. You do that (clutch drag), you upset the car, the rear wheels lock up ever so slightly due to the transmission forcing the engine to spin higher, and you start oversteering, maybe even spinning, or holding a nice drift. Regardless of the outcome, it's still slower than going smoothly through the corner.

You should never feel a jerk in a proper heel-toe downshift rev match. The point is so that it doesn't upset the car. Practice more, you'll see the benefit soon enough. I would first get perfect on just rev-matching, both up and down, so that you never feel jerks when you shift. Then move on to heel toe. For example, when cruising in 4th, downshift quickly to third with clutch and throttle. As in clutch-in, move gear shift, blip throttle, clutch-out, in less than one second. If you do it right, you should feel no jerk.

It would take more time, so do the double clutch heel-toe downshift slightly earlier than a normal heel-toe donshift. The braking point would be the same, the technique initiation timing is what changes.

Normal Heel-Toe when coming into a corner:

Get on the brakes
Wait until the engine rpm has dropped enough so that when you downshift you don't overrev the engine.
Clutch-in, select next gear down, blip throttle with heel.
Clutch-out
Smoothly roll off brakes to initiate trail braking (this part's not necessary, only if you're comfortable doing it)
Smoothly get on the throttle and properly apex the corner.

Double-Clutch Heel-Toe when coming into a corner
Get on the brakes
Wait until the engine rpm has dropped enough so that when you downshift you don't overrev the engine. Note that the timing of this step is slightly different when compared to normal heel-toe, it's slightly earlier, due to the fact that double-clutch heel toe takes more time.
Clutch-in, put gear shift to neutral
Clutch-out
Clutch-in, select next gear down, blip throttle with heel.
Clutch-out
Smoothly roll off brakes to initiate trail braking (this part's not necessary, only if you're comfortable doing it)
Smoothly get on the throttle and properly apex the corner.

 

Evidently. Thing is though when you have a known problem, it's generally wise to take steps to handicap said problem. If you have a weak transmission, do what you can to take the load off the transmission. The funny/sad/orly? thing is he spent the time and money cryo-treating the second transmission and it lasted less than the other two--only a couple months. When it went, it looked like Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man.

 

I have a T2 S4 trans with no reverse... (suposidly) is this a normal problem or should I expect that the other gears are junk too

 

You can lose reverse without it affecting the other gears, but unless your drain plug has spit out teeth like a hockey goalie, they're still in there. Pea-sized bits of metal have a way of finding their way back between other gears at bad times and without warning, and you'll end up popping another one. Having a missing gear is kind of like transmission herpes.

 

im going to make a tshirt with that slogan,lol:"Having a missing gear is kind of like transmission herpes.
"

 

lol am i the only truck driver on this forum? seriously, there is no point to double clutch in a car with a sync'd transmission, when you have a big *** semi with a syncroless transmission you have to rev match and double clutch just to get the damn thing in gear, its not like it drops in at anypoint like with a car. far as revmatch, yes daily in my cars, its become second nature, dont even realize that i do it anymore since i started driving truck. we got a little off track from the original question here didnt we?. gettin into the bullsh*t world of f&f again. its a bad world to be in we must leave....

 

umm I'm guessing you don't really get the question, i'm not trying to throw the car into reverse while moving, just reverse in general, like i am driving along... put put put... and i pass a parking spot ::OOPS:: so I step on the clutch, shift to neutral and stop, I then proceed to try and put the car into reverse in order to back up, but it won't go so i have to remove my foot from the clutch then put it back down in order to shift into reverse, or sometimes I am driving down the road, **** into neutral and come to my stop, foot still on the clutch the car won't go into 1st until I remove my foot from the clutch and then push it back to the floor again...

sorry for those with reading comprehension that had to go through the "barney style" of explanation there...

edit: just saw your edit...
I'll try the 3rd gear thing next time it does it, but its not a grind more or less just a halt on the shifter as if i am trying to push it into some mysterious 6th gear just pushing against a wall if ya get my drift

 

haha

this is a funny thread.... people need to learn how to drive their cars. Once you start heel toeing ( an learn how to rev match correctly) you will never go back. I'm not even sure I could drive my car without doing it any more... People always look at me weird, when my brakes are on and they hear me blip the throttle.

Trust me it is better for speed, control, and wear. It's great to come out of a corner and be right in the power range of your rpm. (works wonders for drifting)

Update: here is a link for ...the people that need a little more help...
http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving..._heeltoe.shtml
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IuoZeuSgEj4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cPj9XXW25GA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=byJE2odRmzY haha

 

^ same, been doing it everyday since i was taught how to downshift properly. 1 1/2 years later, just tendency. its deff weird going from my 7, to my friends gti, to my other friends wrx, cant heel-toe with the gti, and the wrx pedal is too small for my canoe feet. (14")
or hell, having to drive my moms car, its an auto, i get in the car, i go to put the clutch in, and slam my foot against the floor board, cause its an auto. pisses me off every time.

peace