wiggle stick rookie seeking advice

[Suprased]

I recently picked up my long awaited (about nine months of waiting as if i were carrying a baby to term) 6MT 3.0L premium Supra on 8/12/23.

I learned how to drive manual in a mx-5 and drove manual a few more times in a 10th gen Si. I could count all the times ive driven manual on one hand to sum it up. This Supra is my first time really driving manual on a daily basis. The car is at about 510 miles so i'm almost halfway with the break in period.

I can drive it from point A to point B no problem. Getting into 1st is super slow still but a lot smoother of a transition now. I am struggling getting smooth transitions from 1st -> 2nd -> and sometimes into 3rd. I don't know enough to pinpoint what exaclty im doing wrong. I think i come off of the clutch too quickly, but idk.

I've heard there is rev hang in 1st and 2nd but dont know what exactly to do with that information.

i have a good grasp on how a manual transmission works but when it comes to putting it to play i am struggling figuring out when to do what exactly. I dont want my ignorance to f up the car in any way. I just want to drive my car without sweating or anxiety lol Any advice would be greatly appreciated

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[TurboZX10R]

Practice makes perfect. Maybe borrow a cheaper car to learn how to drive manual. Not trying to be rude in any way. Go to a big empty parking lot and practice unfortunately.

 

[ColonelAdama]

This car has a bit of a tricky clutch, probably due to the CDV. 1st to 2nd, you really have to finesse the clutch engaging 2nd. Getting started in 1st is much easier, IMO.

It's just gonna take some time and practice. Just avoid grinding gears or lettings revs get over 1500 when starting in 1st so you don't burn up the clutch.

 

[Suprased]

This car has a bit of a tricky clutch, probably due to the CDV. 1st to 2nd, you really have to finesse the clutch engaging 2nd. Getting started in 1st is much easier, IMO.

It's just gonna take some time and practice. Just avoid grinding gears or lettings revs get over 1500 when starting in 1st so you don't burn up the clutch.

dude 2nd gear is kicking me in the ass. it’s like 50/50 I either get it smooth like butter or I don’t

 

[dreadforge]

I have had my MT since 7/10/23 racked up almost 10k miles (yes that's right), and I really do not enjoy the 1-2 shift at all because of the cdv, even getting into first sometimes just feels sloppy/odd because the valve is adding unneeded modulation.

 

[Suprased]

Practice makes perfect. Maybe borrow a cheaper car to learn how to drive manual. Not trying to be rude in any way. Go to a big empty parking lot and practice unfortunately.

practice will be the only thing saving me here. I was just looking for tips specifically for driving a manual Supra. It’s also my first turbo charged and rear wheel drive car. A friend was mentioning how they felt they had to learn manual all over again when they got their WRX. He mentioned how the awd and turbo threw him off. Started wondering if there was a better way to drive my Supra than the “standard” way to drive manual. Then I read that you just have to listen to the car and you’ll eventually know. I also don’t want to get into any bad habits.

the first week of driving I didn’t feel confident enough to downshift so I would coast.Found out that’s a big no no in the manual word lol so I practiced that a bit and now thanks to also the rev matching tech i no longer coast in N when coming to a stop lmao but yea just gonna keep practicing. Luckily clutches are replaceable so long as I don’t f anything else up

 

[Suprased]

I have had my MT since 7/10/23 racked up almost 10k miles (yes that's right), and I really do not enjoy the 1-2 shift at all because of the cdv, even getting into first sometimes just feels sloppy/odd because the valve is adding unneeded modulation.

Brb gonna go learn what CDV is but hearing u also not like 1-2 gives me comfort

 

[kaj]

I'm told throttle hang is *supposed* to make shifting easier, but I was never a fan. I had it tuned out of an old car I had. Drove me nuts, especially on track. bleh.
I assume CDV a restrictor in the clutch line to keep you from engaging/disengaging the clutch too fast. It doesn't play nice with the clutch disk but may save you some driveline parts LOL

 

[RyanA90]

What helps me is to release the clutch slower than normal, idk how else to explain it. Best solution is to have that CDV removed.

 

[Supra_UK_]

For the 1st to 2nd gear change I can confirm it can be rough-ish and twitchy sometimes, but if you release the clutch slower than you normally would after engaging 2nd, it's generally much better I have 2.5k miles on my '23 Manual and have tried all combos of 1 - 2 changes at different rpms, my conclusion is: unless you really want to launch it in 1st, basically just use 1st to move off only and try to get into 2nd as quickly as you can and stay away from 1st, then due to the ratio you're good from even 10 mph to just gently cruise around.
I also find it very hard to get into 1st coming to a stop which can get awkward so often I have to slow right down, or put neutral and then try again.

I think the engine having so much torque makes some gear changes feel rough / lurching and it makes sense as this was my first powerful car too, same as you, even though I drive manual all my life but it was always small shitboxes with spongy sticks until the Supra's precision gearbox.

DO freely start doing downshifts, honestly the intelligent iMT rev match in the manual Supra is SUBLIME, I absolutely love it.

It won't get you any sympathy from all the purist track rats here who will try to have your head on a spike as a heretic for daring to buy a manual sports car and not disabling iMT, but you bought this car to enjoy it, so do so and don't worry about anyone else getting their panties in a twist because you don't want to heel and toe while going to the fucking grocery store like an idiot.

There is something orgasmic about the 4th to 3rd downshift due to the notchy gearbox, the satisfying vertical push movement, and the perfection of the rev match and engine sound that goes with it - after your 1200 mile break-in start experimenting gently letting it downshift with 4/5k rpms and enjoy the B58 soundtrack

 

[Eddy90]

I am a relatively amateur stick shift driver myself and was quite nervous and anxious whenever I had to get behind the supra. Now, with 2200 mi under my belt of mostly city driving, I can safely say that it is a delight using the stick.

That being said, I had the CDV delete done around 600 miles in, and I can safely say since then, the 1-2nd shift is much MUCH better, and quicker.
In fact, if I focus and shift quick enough, the shift is almost seamless without any jerking at all.
Without the CDV delete, it was damn near impossible to get a smooth shift- so don't beat yourself over it.

Regarding taking off from 1st, I believe the car somewhat assists you (with the hill climb) so there is almost near zero chance of stalling. You do not need to give the car any gas. Just make sure you are putting 25% pressure on the brake pedal before you let off the clutch to its bite point. At that moment, you should feel the car wanting to move forward slightly on its own. Then you let go the brake and the let go of the clutch slightly slower (1-2 sec delay) and then finally get on the gas.

 

[Rocksandblues]

Takes time to learn stick efficiently and effectively

 

[GoldenEye]

@Suprased You're not pushing the clutch in, in time or you're letting it go before it goes into gear all the way. Practice slow solid shifts over and over and over and over and over and over and over and then some more...seriously...I've taught dozens of people how to drive manual over the years, let me know if you need more help I'd be glad to help you out. I have some tricks...

 

[Suprased]

The way all of your words bring my mind ease lol I’m not f’ing it up after all I appreciate all of you taking the time to respond. Slow and steady till I’m ripping it

 

[BMWAF]

I can drive it from point A to point B no problem. Getting into 1st is super slow still but a lot smoother of a transition now. I am struggling getting smooth transitions from 1st -> 2nd -> and sometimes into 3rd. I don't know enough to pinpoint what exaclty im doing wrong. I think i come off of the clutch too quickly, but idk.

It's probably not you. The gearbox in the Supra isn't as good as people suggest. I suspect they have come from an automatic gearbox or a very poor manual one so they think they have stumbled on gold. They haven't. My 15 year old Type R has a much better gearbox - And I don't mean when it was new.. I mean it's better now, after 15 years of pretty hard use!

For context, I have been driving manuals (almost exclusively) for over 20 years and the aforementioned Type R is still on its original clutch after over 200,000km! I can say with confidence that the 1-2 shift in the Supra is at best unpredictable and at worst dog shit. On occasion, by some miracle it does feels good but after 2,000km I still can't ascertain what I am doing to perform a "good" change in this car.

Don't get me wrong - the Supra's gearbox/clutch are almost mind-numbingly easy to drive casually.. they're just not very good.

This car has a bit of a tricky clutch, probably due to the CDV. 1st to 2nd, you really have to finesse the clutch engaging 2nd. Getting started in 1st is much easier, IMO.

Unpopular opinion: I am not a believer in the CDV argument. While I have no experience in shifting a car without a Clutch Delay Valve, my Type R has a CDV and the clutch is great: Smooth as butter. Pulling hard; driving in traffic, etc. the clutch engagement is always on point.

Is the CDV in the Supra as bad as it's (1-2 shift) gearbox? Now that is a good question. But CDVs in and of themselves - in my experience at least - are just an excuse people jump to when they're presented with a less than stellar gearbox/clutch implementation or otherwise find drivng manuals challenging.

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