Hi guys,

Is this normal: At low speeds in 1st and 2nd gear my car becomes VERY sensitive to throttle changes. If I let up on the gas it kind of jerks a little. Makes it hard to drive smoothly
under 10 mph in a parking lot.

I've driven plenty of manual transmissions before, so it isn't my lack of experience. It feels like my old '71 volkswagen used to when it needed a tune-up. The car is brand new -- just about 500 miles on it.

Do they all do this, or do you think something might be wrong with my car?

Thanks a lot for any advice or opinions.

Mine does that. I think it is normal. I have gotten used to controlling the throttle better to get smoother low speed runs on the lower gears. Also, if it is a stop and go at 10 mph, I just regulate the smoothness with my clutch.

Absolutely normal when you are in the low gears - which more effectively puts the engine torque to the wheels. Remember your 10-speed bike - it was real easy to gain speed FAST from a dead stop in the lowest gears, and harder to do in the higher gears. Typical torque-rpm trade-off. In time, you will become more adept at controlling the throttle for smooth accelleration and decelleration when in the low gears. Practice makes perfect, and soon it'll be second nature.

Same here. I use the clutch to smooth things out.

I had a Honda that had the same thing, but it was not anywhere as pronunced as the RX-8

Its normal of a manual transmisson period...there's no torque converter to help smooth things out just direct power transfer.

...and it is more pronounced with the 8 because it is geared lower than normal cars, to take advantage of the high revving engine. Lower gears = more torque to the wheels = more sensitivity to throttle = "jerky" feel until you get the hang of it.

Thought I'd read one of our members suggesting that beginning with the "L" flash, the anti-buck programming was improved to help with this. In fact it's the thing I'm most looking forward to when I go have the flash done. Can anyone verify whether or not the low-speed bucking improves any after the L or M flashes?

Long time (UK) manual transmission drive here.

I have NO smootheness problems.

You have to (a) use the clutch and (b) go easy on the accelerator, dont stab it, its more responsive than it feels - for some reason it feels like you need a lot of travel, treat it like a lady.

If it isnt smoothe its either a problem with the driver or car. A standard MT RX-8 can be driven as smoothe as any other MT.

Originally posted by RobDickinson
You have to (a) use the clutch and (b) go easy on the accelerator, dont stab it, its more responsive than it feels - for some reason it feels like you need a lot of travel, treat it like a lady.

yes, i drove someone else's RX-8 for the second time last night, and the secret to getting it smooth is to let the clutch slip more. they are amazingly resiliant to burning, unless you REALLY try hard.

let the clutch out slower, and apply the throttle a little more (so that the rpm don't drop as you engage it, as it sounds like you're trying to start-up at low rpms). once you get comfortable with the idea of slipping the clutch, everything gets super smooth. :)

I'd say it's the steep geers, my truck has 4.11, and it'll kick at low rpm's if I'm lazy with the clutch.