Should car be "smoother" at slow speeds?
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.
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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.
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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.
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...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.
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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?
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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. 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.
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