How to use manual mode in automatic car
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- Welcome to our TH-cam channel, where we demystify the art of driving! In this exciting video, we'll show you how to unlock the hidden potential of your automatic car by tapping into the power of manual mode. Whether you're a curious beginner or a seasoned driver looking for an extra thrill, this guide will walk you through the process step by step.
Many modern automatic cars come equipped with manual mode, offering you the best of both worlds. Join us as we break down the fundamentals of manual mode, making it accessible for everyone, even if you've never driven a manual car before.
We'll start by explaining how to engage manual mode in your automatic car, so you can take control of gear shifting. With our easy-to-follow instructions, you'll feel confident in navigating through gears like a pro. Unleash the power of your vehicle and customize your driving experience to suit any situation, from zipping through city streets to conquering challenging terrains.
Subscribe to our channel for more driving tips, car reviews, and exciting automotive content. Turn on the notification bell to never miss an update. Like and share this video with your friends who are eager to enhance their driving experience. Let's spread the joy of mastering manual mode in automatic cars!
00:00 Intro
01:20 Why would you use manual mode?
02:20 Demonstration
03:37 Controls for manual mode
04:33 RPM explained
05:31 Tips for using manual mode
10:31 When/Where to use manual mode
12:52 Different gearboxes - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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Great Channel for Car lovers💯💯
Legend, thank you!
@@MickDrivesCarsshould we leave the race when we shift up or down the gear?
I asked cuz in manual cars we leave the race pedal and press the clutch…so are we suppose to leave the race pedal while we shift up or low or we should leave the pedal when we shift up or down gear?
@@g-one6096 I’m very confused on how to shift as well. I will just stick to automatic.
@@ripleyhamster2012 hey, i tried using the mannual thing, if u have plus and minus for shifting gear up or down, then, u dont need to leave the race pedal to shift the gear
But if it is 1 2 3 4… and normal so on, then i cant say anything about it
Nice video. Need to mention to the viewers that you can leave the car in auto mode (rather than going full manual mode), and when you want, you can shift down or up using the paddle shifters. I find this useful when I want to keep it in auto but want some control on-demand when cornering or going downhill (foot off accelerator and shift to lower gear for engine braking)
This is very true. I purposely skipped this part because I personally hate it... Once I've pulled the paddle and made a change I never know when I'm still in manual and when the box has taken back over, so I've had situations where the box has decided to go back up a gear after 10-15 seconds, then I have to take control again... Annoying for me.
But I'm aware lots of people like it, so you make a very good point 👊
That doesn't work on all cars, my car if you hit a paddle in auto mode it just does nothing, you have to be in sports auto and then hitting a paddle will shift but it will also put you into manual mode
the whole video is not explaining what is shift up/ down. A lot of You Tube has similar lacuna, need a detailed explanation.
Sorry, very boring video and doesn't apply to all automatics..
Hey guys, great video, I wanted to ask You if this instructions apply only to this specific car, I have a 2022 toyota 4runner and have the option for manual shifting as well, but have not tried this at all. I was under the impression that to use the manual shit I had to go up and down according to the speed I wanted. Any advice or comments will be greatly appreciated.
Great tutorial. Been driving manuals for 30 years. Picking up my first auto w/ manual shift feature tomorrow and was like: "how does manual work without a clutch?" 🍻!
Haha glad I could help :)
Hows it treating you? Curious to do the same soon, piss easy driving with auto but with the added fun of manual when I want
@Haza-ce1ti pros= Auto. Sports selection. Manual paddle shift is not bad!
Cons= Electronic shifter. Auto puts the car in park in various scenarios.(I understand the safety features, but gets annoying)
Also after a jump start you still may not be able to drive for another 20 minutes do to electronic system.
Stick with a regular gear box with shifter options if you can.
I've spent a fair few years doing ECU and TCU programming on my cars (Audi, BMW - so anything I've learned is based on how they work, but I honestly doubt a lot of difference across manufacturers). The TCU has many inputs, not just 3. It has throttle position (not pedal position!), brake pedal input, speed, engine speed. It also can measure throttle change rate, and it receives inputs from traction control and ESP, engine temperature, battery charge state (IBS). It also feeds yaw into the TCU, to know if you're in a tight or fast corner. These inputs feed into a shift map. That shift map can additionally be modified by the adaptations learned from the driving style, which is saved to the keyfob used to start the engine so that these adaptations are assigned to the key, and are not universal. Sport mode, for example, makes the gearbox pay more attention to the change in throttle, so as you press it down, it's more likely to down-shift when the engine speed is low, but not when the engine speed is high.
Ultimately the gearbox doesn't know what the road will be like in 5 seconds, so even with all these inputs, the gearbox can decide to upshift into 6th gear 1 second before you enter a corner you have to brake for.
Question: can you program those pauses in a manual between shifts into an automatic; such as you get that head thrown back feel each time it shifts
I, of course, use it for "spirited driving," but it can also be useful when you're taking it easy sometimes, such as to take advantage of engine braking. Sometimes, instead of using the manual mode I just give the gas a little blip, to trick the transmission into downshifting, then laying into the gas.
I used the paddles sometimes when I'm in regular mode/auto and just want to overtake something or be in the right gear for a steep hill
Even on simpler everyday cars that have no paddle shifters/Manual mode, Sport mode can be instrumental to engine braking going down hill. Then cruise control is helpful too as it makes the car try really hard to use the engine to hold the speed still. Sport mode makes it do so more aggressively. No Sport mode? Cruise control still does the job. No cruise control either? Sorry, you owe your breakes big time for going down that hill.
@@DmitryPlotnikovA In every car I’ve been in, there’s a little button on the gear selection stick that turns the Overdrive (O/D) off. This keeps you out of the overdrive gear(s). And in most passenger vehicles you can shift it into L for Low, which keeps you in the lower gears. Some larger vehicles have 1, 2, and 3, which keeps the transmission from shifting higher than the stated gear, and some hybrids have “B” for engine (B)raking.
So you also have some option for increased engine braking. But in my opinion, a true manual is the best option. (currently driving a CVT 😔)
All really informative comments! Great job!
the way he talks about driving makes it feel like driving is more of an art than anything
Almost perfection explanation due to you actually showing the examples clearly multiple times with clear video. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the kind words! Glad it helped
As someone with a manual this video has been invaluable information
I used manual a fair amount in my Altima. I used it as much as possible in my Impreza, as I hated the CVT it was the only way to make driving enjoyable, plus you could get little rubber band bursts of speed by downshifting letting the revs build then upshifting again, worked for passing. My Golf Alltrack, on the other hand, Sport mode is so good I only ever use the paddle to go up a gear once I’m cruising, but more often I bump the stick to switch between sport and normal depending on if I am driving spirited or cruising at speed.
I just got my Altima, how high do you typically let the rpm go until you upshift, and how do you downshift when coming to a stop?
@@CeeShiesty42 when I had my altima, I went to redline everywhere every time, full throttle. I would memorize what speed redline was in in each gear, then coming down I would downshift 10-15mph below where redline would be in the next gear down. If you aren’t beating on it like I did, probably 4,000RPM on upshifts and same on downshifts.
been driving Manual-matic since yesterday and never ever returning back to automatic transmission UNLESS NEEDED. Loving the experience so damn much and the the control you have over everything "2011 Mitsubishi Lancer 30th Anniversary CJ Auto MY12" 🚘
i actually laughed out loud at your experience in automatic mode 😂 great video
Thanks mate! Yeah the gearbox makes some very questionable decisions
I've driven automatics for years now. There are some other occasions when selecting gears manually can be useful. For example, an automatic will change up downhill. Changing down manually will help you control your speed using engine braking. This has greater effect in a diesel.
The sport mode in some cars will change down and hold gears for longer. Otherwise it's worth changing manually. The other thing is if you want a burst of acceleration in drive, it takes the gearbox a few seconds to figure this out on some of them.
Driving manually can help with speed control as well. You might find by changing down a gear, it's easier to maintain a certain speed.
This actually gave some insight on using manual mode on a dual-clutch (DSG Mk6 Gti). Cause while i understood the nature of it, my first exposure was a 2011 Elantras manualmatic, so knowing the GTI felt "different" for a better term, it bothered me on how it was delayed, it always threw me off.
But i was treating it like an Elantras, and not a GTI's, not knowing the different gearboxes needed different styles of interaction.
Im gonna implement your approach on the dsg, regarding upshifts and downshifts connection to braking and accelerating, and see how i fare.
Ill subscribe because i want to understand better etiquette for driving, im tired of too many close calls, and enjoy moments of satisfaction when i actually drive properly (letting a trucker merge and get emergency flash as thanks!).
I think your channel may have purposefully crossed paths with me. So keep it up!
An automatic transmission is generally reactionary - it senses speed and load and shifts accordingly. The load requires two forces in balance though: the force put to the engine and wheels from the accelerator, and the resistance offered by the car and the environment.
Examples of environmental resistance include: hills, wind, water on the road, towing, the car's own inertia if you suddenly want high power.
The car only knows those things are there if you are trying to overpower them with the accelerator, otherwise it will just drop in speed and stay in the same gear until the rpm is very low. The car thought you wanted to slow down. This creates confusion if you encounter a drop in the speed limit from 60 to 30 halfway up a hill. You can coast down in speed and the car doesn't realise a lower gear will be needed until the last minute, though rolling back on the accelerator as you drop towards the new speed limit can help the car out. So intelligent use of the accelerator can help an automatic find the correct gear. Choppy use of the accelerator will generally cause the car to make poor gear choices.
Things that an automatic transmission generally doesn't know:
What speed you want to go down a steep hill to control the car (it will generally sense no load and choose the highest gear).
If there is a sharp corner - the gear won't generally change until your foot is on the accelerator out of the corner.
If there is a sudden change in gradient and you want to be in a lower gear before you reach it.
If you are getting ready for an overtake and want to be in a "pounce" gear - generally no load no shift (perhaps a quick stomp on the accelerator can kick it down in advance?).
I will say - for everyday driving the car does an amazing job in auto mode. I leave it there 99% of the time. I must have an accelerometer because it even downshifts to hold speed downhill.
It's just when pressing on, it doesn't really get it right.
Nice video and explanation!
Watching from the states.. the right sided driving and the narrow streets got my anxiety on a 1000 😂😂😂
Well if you think thats narrow i bet you havent driven in Europe yet:P There situations where i am from that you need to drive that narrow roads like shown in the video(sometimes narrower)and in your right side theres a cliff.Big one :P
My Lexus is250 has sport mode, which is the equivalent of manual mode on your Citroen. I found that it does help to keep fuel consumption lower, as sometimes at 30mph with slight pressure on the accelerator im revving 2000, but if I managed to put it in 4th gear manually, I get the revs down to 1400-1500, which is where I want to be
It a Renault.
Sport mode should prioritize response, not fuel economy. Sport is the complete opposite of efficiency. At 30mph in my car with a 6spd manual, I'm in 2nd gear at like 2750rpm. Might shift to 3rd if I'm cruising and don't need instant power.
@@pauliewalnuts240 Sport mode in my Kia Proceed does shift really aggressively, it wants to keep you above 3000 rpm no matter what. It's not just a little sporty, it's like "we're racing now!" 😂
In normal mode, it's rather slow with the shifts sometimes, I wish it had a mode in between normal and sport. But that's where manual mode comes in I guess...
Awesome video explanation (especially for someone who is considering to shifting from manual to automatic gearbox car). Ps, what a remarkable car you have! Look forward to more videos like this :)
Thanks mate! Yeah I love this car to be honest, it's my baby
I have a Nissan Rogue SV and I always drive in the manual mode. Even though it is an SUV, the manual mode makes the driving more fun and feel more in control. This mode will be a requirement in any future cars I purchase. I like it that much.
Greatly detailed video, I have a deeper understanding of the engagement of gears when shifting manually.
This is interesting, because even before auto cars with an M slot came out, I had thought about that idea, but I wanted M to be _literally_ manual, meaning that you'd have to have both a true manual clutch and a torque converter (this was far enough back that it was before CVTs existed in street-legal vehicles and before DCTs existed at all, as far as I had ever heard), and a true manual transmission and the automatic.
So of course you'd have your automatic lever right next to your literal manual shift lever (maybe above, below, left, or right; I don't know), and arranged so that the torque converter would be locked up while in manual mode and that you'd usually put your manual trans in 1:1 while using the auto side, or that they'd be side by side and one would bypass the other... something like that. So I got really excited for a second on the day that I heard about the first car with an "M" mode, but then immediately disappointed that it couldn't be practically built in the way I was thinking but would just be a fakely manual version of an automatic. Anyway, still kind of cool.
I had the opposite idea but in the same line of ideas with manual cars, I thought it would be really cool to have a clutchless (or at least, lacking a clutch pedal) manual. You’d still shift the gears normally, but the clutch would automatically disengage and engage.
This could potentially work by having a sensor in the transmission that detects when the gear selector is close to making contact with the synchro, which actuates the clutch accordingly to allow the engine and transmission speeds to match (including giving the engine a little more gas if downshifting). If you try to pull it out of gear, it’ll detect this and open the clutch, etc. [edit: my original idea involved hydraulic lines because cars weren’t very computerized in the 90s]
In reality that might get kind of clunky but that’d be really interesting to see if pulled off well.
@@PERTEKofficial: See Automatic Stickshift Volkswagen Beetle (1960s).
@@HelloKittyFanMan woah, that’s pretty neat. especially coming from so long ago
Yep, @@PERTEKofficial!
The Koenigsegg CC850 has an auto/manual gearbox with a real clutch pedal and stick shifter for manual mode. The auto is 9 gears and the manual is 6 gears, the gear ratios in manual change according to the driving mode. It's a fantastic piece of engineering, but I doubt any one of us here will ever drive one 😄
There's another very important situation that you need manual control. I took my daughter to a friend's house in Slovenia. The climb, in automatic, of 18 minutes and 1600 MTs was no problem! Then face the descent! Manual is absolutely a must, even in a modern car to save the brakes and ones sanity!
So true! Sometimes I forget to mention the more basic uses and focus more on spirited driving. This was a great reminder 👊
Steep descents are the No.1 priority for using the manual mode. Provides more control and saves your brakes. BTW great video. Very informative.
I drive a DSG GTI and this was great. Thanks!
Nice car, I've always had a soft spot for the Golf GTI. Thanks for the kind words
Thanks! In many European country, an automatic box was considered for sissies by many. Alfa Romeo caused a quiet revolution by having their automatics include manual shifting. Now men could say they bought this version, so the wife could use the car comfortably and they could still shift like a proper macho.
:D that’s ridiculous
Found the Femmcel whose fragile ego got wounded cuz he can't do manuals 😁
Found the Femmcel who felt wounded cuz he can't do manuals. Poor thing!
Found the Femmcel who felt wounded cuz he can't do manuals. Oh no 😢
Found the Femmcel. Poor thing felt wounded cuz he can't handle manuals 😢
Great advice ...! I drive Honda accord avtomatic and make myself the same questions..thanks!
This was a really good video. I've just bought a fairly powerful car with an auto box (sport auto mode and paddles) and wasn't really sure how to go about it. This video makes me realise the ideas are the same as in a manual in that you need to actively keep in the power band.
And I also chuckle when I floor the car like you do!!! Subscribed.
Also, on fuel consumption, I noticed that my Alfa Romeo in Automatic, tends to consume more, as she cannot predict at the right time, as you pointed out quite well in your video, downhills, slopes, bends, etc. and uses the Torque as a tool to trying to maximize fuel consumption (what you have described that annoying cruising feeling), when you really want to maximize the driving in a Smooth/Dynamic mode and have more control of the response of the car by increasing the revs. My car in normal automatic mode, in a flat road, likes to be in around 1000-1500 revs! (Hate that!). If I use the Sport mode, which is nearly always, she is happy to be cruising in about 1800-2200 revs, which already makes the car much more responsive if I need to increase the speed for any reasonable reason while in automatic. My wife asked me why I like to drive in Manual mode most of the time, and my response to her was very similar to the facts of this video, in addition that I missed a bit the traditional manual gearbox (but is decreasing). At the moment, with the actual automatic gearbox technology available today, is not yet as good as the input of the experienced driver (I have been driving all type of cars for more than 33 years). Automatic mode is probably good enough for the drivers who just want to drive from A to B and be as chill as possible in a car; it is acceptable; or when on the odd day, you want just to chill and divert your mind to other thoughts apart of the driving experience.
Great video, keep the good content coming.
Appreciate the support! I absolutely will
I drive a 2018 Toyota Corolla SE with a CVT. It has the manual mode and paddles on the back of the steering wheel. The shift has M left of D. In America, some people don't like CVTs and would prefer a regular automatic tranmission
mind blowing! thanks for this video!
Really happy you found it useful mate :)
It's funny I'm glad you mentioned how upshift is pulling back where here in America we push forward on my corolla SE 2020 I think it should be like in your car great video watching this to send to a friend bc I found it hard to explain most ppl who have driven a manual car before can figure it out easier then those who have never bc they don't understand the RPMs and when and why to down shift or upshift
He later said the opposite.
Awesome,explained perfectl
Thanks alot for this helpful lesson sir i really learned a great amount of knowledge
Good to hear mate! thanks
I once used my manual paddles by mistake when a bloody fly entered my space..
I swatted it & hit the downshift!!
Thankfully I wasn’t traveling at excessive speed..
I thought at the time I would have thought Mercedes would have had a failsafe to stop it happening..
That cars 7G auto box would learn from your previous driving in sports mode so didn’t have the problems you mentioned..
I now have an Audi TTS which is fitted with a 6 speed DSG box .. 2 years into ownership & I miss my 7g auto ..
Especially handy if you jabe a gutless wonder like my 2.4 Renegade. You have to go manual if you wish to merge, accelerate, anything. I lile going annual on a gradual longer drive. I can go into 9th which drops my RPM well below 2000. My mpg greatly increases vs going 21/2200 in 8th. So far every car I jad if you are going lile 65 68 under 2000 mileage is great but if going 70 75 it gets to 2200ish and mileage noticeably changes.
This video is great for the fact that I had to settle for an RF AT Miata, I could not for the life of me get a MT from the dealers, and going used or importing isn't an option for where I live. Since I've never owned a AT car with sport mode or paddle shifters, this video has been awfully helpful. And a great way to cope for not being able to get an MT rf miata 😵
I had to get my WRX with a CVT.
I won't pretend like a manual transmission is worse. But automatic cars aren't bad. Hopefully you'll get the change to combine the clutchless shifting with left foot braking- it's pretty sweet when you get the hang of it!
I have a 22 wrx CVT, and driving in manual mode in sports # is the most fun I’ve had in a car, I crave the twisties
Geez what made you get a CVT?
great video nicely explained
I drive a Honda Civic i-shift 2009. I mainly drive in manual and I switch to automatic in heavy traffic. I never use the paddles on the steering wheel but I may give it a try some day.
Hi Mick!
Seeing you guys ripping those roads makes me want one more :) Have an RS Ultime on order, can't wait to the delivery day. Have nice and safe roads Mick. Btw, nice videos 👍
Thank you so much mate!
You're going to absolutely love it! Cracking cars. If you're local to London let me know and we can all go for a drive 👊
@@MickDrivesCars that would be nice and a great time but i live in Romania 😁 But who knows what the future holds for us.
Probably the simplest explanation i have seen on TH-cam. Thanks
Damn, high praise, thank you!
When downshifting you mentioned ideally braking as you do so but you also covered you can downshift to have higher RPMs if you want to accelerate faster than you would by just pressing the gas pedal harder in the same gear you're already in. When you down shift to accelerate faster do you take your foot off the pedal or do you just not press harder on the gas pedal until you shift down? I also have a DCT and I just want to make sure I am not harming/ fighting my transmission when shifting.
I definitely made this comment prior to finishing the video and you addressed it mostly at the end but I do wonder in the case of racing having to brake to downshift seems like an L.
Thank you
Fantastic video.
Thank you mate!
Thank you very informative video. I own a automatic transmission roadster and I try to use the manual mode when I do spirited driving. I drive and understand the manual mode pretty well, but I’m not comfortable only bc I feel I’m taxing / wearing out the transmission. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
If you do it correctly, there's no additional wear compared to letting the box change itself.
When im driving on the road can i change from automatic transmission to manual transmission in my mazda demio
Legend 🥃☝️
THANK YOU for calling DCTs _automatics!_ There are too many times when I've heard people say crap like, "Ahhh, DCTs aren't automatics, they're uhh... uhhh... 'automated manuals'!" Well if something's automated then that means it's AUTOMATIC, doesn't it? Pschh! Yes, and CVTs are automatics too. And while hybrids are automatic, so even are pure EVs, but just in a de facto sense.
Part of why I started my channel is that there's just so many people that like cars but are CLUELESS about them
Good idea, @@MickDrivesCars!
I do that same little snicker in my car you did at 7:23 in the video.
I do it so much when I'm talking/driving faster... can't help it
Useful video....however, not all auto boxes are alike.
My 2011 Merc has a 7 speed auto with paddle shift....It allows more control than some older boxes BUT has some issues. If I brake and change down...the gearbox often tries to do same. E.g. I may be in 5th and select 3rd....but the car is also downshifting as I slow. This can result in me making 2 downward paddle shifts but ending up near redlining in 2nd.
As dual clutch transmision is not the same as an auto with a torque converter.
I am not a mechanic or engineer but felt need to point out that the amounts of flexibility offered can vary quite widely depending on the specific car & box.
Thanks
Simple and clear, I can easily understand what you are saying as a non-native speaker. Can I ask a question, when shifting, do I need to release the accelerator pedal?
Thanks mate!
No need to lift
@@MickDrivesCars Got it, thanks bro!
Very nice explanation , enjoy your Renault RS very good choice
Thanks mate, I'm loving this car
I love this Car to bro ,I was looking to get Renault Meg. RS 2020 or Golf R and ended gettin Golf 8 GTD 2022 2 weeks ago, now i am watching your videos how to use pedal shifters ,I loved watching it
When changing up do you need to do anything different with the throttle or do you just keep your foot on the power the shift up?
For upshifts you can stay on the throttle
just clarifying something, when you are downshifting you should brake to do so? (Non DCT automatic)
Can the same method use on a usa Hyundai transmission and what about drag racing.
you should buy one have S mode.
the first thing when I sit on a manual mode car, i need to find out when the engine speed when up to red line what the ECU will do, will the ECU change it to high gear or will cut the fuel of the injectors,
It may be perspective of the camera and being an American accustomed to driving on the other side (right) if the road, but it seems so tight and mighty impressive as your accelerate Along the windy roads crammed car millimeters next to you. Cheers
While upshifting in Manual mode, do we leave the gas pedal for a second or we can upshift along with the gas pedal pressed? I don't want to harm my DCT :)
So is there any benefit to using M mode in a CVT transmission? I always thought it was weird in my car for having it it being a cvt
Do you have any experience with Megane 4 GT 1.6 205KM? I'm going to buy one but I'm not sure if it's reliable in terms of electronics etc. Do you recommend Renault cars?
I don't have experience with that engine but the rest of the car (esp. electronics) are almost the same. I'd highly recommend it to be honest. I haven't had any issues with mine and the same goes for the people I know that have similar cars.
When were you going to to go over the supposed advantages of using the shift _lever_ vs. the shift _paddles?_
great video
Glad you enjoyed mate
I drive a passat dsg and in sport auto mode it usually does all of these things alone so i don't feel the need to put it in manual,even though i enjoy it sometimes.
same in my zf 5 series..since it s a 3l diesel i have tons of toque realy quick and the transmition is awesome and always keeps the car in the power band
What about automated manual boxes. Any Suggestions for those?
Good job bruh
Thanks mate
Manual can save stuff like a duall clutch to.
For instamce i have a dsg and 1st/2nd are definently not short. So if im ever in a parking lot or just goin 5-10 mph the transmission goes to 2nd and burns the clutch even if thats 5+ mph too low
I've noticed this too - unless I come to a full stop it will slip the clutch in 2nd. Really stupid if you ask me, when I'm in traffic I used manual to force 1st
Watching from africa nigeria this is a great video
Thank you mate!
The only time I see any need to use transmission in manual mode is when I’m towing my nearly 3T caravan. In Australia we hand vase distances between towns. I have always used it while towing as it good to let the engine to rev out a little bit more in each gear obviously without thrashing it to help the transmission to stay cooler and prevent lugging. 🇦🇺
First one of these videos that's actually made sense, been easy to understand, and gave actually relevant information. Your work is appreciated.
Thanks mate!
Hi.. so when ur changing gear, do u still need let go of the pedal? Or u can just press accelerate whilst shifting?
Nope. Foot flat the whole time.
Do you keep your foot on the gas when shifting up? Or do you release the gas before shifting up like in a regular manual transmission?
Nope. Foot flat to the floor.
@@MickDrivesCars alrighty. thanks!
By far the best video on this topic
Kind words!
You are just increasing your fuel consumption for your driving fun. One of the main purpose of using Dct is to make the fuel economy and keep the driver comfort at maximum.
Nice.
Great video buddy. What kind of car are you driving? I'm not familiar with it.
It's a '21 Renault Megane RS
Does the manual mode let you do mistakes with the choice of gears? Like, does it let you go into first by quickly shifting down while going 50? Do you get any sort of warnings or does it let you blow the engine?
If you do something wrong it will just ignore your input - you can't money shift it
@@MickDrivesCars Haha great to know
bro makes it look easy
yeah i drove manual untill last year(and love it 10 times more than automatic), but now my 530d bmw is a 8 speed zf , i find it very hard to handle it s manual mode and i think the transmition changes great by itself
But you still prefer manual?
For upcoming corner, your are obviously going to apply brake, so when you apply brake Automatic box won’t reduce the gear?
7:22 that laugh 😂😂
Should you shift down to first when in the city at a light or a stop sign in the country
As opposed to? I guess you can take off in second but why?
Can I keep/drive the semi-auto cars in manual + sport mode all the time? I hate the auto drive on the car I have to drive (it is a bad, earlier design gearbox 🤦🏻♀️)
hello, very informitive video. But i am still woundering if every automatic gear box has a manual mode. An example being a base lever 2007 golf or a base level 1997 civic.Thanks
No I think older gearboxes have the option to lock in a specific gear but not "manual" as such.
@@MickDrivesCars My parents used to have automatics since the 1980ies and they all had a "D - 3 - 2" setting where you could limit the highest gear to 3 or 2 for motor braking. As far as I remember it would still shift automatically between 1 and 3 if you put it into 3, so it wasn't a manual mode.
I have a audi 3.0 tdi quattro with tip tronic, what best applies to manual driving. I use auto all the time, never used sport drive or manual or paddle shift
Pretty sure those are torque converter boxes - the later S-tronic boxes were dual clutch
Basically this whole video applied to you, apart from the shift direction, yours will be the ''wrong'' way around.
I'll hang my head in shame and say I have never tried changing gear using the "manual" gear change technique, but I will later today. I've never felt in control of my auto car, and in so many ways I prefer to drive my other proper manual car. Perhaps today will change things........
might be a fairly dumb question but im not familiar with the actual mechanics of a DCT, but should you downshift only while braking or is it okay to downshift while simply just off the gas? i try to touch my brakes as little as possible which is why i ask
Great question! Coming off the gas gives the same signal to pre-select a lower gear, so yes that's fine too :)
@@MickDrivesCars awesome, thanks for the late answer! hope your new years is/was great!!
Is it possible to use both gearbox, manual and automatic at the same time, there s no problem using them both ? For example when am driving in automatic gearbox and something happens unexpectedly and would need to slow down and press the brake, i just shift down the gear in manual mode and the car comes down.am i destroying my car?
A modern automatic gearbox won't let you destroy itself by manual shifts, you can't over-rev it, it won't allow you to. So if you manually shift down and the car actually shifts down, everything's fine. Usually, when you manually shift while in automatic mode, the car won't stay in manual forever but switch back to full auto after a while. That's the only difference to full manual, where it stays in manual (but it still won't do shifts that would over-rev the gearbox)
Are there problems if the Tiptronic is always used?
Just realised you have a fifth driving mode "regular" which i dont have in mine 🤔
It's funny! When I got the car it didn't have regular.
I did a software update and it appeared!
So useful because I don't have to use my sense for regular anymore
@Mick Drives Cars oh so there was an update! In the car or you had to update it in a renault center ?
They did mine during a service at the dealership.
But there's an option in the car which I'm like 99% sure is exactly what they did
I have used manual mode in poor weather. I have noticed that its a bit less control. So when I first brought an auto I would often put my car in manual but its not a sporty car.
Is there anything you should avoid doing so you don’t ruin your transmission? When do you switch it back to automatic? Do you have to be at a complete stop before you do? I have a Cadillac CTS Performance with an automatic transmission that you can switch the stick over to manual mode
When slowing to a stop (or anytime the RPM gets too low) the transmission will shift down for you. It's literally fool proof, if you try to do something that would damage it, it will just refuse.
@@MickDrivesCars thanks you so much. Yes I found that when I slow down it will downshift for me. I drove it around yesterday night it was so much fun. This video was incredible and very informative thank you so much.
haha glad I could help mate!
I haven’t got those pedals around the steering wheel only the gear stick for the manual option. Wish I had them.
They need some getting used to as well. In my car, the paddles are attached to the steering wheel (they turn with the wheel) and it's somewhat tricky to find them in tight corners when your hands aren't in the "normal" position. The large, fixed paddles in Mick's car might actually be the better choice, but they can still be out of reach sometimes.
I guess it just needs some getting used to, but I find myself reaching for the stick quite often. Have only had the automatic for a few months now.
Can we go on long drives only on drive mode without changing into manual mode... will it have any effect on the engine transmission...I live in an area where road is hilly, sloopy, up down...I'm gonna use an automatic car so I need some help here. Thanks
Absolutely fine, that car is designed to make all its own decisions about gears in drive mode.
99% of people will never use manual and that's completely fine.
The only thing you need to avoid is letting the car creep slowly with no foot on the gas. If you're standing still, keep your foot firmly on the brake, and if you want to drive, use the gas pedal.
small questions: in cars such as this, do you have to lift ur gas pedal when you shift?
Nope
so you downshift when pressing on the brake? always? or just when hitting corners?
Braking makes the gearbox pre-select the lower gear which will make the shift smoother and faster. It's natural in corners because you'll be braking towards them most of the time.
(Going back...) What if you shift into M without choosing Sport mode (it sounded like you were telling us to do both), since having to do both sounds redundant?
@@phillipbanes5484: Yeah, this makes more sense.
Nice explanation. BMWs have best sport gear modes which eliminate the need of manual shifting for me.
That’s just an automatic with a big engine
wont that affect the transmission in the long run keep changing gear like that?
No different to letting it change on its own
Actually better if you do it correctly and only shift up on the gas/down on the brake, because the transmission can pre-select the gear.
@@MickDrivesCars thanks I always thought it may damage or wear the transmission down if I keep using manual mode, glad to know it wont make it worst, changing gear box is dam scary and expensive and I rememeber VW cars kept having such issues happening on DSG clutch gears.
do you only downshift when on the break or can you also do it by just letting off the gas
You can let off the gas but it's a little hit-and-miss... sometimes you'll get a perfect shift like when you're on the brakes. Sometime you'll get the slushie horrible change.
I find with practice... like knowing how long it takes to shift after you actually slap the knob/paddle and (roughly) how much RPM you will gain on the drop (in how much time,) you can match your throttle to what's gonna drive the engine against the road at the RPM you're dropping into at the same time the engine is climbing to it. It involves letting off the gas, shifting, and then immediately after, hitting that [fairly critical and miniscule] throttle point with the gas. From that point, it's your choice whether you want to very quickly go up or down in speed, it's just up to where you let that pressure on the gas free, or jump on it. Just never let it go more than 99%, keep it 'spooled.' Very short ramp-up to target throttle - you need to be ready to get there the moment you start, but it's definitely doable consistently with the right auto transmission. Your right foot is just gonna do a pull back followed by a quick slide further down. It's all one granular movement of pulling back on the pedal and then depressing it proportionally more than before in accordance with the increased speed the engine is suddenly turning at, you need to increase throttle and keep it burning or the closed intake semi-vacuum fighting all of that sudden piston-suck will make the engine rapidly lose RPMs and basically jerk the whole chassis via mount contact.
Dropping a gear or two at mid-RPM still means a lot of resistance right in the parts that make the whole thing move, and that quick shift in forces transfers to everything down the line. If you try townshifting one gear from 3.5k RPM you'll feel that and it's tough to control. Like, if you accidentally drop throttle below 2% open outside of that split second when you let off into shifting, the whole car will jump and things will be bad for you. With your right foot, you want to follow the engine down as you let off to ditch the gear you're in, let off as though that motion is clutching, and follow that entire quick curve up to the higher-RPMs and torque of that lower gear. You sort of have to understand how your drivetrain reacts to already, so you can synchronize your gas-foot the whole way down, fully (and briefly) off, and finally up the accelerometer gauge (yer rippems-meter.) Until you can just feel how it all is at all of these three points, I don't suggest trying to pull power without instead braking down within 500 RPM of your next lowest gear and riding up from the start of the band in that gear. If you can work out where that is, you can then start trying it using your learned deceleration tactics.
I do it, even when I'm driving my beater car, grandma's old HMD 2011 Kia Forte with a whopping 154hp @ 6200 rippems. I've had people launch in response just to not be outdone by a busted old Kia with a groaney snake belt! Shifting is sluggish with it, and it doesn't have a ton of oomph, but it still has those pockets to drop into where even it will gain startling speed that seems to come out of nowhere because you barely feel the notches on the speedometer. As long as I know where those pockets are, I can at this point do that with most manual-mode-compatible cars. I mean, they do what they do and that's it. But it's more than people tend to think! It's almost too easy to just let off of the gas and jump with an actual performance car. A big part of how much acceleration you get, and the whole curve of it, comes down to how you ENTER the curve. You're in manual mode, so you have to negotiate that part manually. The computer will save you from redlining and stalling, it but it won't stop you from screwing up your acceleration because you didn't time your downshifts with what you wanted to do with the gas. It can't tell you where you should be in the powerband to do what you're planning, it can't know/react to what you see/want. You have to be a diligent communicator and listener. When I was learning, I tried to overtake at 60mph and forgot to upshift from 3rd. Just bangin out at 5k RPM to sweet smoke - almost had a head on too.Hhe literally broke down and swerved off at that exact moment or I might actually be dead now. I kept mashing the gas in a panic, trying to get the power and running out of time. Manual mode isn't a toy. To do what you describe, you need to know how your powerband responds at all key points before you even try, by only your ears, hands on the wheel, and right foot.
Slower cars are far more forgiving on the margins. With skill, you may be able to find some goldilocks nooks with a truly fast car. You gotta find those ins and exploit them if you want to smoothly drop gears without braking or losing a lot of acceleration.
Done right, it feels great because you basically have no noticeable interruption to your acceleration. Basically, if you can time it, it works like an absolute dream. If you fail, it's a disaster, and maybe even dangerous. You probably won't damage anything, but you'll lose sync with your speed control and steering will change drastically, and quickly. Not something I advise you 'just try.' In my second post, I describe a safer way to learn where your jump points are, that doesn't involve any launching.
The thing is, each specific gear change has a slightly different sweet spot for making that drop, because each 'gear' is ratioed differently. If you do it at the wrong spot in the powerband for the gear, or mistime it, you can get jerkiness and weak launches. IME, doesn't feel like something that's super-awesome for your mounts. You want the engine burning and pulling juuust right for the RPM it will hit in that moment, to keep it all smoothly DRIVING forward. The moment you lost continuity in your push, you might as well start abandoning what you wanted to do with that speed and go up a gear, granny it back because it's not worth the risk. Essentially what you are trying to do is keep the power transfer roughly the same across that jump up in RPM's on the downshift. You need more throttle, more air to keep the engine burning at that speed and continuing to transfer energy through the tires.
Sometimes it's prudent to brake a little to approach the window. It's best to let off the gas right before the powerband 'turns over' and gives you the *real* juice. There's a point early up the band where you'll have a rapid surge of air and torque. That's the time, because the RPM's will drop faster, meaning you can shift sooner. The same torque that gives you the boost in acceleration with throttle, works in reverse to slow the engine when you don't. Also tends to mean you'll be at a prime point in the powerband for a surge of torque that will overcome the resistance of the road/engine immediately after you downshift. At that point, you just need to not skimp on the gas so it doesn't lurch, keep going until you can get it back up into next gear at a cruisable RPM ;) Maybe you shoot a little late on the upshift so the RPM's crash-out a bit when you do.
Say you want to overtake someone... maybe you're matching their speed at 2-2.5k RPM. In most cars, you're going to have enough throttle to gain at least 5mph nice and snappy at that range. You should be starting your overtake by approaching the driver you want to pass, and this should give you just enough throttle to get into position. Maybe by the time you are close enough to begin your overtake, you are approaching or just passing 3k. That's perfect, because chances are the engine braking will have a bit of a 'low' patch where it will resist more, as it's rapidly dropping out of the powerband. As this is happening, you can downshift and begin to get over. But the time you complete getting over you should drop and then have quite a bit of throttle going. The idea is to let it roll down to the right RPM so that when you do actually drop the gear, you're at the right point in the powerband that when you give it serious gas, it grabs and the powertrain doesn't make the whole car lurch back from resisting the road. You have to give it enough throttle to overcome that and get quickly up the powerband for your overtake. If you do this right, you can gain instant speed with nothing but smooth Gs.
Just be careful. If you give it too much throttle, you might start to spin your tires at speed, which to me is especially dangerous because if you don't have TC on, or don't see the light... you might not feel the loss of grip, but the car will respond very differently to wheel input.
IDK, I'm not an expert. This way is challenging because you have to basically drill the timing points in as you encounter opportunities. But IME it has the capability to give you lots acceleration smoothly once you have enough practice to execute on it. It's all about getting that intuition up on knowing what the engine is gonna be like before you even downshift. With time, you don't even think about it, you just do it - and it's far easier to do than it is with a full manual transmission. You just think about the speed you want to go, and do the right sequence to get there quickly and efficiently. You're basically drawing the power and drivetrain back like a rubber band, carefully letting it go just right so it doesn't rebound and instead just launches off quickly.
Simple example... If I want to drop 10mph hour into a corner, I might drop two whole gears in sequence with a quick drop of the gas, and as I feel the clutches letting off I'm going to plant the gas in a specific spot that's gonna hold the speed I was at when I shifted across those RPM's. And then to actually slow down, I will incrementally roll off of the gas pedal until I'm going the speed I want. And I just plan for all of that going in. From wherever I land, I'll still be applying a minimal amount of throttle. And because of that, I can quickly go up the same way from wherever I am - ramp-up the gas pedal and the car will go. Let off more and it will 'catch' on the road. That stuff gets you in and out of downshifts in MM.
@@MickDrivesCars Agreed. "Slushie horrible change" is a pretty good descriptor for poor timing of a decelerating downshift into a launch. It's not that it can't be done. Just maybe better done after getting used to doing it the normal way, eh? I'm sure there are times when you yourself just know the stars are aligned and it just seems to happen from that point. Can't tell me it doesn't feel just great!
Personally, I started feeling it out by doing mixed braking when I had the distance and luxury of traffic leeway. Very light braking only when needed, see how the gear ratios affect how the car interfaces with the road. I just don't like spinning up my transmission too fast with forces going in the opposite direction, so I only use the very bottom of the powerband to slow down. In manual mode I tend to cruise between 2 and 3k RPM. So right when I close throttle, I start steadily losing speed and the suspension stays enagaged with the road (avoiding that floaty feeling and instead feeling the road wanting to subtly shift the axle pitch yard by yard.) Started to play with when I could just drop a gear while rolling from that point and get a gentle cushion in speed reduction instead of the jerk. Basically the highest passive rev outside of the core section of the powerband determines what gear I run. To downshift-accelerate smoothly, you want to line it up to crest that hill at the same time. I came to like downshifting just for instant cruise speed adjustments, the jump from 3 to 2k is a significant speed reduction that still feels smooth and transitions smoothly to robust acceleration for me. Or you can keep coasting down another 5-10mph. A tap of gas anywhere in there will launch even the Kia back to the start of the 'meat' of the powqerband, let alone my custom Mazda 3 turbo, which is already getting jolty with every touch at that point. Feathering the gas is another thing you have to feel out for that. A big part of using manual mode effectively comes down to your throttle balance.
Outside of shifting, you basically have a very low baseline throttle you are always maintaining to hold the lower gears that keep you in better sweet spots to better react with your foot... or at least I do. Shifts basically move in tandem with the range your foot has, In the right range, you position yourself exactly where you want in the powerband using only your foot. It can be fun to hold a tight distance with a brake-rider stuck in those high gears while you finely match their speed by the actual second this way with just relaxed little foot nudges forward and back, heh. You learn to keep just a little 'momentum' tension on the throttle to push off of when you want to use it to go up or down in speed. Letting off to downshift is essentially like a more dramatic version of that, or more it uses the principles behind that to work.
Braking is far more comfortable though, and takes a lot less distance. And because you are feathering the intake valves, you still don't burn much fuel, not much heat or efficiency problems for those extra RPMs. AFAIK it's just a vaccuum created by a pressure difference from limited airflow causing it to stay at those RPMs. This helped me work out where to be for my acceleration downshifts, too. The point in RPM to drop for immediate, smooth deceleration is also the point to drop when I want max torque behind every bit of distance that gas pedal covers towards the floor. It is A LOT easier to find if you are rolling to a stop, than trying to drop into a launch. All you have to do to find it is start decelerating/downshifting a *tad* prematurely and finding yourself putting down a smidgen of gas to carry another 50ft towards the light before beginning your stop again. If the car was peppy when you gassed it, you were there. All that's left from there is to work on matching the two elements of shifting and throttle control up.
TL;DR, you can do it, but only if you learn to thread your needles.
Hi Thanks for the video I learned a lot, what make and model of car is it with a paddle shift
I definitely like manuel mode but i noticed how much gas i was burning, which led me here. Now i see how to manage it a little better. I was staying in the lower gears a bit too long.
Revs = fuel economy pretty much 👊