Manual SS shifting question

[Nate76]

I've had my 2013 SS for a few months now and thought I was shifting the gears pretty well. I would have some jolting and unsmooth shifts, but if I really tried I could make the shifts pretty good. I had a manual about 15 years ago so it wasn't my first, but it had been a while. Anyways, I drove my friends manual honda civic and it was night and day compared to my camaro. It shifted effortlessly and was very forgiving. Every shift in that car I made was perfect. I was wondering if the camaro is just a different beast because of the power, torque and gear ratios or if maybe there was something up with my transmission. Can anyone else compare changing gears in a SS to other cars? Is it a rough/touchy/jolty vehicle to drive?

[ChrisBlair]

Some cars have better shifters and gearboxes than others. "Better" meaning many different things.

However to answer your question, I would need to know what exactly do you mean by:

'rough'
'touchy'
'jolty'

[FB3]

I do not have any problem shifting my '14 SS nor did I have any with my '10 SS. I find the clutch and transmission very smooth.

[oldfriend]

Just like girlfriends , some sift smother than oders , but on the end , the job gets done !

[PDP_SS]

I also have a 13 ss and YES at time it is very jolty and rough but I think it's the nature of the beast I can also make it smooth and it shifts fine but I time I wonder WTF lol

[HOJO]

Two different animals for sure. Hp, torque, weight, gearing in bot h trans and diff, different style clutches. It had been 30+ since I was in a manual performance car and it took some time to get smooth again. This worked to smooth things out for me.....when you shift, no matter what gear your going into try this. When you depress the clutch only depress it half way or a little more. Just enough to accomplish the shift, no more pedal is needed. I get a lot smoother release doing this as opposed to pushing the clutch all the way down and then coming back up. Try it a few times. Even my wife was impressed at how much better she could do. My drivetrain noise is gone.....unless I screw something up which still happens on occasion. lol

[GundamX7X]

This was my third manual car that I have ever drove, when I test drove it at the dealership I stalled out 3 times. It took me a few days to find the engagement point on the clutch, once I did my shifts became much smoother. With the Camaro it requires a little bit more concentration then other cars. Some tips when at a light put it in neutral and take your foot off the clutch. If you stop at a light and its about to change get your clutch foot ready by letting off the clutch about an inch to an inch and a half just enough not to stall the car, right at that 50% engagement point, this will help for a smoother takeoff. Never downshift to 1st gear unless stopped, practice revmatching it is required and will help. I had the liberty to take my buddy to a chevy dealership last year, he bought a 2013 V6 manual Camaro. I had to drive it home for him because he was a beginner at manual transmission and wow you will not believe how different the gearboxes and clutch feel on these two cars. The V8 clutch is pretty stiff not too stiff but stiff enough. The V6 clutch was soft and felt electronic, not hydraulic like the v8. I do have a Hurst shifter which does make the shifting a tab bit tougher but shorter, with the v6 I could slap the shifter around like nothing. I think theses differences has to do with the HP each car puts out, I could not imagine driving the V8 with the v6 clutch and shifter or the v6 with the v8 clutch and shifter. Im am happy with my choice I made with the manual transmission, I have a lot of fun with it. Remember the V8 with a manual transmission is more of a skilled drivers car, you get a lot more feedback form the car then you can give back in return. Learn about the gear ratios, top speed each gear can handle and rev matching. Practice it in a long parking lot and understand the engagement point on that clutch and you will be fine. Sorry didn't mean to write a book here I just had a little extra time, when you are deployed words seem to keep coming

[kevinw]

i am a fan of automatics and thats what i have. however, my ex wife had a 88 Escort GT 5 speed. i couldnt shift that car is my life depended on it. it had been about 15 years since i drove a stick. last year i test drove a 2010 2SS stick, and i couldnt believe how easy and effortless it shifted. i was amazed since i hadnt driven a stick for many years. anyway, i was quite impressed with the ease that SS shifted!

[GundamX7X]

Originally Posted by HOJO

Two different animals for sure. Hp, torque, weight, gearing in bot h trans and diff, different style clutches. It had been 30+ since I was in a manual performance car and it took some time to get smooth again. This worked to smooth things out for me.....when you shift, no matter what gear your going into try this. When you depress the clutch only depress it half way or a little more. Just enough to accomplish the shift, no more pedal is needed. I get a lot smoother release doing this as opposed to pushing the clutch all the way down and then coming back up. Try it a few times. Even my wife was impressed at how much better she could do. My drivetrain noise is gone.....unless I screw something up which still happens on occasion. lol

Your absolutely right you hit it on the money, I could not have said it any better.

[GundamX7X]

Yea after practicing on that your became an instant pro. Sometimes it pays to take the hard road.

[PsychoZL1]

Out of all the cars that I have driven with a manual transmission I have found that all of the Camaros that I have owned were the easiest manual transmissions to drive.

[ChrisBlair]

Gee, wish I could say the same. Mine's notchy. I need to install my new shifter and see what's what. My Sol GXP had a great shifter. Well, probably still does, but whoever the new owner is probably can't drive it becasue of all the recalls!

[alaskacamaro]

Originally Posted by Nate76

I've had my 2013 SS for a few months now and thought I was shifting the gears pretty well. I would have some jolting and unsmooth shifts, but if I really tried I could make the shifts pretty good. I had a manual about 15 years ago so it wasn't my first, but it had been a while. Anyways, I drove my friends manual honda civic and it was night and day compared to my camaro. It shifted effortlessly and was very forgiving. Every shift in that car I made was perfect. I was wondering if the camaro is just a different beast because of the power, torque and gear ratios or if maybe there was something up with my transmission. Can anyone else compare changing gears in a SS to other cars? Is it a rough/touchy/jolty vehicle to drive?

Op, the stock shifter in a tad notchy. I had issues getting into 6th and not being able to find reverse a few times.

Practice your footwork like others have said. Try not to shift below 2k rpm either. Once you get some practice on smoother transitions, I would recommend a good short throw shifter install. It will reduce travel between each shift.

[stlrammer]

My 2010 manual SS shifted stiffly and I also had clutch clang going from 1st to 2nd. It seemed a bit clunky through all 6 gears. I think it was due to the overall high performance of the car. Drove it for 3 years and loved it. I would not expect an SS to shift like a Honda Civic.