Z4 3.0si manual – smoother shifting tips

M

martinsnajdr

Member
 Czech republic
Hello,

I have recently bought E86 Coupe. I have bit of a trouble to shift up / down smoothly, because compared to my 2017 Ford Focus, the revs drop so quickly. I need some tips, because I'm bit worried about my transmission / clutch.

  1. The most problematic for me is shifting 1st to 2nd gear. To shift smoothly, I need to be as quick as 1 second or really really slowly let the revs come up at the clutch bite point. I have read about upshift rev matching, but I'm not sure about that.
  2. Sometimes when I'm just driving at 1000-1500RPMs at 1st gear and press the clutch, the car jerks and I hear clunking noise. Am I pushing the clutch too slowly? Do I need to be quicker? Or maybe improve timing between releasing the accelerator vs. pressing the clutch, because engine breaks really hard at lower gears?
  3. When I'm slowing down in 2nd gear to like 12km/h and trying to shift to 1st gear while slowing down more, I feel this weird sensation of "something rotating inside" the transmission and not allowing me to shift to first. First I thought that I'm too harsh and pushing the shifter past the first to reverse, but I have really focused on that and no – I'm really trying to shift to 1st gear. Do I need to be fully stop to shift to 1st or?

I know my questions sound stupid. I'm used to drive manual car, I drive very smoothly in my Focus, but it's 10 years younger car.

I have read some posts about removing CDV, installing clutch stop etc. But I would like to learn how to drive the car as smooth as possible before making some modifications.

Any tips would be appreciated. I am gonna get transmission fluid / differential fluid changed this month. But maybe it's gonna need more. I'm trying to find what's my lack of skill and what's the car issue.

Thanks!
 
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There is a clutch delay valve between 1st and 2nd. It’s much easier once you’re used to it. Some people remove them for smoother gear changes. Simple enough job if that’s the way you chose to go
 
paddy wright said:
There is a clutch delay valve between 1st and 2nd. It’s much easier once you’re used to it. Some people remove them for smoother gear changes. Simple enough job if that’s the way you chose to go
Click to expand...
To be completely accurate the delay valve works on every change as it simply restricts the speed of the fluid leaving the clutch slave cylinder to prevent ‘dumping the clutch’ and shock loading the drive train.
So many people swear by removing the valve to give more direct feel but I guess it must be down to personal taste as I tried it on one zed and couldn’t tell any difference? Possibly down to my upbringing being on 70s RWD Fords?
But removing it had no detrimental effect so may as well give it a go?
 
So my experience after month of driving my Coupe 3.0si:

When I press the clutch in linear fashion and release the gas pedal quickly at the same time, it's jerky.
When I press the clutch more exponentially and delay the release of the gas pedal for 0.2-0.3s, it's smooth.

Anybody has the same experience?
 
I’ve had my coupé for 8 years now. I also find it more difficult to shift smoothly compared to other cars I drive, mainly Volvos.

The engine’s revs drop fast but the gearbox and clutch action are not happy to shift fast. They need time.

When driving slowly and shifting up, I pause the clutch at the bite point slightly to get the revs up. Or I support with tiny throttle input simultaneously as letting go of the clutch slowly.

In low gears (1 and 2 mostly) I recognize what you describe when pressing the clutch, the car can jerk and you get a clunking noise. I think it might be due to there’s still a load through the gearbox? Does the CDV release too slow? This is most noticeable when driving slowly with low engine rpm. Making sure that the throttle pedal is fully released and how (quick or slow) the clutch pedal is pressed seams to help, sometimes.

At higher rpm it’s smoother. But the gearbox and clutch do not like being rushed. It is also sensitive to not rev-matching when shifting down. And it can be relative tricky to get the rev-matching right.

Under full throttle accelerating and shifting to next gear; I have to wait half-of-a-second longer than what feels natural (after releasing the clutch) before I can give full throttle again. If I don’t, I can feel the clutch slip. I blame the CDV for this, but I’m not sure?
 
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fredej said:
I’ve had my coupé for 8 years now. I also find it more difficult to shift smoothly compared to other cars I drive, mainly Volvos.

The engine’s revs drop fast but the gearbox and clutch action are not happy to shift fast. They need time.

When driving slowly and shifting up, I pause the clutch at the bite point slightly to get the revs up. Or I support with tiny throttle input simultaneously as letting go of the clutch slowly.

In low gears (1 and 2 mostly) I recognize what you describe when pressing the clutch, the car can jerk and you get a clunking noise. I think it might be due to there’s still a load through the gearbox? Does the CDV release too slow? This is most noticeable when driving slowly with low engine rpm. Making sure that the throttle pedal is fully released and how (quick or slow) the clutch pedal is pressed seams to help, sometimes.

At higher rpm it’s smoother. But the gearbox and clutch do not like being rushed. It is also sensitive to not rev-matching when shifting down. And it can be relative tricky to get the rev-matching right.

Under full throttle accelerating and shifting to next gear; I have to wait half-of-a-second longer than what feels natural (after releasing the clutch) before I can give full throttle again. If I don’t, I can feel the clutch slip. I blame the CDV for this, but I’m not sure?
Click to expand...

I really appreciate your post. Very good insight!

For me the CDV is still quite a "mystery". At first I thought it does it's job only when releasing the clutch. But it seems like its two-way and also that the slip / bite / friction point is different when pressing vs. releasing. Don't know, maybe it's just my impression...

The RPMs are going down incredibly fast (compared to what I'm used to in my other car). Releasing the throttle pedal in advance of pressing the clutch sometimes helps, but I have found out what I have described above. When I keep the throttle slightly pressed (like 3-5%), press the clutch and then release the throttle completely, there is no jerk, no clunk noise. And I don't feel like I'm riding the clutch because the RPMs are not going quickly up. They just don't fall that quickly. Also when the pressing clutch motion starts slower and ends faster (as I described as exponential, not sure it it's the right word), it also helps.
 
Your Ford has been designed to let all drivers of all shapes, sizes and abilities drive with ease. Your Z4 was not. It is a sports car and it's letting you know that you need to improve your habits.

I have a Mondeo, and I can be lazy with the clutch driving that, whereas the Zed demands more pedal control. My problem was a slight jerking sensation (titter ye not!) releasing the clutch. A smoother pedal operation has eliminated this.

Get some more miles under your belt and see where you are 800km later.
 
The CDV is just a restriction for the oil on the clutch line. It will slow down the clutch action in both directions.

It definitely takes some time to get used to the gearbox and clutch in the Coupé, especially if you regularly drive another manual car. In some way it can be a good thing, because there is always something to focus on and try to improve when driving.
When you find a nice winding road and can push on a bit, it's very rewarding to get the rev-matching right.
 
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