Am I shifting wrong?

Barber31 said:
I read that lugging the engine is not good so I try to avoid it but the when i slow down to make a turn its kinda hard for me to not do it. When I'm approaching a turn onto a residential street in 3rd gear I apply the clutch/brake make turn and then ease off clutch and keep rolling in third. This driving style causes lugging. So I thought I'd try shifting down to 2nd in to my turn and speeding back up to 3rd. Problem is when I do that the gears grind trying to put it into 2nd. I have to let engine rpm slow down a lot for it to engage properly. So much that it looks like I'm trying to make a complete stop. Am I not doing it right?
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Don't feel bad, even Henry couldn't get his mind around the Model A transmission. He didn't the way it shifted but I don't remember what convinced him to use it in the Model A.

Chet
 
For the first year lol I just rolled to a stop or round the corner of course this is wrong and wanted to get it right. I found out my problem was to get 2n'd to 3rd OUT of my mind when I am trying to go from 3rd to 2nd. I like to drive rather slow so when a light would come up or a turn now I slow down before hand with my hand out the door to let these ppl know then I downshift keeping in mind clutch in shift out then REVE it up to downshift. My brother the truck driver lol would always downshift while he was going to fast and of course the big drop in speed from 3rd to 2nd never was right and I told him about it. Hes doing much better but for me going slow to start with makes the downshifting the Easiest way to Learn. Once I got the feel for it then its easy for sure.

Keep On Truckin'
 
..........and it's always embarrassing to grind a gear when your friends are standing on the street corner watching as you drive by!
 
Veger said:
For the first year lol I just rolled to a stop or round the corner of course this is wrong and wanted to get it right. I found out my problem was to get 2n'd to 3rd OUT of my mind when I am trying to go from 3rd to 2nd. I like to drive rather slow so when a light would come up or a turn now I slow down before hand with my hand out the door to let these ppl know then I downshift keeping in mind clutch in shift out then REVE it up to downshift. My brother the truck driver lol would always downshift while he was going to fast and of course the big drop in speed from 3rd to 2nd never was right and I told him about it. Hes doing much better but for me going slow to start with makes the downshifting the Easiest way to Learn. Once I got the feel for it then its easy for sure.

Keep On Truckin'
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So if i think of neutral as a gear: 3rd, clutch in, shift to neutral, clutch out, rev a bit, let foot off gas, clutch in, shift to 2nd....
 
mshmodela said:
So if i think of neutral as a gear: 3rd, clutch in, shift to neutral, clutch out, rev a bit, let foot off gas, clutch in, shift to 2nd....
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Correct, but that BIT is usually a bit more than you think, because it's quite a difference from 2nd to 3rd and from 3rd to 2nd.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
Correct, but that BIT is usually a bit more than you think, because it's quite a difference from 2nd to 3rd and from 3rd to 2nd.
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Understood, make sense... In looking at http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/uploads/TRANSMISSSIONASSEMBLYEXPLODED-10150.pdf

The idea is rpm of ANY gear (item 20, 23, 24) of what the Cluster Gear, item 19, so that ? Cluster gear can mate/mesh with 20, 23,24 ?

Wondering from that drawing, aside from 20 being reverse where is 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear...
 
Tom is right.....I think the mistake most folks make in downshifting to second is not giving it enough gas.....there is a big gap in the ratios between 2nd and 3rd....you need to give the throttle a healthy "blip".
Terry
 
No amount of explanation or talk over a cup of coffee will substitute for actually doing it with an instructor talking to you while you do it. After that, a lot of practice will get you to where you can easily up or down shift WITHOUT the clutch.
The main thing you have to learn is the SOUND of the engine that corresponds to the proper time to move the shift lever. After you learn this, you can double clutch and never hear a gear grinding.
Look for a local sports car racer type that is willing to show you shifting technique.
He will show you what is called the heel and toe method along with standard shifting.
All of this is like learning to play the piano. You are not going to pick it up in 10 minutes of jabber. If you are dedicated enough you have to spend a LOT of time to learn it properly.
Most people never learn it right and go merrily on their way grinding. Even if you only grind once a week, it is unacceptable.
Did you ever hear Paderewski make a mistake when playing the Menuet?
 
The "sports racer type" reference above is sport on. I always thought that that the amount of "blip" in the 3-2 shift on my Model "A" at speed was almost identical to the "blip" required in a proper MGA 4-3 downshift with worn synchros. It's easier to drive an "A" like you would drive a normal car than to "baby" it. It's much harder to get the hang of double clutching at low speed. Very difficult to break a Model "A".
 
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