Shifting Woes
- Thread starter usdeg
- Start date
I don't think that the Germans have dropped in price much. Mercedes and BMW still demand a significant premium over their Japanese competitors (Lexus, and sometmies Infiniti and Acura), but they the Germans do give you a lot of car for the money. I also believe that German cars are not that un-reliable as so many people say. My parents have had Mercedes vehicles my whole life, and they have never had any major problems with them. I think that when people get a "lemon" of a vehicle, it is a very unfortunate and rare case. But the thing is, whenever somebody gets a lemon, they sign up for lots of forums and just talk about it like crazy. But a happy Mercedes or BMW owner just drives and is satisfied...what is there to talk about or say??? I really feel that the whole German cars being unreliable is way overrated.
Usdeg, to get back to your original question ... I have had the same experience. My car jerks quite a bit when I shift from 1st to 2nd. (BTW, my car is not a bmw.) I have tried shifting other cars and they don't seem to have this problem. I have been told that the reason for this is because sporty cars have "heavier" clutches to grip the flywheel. I'm not sure about the bmw325 but my car has 300 ft lbs of torque. Miata's don't have much torque so that's why you didn't feel any jerks. Anyways, the only way that I have been able to reduce that jerkiness is to not shift as fast. This is what I do:
1) accelerate
2) step off the accelerator and pause for a sec
3) shift gears
Step 2) seems to do the trick but sucks if you're trying to go fast.
1) accelerate
2) step off the accelerator and pause for a sec
3) shift gears
Step 2) seems to do the trick but sucks if you're trying to go fast.
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When I first got my 5 shifting was hard as hell. I was used to driving my VW Turbo diesel and since it’s a diesel it doesn't care how or when you shift, the high torque at low RPMs make it really hard to stall. When I first started driving the BMW it was a living hell. I was used to just letting go of the clutch without giving any gas at all because the torque was so damn high the car efortlessly took off. With gasoline engines its different though, you have to give it some gas (obviously). Since BMWs are performance cars and are very sensitive it takes some precision and practice to making a smooth shift, most of my friends with BMWs still jerk the car a bit when shifting and they've had them for awhile (that’s because they suck!). Maybe you're just not giving it enough gas, try doing this, I hope it helps:
1. First of all, you have to know how the clutch works. If you don't go to www.howthingswork.com and see it there, it is explained very well, then come back and read this.
2. Try giving the engine a bit more gas (just don't go past 3,000, as this is pointless unless you're racing) and then very slowly START RELEASING THE CLUTCH. When you feel the car start moving, KEEP THE CLUTCH WHERE IT IS, let the engine overcome the weight of the car as you begin moving.
3. When you feel that the car has started moving, then you can SLOWLY release the clutch all the way, then give a bit more gas and the car should smoothly take off. As you gain speed it starts getting much easier, starting from dead point with a manual is toughest. That's all theres to it.
By the way, I usually up shift at 2,500 RPM, and downshift at around 1,900. I don’t know if the same can work with a 3 series since I've never driven a manual one but you should just try to find that "sweet spot." Good luck.
1. First of all, you have to know how the clutch works. If you don't go to www.howthingswork.com and see it there, it is explained very well, then come back and read this.
2. Try giving the engine a bit more gas (just don't go past 3,000, as this is pointless unless you're racing) and then very slowly START RELEASING THE CLUTCH. When you feel the car start moving, KEEP THE CLUTCH WHERE IT IS, let the engine overcome the weight of the car as you begin moving.
3. When you feel that the car has started moving, then you can SLOWLY release the clutch all the way, then give a bit more gas and the car should smoothly take off. As you gain speed it starts getting much easier, starting from dead point with a manual is toughest. That's all theres to it.
By the way, I usually up shift at 2,500 RPM, and downshift at around 1,900. I don’t know if the same can work with a 3 series since I've never driven a manual one but you should just try to find that "sweet spot." Good luck.
Thanks for all the input. Thats exactly what I have been doing for last couple of weeks and I seem to be getting better at it. Infact just today my friend was saying that my shifting has become very smooth. I was getting frustrated because I have ridden motorcycles all my life. I currently own a Honda 954 which has 135 hp and ways only 400lbs. I could control the clutch of this beast in no time. What I have learned is that BMW is very different. It does take a while to get a smooth shifting. I can honestly says that after reading all the above advices and trying them out in the last couple of days, my shifting woes are almost over , if not completely gone.