I have grinded second gear once so I know what it feels like and sounds. The grinding I am talking about is not really a grind; or at least I don't think it is. It feels almost like when you shift and let off the clutch too early and just at the very end the gears snag. It doesn't make any noise and just feels funny. I know there are lots of forum topics on second gear grinding but I don't think it is a grind and nobody mentioned it being a problem with rpms. As much as I enjoy shifting at 6 everytime the temptation to take it to 9 is so high and I want to save gas.

 

I know what you are talking about, I feel that notchiness every once in awhile as the gears engage. I think it's just the direct connection and high precision quality materials in the tranny -- the parts fit just so and they're not made of butter steel so you feel the metal to metal contact. Rev matching, warm car, good fluid (I use stock), and the smooth shifting described above will all help. I don't think any damage is happening as long as fluid is maintained.

Oh, and I usually shift @ 3k when cold, 4-5k normal driving, and once warm 9k as often as possible!
I get about 20mpg...

 

3K when cold, 4.5-5.5K when warmed up for daily driving. Below that there is just not enough torque to move around. Once in a while shift at redline.

I also feel the notchy 1st to 2nd shift when cold, becomes better when the car is warmed up but never smooth like all the other gears. Never had a problem from 3rd to 2nd however. I push the shifter a little more left and down and than seems to help for the 2nd gear. Dealer said that this is normal multiple times.

 

Shifting right at 6000 is fine with pre-04's, but on the 04-05 it would cause VTEC interruptus, a bad thing. On my 04 I find that shifting at about 5000 already feels good, otherwise go all the way! Road conditions of course affect the shifting point (uphill, downhill, sharp curve, wet, etc.).

 

[QUOTE=Muraenidae,Mar 24 2005, 06:05 AM] It feels almost like when you shift and let off the clutch too early and just at the very end the gears snag.

 

Thanks xviper,
That is what I was hoping the answer was but it is such a weird feeling to get used to that I wanted to make sure, especially since I have read forums where people say the gears are grinding. The final question is, will shifting at the lower rpms where I feel the syncros working wear them out faster?
I know these guys are not shifting at 9 but I wansn't sure if others are shifting around 6 because it has such a high redline.
M.

 

Again, worry not.
Working the syncros at low rpm, low torque, low load, is not going to wear them out faster than if you were to shift high rpm, high load, high torque. At the elevated engine and gear speeds, they work harder. It just that you feel them more in the low rpms because things are more sedate. When you are shifting at high rpm, you are generally in a hurry. The shifter movement is faster, more abrupt, with more force and the world is more of a "blur". Things happen so fast, you are less likely to detect this bit of "resistance" going into the next gear.
Shift at 4K, 5K, 6K, 7K, etc, based on what you want the car to do. Obviously if you need to acelerate into traffic a bit more briskly, you hold each gear a bit longer. If there is no urgency, you can shift calmly as low as 2500 to 3000 rpm and in time, you'll figure out what kinds of gas, throttle, shifter coordination it takes to make this seemless.
Many people have a HUGE misconception of what a grind really is. Not that I would advise you do it, but to get the image of what a "grind" is or sounds like, think about what it would be like if you had a table saw running and you brushed up against the spinning teeth, another piece of metal. Once you've ground a gear change, you WILL know it. It is an unmistakable sound and feel. Another way is: one day, you'll be shifting in a hurry and you are not paying attention. Your clutch foot is a bit "lazy" and does not push the pedal all the way to the floor at the moment the shifter goes into another gear or if your shifter movement is just a bit off and you don't go "squarely" into the next gate. You will grind.

 

Have just a couple of hundred miles on the car. But it seems to be fairly sensitive to having the clutch all the way in for shifts and also to correct rpm matching to the selected gear. Don't notice that any particular rpm is a problem.

In general this is a great shifter and in my experience you just have to pay attention while you're learning a car. After that it all comes naturally.

To vAnt: "Heel and toe" is for downshifting under braking. This technique has an unfortunate name. Actually on today's cars you just arrange your foot on the brake so that you can keep braking pressure on while you roll your foot over on to thottle to blip it to the proper rpm as you shift to the selected gear. You don't actually use your heel at all. Of course if your not braking no need to "heel and toe".

I'm not great at it but a couple of things. Wear shoes that with soles that won't slip off the brake. Before you try it on the road put the handbrake on in your parking spot, engine on, and practice pressing the brake while feeling where your foot needs to be on the brake to do the "roll". Then see how much roll gets how many rpms. This also gets more natural as you get used to the car.