Hey guys, I'd really appreciate some guidance. I purchased an LX 6 speed last night and I'm loving it, but it's my first manual car and I really want to make sure I'm using it without applying extra wear and tear. It's my first time with a manual car, but I did a lot of research beforehand and can drive it pretty decently, but I think I might be riding the clutch.

When I'm in reverse, my clutch is at a halfway point the entire time I'm backing out. I like to back out slowly so I don't hit anything, so if I don't keep the clutch half way, I would stall out. How do you manage reversing?

After starting into first and getting rolling, by the time I'm ready to switch it into second gear, my foot is either still on the clutch so that I transfer into first smoothly, or I had just finished disengaging the clutch a second or two before. Am I holding the clutch down too long in first?

When changing gears, if I engage the clutch, switch gears (up), and disengage the clutch, the car will jolt a little bit. Instead, after switch gears, I apply a little gas as I slowly disengage the clutch. This is smoother, but am I wearing the clutch too much?

Should I stick to the first 4 gears when I'm driving under highway speeds to decrease extra shifting and clutch usage? I've only gone into 5th once so far.

I really like the car and I'd love to know what I can do to make it stay with me for a long time, so please let me know if you have any pointers.

Thanks!

 

I have an LX 6MT as well, great little car so far! Perhaps you have already found the various threads about the manual transmission, but if not search it on this site - lots of good info.

I've only driven manual cars, with the exception of our other vehicle, a Santa Fe. Overall, and this is generally agreed upon, this Fit has very short gear ratios, meaning that your RPMs will increase rapidly in any one gear before needing to shift. The shift between first and second is ridiculously quick unless you want to scream through an intersection from a stop! For typical city streets I'm usually riding in fourth, sometimes even fifth if it is a faster urban street.

In terms of highway speeds, I'd definitely suggest being in sixth gear. You'll get better fuel economy and a quieter ride. In fourth at highway speeds your Fit must be approaching the red line... it flirts with 3000 RPM for me in sixth, so I can't imagine how high it gets in fourth!

Having said all of this, I have found that this car is happiest when I open it up a bit between shifts. Like you, when I first got the car I was babying it a bit, and I had a few bad shifts. I've started driving it a bit higher in each gear, and the shifts are smoother. I found this the same way with my old Civic too, so perhaps Honda manual transmissions are geared this way.

I don't find reversing to be a problem, but my wife hates the reverse gear - she finds it hard to find the sweet spot when it doesn't lug or shudder.

Good luck!

 

Its just practice you need. The more you drive the more smooth your shifts will become. First is definitely the the toughest one to get smooth, took me a couple days to get a nice transition on the new clutch. Keep at it, you'll get the hang of it.

As for cruising around I find 4th and 5th gear pretty much useless in the 6 speed lx. I usually get up to cruising speed (55-60kph) 1 through 4 then skip 5th all together and just sit in 6th. As long as I don't have to hit any hills or sharp inclines 6th is golden. I must say I pay way too much attention the the green, light blue, dark/evil blue video game happening around my speedometer . I try to keep that sucker green as much as possible...last tank of gas I kept my L/100km at 5.7!

 

Just keep at it, you'll get it. I am a lifelong MT driver and on my third and fourth days with my new Fit I thought I'd made a mistake not getting the CVT ... my launches sucked and I had trouble keeping it smooth between gears, esp. between first and second. Later I realized a big part of the problem was my shoes (yes!) ... I was wearing loose-fitting Crocs (no judging, they are great for plantar faciitas or however you spell that) and when I switched to my street Nikes a lot of the problems disappeared.

Give it a few weeks and you should do fine. Clutches today are pretty hardy and can take a lot of abuse; a few weeks of learning isn't going to hurt it. Just stay away from the burnouts and keep your foot off the clutch pedal when you're not using it and you'll be fine.

I use sixth gear a lot, and I mean A LOT, even in town ... I get up to speed with first-second-third then straight over to sixth. (This was a surprise, I didn't realize you could cruise sixth gear at 30 mph.) It's OK to skip a gear (or two) as long as your speed is up. On my car, fifth is the loneliest gear; it's so close to sixth I don't use it much.

After you feel really comfortable with your skill, start paying attention to the blue/green ambient meters around the speedo. I hated that thing when I first got the car but now think it's one of the coolest features. I get up to speed, put it in the right gear (usually sixth) and go for the green as much as possible.

 

For maximum clutch life there are only two good clutch positions, fully engaged and fully disengaged. The time you spend with the clutch half-engaged should be minimized.

Sometimes you are forced to slip the clutch, such as when inching back out of a parking space. When this happens, engage the clutch just long enough to get the car rolling, then disengage and let it roll out

When accelerating from a stop, get the clutch fully engaged as soon and at as low an RPM as your can do smoothly.

Shifting gears should involve little or no slipping of the clutch. Disengage, shift, engage, while manipulating the throttle to match engine speed to the wheel speed for the gear you are in.

Make a habit of keeping your foot off of the clutch pedal unless you are using it. Don't use the clutch pedal as a footrest!

 

A clutch is exactly like a brake.. they both do the same thing... You're not going to hurt it by slipping it backing up.. no more than you hurt brakes by coming to controlled stops.

Don't keep your foot on the clutch going down the road anymore than your foot on the brake.. that's about the only way you'll hurt it..

 

Thanks for all of the advice. I won't worry about keeping the clutch half engaged if I'm easing forward or backward for a short distance like parking. Any advice for upshifting smoothly, especially into second? I usually do first and fourth+ pretty well, but second is roughest and third can be too. I've tried shifting at different MPHs, shifting quickly or slowly, using just the clutch with no gas, and using the clutch and gas together - easing off the clutch and on the gas at the same time. Sometimes it goes smoothly but I can't really pin point what I'm doing differently when it transitions nicely.

 

I've driven a manual transmission car since 1984.. that's a few years.. I still struggle with the 1st to 2nd shift in the Fit.. don't be too hard on yourself... it'll come...

 

This is the most corny transmission I owned so far. 1st to 2nd always tricky to get done perfectly smooth. I very rarely get 1st to 2nd right under WOT at red line. But then again, this is no race car, just a made in Mexico car as per Honda's cheapest offering, not to mention that the tranny and motor are brand new designs too: "earth dreams" as they call it. So yea, I am still dreaming for a better 5 speed replacing this pesky 6 speed.

As to reverse, it's normal to feather the clutch as needed. I almost never use the accelerator when using reverse. I find it is the best strategy for reduced wear and tear.

 

I have a hard time being smooth from 1st to 2nd too. The car has so little momentum built up and it's time to up shift about 2 seconds after you get rolling.

I use 5th and 6th on 30 MPH roads all the time, mostly skipping 5th going direct from 4th to 6th. If you can keep moving at about 33 MPH or higher, 6th gear will give you adequate acceleration if you need it and good fuel economy.

 

It takes lots of practice, but eventually I was able to figure out exactly how much throttle was needed to release the clutch without either jerking or slipping when changing gears. I can now transfer that to any new car pretty quickly.

By definition, "riding the clutch" means resting your foot on the clutch pedal after you've fully released it. The weight of your foot puts pressure on the clutch throwout bearing which can wear it out more quickly. It's the equivalent of those cars you see driving down the freeway with the brake lights constantly on - just with the clutch pedal instead of the brake... Neither one is good for the car long-term.

That momentary clutch riding in 1st gear probably won't be a problem. But, after you're done getting up to speed, be sure your left foot gets off the clutch pedal.

 

Sounds like you are already off to a great start with your manual and you know the general idea of trying not to ride the clutch. As you and others have already noted, this is most difficult when inching forward or backwards. I would not be terribly worried about either of these things, so long as you do not hangout in the "friction zone" where the clutch is slipping for extended periods of time.


As GeorgeL mentioned, when I need to make small/short movements of the car, such as in heavy traffic. I usually use short bursts of power and then disengage the clutch fully and coast.


Glad to see another member joining the manual ranks. There are far to few of us left.

 

The Fit was my first M/T also and it just takes time and practice. I've had it for months, 26,000 miles, and I feel like I never want to drive and A/T again.

Don't worry about slipping it backing up or inching forward. Like George said you will get a feel for how to engage lightly to get rolling slowly and then disengage, which will help backing out of spots or inching forward slowly. At very low speeds like that, you're not really riding the clutch.

1st-to-2nd might take you a long time to get smooth. I find that the revs between the high end of 1st and the low end of 2nd can hang a little bit, so the timing just takes practice. The rest of the shifts are easier to get smooth.

After a few weeks, you'll be good. After a few months, that car will be so natural, you won't even think about it. You made the right choice on the M/T and you are going to have a blast in that thing.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM me. I was in your shoes and I am happy to help you out!

 

thought the transmissions were from japan? or was dat just the cvt's?

as far as driving a MT, just practice. some slip is fine, if you start smelling like a burning fish smell, go easy on the clutch for 5min or so to cool it down.

it actually takes quite a bit to mess up a clutch, so dont worry. ive been driving MT's pretty much all my life.
never had to replace a clutch on any of my many cars ive owned. once you get the hang of things, practice heel and toe. that's where the real MT driving starts.

 

I am pretty sure that the engine is made in Mexico and the 6MT is made in Indonesia on the 2015 models.

 

Just to add my two cents...
I'm a life long MT driver as well and I have also found the Fit to be a little tricky from time to time. I've had mine since December last year and have "rough" shifts occasionally. One thing I noticed that helped me out a bit with 1st to 2nd is to rev it up a bit. I believe the manual says you should shift around 26mph, which is about 4k rpms. Also, don't be afraid to give it a little gas. For the first 6 months I had my Fit I babied it quite a bit, but now I really get into it. Yes, my MPG suffers a bit, but I still average over 35 and it's mostly in town miles. To make up for being in a little higher RPMs in lower gears I try and get into 6th as "quick" as possible. As others have stated, skip 5th gear. I use it getting up to speed on highways and some county roads. Generally on a 25 or 35mph road I shift 1st through 3rd then go into 6th.

Basically... practice makes perfect and it sounds like you are doing just fine.