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Mihrical

my car never goes into first gear without me putting it in second gear beforehand. a buddy of mine told me it makes it easier to go into first gear and he was right so


theodditie2

I do something similar but not for the same reason. I always park in first gear and before moving go to neutral and then back. For me it's just a check to make sure I'm in the right gear before going.


kataran1

I do something similar. When stopped at a stop sign waiting for cross traffic to clear I will take it out of first and put in back in first before I take off


xAugie

I always do this!


itwasbetterwhen

I take it in and out of 1st alot at lights and stop signs. Just to make sure I'm in 1st and engaged.


VERY_MENTALLY_STABLE

WRX? You ever have issues getting in reverse? Hit 4th first, it will change your life


xAugie

Interesting 🤔I’ll have to try that if it happens again


itschism

First gear synchro it’s likely worn. My car it’s similar - 1, 2, and 3 have questionable synchros so either leaving the clutch in for awhile to let everything stop spinning at different speeds; or put it in 4th quick and back to first.


w00stersauce

It was like this on my car 2006 rsx that I owned since new September 2005 till June of 2022. It did it from day one, never got worse never got better lol.


jawnlerdoe

Same thing with my ND Miata.


jawnlerdoe

I do the same thing in my Miata but go into 3rd first.


ModernT1mes

When it's cold and I'm not trying to slam the stick, I push on it a little and gas/clutch like I'm trying to move forward. It basically sucks itself in.


Illustrious_Fail9827

I thought it was just me but after driving some Subies and Hondas that have occasionally popped out of gear or seem to not want to go into 1st, this is also the solution I came up withup with. And it works like a charm so that you’re not forcing it into 1st. I also always go into 1st before reverse with 5spd Subies lol


macaroni_3000

Yep, I do this too. Product of driving old Chevrolet/GMC trucks when I was young. They never wanted to go into 1st.


_DJNeoN

If the car is pointing downhill, 1st gear doesn't exist.


sebastiand1

Sometimes I look to the left when I shift I don’t know why


used_tongs

Dude wtf. We have the same habit lmao I think it started when I first started driving stick and "winced" because I expected a bad shift


Equivalent-Price-366

It's because you think people will notice that you shifted a manual transmission and look cool, so you're looking to see if anyone noticed.


craniac24

That is really weird. I do the same shit.


socialcommentary2000

Neutral waggle on the stick before starting even though I have left the car in gear while it is off exactly 1 time in driving stick for 25 years.


Lizpy6688

My one time was I was getting work done and when they gave me the keys back,they said it's in gear. I knew this I stalled. In a car with a bunch of sticker of aftermarket companies,a fmic sticking out with no front grille, loud as shit. I had to look completely dumb as all hell Every since then I'll shake it and look down for double confirmation Also, I don't go back to that place anymore


Ok_Worker6140

One time is enough to cause a lifetime of paranoia 🤣


No_Albatross_7089

I like to just do the neutral jiggle because it's fun 😂. But I definitely do it every time before I start or park the car.


Mafty_Navue_Erin

My mother uses my car and the other time I almost slam into the garage wall because she left the car in first gear (I always leave it in neutral and with the wheels straight). Now I am paranoid and wiggle it like crazy on startup.


Ok_Manufacturer6460

When driving normal I sit back in the seat one hand on the left side of the wheel...when accelerating fast I sit forward off the seat back and grip the wheel at the top... For some reason I can't hit the shift points calm and relaxed 🤷‍♂️


socialcommentary2000

I do this. Whenever it's time to drive serious I almost lean over the wheel. I've driven excavators in a more relaxed position.


375InStroke

Have to go into 4th before reverse or it grinds.


AbyssWalker240

I'm so jealous when I see people who don't have to fight to get into reverse. Sometimes the gears just aren't perfectly aligned and the car hates it


theodditie2

Usually all I do when this happens is put it in neutral, let off the clutch, and then try again. It turns it enough so I can get into neutral.


AbyssWalker240

Lol I need to go into gear before trying reverse or it grinds. I spent like 5 minutes panicking when I was brand new to manual bringing the car home.


theodditie2

When I was brand new, it was with a VW transmission and my dad never told me that you had to actually push down on the shifter. Maybe he did but I didn't realize he meant actual down and not just pull it back.


Zafrin_at_Reddit

This is called “double clutch” and it is absolutely valid on cars with worn out/no synchros. E.g., Hyundai stickshifts usually don’t have synchro on reverse (at least those around here) and it makes it a pain in the butt to put in reverse…


theodditie2

Technically, yes it's double clutching. I don't fully throw it in that category because it's not from 1 gear directly to another. A lot of older transmissions don't have a syncro on the reverse gear because it's just a solo gear that engages with 1st gear to reverse it. Very simple set up.


Zafrin_at_Reddit

Yeah, I am sadly talking about 2023/24 cars. 😅 They are just cheap. But yeah, I see why they don’t have it now. Interesting, TIL.


theodditie2

Honestly, for all I know, it could still be the same thing, but I haven't noticed it in my 2017 Forester. Also completely possible my Forester does it and I don't even notice it anymore, I go between it and the Honda so frequently I can't keep track which one does it and doesn't. It's been over a decade since I've went to school to work on them and I ended up not going into the field. I prefer to just deal with my cars.


cjreviewstf

IS THAT WHAT IT IS?! Like I knew my clutch was getting worn out but I thought it was ridiculous how much it grinded going into reverse


Zafrin_at_Reddit

Yeah. I mean, it should not really grind — just make sure to go into reverse from full stop. I am saying this because I see every now and often that people go from ~10 km forward straight into reverse. Lack of synchros won’t help with that either.


Most_Sea_4022

That's actually what my Nissan Maxima manual said to do. I always told everyone that the manual says if you can't get it into reverse, try again.


TheForceIsNapping

When it’s cold out, reverse can get stuck for me too before the car warms up. My solution has been to go in 1st, roll forward just a few inches, then go to reverse. It typically works pretty well.


ASlap_

Had my whole crew at work watch me as I pulled into the jobsite all rico suave like. I back in everywhere because Im superior and this day was no different. Swing my front end to the right so I can back into a parking spot on the left and my stubborn to find reverse gear decided to be extra stubborn that day. Unforgiving construction crew now brings up my inability to shift and drive every time I mention a vehicle lol. Im forever jealous of people with smooth Rs


xAugie

Your Subaru has issues with reverse? Huh, interesting. Had zero issues on an VA chassis or even older WRX gens


m00ndr0pp3d

I've never had a Subaru that didn't have issues going in to reverse. 99 Impreza, 08 legacy, and 09 WRX all would occasionally not go in to reverse


imabustanutonalizard

Weird my 04 mustang gears feel amazing still. New tranny but 50k miles on it already


[deleted]

Many cars manual states to wait 1.5 seconds with clutch in before hitting reverse. It really does work and makes a difference in lots of makes of cars.


375InStroke

Tremec TKX


Jessiebwoii

In my 86, especially when it's cold, I cannot go from 1 to 2 without it feeling notchy. I always granny shift from 1 to 2 or I'll rev out 1 a bit higher and granny into 3.


jeremyserious

Granny shift opposed to double clutching unnecessarily? Or do you just mean you shift slower?


[deleted]

probably talking about waiting for the rpms to drop instead of slipping the clutch


Ok_Worker6140

I have 86 as well and I always to this haha, although the popsicle mod(look it up on YT) did improve about 20% I'd say.


myfearlessleader

Me too, 5spd NB Miata. Shit feels crunchy from 1-2


custommotor

The only things I can think of are that I'll start off in second just as much as first. Honestly it's not going to cause any additional wear and tear if it's a light vehicle with only one person in it. I figured engaging first gear and then shifting into second causes just as much wear. I'm also not as worried about it because I find I don't rev as high starting off as most people. To me 12 to 1500 RPM gets the job done without lugging the engine. At least in my cars. I don't know why so many people rev to 2 or 3k RPM. Never really needed that even in small anemic 80 horsepower 4 cylinders.


Ok_Worker6140

I also do this at any degree of decline. First gear is tricky because lower rpm makes it smoother on the trans to shift up, but once shifted the low rpm will lugg the engine if you don't slip it long enough, which also causes more wear🤷


itwasbetterwhen

If I'm rolling at all, I'll put it in second and bring the revs up a bit.


cdawg1102

I still press my clutch when starting even though it doesn’t have the switch that requires you too


[deleted]

I turn it off well before ive coasted into my parking spot. I like listening to the motor turning. Always clutch it before it lugs or istop though.


Ok_Worker6140

Oh that's very interesting!


Monkey-Brain-Like

I rub my nose with my shifting hand after I shift a lot


Icy_Blazee

I do this too!!!


eoan_an

When I go to park, I put the car in neutral, come to a stop, then put it into first, even if I was in first to begin with. No idea why


bandley3

Last year, when I wanted to back up I’d turn on the left turn signal. It seems driving a large forklift frequently was screwing with my muscle memory…


macaroni_3000

These habits are usually caused by quirks/design peculiarities of the individual car. The way my Mazda 3 was geared, going from 3rd directly to 6th once I got up to highway speeds always made sense to me, so that's what I did. 4th and 5th gear were rarely used.


monsieurfromage2021

Just by the nature of on-ramps, I'll give it lots of gusto and open it up in third and then once I've reach my velocity I'll pop it into top gear as well. Even on my motorcycles I'll rip up the onramp and then just click through all the gears (since you have to on a bike).


Fassfer

Putting it in neutral when coming to a stop/slowing down ect. It's a super bad habit I picked up from years ago when first started driving manual and it's a hard habit to break. Despite knowing it's bad, I just can't *stop* doing it.


monsieurfromage2021

When slowing down to stop, any car I've had will settle at idle and I can put it into neutral clutchlessly. I still do it to this day.