Smoothing out 1-2 shifts for 6MT S4

[jhoffy22]

I recently picked up a 2015 6MT S4 and have spent the past couple days putting around and getting acclimated. Suffice to say, I love everything about the car and it's an absolute blast to drive! I'll make a thread later with the details of my pickup after I can get it cleaned up and snap some pictures

In the meantime, I am trying to figure out the trick to nailing down smooth shifts from 1-2. Now I won't claim to be a professional race car driver with flawless shifting technique, but I do have about 4 years of experience daily driving a 2007 Acura TL type-s 6MT. The TL was a unique beast because it suffered rev hang and had a stage 3 clutch. Despite those characteristics, I didn't have any issues driving and shifting the car smoothly.

I've done considerable research on this topic and can see that I am not alone in mastering smooth shifting for 6MT B8s. Functionally, I understand what is happening that is causing my shifting to be jerky from 1st to 2nd. The RPMs drop so rapidly after depressing the clutch in 1st gear that I am unable to shift quick enough so that the engine RPMs match the transmission RPMs. This is exactly opposite of what I experienced with my previous 6MT since there was rev hang that required me to actually wait a second before shifting into the next gear.

From what I've read, it sounds like there are 3 options for smoothing out the jerky shifting from 1st to 2nd:

1) Drive very conservatively and shift at low RPMs from 1st to 2nd (this is hit or miss in terms of shifting smoothly for me)

2) Drive like I stole the car and shift quickly at redline (my shifting is the smoothest in this scenario)

3) While letting the clutch out in 1st gear and shifting to 2nd: apply a little bit of throttle at the point that the clutch starts grabbing, through engagement, and after the clutch is fully engaged (I haven't tried this yet)

Options 1 and 2 aren't really practical for daily driving. Option 1 causes too much momentum loss and option 2...well, if I can't figure out, maybe that's how I will start driving 24/7.

Few other notes: Behavior is the same across different driving modes, car is equipped with ADS

For normal daily driving, do any other 6MT owners out there do something similar as is described in option 3? I am hesitant to do this because I don't want to apply throttle through the friction zone and wear down clutch material faster than desired.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Impreziv]

My 2 cents. Coming from driving AWD cars in the past, I haven't had an issue with the 1-2 on the S4. AWD cars shift differently than RWD/FWD in my experience. Especially down in the lower gears. For daily driving RPM ranges, you need to hold the clutch at the engagement point longer (not talking seconds here, talking just a ms) while your throttling in, instead of just letting it out immediately once you shift into second like you would with a RWD car for example.. but as you mentioned you don't need to do this when driving spiritedly in higher RPMs.

[jhoffy22]

My 2 cents. Coming from driving AWD cars in the past, I haven't had an issue with the 1-2 on the S4. AWD cars shift differently than RWD/FWD in my experience. Especially down in the lower gears. For daily driving RPM ranges, you need to hold the clutch at the engagement point longer (not talking seconds here, talking just a ms) while your throttling in, instead of just letting it out immediately once you shift into second like you would with a RWD car for example.. but as you mentioned you don't need to do this when driving spiritedly in higher RPMs.

'

Thanks for weighing in.

To clarify, are you suggesting that I give the car gas while the clutch is at the engagement point and before it's fully engaged?

[Bifffairburn12]

Try slipping the clutch a little bit more when engaging second. It’ll smooth out for sure.
Sometimes I have difficulties with my 13 6mt driving slow in first gear rolling through a stop having to clutch in and then if I don’t ride clutch a little when engaging my take off won’t be smooth.
I’ve put almost 40k miles on her and at times it does require some extra effort.



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[KRp220]

look into a stainless clutch line to eliminate the clutch delay valve. that will def help on faster shifts, help spare you clutch, and prob help with day to day driving
pick up a transmission mount as well. it will take a little slack out of your driveline
i find myself shifting around/just over 4k RPM typically on a 1-2 shift, accelerating normally, but it obviously varies on the situation

[BooS4tedBulldog]

Install a transmission mount insert. It will improve the 1-2 gear shift quite a bit.

[B8S4inKC]

Install a transmission mount insert. It will improve the 1-2 gear shift quite a bit.

I’ve read some places that the transmission mount can cause some cabin vibration. Is this true/ how much worse is it? And what’s the difference between the $80 034 transmission mount insert with or without the street density mount upgrade?


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[BooS4tedBulldog]

For me, I didn't notice any additional vibration. All I know is that before I had it installed, the 1st to 2nd shift was clunky and now its not.

[jimrobbington]

I don't know what you are talking about. Rev hang was a big issue with my b8 S4. I upgraded to a LWFW to help alleviate this. Are you sure you still have stock clutch/flywheel?

The full drivetrain insert package from 034 will be a good start in tightening everything up!

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[Geomatics_Tech]

For me drive this car smoothly, I find the less clutch the better. And you need to drive the car with intention, not race it but just gotta be shifting and clutching at the right time.

Biggest problem I have is there is no feel in clutch pedal. The 034 trans insert helped the feel starting in 1st and the 1-2, but it’s still vague, just more predictable because it’s more solid.

[ModItNow]

What helped me improve the shifter a lot on my car aside from the JHM clutch I later put in was:
ECS short shifter, BFI shift knob, 034 insert and a stainless steel clutch line

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[Geomatics_Tech]

A short shifter and weighted knob is my next step.

[Fresh.S4]

Welcome to awd???

It took me a few weeks to learn not to buck 1-2 gear on shifts lol.
Riiide that clutch gently

[EstorilS4]

I came from a 6MT G35 and the S4 is infinitely easier to drive smoothly. Not sure what the issue is for others.

[esc]

Recently changed the suspension on mine (firmer) and it fixed the shifting issues for me:

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...-problem-fixed

Prior to that dealer found no issues with clutch or engine mounts ("could not replicate problem", no surprise there), I tried the different throttle modes, varying the clutch engagement, and transmission mount. Nothing made a dramatic difference like the suspension change (and I don't consider it a placebo effect as there was zero expectation it would change the shifting).

I also have driven nothing but manuals my whole life, low HP to high HP, FWD/RWD/AWD, and could never get this one to shift as smoothly as I would like.

Car feels great now, and with suspension/swaybars/CR-15/Q5 brembos/brake ducting/AWE exhaust/etc feels like how it should've come from the factory.

[SouthernBoy]

I had a 2004 Acura TL with a manual transmission before getting my 2016 Audi S4 6MT. These two cars had very different personalities. My TL never hung between shifts but engine speed didn't fall off as quickly as the S4. All I did was acclimate my shifting to my new car. I am VERY reluctant to slip the clutch for just about any reason so I avoid that. I just watch my tach and know when to release the clutch and tip into the throttle.

The TL had a pretty unforgiving clutch and used to cause a lot of people some heartache because of its rather short take up and the fact that there was little travel between initial engagement and when there is enough pressure being exerted on the friction disk to move the car. The S4 is just the opposite. Very forgiving and quite a bit more travel and takeup, which I don't particularly like, than the TL. But you can get used to most anything with practice and attention to what you're doing.

[jungy4]

I had a 2004 Acura TL with a manual transmission before getting my 2016 Audi S4 6MT. These two cars had very different personalities. My TL never hung between shifts but engine speed didn't fall off as quickly as the S4. All I did was acclimate my shifting to my new car. I am VERY reluctant to slip the clutch for just about any reason so I avoid that. I just watch my tach and know when to release the clutch and tip into the throttle.

The TL had a pretty unforgiving clutch and used to cause a lot of people some heartache because of its rather short take up and the fact that there was little travel between initial engagement and when there is enough pressure being exerted on the friction disk to move the car. The S4 is just the opposite. Very forgiving and quite a bit more travel and takeup, which I don't particularly like, than the TL. But you can get used to most anything with practice and attention to what you're doing.

Hey, former 2006 TL 6MT owner here and I do remember you from Acurazine. I am shopping for a manual S4 in the near future and I hope I can get used to it easily.

[SouthernBoy]

Hey, former 2006 TL 6MT owner here and I do remember you from Acurazine. I am shopping for a manual S4 in the near future and I hope I can get used to it easily.

Thank you and great hearing from you. The gen3 Acura TL was a fine car, especially when equipped with the manual transmission. The Audi S4 manual tends to be quite notchy when cold and takes a bit of time to warm up. The RPM's definitely drop off more quickly than the TL and for that matter most of the cars I have owned. But it's not hard to get used to... just takes a little time and effort. I find I use my tach more when both upshifting and down shifting with the S4. I ordered mine on June 30, 2015 and took delivery on September 25, 2015.

If Acura had made the gen3 TL with a larger engine with more horsepower and torque (say a 240 to 250 CID engine with 375 HP and 350 lb/ft or torque) in either RWD or better, AWD, they may have had the perfect car in its class for the money at the time.

[jungy4]

So now I can chime in since I have had my S4 for about 2 months. I did initially struggle with 1-2 shift but I noticed that letting off the clutch a bit slower made it smooth.

I learned to drive a manual on my previous 2006 TL 6MT and to me the S4 seems easier to drive. The clutch on the TL was very stiff.

[ZGskibum]

This. The dual-mass stock flywheel is weighted for a comfort/sport balance. Revs drop slower on the 1-2 shift than most drivers shift gears. To shift smoothly, you have to wait a beat for the engine revs to drop and match the 2nd gear trans revs.

For me, anyway, and I’m not a super fast shifter. I actually have to give it a little throttle on the rare occasions when I 4-5 shift (usually I either go 3-5 or 4-6) because it’s hard to shift fast enough to match the drop in engine revs—same thing you’re describing on 1-2.

For you to be experiencing that on 1-2 shifts, though, you’ve got to have a lwfw, in which case you’ll almost certainly need a little throttle to rev match on all your other shifts.


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[AFR1485]

I’ve found the best way for a smooth shift is not to use the clutch. After coming off the gas the ratios line up and the shifter comes out of gear, then once the revs fall to match the higher gear the shifter can be moved into place.


I skip gear up and down with this method, and found my transmission to feel smoother overall even when using the clutch. This method does require a bit more concentration, but I do enjoy the game.

If you haven’t done this before then start by accelerating softly. Once you have the hang of it you’ll be able to find how aggressive you can shift without the clutch.

OP, hope you’re enjoying the car!


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[Dr GP]

I guess the clutch really just serves no purpose at all. Mis-time one of those shifts and you could be in big trouble. I have had 7 Audis, all with MTs. Each different model felt slightly different feel to shifting. The B6 S4 was especially touchy shifting 1/2 . I think installing the stainless clutch line to eliminate the clutch delay valve is probably the easiest and best way to get a smoother shift.

[AFR1485]

I guess the clutch really just serves no purpose at all. Mis-time one of those shifts and you could be in big trouble. I have had 7 Audis, all with MTs. Each different model felt slightly different feel to shifting. The B6 S4 was especially touchy shifting 1/2 . I think installing the stainless clutch line to eliminate the clutch delay valve is probably the easiest and best way to get a smoother shift.

Definitely not what I was saying. Take it how you’d like, only a dummy would take that too far. Carry on

[kevinz]

Hmm opposite for me- I would like a little less rev hang. That being said, it really took me almost a year to get that butter smooth technique when I wanted it - probably because most of the time I was full throttle and didn't care!

[jimrobbington]

Hmm opposite for me- I would like a little less rev hang. That being said, it really took me almost a year to get that butter smooth technique when I wanted it - probably because most of the time I was full throttle and didn't care!

Get a lwfw

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[FromRagsToS4]

My 2014 S4 has been my slowest shifting car I've ever had, and I've only owned and driven 5 and 6 spd manuals since 15 years old. When driving hard and fast shifting at 7200 rpm, it just feels like the gears are locked out briefly and I have to use hulk strength to get it into gear. Not sure if the previous owner damaged the transmission due to improper use, but I've seen videos of people shifting faster than me on this platform. And yes I have the SS braided clutch line and CDV delete. Behaved the same way with stock clutch as it does now with the JHM Stage 5R with LWFW.

Such a stark difference compared to the other car with a Getrag tranny I've driven (JCW supercharged Mini Copper)... Man I could slam gears effortlessly at redline with no effort.