B8.5 manual transmission reviews - 6mt guys help me out here!

[fbmstar]

I'm curious if anyone else is disappointed with their manual transmission in a b8.5 a4. Would love to hear other peoples experiences with theirs. Haven't seen much in my searching so it's getting me wondering if somethings wrong w/ mine.

I have two major gripes with mine and am curious if there's something wrong with my car, or if this is just they way they are.

1. Shifting feels really "clunky", especially in first and second gear, like bad synchros or something.
2. Shifter knob gets hot as hell in the summer. Like unbelievably hot. I have to grab it with my thumb and index finger around the leather part.

My car is at 35k miles now, and i bought it at 25k. I've done some upgrades in the last year or so (new clutch and JHM short shifter), but it's always felt pretty sub par just from a "feel" perspective. Compared to my B6 S4 with 155k miles on it, that thing is silky smooth and almost sucks the shifter in where you want to put it, as apposed to this a4 where i almost have to force it into gear. It also has never burnt my hand when i get into it after sitting in the sun, lol.

Any one else care to share their experience?

thanks!

-fbmstar

[Grouch]

Kind of funny you made this post. I just borrowed my buddies WRX since my car is out of commission. And I feel the exact same way you do, but about his WRX. My A4 feels fine imo. I live in So Cal so my shift knob never gets that hot as what you're insinuating.

Just my .02.

[Jason11213]

I agree the 6MT does not feel as smooth as I would want. I have always driven manual transmissions but prior to my A4 they were all Japanese cars. The MT on the A4 is my least liked aspect of driving the car which is crazy because I got the 6MT because I like the interaction with the car. The shift points seem clunky and I’ve thought about replacing the clutch with an after market brand to see if that helps. I’ve never had an issue with the shift knob getting hot but my car is parked in a garage at home and at work. I’ve had the car since I bought it new in 2015 so I’ve kind of just dealt with the issue the whole time.

[Theiceman]

Mine is perfectly.smooth and I can shift with one finger if I wanted to...
I've had a 90, a b7 and a 8.5 all.manual.amd like them all..

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

[Seal1968]

I'm with Iceman. I have 3 A4s with 6 speeds...all shift smoothly.

I'd check your shift knob clamp, they tend to loosen off and that may cause some sloppiness/notchiness. Either that or the PO drove it hard and slammed the gears.

A short shifter might be the ticket you're looking for to tighten her up.

[elscotto80]

I know your pain of a hot shifter, it sucks. Maybe put a towel over the shifter when not in use?

Regarding shifting, my 2010 with 139k still shifts excellent. I've completed two gear box fluid changes over it's lifetime with me (from 25k). I also had a TSB completed on the clutch fork pin or something like that a while ago. That took care of the gainy clutch pedal feel.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Audizine mobile app

[schwiz23]

Test drove a 2012 with 80k miles at a small dealership in the middle of nowhere. The shifting was clunky and not smooth.

Test drove my now 2015 with 55k miles at a bigger dealership. The shifting is butter smooth.

The difference between the two, which I found out was that the 2012 had the clutch replaced with an aftermarket clutch (as cheap as possible by the small dealer) and the 2015 had the replaced the clutch with an OE one.

[Theiceman]

im not understanding how the clutch relates to shifting notchiness..
if its disengaged its disengaged is it not ? what am i missing ?

unless someone was driving with bad clutch for a while and damaged synchros.

BTW my 2014 is still on original clutch if that is important. 230K km highway car.

[elscotto80]

139k on my original clutch, tuned since about 60k. Been holding up great.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Audizine mobile app

[fbmstar]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Looks like I'm not alone in my shifting woes, but at least they all aren't like this. Maybe that means it's fixable.

Just FYI, i put in a new clutch about 6 months ago (stock couldn't handle APR stage 1 ), and also went with a JHM SSK about 3 weeks ago. Neither seemed to have any effect on the clunkiness. I feel like the issue is in the tranny, but I'm not gonna be taking that back out anytime soon if i can avoid it.

Maybe i'll try a fluid change and see if that has any effect. I also notice some slight "whirring" noises from the shifter, oddly enough last night. Usually have my music on, so i've never noticed it before.

Keep the posts coming.

[19birel]

Mine shifts pretty smoothly and just rolled over 79k, never burned myself on the shifter either haha. I have only owned manual cars, a MK4 Golf, B5 Audi A4, E60 BMW 530xi, and this B8.5. The B8.5 is easily the smoothest of the 4. Feels like any other Audi shifter I have used

[capital89]

I always felt like the shifts on this car were very sloppy ( Felt like alot of movement from the drivetrain ) I Replaced my motor mounts with solid mounts and started using the 034 motorsports transmission insert and that did help. I ended up damaging 1st gear after doing some donuts . ( 1st gear started whinning ) . I Recently replaced the tranny with a 65K mile unit and this one feels like 2nd gear is hard to get into sometimes. Some guys on here swap the tranny out for a S4 man trans . Oh and ive been using a stage 2 street clutch with single mass flywheel for 30K + miles and that feels good

[Theiceman]

if anything SSK will make it feel more notchy as you will lose mechanical advantage of a longer shift lever as the pivot point changes. At least that.s what i found on my 911, and it does make sense. but it still feels better than rowing a boat :)

[old guy]

Mine shifts like a dream. I have a short shifter, weighted knob and weighted shift rod. Adding weight reduces the notchiness and makes gear changes really solid.

[elscotto80]

I will also add that the various inserts and mounts from 034 are a great addition to the manual trans. I have the center insert near the trans and three rear diff inserts. Shifts were even more crisp and smooth after these were installed.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Audizine mobile app

[A4x]

Look into deleting the clutch delay valve on the line that runs from the fluid reservoir to the slave cylinder (install a stainless steel delete line). Many guys on the S4 platform do this as a first step to getting better clutch feel and engagement. I think it will help with your concerns.

[razir66]

My biggest issue is sometimes when I try and downshift to 2nd, it won’t go in. Seems like I maybe moving the shifter too far left and hitting reverse lockout maybe but it is annoying when it happens.

[Audi 4 Life]

I am not sure which trans options in B8.5 but some B8 manuals have crown diff or torsen as possible so im sure that their are many differences between the two. Not sure if it makes any diff with shifting issues that seems more like a linkage or synchro issue. Although I don't have any issues with my manual I do have the LRY trans with crown diff and new jhm 1R clutch and flywheel, metal slave, and fluid dampner.

I have personally always liked the JHM shifter and linkage kits they are very solid. At the very least I think a stiffer push down reverse spring is needed on this car. I have also personally liked the cross rod upgrade with the short shifter really makes it perfect because it adds a solid side to side in couple with front to back from SS.


Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[apham14]

I have just recently bought a B8.5 6mt with 75k miles on it. Shifting is smooth as far as I can tell. Still getting used to shifting into 2nd gear, it is a tad bit clunky for some reason but all other gears seem to be just fine.