6 speed major issues - am I odd ?

[lightninhopkins]

The first 4,000 miles, i was able to shift from Rev to 1st without going to neutral. Now I can't go from Rev to 1st without going to Neutral. Annoying as hell. If the car is completely stopped, why not? it's never been a problem with any of my other cars.

Any dealer ever tell you -----> "you shift too fast. The car is not designed for that quick of a shifting?" $150K for a car and I'm not supposed to shift that quickly?

Anyone think that I'm strange while driving in 3rd if I decide to put it in neutral, coast for a few seconds, and then to 2nd? Is there a universal law of shifting that I don't know about? I'm not allowed to shift from 3rd to neutral then to 2nd? when I go from 3rd to N to 2nd, it locks up and wont go to 2nd. Am I not supposed to do that? After 30 manual cars, suddenly that's not normal?

I must be the odd guy.

[SiNzz]

So, let me get this straight- it locks up, but doesn't grind? In my opinion, the dealer telling you that you're "shifting too fast" is a load of BS. I believe the gearbox and transmission are identical to that of the Gallardo, and I don't think they're shifting slowly their lambo's transmission was "not designed to shift that quickly". In short, my opinion is that something's wrong. I remember test driving a car that refused to go into first at anything but a full on stop. The owner told me that it had a "first gear lockout", which was a load of crap so I walked away. I'd say get the car looked at.

[lightninhopkins]

grinds if you force it hard enough. BTW, I'm not allowed to go from 6th to 4th. i have to go to 5th, then 4th. so if i want to overtake someone quickly, i have to wait about an hour while i go from 6th, to 5th to 4th. but what i can do is ask the guy I'm racing to hold on for a moment while I get ready.

[willyjp]

I have never heard of a manual linkage that "locks you out" of any gear, save the detent type reverse lock-out some boxes have where you have to push down on the lever (or pull up a ring, etc.) to access reverse.

But worn synchro rings will give the feel of "blocking" a shift...and grinding if you force it. Syncromesh is a friction ring that speeds the slower (driving) gear (potentially connected to the engine) up to the speed of the driven gear (connected to the drive shaft) so the two gears are rotating at the same speed as they mesh(thus only works when the driving gear is disengaged [by clutch] from the engine).

Synchromesh has a harder time doing it's job the greater the speed difference between the two gears coming together. Thus downshifting 2 or 3 levels (5th to 3rd or 2nd, etc.) stresses the synchro all the more
and may slow down or seem to "block" the shift (or grind if you force it).

Synchro rings are friction clutches and can wear out (or be defeated by super slip lubrication like Molybdenum additive lubricants). So my diagnosis of your problem is that you might have worn synchro rings. If that is correct, then the problem can be corrected by the simple expedient of double-clutching (with a "blip" of throttle while in neutral with clutch engaged) to see if speed matching (doing the synchro's work for it) will lead to smoother shifts. If it does, then synchro weakness is likely the culprit. If it doesn't help, then some mis-alignment or needed adjustment in the linkage may be the answer.

I have had a lot of miles in '50's and '60's vintage Alfa Romeos, and the 2nd gear synchro in those trannies was legendarily weak: gone usually within 5k miles from new. So double clutching became second nature to the Alfa driver and I don't think we thought it slowed us down in tracking and auto-crossing. Fortunately, the old Alfas had an ideal brake/throttle config. for "toe-heel" double clutching while braking. No point even trying simultaneous brake/throttle in the R8 I understand, because the drive by wire throttle is shut down by any brake pressure...at least that's what I read. Likely an Audi insurance policy against any new occurrences of "unintended acceleration!!"
But you can still "blip" in neutral with toe off the brake pedal. No doubt the R tronic does it quicker

PS: your observation of 3rd to 2nd being harder if you spend a "few seconds" in neutral on the way make perfect sense because the engine speed is dropping....probably to idle....the whole time, thus making the synchro's job even harder when it has to speed up the driving gear to the speed of the driven one you're about to mesh with; I think any one with a manual tranny can observe that.

Your example of Reverse to 1st is an "upshift" with the speed matching problem going the other way (1st gear's synchro cone has to "slow down" the driving gear to a stop before it can mesh) so the longer you hold the clutch disengaged, the easier any upshift will be (R to 1st, 1st to 2nd, etc.) because you are allowing the driving gear to slow to the speed of the next driven gear...though once you're rolling, you don't want the driving part of the tranny to stop. So on upshifts, just pausing with the clutch disengaged will allow speed matching, though in extreme difficult situations (the non-synchro transmission of my Kubota 4WD tractor) double clutching on upshifts may make up for weak or absent synchro if the engine speed slows enough between shifts to slow the driving gear faster with the clutch engaged.

[harrison]

The computer blips the throttle FOR you on down shifts with R Tronik.Makes me sound like I am really double clutching and working the synchros.

[willyjp]

The reason I made sure to put that in about the R tronic being quicker was that I figured Harrison would be right back with that info if I didn't say it first

For that reason, I wish I liked the Rtronic better. Maybe I should drive one again. I sure hated it @ Infineon after a day of lapping in a 6 speed.

[harrison]

I don't think I am able to drop from say 5th down to second like the standard should be able to do with a little double clutching. This makes the standard better at slowing down in an emergency. More and more I want to try an R 8 with the standard 6 spd. They say the clutch action is effortless,I am used to some pretty heavy clutches,(1700 pound in a BUG !). I miss shifting like a mad dog ,slapping the stick into gears. All the videos have clicking sounds (WEAK SAUCE) ...I would make slamming sounds while shifting like we do with our American cars equipped with Muncie gear boxes.

[lightninhopkins]

muncie, memories. good old rock solid M22 gears. they don't make them like that anymore.

the R8 sounds cool when shifting. the best sound is 2nd to 3rd, and if you shift like a mad dog, it sounds like a shotgun getting pumped.

[kthacher]

More and more I want to try an R 8 with the standard 6 spd. They say the clutch action is effortless

Come up to Canada and you can try mine. The clutch is not heavy at all - a pure joy to use.

Anyone else get a real kick of downshifting from 3'rd to 2'nd? I have this down to a great flick of the wrist - the gated shifter allows for a really satisfying motion.

Lightning - what a great analogy - a shotgun pumping.

[R84ME]

Anyone else get a real kick of downshifting from 3'rd to 2'nd? I have this down to a great flick of the wrist - the gated shifter allows for a really satisfying motion

Indeed, it's a mechanical symphony! And I'll enjoy it even more when I can use all 8000 rpm (just turned 900 miles on the odometer). I considered my 04 986 6-speed one of the best until I started working the gates of the R8. Hope I don't get the synchro problems, I know what that means!