Pontiac Sunfire manual transmission smoother shifting

[JAWAR326]

Got a 2005 Pontiac Sunfire with the 5 speed manual only 53k miles on it I was taught forever ago when shifting to clutch in move shifter to next gear then clutch out and only use the gas after fully releasing the clutch I know there's tons of opinions on what is right and wrong. In this little engine once I clutch in the revs drop fairly quickly at 2500 they drop to 1500 fast and if I clutch In and out without gas it's very jerky if I add throttle while releasing clutch it's much smoother but I'm having a hard time knowing when the best time to get back on the gas I know it's supposed to be at bite point but having a hard time getting the timing right if I mess up some and do throttle too much or too soon how quickly will that slippage hurt the clutch? Any ideas suggestions to get the timing just right? Thanks everyone for any advice or help just trying not to hurt the car and make clutch last a long time

 

[eljefino]

You'll get used to your particular car in time. Smoothness means less wear. What you're doing now is a little hard on the synchros but not bad on the clutch. Using the clutch as a light switch going between gears will provide the feedback you need to get the revs right-- You'll either feel the car lurching forward or dragging behind, and to add more or less gas as needed.

There's NO reason to slip the clutch once you're rolling in first. People do it to be "smooth" but they can just learn to rev-match.

Cars typically have a "dashpot" where the revs don't drop to idle that fast, yours sounds fast but even the flywheel will keep it spinning in higher revs for a split second.

 

[skyactiv]

If anything, your wearing out the clutch sooner the way you were taught to do it because your not rev matching and you are shocking the clutch between shifts since there are bigger RPM differences between the clutch and the flywheel when they mate.

You're supposed to give it some gas while releasing the clutch. Feeling the bite and doing it right is a skill.

 

[andyd]

Oily clutch disc from leaky rear main seal?

 

[fantastic]

I've always given a bit of fuel towards the end of the clutch release. I've never put it in gear without giving at least a little bit of throttle. That would make for slower shifting and speeds out on the road.