Basic Shifting
Basic Shifting Info
Some of the basics.
shifter/selecter switch
Above example explained.
The selector switch
On a 10 speed shifter there is a switch on the shifter knob that lets you choose between the high and low gears.The switch is left down for gears 1-5, up for gears 6-10.
The soft wall
The soft wall is shown in the example above as the verticle dotted line. If you are in neutral gently bring the shifter left untill you feel resistance, this is the soft wall. If you go further to the left then the reverse gears would be directly above, and gears 1 and 6 would be directly below, depending on your selector switch.
Gear/Speed Ratio.
1st gear - 2mph
2nd gear - 4mph
3rd gear - 6mph
4th gear - 8mph
5th gear - 10mph
6th gear - 15mph
7th gear - 25mph
8th gear - 35mph
9th gear - 45mph
10th gear - 55mph
The rule of 5's..
On the high range(6th-10th gears) There is a simple formula to use;The rule of 5's. Simply stated, If you are going say 15mph, you would add 1+5 which equals 6. Thus you should be in 6th gear.
15mph 1+5 = 6th
25mph 2+5 = 7th
35mph 3+5 = 8th
45mph 4+5 = 9th
55mph 5+5 = 10th
The rule of 5's as well as the gear/speed ratio is intended to give you a rough idea to start with. After you advance in your driving skills, you should be using the tach to shift. You should also be using Progressive shifting,(shifting at the lowest possible rpms). This allows you to get your speed up much faster, reduce wear on the truck,and make for a much quieter ride.
Double Clutching.
Double clutching is the art of using the engine RPMs to control the speed of the transmission input shaft between gears to match gear speed. When it is time to upshift, the transmission input shaft is turning the same speed as the engine. To engage the next upshift gear, the engine RPMs must be lower and the transmission input shaft must also be turning slower RPMs to match the gears inside the transmission.
An upshift consist of the following.
Let up on the throttle, and at the same time push the clutch part way to the floor, enough to release the clutch (do not push the clutch all the way to the floor if you have a transmission brake on your transmission)
Push the clutch back to the release position and pull the gear shifter into the next gear (this engages the next gear), then release the clutch.
A downshift consist of the following.
Push the clutch part way to the floor, enough to release the clutch (do not push the clutch all the way to the floor if you have a transmission brake on your transmission), then pull the gear shift into neutral position.
Let out the clutch and match the engine RPMs to slightly higher RPM than required for the downshift gear match.
Push the clutch part way to the floor again, and push the gear shift into the downshift gear, then release the clutch.
In both cases, the clutch uses the engine RPMs to get the transmission input shaft to the proper RPM for the next shift point, so that the gears easily mesh.
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