-2nd gear feels "rough/notchy" when i shift into it most of the time...i am a new stickshift driver, and only have like 200 miles on the car so far...but it's pretty annoying, makes me think there's something wrong with the car, but i'm new at driving stick, so i don't know what "normal" feels like!!!

-I can't downshift into first while slowing down either!!! ex. I'm in 3rd approaching a stop sign, shift to neutral, slow down, and before coming to a full stop i try to shift into 1st, but doesn't let me!...is this normal?

can anyone help me out with some info? i didn't want to make two threads, sorry if it's incoventient

 

Yes it is normal, don't try to shift into 1st if you are not at a stop.

There is enough torque in second to take off from a standstill so there is enough if you are rolling.

 

so i should try shifting to second instead of first?...i'll try tomorrow, thanks!....

p.s. anyone else having get that "notchy/rough" feeling while shifting into 2nd? maybe it's because the car's not broken in? i hate it every time i have to shift into 2nd, i feel like i'm f*ing something up on the car...i don't hear any grinding, it's just "harder" to shift it into 2nd...

 

Well first of all, I hope your rev-matching when dwnshifting...if you dont know what that is, run a search.

If you are heel-toeing, then yes, a shift down to 2nd is a little trickier. What I've found is to make sure you blip the throttle a bit more than you would with the other gears, and be quick (still smooth) with the clutch take up. If you pause too much, the revs drop just enough for it to be a little jerk while the sycros pull the revs back up a couple hunderd RPMs. If you are comming to a really slow, city block turn, wait untill the revs drop down to idle, then just pull it down into 2nd with little or no throttle blip, and then come out nice and easy.

And yes, it does get easier over time. A bit of driver experience, and slo a bit of gate softening which happens after about 2000 miles.