Making the jump from Auto to Manual

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saintadjg
Hi guys I really want to switch from Auto to Manual(currently using controller,should be getting a wheel in new year),and i could really do with some tips.
So any advice that could help in the transition would be greatly appreciated ,thanks.
 
Practice makes perfect :)

The transition is pretty easy.. I still have troubles with the clutch at times when breaking late.
 
Don't give up :)
The advice sounds a bit silly, but hear me out. I did the same thing you are going to do now with GT4. First I switched to manual on a controller, then I got a wheel. It is great: First you have the fun of the new game, then you have the fun of the new mechanics and then you have the fun of a wheel! Each step has a learning curve though.
You might find that you are not able to win for some time because you have to learn how to shift. Don't get discouraged by this and just go on playing manual. The game is going to be a lot more fun once you've learned how to shift.
Have fun!
 
I agree. You have to stick with it for a while to get it down. Like learning to use chopsticks :)

Here is my advice:

1) Learn to listen for the shift instead of looking for the red-line, although the blinking dot out of your periphery can be useful.

2) Downshift while braking. Try not to go below 2nd gear unless you need to e.g. crashed and burned. A lot of times you'll be going too fast to even shift into first, and if you do, sometimes the torque is too much and will cause you to spin out; or you will just lose a lot of momentum. That being said, you may want to practice taking fast corners in no-less than 3rd gear until you get a feel for it.

3) Consider remapping the controller. When I was learning the game using a controller, I remapped R2 as gas and L2 as brake. X was up-shift, and [] was downshift. To me it made more sense to think if the big index-finger buttons as gas and brake -- layout similar to a car, and the shifting being done with your thumb.

Advice for moving to the wheel: I just got a Logitech DF Pro, and found the whole experience just amazing. The first few days I couldn't be bothered with manually shifting as learning to control the game using the wheel/pedals is a learning curve in itself. I switched back to manual and mostly use the paddle-shifters.
 
I'd recommend starting by taking a lower powered car around an easy track, and just getting the feel of it until it becomes "automatic" :) Once you're used to it, then start taking the supercars out on the 'ring. It really is a lot of fun using the manual transmission. You can increase your braking efficiency - the 1,000 meter stopping test in the licenses pretty much requires you to use downshifting in addition to braking if you want to get the gold. It's also handy when you're going through a corner a bit too fast, and hitting the brakes in such an out-of-balance position would result in you spinning out. Often downshifting can save you, as it just reduces the speed of the rear tires and lets you drift a bit through the corner.
 
Don't try to shift down too much for the extra acceleration boost when you first start out. If the turn can be taken in third gear, stay in fourth and you will have a cleaner exit until you can control the lower gears' torque better. I still like to stay in gear when I am ahead of the pack, its added insurance that I don't peel out on accident from being overzealous :D
 
I just walked my roomates through using a g27 and they can now win races they couldnt even finish on a controller.

Start out with an easy to control, reasonable car. They used a stock STI, but anything in that department is doable.

Learn how to start and stop and shift gears by driving like a grandma (they did a bunch of laps of london (5-10) just learning how to get through gears effectively and get a feel for the steering)

start going faster and faster until you feel like you have reached the car's limit, and then start learning other cars. I'd recommend a FR or AWD for practice, FR and MR have their own challenges and you don't need that when learning.

There are a lot of little things that you pick up on over time. Squealing tires means lost speed, and silent laps are going to be fastest even though they feel and look like the slowest. Brake and downshift before turns, and be very cautious if you have to shift in a turn because it upsets the car (think left hand sweeper after Suzuka's esses), the trick is to do it all slowly and smoothly.

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast.
 
do not use R2 and L2 to change gears. I switch back and forth between the wheel and controller (primarily for rally events), and I use the thumbsticks for gas/brake like normal, but use R1/L1 rather than R2/L2 to change gear. Light-years better.
 
I play online alot with a g27, and there difenitly is a learning curve involved. At the moment I cant control any of my five ferraris':guilty:. I use my golf, or tuned g35 if i feel lucky. I aspec level 6/ bspec level 19; because i only drive manual, and usualy online

its soooo much fun though:tup:.

you didnt mention what wheel you were getting. any clutch?

I noticed you dont really get the whole experience untill you use a wheel. throttle control. braking limits. the shifting of the wieght. you dont notice these things when using the controller.
when you add the clutch, its amazing.
my golf has a very stiff shift. if i dont ease off the clutch while easing on the gas; the car stalls(like real life). same with the g35 but its less noticeable. now in my skyline r34, with the racing clutch; you dont even have to touch the clutch pedal; you just change gears(lots of fun)!

off topic: the recent damage update, is stressing my wheel. I hit a wall(in a suzuki swift) and had to leave the game, the damage was too much for my wheel/stand.
 
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Yes, the first thing you should do is remap the controller as 1251Division says. The default layout is counter intuitive, enough to put anyone off using manual gears. I personally use R2 for Gas, L2 for Brake, Triangle for Gear up, X for Gear Down, L1 for rear view - and the rest it doesnt really matter. I would suggest mapping reverse to R analogue stick down.

What 1251Division said regarding unbalancing the car by selecting the wrong gear doesnt really apply to GT5. If you gear down to 1st gear, the engine will just bounce off the rev limiter and not really let you do anything with regard to accelerating. Also, its important to note that on some tracks depending on the car you may need to use 1st during corners - the hairpins on eiger nordwand for example.

As for the actual process, if you can drive a manual in real life - it's simple. If you can't, simply gear up just before the rev limiter, and gear down whilst braking before a corner. You'll know by ear when to change gear. There's nothing else to it.
 
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GT5 is the first GT I've played only in Manual. In GT4 I experimented...

Manual is the way to go, even with a controller. I have a controller...it takes awhile to get used to it, but is worth it. Navigating corners is also much better with Manual.

My car has paddle shifters in real life, habit definitely helps.

edit: By the way, I use L2/R2 for gears, X for throttle, [] for braking...just like default.
 
I use a DS3 and use L2/R2 for the gears, I find it works great. Prefer using X and Square for the gas/brakes anyway :)

Manual is way worth it though
 
I used automatic gears right up until I was half way through GT4.

I then bought the guide book and after reading about the advantages of using manual gears, deleted my save and started again. Best advice I can give is - work through all the licenses using manual gears. You start off on a small straight of track and build up gradually to racing full laps against other cars.
Obviously, you should aim to pass all tests without reverting back to automatic gears. Even if a particular test is proving tricky.
By the time you get to S license (and complete it to at least bronze level) you will be totally comfortable, and a much more accomplished driver than you ever could be using automatic gears.
 
Biggest thing for manual gears (if you are using a controller) is pick the right buttons. My favorite config is L2R2 gas and brake, X shift up, Square shift down.

Second practice engine braking and downshifting, that's a huge value.

And of course start to learn how to judge when it's best to ride the rev limiter for a second rather than shift up until the next gear... if you are going from one 3rd turn to another back to back, it may be better not to shift into 4th in between.
 
Also, one thing to remember once you get the hang of it:
The suggested gear display is just that, a suggested gear!

You'll find if you watch examples of the license tests that the guys that get gold usually have the car a gear higher than the suggested gear, this is especially true on corners it suggests you go to 2nd gear, usually you can stay in 3rd with a bit of throttle control.
This will take a lot of seconds off your times.
 
To offer an alternative viewpoint...

I'd stay stick with Auto 'til you get the wheel, then delete your save game and start again using gears. If you don't use any Chrome or Stealth cars (to begin with) and follow the progression of the game, you'll be nicely eased into it and have an amazingly fun time. Gears are about 100x easier with a wheel.

I am lazy though. :)
 
RikkiGT-R
I used automatic gears right up until I was half way through GT4.

I then bought the guide book and after reading about the advantages of using manual gears, deleted my save and started again. Best advice I can give is - work through all the licenses using manual gears. You start off on a small straight of track and build up gradually to racing full laps against other cars.
Obviously, you should aim to pass all tests without reverting back to automatic gears. Even if a particular test is proving tricky.
By the time you get to S license (and complete it to at least bronze level) you will be totally comfortable, and a much more accomplished driver than you ever could be using automatic gears.
Click to expand...

^^^^ This is the best advice I have heard regarding the subject. I curently dont have any licences, and will be doing this tonight. thanks:tup:
 
Manual will give you way faster laps. You can just shift down a gear and keep the revs high without having to reach the automatic change rev limit, or braking to change down. I was useless using manual on a pad though. I suppose if I praciced long enough id have got it but at first there were missed gears and wrong buttons all over so I gave up. I drive wheel now. The clutch is good and realistic (ish) but i soon tire of the noise. You have to bottom it and to change quickly do it fast so. Eventually the clack....clack...clack...........clack.clack.clack gets too much for me to bear. For this reason I drive paddle shift most of the time. I suppose people who drive clutch and stick want ultimate realism. I drive a car with a clutch everyday and frankly theyre overrated. If I could have paddle shift in the VW Golf id jump at it...:)
 
Cheers guys .Well just ordered a DFGT should get it in a few days (just as my shifts at work finish woo hoo)
 
I just bought the ps3 with a dfgt (playing with manual gears, no assists).

In the beginning I crashed in half of the turns. But you learn how to drive quite quickly. I bought a Swift and took it for practice laps till I could do a several clean laps without any problems. I guess that's the only way: a few dozen laps without other cars.

Imo not knowing the track makes driving a lot more diffcult than manual gears.
 
Congratulations! 👍 It's been said plenty of times, but just keep practicing. I've driven all GT games with manual transmission, but I still make small mistakes. Oh yeah, third gear is a magic gear too! 👍
 
initially i thought it was a joke, that you were just clowning around and having some fun on forums, then i realized you were serious; so i assumed you meant like from AT to MT in real life. then i saw people talking about driving in gt4 with AT and switching to MT. this is going to make me sound like an jackhole but i didnt think anybody played with AT. i know that when i finally convince my girlfriend to play i set it up with AT. anyways some advice:
like everybody said manual is the best its faster, there is more control and you can keep the car in the best gear for the corner. say you have a "stock" car and on the entry to a turn your in 3rd close to the redline and its a fast corner all you need to do is let off the gas to have the right speed for the turn auto might shift up before you let off the gas but with manual you stay in 3rd and accel out of the turn faster then shift the gear. manual also gives you the option to shift earlier and save gas and the engine.
what you need to learn for every car that you drive is what is the lowest rev number to allow the needle to hit. when you when you shift from 3rd to 4th notice where the needle drops down to, say its about 5800rpm for whatever car, once you know that you know that while in that car you can let the needle drop below about 5250rpm to 5500rpm and you will always be in the right gear.
its not that hard to race with manual. once you have your wheel you will FLY through the tracks going faster than ever before, it just takes a little more attention.
 
Stumper81
do not use R2 and L2 to change gears. I switch back and forth between the wheel and controller (primarily for rally events), and I use the thumbsticks for gas/brake like normal, but use R1/L1 rather than R2/L2 to change gear. Light-years better.
Click to expand...

I agree with this setup R1 L1 for gears and sticks for the going/stopping.

Do your first few races in a slow car, I mean slow say 80hp much less going on and you will pick it up faster instead of getting lost in the action and you can really see the difference that being in the wrong gear makes in a slower car.
 
r2nyGT5
Just wondering if anyone else uses the right analog stick to shift gears? It feels better then pressing the face buttons
Click to expand...

I did for a whole 20 minutes or so but using the 'paddle' buttons on the wheel is much faster / more accurate since you can keep both hands on the wheel at most times. In the rare case of having to shift in the middle of rotating the wheel rather quickly the stick still comes in handy though.
 
I was pretty amazed how much faster I got when I switched.

Once I got the hang of it I was knocking 2-3 seconds of my white knuckle AT time trials without really pushing.

I think for me it's because I'm more cautious and conservative heading in to corners so it's making me tons faster coming out. With AT I'd just wait till the last second a pray.

The hardest part is gaining the feel of downshifting in the corners...
 
Nice to see you are going to make the jump! My favourite configuration for manual gears in GT4 is R1 to shift up and R2 to shift down. X for gas and square for braking. I find it a lot easier to have my right hand concentrating on every aspect of the car except turning. I went to a friend's house a couple of weeks ago, played NFS: Shift with the L2 and R2 button for gear shifting. Got to say it was a pain in the ass to coordinate my left and right hands. :S
 

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