Question about learning to use MT.

  • Thread starter Thread starter GfxJG
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Whoah…nice thread and a lot of helpful answers. I started using a wheel
only a couple of months ago (DFGT) and now want to go on to MT but my
biggest problem (besides well timed downshifting as well) is forcing the car
to spin out in corners permanently. What do I do wrong (most likely) – do
I use a wrong gear, shift to late/early or is it just to much gas when leaving
the corner. I’m really confuzzled ’bout this…

Heel and toe is far beyond my abilities (not to mention double clutching).
So any thoughts on how I can improve my MT driving – besides practicing
a lot of course?
 
Remember to brake first then downshift.

I find braking with MT can be done way later than AT if you get the D-Shifts spot on.

Hearing the engine and knowing where it is in RPM is also key.

Once you get it though.....
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👍

Maldoror
.....but mybiggest problem (besides well timed downshifting as well) is forcing the car to spin out in corners permanently. What do I do wrong (most likely) – do
I use a wrong gear, shift to late/early or is it just to much gas when leaving
the corner. I’m really confuzzled ’bout this…
Click to expand...

Probably too much gas.

You could try and play with the LSD in settings.
You can also short shift if you feel like the wheels are going to spin up to fast.
If you're using a wheel and pedals, controlling the cars speed through the corners should be easier than a DS3. It can be done on a pad as the buttons are pressure sensitive, takes time to master it though.

Like the majority of folks here say, practise practise practise.

I found that i was a much better driver after I learn't how to drift and golded all of my licences.
 
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For me MT is an essential part of cornering at maximum speed, hitting apexes and inducing under/oversteer when needed. If you come into a corner slightly too hot, downshifting early will help rotate the car a bit more. If you come in a bit too slow, leaving it in one higher gear than normal will induce a slight amount of oversteer and often allow you to complete the corner without making steering corrections.

I also like to trail brake, and downshifting while turning and braking and being able to do so without the rear end kicking out abruptly after getting into the lowest gear, tells me I've got the LSD set up properly. If it does kick out, you need to adjust the DECEL portion of the LSD, one way or the other, depending on what it's set at currently.
 
Great stuff here. As an "AT-er" from way back, I've recently gotten hold of a wheel and pedal set that allowed me to consider shifting. Thus far, I've had more of an issue with shifting gears up, coming out of a turn. Probably because I'm used to the AT automatically shifting up as I mash the accelerator. I'm getting better though.

Not to speak down to you, because I'm no expert, but I found that smaller cars with less gears (or Horsepower) helped me figure out when to listen to the sounds to shift. I use the bumper cam (no trackIR for PS3, yet) so there's also the flashing red light/number in the middle of the bottom of the screen that helps as it's just in my periphery and I can see it if I miss the whine of the engine.

My question has always been does over using the clutch add to engine wear and/or make rebuilding the engine more frequent?
 
IRL racing it's more complicated than simply hitting the downshift over and over, but in GT5 it doesn't matter pretty much at all.

I was told downshifting/engine braking doesn't aid significantly in actually slowing down the car, so really the main idea is to remember to brake in a straight line and be in the best gear for the corner. How you get there doesn't seem to tremendously matter in this game. You can overrev to your heart's desire and you'll never break anything.
 
DA__dogg
I have a question: When you guys use MT with the dfgt, do you use the shifter or the buttons on the steering wheel? I use AT at the moment but want to shift to MT and was wondering what's the easiest to use.
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I just use whatever the car has.

If my driver in the car is using paddles I use the paddles, if he uses the stick I use the stick.

Nerdy I know....
 
Seismica
I would say as you would in real life, but as you mentioned you're not quite old enough for that yet :P
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Nahh 👎 that's not true I'm 17 and I've been shifting manually since I've been 14... Now I do it like a pro... :sly:

It's all about practise... I started using manual when I wanted to drive cars slowly and in high gear - as soon as you learn doing that, it'd become your second nature...

With manual you also feel like you're more in control of the car compared to AT...
 
It won't be easy to learn; But I've been using manual for about a year now and I'm glad I switched. I can shift just by sound of the car now.

By the way for the age thing, I started using it when I was 12 (13 now) :sly:
 
you need to have a "clock" in your head where you know when the rev's are low enough to downshift. Shift sooner/more frequently for more engine braking.
 
IMO ...
First you have to know the corners of a given track and on which gear to take every1 of them.
Second - you have to practice with the cars you like. Keep in mind that some cars can make a corner with 1 gear up or down difference. But generally speaking you can't take a 2nd gear corner in 4th gear because you will be slow (at least on the acceleration) or in 1st because you can spin if you apply too much throthle.
There you go! :dopey:
 
Go to Trial Mountain and drive 25 laps straight with MT. By the end of the 25 laps you will realize you aren't even thinking about it anymore.
 
Psycho Tuber
Go to Trial Mountain and drive 25 laps straight with MT. By the end of the 25 laps you will realize you aren't even thinking about it anymore.
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This sounds like a good advice :)

Take a nice car you feel comfortable with, a nice track you feel comfortable on and drive. Take a note on which gear you take which corner and just keep driving. Slowing down should be done with the brakes and not the gears as it could unsettle the car. Take your time and have fun. :)
 
I had problems with manual shifting as well, just recently I tried it again and once you get the hang of it is really fun.
I'm using L1 to upshift and R1 to downshift (no, not visa versa) after someone suggested that and I have to say it works really well for me.

And perhaps start with a normal or sports car first, plus all the other tips from all other users here. :D
 
maciej908
how does that work? lol never heard of that, but if it works for you that's sound... 👍
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It's a bit awkward at first and I did make some mistakes at first, although I never really used MT before so it didn't take that long to get used to.
It just feels easier to use L1 when accelerating and R1 when braking (for me at least).
 
DA__dogg
I have a question: When you guys use MT with the dfgt, do you use the shifter or the buttons on the steering wheel? I use AT at the moment but want to shift to MT and was wondering what's the easiest to use.
Click to expand...
Buttons all the way. When I first got mine, I worried my hands wouldn't be in the right place, especially for upshifts coming out of corners, but it would seem that you get used to it. I use the lever for reverse (push) and handbrake (pull) these days.
 
When I take out any new car or one I haven't driven for a while, first thing I do in the warm up lap is redline the car going up the gears, then go up the gears again and shift while watching the tach, and then finally shift without looking. One lap is usually all it takes.

One other thing to keep in mind, there are lots of cars you don't want to take to the redline when shifting. Quite a few car's peak hp falls off dramatically as you approach the redline, and in those cars, you have to learn the exhaust note you need to shift at, not the redline exhaust note. And using automatic won't help you with that either. A Suzuki Cappuccino RM for example, is 1-2 seconds slower per lap with automatic because power drops off severely at maybe 85% of redline but the automatic just keep it in gear right up to the redline. Really hurts in the transition from 4-5...takes forever with auto.
 
^^True - the special event @ the top gear test track that uses the kubelwagon is a good demonstration of this. You will be slower if you allow the car to bounce off the rev limiter.
 
I generall downshift into one gear higher than the automatic would put me in when I enter the turn, especially on a high HP car that likes to kick out the back end, so I can get on the gas with a bigger margin of error. As I straighten out, if I'm still out of the power band, I'll downshift one more time to get it moving. *I tend to keep grip instead of sliding through turns, so this is definitely a style choice.

Accellerating, I usually go by sound... after a half lap I know the sound that the car makes at red line so I don't need to watch for the red light.
 
Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, and then Practice some more mate 👍 I have been using driving games since Stunts on commodore 64 (no such thing as MT in those days :P) when the first GT was released I immediately started using MT as to me there's no fun using AT in a simulator. All it takes is practice. For many years I used the analogue controller R2 shift up L2 shift down and right stick accel. and braking, left stick for steering. When using MT you need to be much smoother with your accel, braking and steering as you'll have more power available quicker. Watching videos of IRL race drivers and particularly of there footwork between throttle brake and clutch and you might pick up some tips. Helped me in my transition from DS3 to wheel. Once I got alot older I now use a T500 and TH8 shifter.
I have a YouTube of a lap around Laguna Seca using the TH8

http://youtu.be/lzKYNPG4ktg
 
GfxJG
I've been using AT all my GT life (Since 1998... I was 3 lol), but recently someone convinced me to convert to MT... So I gave it a try. I've got it down when it comes to accelerating, but when you brake... How do you know at what point to shift down? If I shift down too early the sounds makes me feel like I'm killing the car...
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I don't much use manual either, but what I can tell ya is that you gotta shift down the gear promptly according as the degree of speed decline to the extent that it doesn't allow tyres to go around in circles, and should be acquainted with which gear could let you get past the corner the quickest and with least risk of averting off the road...

What gear to stick with at each section of corners at a given track is difficult to judge without much experience of driving a car in the transmission, only practice does tell you which is suitable and of a best choice for you.
 
Depends on what car
Maybe 2500-3000 rpm below the redline
Sometimes i downgear early to do engine brake(is that what it is called) so that it will brake better(only work in game not real life you might blow your engine in real life lol)
 
Don´t know if it has been said but this is my only tip apart from driving:

If you shift up the rev drops to a certain rpm.
Just keep this in mind for downshifting.
You brake and if you reach this rpm range (choose a little lower rpm) you can downshift without touching the limiter and so you can use the engine brake too. (For that slightly tap the Throttle after the downshifting for each gear

Thats just a little guid which helped me allot for learning MT instead of AT.
But if you drive allot and know the turn-gear combos you won´t be going back to AT.
 

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