5sp AT users...can you use 1st gear in manual mode?

O

Ogre

Member
:
2008 Mazda5 Touring
I have taken the 5 out for a few spirited romps (dont tell Ogrespouse, ok)

I have a hell of a time not over revving this thing in 1st.
Any decent amount of throttle taking off from a stop and BAM I am at red line before I can pull the lever.

I love using the manual mode to hold 2nd or 3rd thru tight stuff and/or down shifting to 2nd or 3rd for corners, but I am a sloppy mess if I try to use 1st.

Anyone else, or do I just really suck at driving this thing?
 
first gear shouldnt be used through turns, to short of a ratio... which is why it hits the redline quickly when floored.

Not even us manual drivers use 1st ever to go through turns. and we also never downshift to 1st either.

and for the straightline thing, the electronic shifter has a delay, so you can pull the lever back at redline or youll bounce. You have to pull it back before redline.
 
I just seems like I would have to pull the lever the instant I step on the gas or its too late.
I am still not used to it to say the least.

I have a little un/underdeveloped subdivision that I play in and 2nd feels a bit too tall for a few of the hard corners or turn abouts,
but 1st does not work that well either.

larid.jpg
 
Ogre said:
I just seems like I would have to pull the lever the instant I step on the gas or its too late.
I am still not used to it to say the least.

I have a little un/underdeveloped subdivision that I play in and 2nd feels a bit too tall for a few of the hard corners or turn abouts,
but 1st does not work that well either.
Click to expand...

I have the 4MT, but the basic technique is:

1. Place right hand on shift lever
2. Place left hand on top of steering wheel to compensate for torques steer if needed
3. Firmly press accelerator and let physics perform the 1-2 shift

In all seriousness, 1st is pretty much useless once rolling. the sport shift modes let you lock into 2nd to start even. Works well on snow, not so well on asphalt. 2nd should be fine for what I see there.

Incidentally, I left our 5 in 3rd gear 3M once and when I finally had the gas at the floor trying to accelerate onto the freeway it did a downshift. When using 2M in a few vacant subdivisions, I've been amazed at the rand of 2nd gear (basically 5-almost 50 MPH)

Haven't really played too much, but did find out that an approx 130 degree corner at about 30-35MPH is not really doable unless you are trying to emulate Colin McRae. Thank goodness the brakes are awesome on the 5!
 
mrbwa1 said:
I have the 4MT, but the basic technique is:

1. Place right hand on shift lever
2. Place left hand on top of steering wheel to compensate for torques steer if needed
3. Firmly press accelerator and let physics perform the 1-2 shift

In all seriousness, 1st is pretty much useless once rolling. the sport shift modes let you lock into 2nd to start even. Works well on snow, not so well on asphalt. 2nd should be fine for what I see there.

Incidentally, I left our 5 in 3rd gear 3M once and when I finally had the gas at the floor trying to accelerate onto the freeway it did a downshift. When using 2M in a few vacant subdivisions, I've been amazed at the rand of 2nd gear (basically 5-almost 50 MPH)

Haven't really played too much, but did find out that an approx 130 degree corner at about 30-35MPH is not really doable unless you are trying to emulate Colin McRae. Thank goodness the brakes are awesome on the 5!
Click to expand...

Youve never driven p5 have you =)
 
Perhaps these numbers are way off......

What exactly is your point? Comparing a sport hatch to a minivan? (rofl2)

P5 M5
Horsepower 130 @ 6,000 rpm 157 @ 6,500 rpm
Torque 135 @ 4,000 rpm 148 @ 4,500 rpm
0-60mph (estimated) 8.6 seconds 8.9 seconds
1/4 mile (estimated) 16.8 seconds at 83 mph 17.0 seconds at 82 mph
Lateral acceleration (estimated) .86 G .86 G
Slalom (estimated) 61.6 mph 60.9 mph

Seems these two cars might be too close to auto-x against each other. Might embarass a P5 owner. (hah)

I didn't find any publications that have actually tested both cars, but I didn't bother looking too hard.


Cars dot Com
 
NCZ13 said:
Youve never driven p5 have you =)
Click to expand...

Completely different cars but, as rweatherford states above, the Mazda5 is still a Mazda and it could embarrass Protege owners (naughty) in certain areas:

Handling Sample
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU4paH8qcQ8


Some numbers

Mazda5 Performance
Engine 2.3 I-4
Transmission 5-Spd Manual
Drive System fwd
Acceleration Summary
Acceleration, 0-30 MPH 0-30 MPH: 2.85
Acceleration, 0-40 MPH 0-40 MPH: 4.49
Acceleration, 0-50 MPH 0-50 MPH: 6.33
Acceleration, 0-60 MPH 0-60 MPH: 8.53

Protege5 Performance
The 2-liter four-cylinder engine has dual overhead camshafts and 16 valves, so it develops a respectable 130 horsepower for its small size. Acceleration is lively, with the 0-60 mph dash taking 8.9 seconds with the manual transmission.


Now, with that, you can carry 6 people, you have more space and you can still buy a 2009 with 5MT compared to a P5...

Wait, Did that soccer mom car just kicked my butt @ the traffic light? :)
 
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i meant handling wise. i couldnt care less about acceleration, i know my car is sloooow =)

but im also a little biased as i have full suspension. Our cars stay planted.
 
rweatherford said:
Elevation 3 ft? Hope there is no storm surge in your area. ;)
Click to expand...


Yea that area is REAL low. I am not much better at 12' though.

When I fish I can stand in the boat in one of those bayous and see across to the other.

I meant to take my dirt bike over there on Thursday to check it out as we had about a 4' surge from Ike and I'll bet most of those roads went under.

flood1.jpg


IMGP0027.jpg
 
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NCZ13 said:
i meant handling wise. i couldnt care less about acceleration, i know my car is sloooow =)

but im also a little biased as i have full suspension. Our cars stay planted.
Click to expand...


Was I the only one that got your reply to my comment?

Our 5 had to go in the shop and I had a brand new 3i on loan (the 2.0L 4AT). at the time, my dad was looking to replace his aging Rx7 with a smaller car and was interested in a 3. even in 2L form, it puts the 5 to shame int eh handling department.

To give an example, we were um... flogging the loaner on a well known back-country road and my dad was complaining that there wasn't enough power coming out of an s-section. I looked at the speedo and he was trying to accelerate from 55-70 MPH. I suppose the Speed3 would cover that, part, but the 3 was the closest thing to a sports car (specifically his RXy) that he has seen in a long while.

Dad has also driven the 5, and he equates it more to the old BMW 325 series, as the 5 is more of a sport tourer. I honestly haven't flogged the 5 that much but find that is sets up nicely after the initial body roll. Still, I find it best as a sport tourer for back-country jaunts with the family aboard.

If I want to push harder, I'll drive my personal '01 Echo. It pushes it's limits at lower speeds and has an interesting transition to oversteer at the limit that can be either exciting or dangerous, depending on if you are expecting it.


Also, I haven't driven the P5, but spent some seat time in standard proteges. they were always way nicer to drive than say an Escort or Cavalier!
 
mrbwa1 said:
it puts the 5 to shame int eh handling department.
Click to expand...

I also rented one for a week, I did not note such a big difference, although, I agree, it is not an apples to apples comparison

mrbwa1 said:
i
Also, I haven't driven the P5, but spent some seat time in standard proteges. they were always way nicer to drive than say an Escort or Cavalier!
Click to expand...

Hey, anything drives better than an Escort or Cavalier, LOL ;) (mom drives an Escort wagon and I owned 2 Cavaliers in the old times). But in all seriousness, I also agree, I'm sure Mazda has put some kind of Zoom-Zoom in every single car, including grocery getters and soccer mom cars...
 
coolmazda5 said:
I also rented one for a week, I did not note such a big difference, although, I agree, it is not an apples to apples comparison
Click to expand...

We owned a 2004 Mazda3 2.3 5spd for a year and a half. The mazda 5 feels like the mazda3 with some weight on its roof. It does feel a bit slower too, but not by as much as you'd think it should based on weight differences.
 
jeebusm3 said:
We owned a 2004 Mazda3 2.3 5spd for a year and a half. The mazda 5 feels like the mazda3 with some weight on its roof. It does feel a bit slower too, but not by as much as you'd think it should based on weight differences.
Click to expand...

Coming from an 800cc 3-cylinder Daewoo Matiz, the Mazda5 is pretty fast for me! And handles like a sports car compared to my older car! But flogging the Matiz sure is fun! hehe (drive2)
 
Dyx said:
Coming from an 800cc 3-cylinder Daewoo Matiz, the Mazda5 is pretty fast for me! And handles like a sports car compared to my older car! But flogging the Matiz sure is fun! hehe (drive2)
Click to expand...

I have owned a few cars that could 0-60 sub 6 seconds and a few more than could do it sub 5 seconds. So the Mazda5 doesn't feel super-fast to me. But it never feels too slow. Sometimes you have to rev it a bit, but that's what engines are for!
 
jeebusm3 said:
I have owned a few cars that could 0-60 sub 6 seconds and a few more than could do it sub 5 seconds. So the Mazda5 doesn't feel super-fast to me. But it never feels too slow. Sometimes you have to rev it a bit, but that's what engines are for!
Click to expand...

Yeah, most engines are for revving... my old '95 Mercury Sable had a 3.8L V6 and that thing pulled great of the line (tire melting torque if floored), but lost all wind and power about about 4000 rpm. On the other hand, my current 01 ECHO have a VVTI 1.5L 4 and pulls like an angry little bumblebee up to.. well there's no tach, so it pulls until the car shifts! Then again, it has no torque off the line...

I know about the fun is small. I read an article where some magazine was driving a 1.4L Nissan Cube in US trials. The basic summation was that it wasn't fast or refined, but where else could you run an engine so hard without piling up on speeding tickets!

The 5 is a nice compromise between power and reasonable fuel economy (and price).
 
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