Every motor has a specific power band and it is defined via testing on a dyno. For most 4 cylinder motors similar to a Miata, the best power is achieved when rpm’s exceed 3,000 rpm and taper off just a few rpm’s short of the redline, in this case I’ll guess about 6,500. So, between 3K and 6.5K is where you will get the most power and performance out of your motor.
Double clutching on a synchromesh transmission is not necessary. I would not bother with that as it adds so much time to the unpowered wheel time. No one does that unless they have blown the synchro rings in the transmission.
I would definitely not encourage a beginner to try clutchless shifting. Even after gaining plenty of experience, I wouldn’t do this except on a beater vehicle, on its way to the junkyard. I have done it, it is fun, but I don’t recommend it on a car that I like or need. But it is faster than paddle shifting.
Uncle Turbo, WOT only.
Congrats on getting a manual car and wanting to learn. I find driving a manual much more enjoyable and I feel the human mind is capable of shifting better than a computer or vacuum actuated system.
The shaking you feel during shifts may be a glazed clutch and flywheel/pressure plate. I would have the flywheel turned and replace all the clutch kit parts once you learn well if this is the problem. Sure, you could drive it a while like this but it might let go anytime. The cost of this could be as low as $100-200 for a DIY job and upwards of $1000 if you pay a shop.
Either way, enjoy the little car.
Back in the day of 3-speed manuals, it would stall most engines if done the way you guys say. I even had an Escort with 4-speed that would stall if done the way you-all say. But modern 4-speeds will handle it.
Back in the day of 3 speed manuals and early 4 speeds, I did not have any problems driving them the “way you-all say”. My first manual transmission was a 59 Plymouth, 3 on the tree, flat head 6 with a bad clutch. Getting that one to work smoothly made all clutches since easy to use.
One way you can make your clutch last longer, especially if you have a high powered engine, is to be gentle with the throttle until your foot is completely off the clutch. Once your foot is completely off the clutch, you can open up the throttle, but being too aggressive while your’re still releasing the clutch leads to a lot of premature wear.
There are two basic ways to drive a manual transmission, shifting at particular RPM values, and step-shifting.
Shifting at particular RPM values means upshifting at a designated shift point (like 3,000 RPMs) and downshifting at a designated point (like 1,000 RPMs). Using this method, you’re not likely to ever drive above 3,000 RPMs, unless you’re in top gear.
Step-shifting involves progressively adjusting your shift points upward as you shift into higher gears and downward as you shift into lower gears. You might shift from 1st to 2nd gear at 3,000 RPMs, from 2nd to 3rd at 3,100 RPMs, from 3rd to 4th at 3,200 RPMs, from 4th to 5th at 3,300 RPMs, etc. This might be a good strategy if you’re trying to accelerate quickly and you’re trying to maximize power. Likewise, you would downshift at RPM values that step downward.
You could experiment to find the best shift points that work for you, or you can just go by the feel and sound of the engine. My manual transmission car doesn’t have a tachometer, so I generally go by the sound of the engine and the feel of the car, but I generally shift from 1st to 2nd at 10-15 MPH, 2nd to 3rd at 30-35 MPH, 3rd to 4th at 40-45 MPH, and 4th to 5th at 55-60 MPH.
Try not to overthink this too much. In fact, pretending you don’t have a tachometer might make this issue a whole lot simpler.
If I need to suddenly brake for safety, I just jam in both clutch and brake, right?
Good question. Don’t worry about the clutch at that point. If it’s an emergency just stomp the brake, even if that stalls the engine. If you have the presence of mind to also press the clutch, then sure do that too, but that’s far less important than slowing or stopping for safety
As you may already have noticed, you can slow the vehicle nearly to a stop, such as when you approach a traffic light, without touching the clutch. Only when you are going really slowly do you need to press the clutch.