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I need advice about manual 6 speed

6K views 50 replies 35 participants last post by  jetpilotjay 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey everyone new to the jeep world :) Just got a 2016 wrangler 6 speed 2 door.

I'm sure this this has been answered many times but why am I finding driving this jeep so difficult lol I've driven manual for over 12 years, but this beast is just so odd lol more first gear and second to be specific. Also the gas pedal seems ridiculously stiff.

Please give me advice or imput about this lol I'd love to hear from others that thought this when they first got there JK.

Will taking off hill start assist really help ?
 
#2 ·
Yep. The hill assist at takes some getting use to. I left it on.
 
#4 ·
I purchased the same thing, '16 2 door 6 speed and had a difficult time adjusting also.
I think the hill assist is part of the learning curve but I feel a bigger part is the drive by wire accelerator. The delay in response takes a lot to get used to. The last manual I drove was a Mustang GT and it had a real cable which made a better feel for me. I have had this for almost 2 months now and am fairly comfortable with it on road. Now off road, that has yet to be seen how I do.
 
#5 ·
I too have a '16 but 4 door 6 speed. I've been driving stick for 30+ years and it took me a while to get used to this one. My VW which I still drive the clutch grabs right away where this one seems to come off the floor more before it grabs. And going into 6th gear was a little bit of a learning curve without accidentally starting to go into R. I like where VW has R placed and the "lock out" feature of it.
 
#8 ·
Don't need to disable hill assist, just learn how it functions.

1. It's a proportional system. It holds the brakes at the same pressure that you pushed the brake pedal.

- Maintain just enough pressure on the brake pedal to prevent rolling. This will make the release much smoother.

2. You don't have to use it. It only activates when the brake and clutch is depressed at the same time and you are on a grade.

- release brake, press clutch, select first and off you go without hill assist.
 
#9 ·
Issues with throttle response aren't due to it being drive-by-wire. There's drive-by-wire systems that are every bit as responsive as an old school cable. This just isn't one off them. :)

As for hill assist... I've actually been particularly impressed by it. I find it completely seamless in everyday driving. I've driven others which I found definitely more intrusive.
 
#10 ·
It just takes practice to get smooth, probably more so than any other vehicle I have owned. But with that said it does get better. Hill assist also takes practice. As someone said it is a proportional system, the hard you are on the brake the longer it takes to release. I find the best way to use it is to bring the clutch up to the point it just starts to engage, release the brake and as the system release the brake roll on the throttle and release the clutch. This works great off roading when when you have to stop in the middle of a wet shale covered hill climb.
 
#11 ·
You'll get use to it, but will never drive really smooth all the time.

My wife told me that I wasn't driving as smooth as our daughter with her car.

I took my wife in our daughter's car and she said:eek:k you can drive smoother than her.

Then I invited her to get in the Jeep with our daughter driving it.... neither one of them wants to try that again, lol I'm the only one who can drive it and I like it. :)
 
#12 ·
Disable the Hill Assist and do the throttle calibration. It really does help.

I've got a little over 30,000 miles on mine now and the only complaint that i've still got is that the clutch is too smooth. It can be hard to tell exactly when it grabs. I've only had one vehicle without a clutch and this one is the hardest to get used to. But you will.

Enjoy
 
#13 ·
The clutch engagement point is the most difficult part of driving the JK. If 0 was completely depressed and 5 was completely released, based on my experience with 2 different JKs over the last 4 years I'd say the clutch doesn't even start to grab until the pedal gets to about 4.

I've tried fully depressing & releasing between shifts, to barely touching the clutch pedal. I seem to get the smoothest shifts only depressing the pedal about 20-25%. This includes from a standing start...stop-go traffic with this transmission is interesting to say the least. I'll sometimes just take it out of gear & put it in just as traffic starts to move because the clutch engagement is so vague.

Probably my only real complaint about the Jeep, which I deal with because it's still just too fun to drive everyday :)
 
#15 ·
thanks every one for replying, i appreciate. today went much better. pretty much flawless but it still feels awkward lol i took hill start assist off which i think is better in my persoan opinion.

Can someone please tell me what this pedal calibration thing is lol sounds interesting????

Also ive heard people remove springs from there gas pedal??? soke one send me a link to this lol THANK YOU JEEPERS
 
#17 ·
Can someone please tell me what this pedal calibration thing is lol sounds interesting????
http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/show-me-hidden-features-463897-18.html#post13236577

From bits and pieces I've read elsewhere the pedal should calibrate itself with normal use but this is a shortcut to speed it up. I performed these steps soon after getting mine and my acceleration did smooth out thankfully.
Around the same time I also turned off the HSA. After I got used to driving with the feel of the different clutch and accel pedal I eventually turned the HSA back on. I think it made it easier for me to get used to each nanny/feature one at a time. Occasionally I do make use of the HSA but I typically drive in a way that I'm not relying on it to save me.
 
#19 ·
Over 10,000 miles now on mine and I still have user error fairly often. Either over revving, letting clutch out too fast, too slow, not getting it into reverse solidly and grinding when I let out the clutch, trying to put it into reverse at 60 miles an hour instead of 6th. This thing does keep you on your toes.

With all that, I still luv my manual tranny..........
 
#33 ·
Over 10,000 miles now on mine and I still have user error fairly often. Either over revving, letting clutch out too fast, too slow, not getting it into reverse solidly and grinding when I let out the clutch, trying to put it into reverse at 60 miles an hour instead of 6th. This thing does keep you on your toes. With all that, I still luv my manual tranny..........
I have been driving stick shifts for more than 50 years (I've had dozens of stick-shift vehicles), and I would say that this Jeep has been a most challenging manual transmission to get used to. But like GatorWesty, I still love driving my Wrangler six speed.

At first I frequently stalled the engine out of the hole, and sometimes hit the reverse gate when trying to shift into 6th. And I still occasionally fail to get it fully in reverse when backing out of a parking spot and grind the gears a little. But I've had my JK for over a year now, and most of the time these days my shifts are smooth and error free (although I still need to pay attention). And I've come to really like the hill-holder function.

It puzzles me why FCA would put reverse next to 6th, without a lockout. I did read recently that in the 2018 models reverse will be next to 1st (where it belongs).

Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has wrestled a little with the Wrangler's 6 speed (at first it was a love-hate relationship)! :)
 
#20 ·
That's a breath of fresh air it's not me. I have driven a Mach 1 5 speed for 14 years and a 5.0 for years before that and my first week with my 2016 JkWW has had a couple moments.

Reverse for me is hard to find... It's popped out twice and last night dear lord the grind at 60 mph trying to go into 6th gear just about gave me a heart attack.

Will the calibration help with the reverse sensitivity?

I also know what you mean first is way trickier then my mustang that seems butter smooth. Thanks for posting the question I would have never known hill assist was automatically on.
 
#23 ·
6th is offset from 5th just slightly, when I lend my rig to folks I tell them... to shift into 6th rotate your wrist upside down (so, grab the drivers side of the shifter) and pull straight back. Once folks learn that, they never miss 6th again.
The clutch has little feeback, I generally dislike hydraulic clutches, and this is no different, sadly, it is the way of the modern world.
The throttle is not only slow to react, it is virtually lifeless... again, give me a cable any day... same for the clutch... sadly, throttles are all going electric too.

Every time I jump in my '92 Mustang I am reminded just how nice mechanical linkage is. The right pedal reacts exactly when i prod it exactly how much I tell it to, and the left pedal has so much feel there is no thought to simply snapping it out to the engagement point, then feathering... Quick tap of the throttle and snap of the clutch and I'm away every time without bogging or bucking...
In the Jeep it's feed it throttle... nothing... feed it more, whooo too much ease the clutch out... wait wait... oh it's moving there's the engagement point... off we go.
And folks wonder why so many people are experiencing short clutch life...
In all honesty, I can drive the Jeep very well and smooth, but, it's not a pleasant/natural experience like with mechanical linkage.
 
#26 ·
I can drive the Jeep very well and smooth, but, it's not a pleasant/natural experience like with mechanical linkage.
I've mentioned it here before and I'll say it again. This isn't an issue with mechanical vs. electronic linkage. There's drive-by-wire systems out there that are very very good.

This just isn't one of them.

I agree with your description of the pedal as virtually lifeless. When downshifting, I find that to match the revs I pretty much just mash the gas pedal and then wait until I hear or see the tach indicate something has happened. It's pathetic.

I just tell myself it's a Jeep though, not a sports car. Shifts aren't supposed to be crisp and quick. They're supposed to be slow and deliberately methodical.

That helps keep me from getting mad at it. :D
 
#24 ·
I have a 2016 Rubicon 6 sp Manual. I found the shifting smooth but no power until I hit 1000 to 1500 miles until the "un-talked about" governor released. Now I have lots of acceleration.
The gas pedal never seemed stiff to me. How many miles do you have on your new Jeep?
 
#27 ·
^^understood... however my limited experience is with my pals new Golf GTI 6spd, my wifes 2014 Jeep GC Hemi and my JK 6sp... while the Golf is the best of the 3 it's still pathetic compared to a good old cable/linkage.
It frustrated me in the beginning... not enough to want an automatic tho, and like you I have succumbed to it.

The GC with Hemi... the odd time I've stomped it from a standstill, it hesitates, lollygags a bit, then eventually puts the power down. You know it's the programming of the computer... in the namesake of the drive train... which I get... but common', if I want to stomp it friggin well let me.
 
#32 ·
6 Speed Tranny

I drove a '97 TJ for 2 years, and have had my '10 for 2 years. No question, the TJ shifted a lot more "predictably". But neither shifts as nicely as my wife's '07 Suzuki grand Vitara.
As they say, "it's a Jeep thing, you'll get used to it".
 
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