Shifting Q's

I'm not a gear head. but it sounds like you have a crappy truck, crappy transmission, crappy trainer, or maybe all three.

 

Just relax, it takes time to learn how to shift these things. I agree, they should get at least a 48' trailer on your truck for learning. The instructor is correct in having you learn to drive as if you had a long trailer, but it just ain't the same without actually having one on there (checking mirrors, different braking feel, etc.).

All engines are different, but all have a much lower RPM range than what you are used to. On a lot of engines, 1700 RPM would actually be racing the engine. Most have shift points at ~1000 and ~1500. But the instructor is doing you a favor by having you shift a bit early. It's called progressive shifting, and will give you better gas mileage when out on the road...something you will be judged on when working as a truck driver. It may sound like it's lugging, but it's not until you drop below 400 RPMs or so. If you need engine braking, then downshift. You just have to really look ahead and anticipate. After shifting for awhile, you'll be able to shift really quick, double-down without thinking about it, etc. Just keep your cool, and you will get the hang of it. But it does sound like your instructor needs to just lighten up a bit though.

 

Typical for a school. It comes from students abusing the truck, abusing the transmission, and abusing the trainers. My instructor told me if I could learn to drive their crap well, I could drive anything out there.

 

When i was in school a few months ago we drove a T-2000 10 speed when you shifted into 4th it would stay then about 5 seconds later it would spit it back out into neutral

 

I thought it came from the school's using 15 year old trucks which were worn out 10 years ago. if the engine dropped to 400RPM, you're going to stall. shifting should be somewhere between 1500-1800. my autoshift would zip up to 2200 to change gears, but maybe the computer didn't know what it was doing, or how to do it efficiently - you know how those stupid computers are! and as far as gas mileage - you might end up failing the road test if you go to a truck stop and put gas in the tank.

 

The shift gates should still be lined up even when loose. It just feels off because there is no resistance. Try shifting using your fingertips and making the movements with your whole arm, no wrist.
If you grip too tight or with some wrist it will cause you to miss the gates. On gears at the top of the pattern you will tend to push away from you, causing you to go up 2 gears and miss.
If you are going to a gear at the bottom of the pattern this can cause you to pull towards your body, which will cause you to hit a lower gear, and if you force it throw yourself into the windshield lol.
The RPM gap between each gear is the same. So I normally shift in my trucks at 800-1300 or 1000-1500, depending on the truck, transmission, load and grade.
Notice there is a 500 RPM gap on both.
So if he wants you upshifting at 1000 RPM you will go to your next gear when it is at around 500 RPM, and on downshifts if he wants you shifting at 800 RPM you will need to raise your RPM to 1300 to get the gear.
I am assuming he is having you double clutching. If so then you need to depress your clutch and start your shift just before the RPMs drop to those levels.
Also, if you are shifting using your fingers and not your whole hand you can kind of feel the groove in the gear when it gets close, and at the most you will have a slight scratch.

 

That's the best way I've ever seen or heard it explained in the three years I've been at this fun game!!

 

An N-14 will drop RPMs almost twice as fast as a Detroit, so you have to speed up your shifting to keep up with the engine.

It is hard to switch from one to the other with out having some rough changes for a while.

 

OMG...pretend trailer, with pretend hi-torque engines.

What will they think of next??

Obviously the shift points are wrong, for the truck you're in. But your trainer is trying to get you in the habit of short shifting, for when you get one of the new models, that utilizies the hi-torque engines.

Good luck...Maybe next week, he'll let you pretend he's teaching you something.

 

Thanks for the input.

Yes upper 3 gates are slightly offset to the right, forewarned by instructor.

Rubber stick, not worn, maybe Volvo vibe dampening?

Good tip about fingertips! Second session went better as I used less palm and more fingertips on the stick. Fellow trainee had serious trouble and I now see he was trying to manhandle the stick (I'll past that on to him).

The "Pretend" problem is me, I am used to dragging around trailers and piloting large stuff and subconsciously compensate for what ever I am strapped into. My brain is working on the other issues that are giving me trouble, as I have already made the necessary adjustments to get what I am piloting around a corner. Shifting and matching vehicle speed to the maneuver is more critical in my head than pretending I have a 53'er hooked.

RE: low RPM shifting. I think I see now the cause of some of the more violent shifts were in high range where the holes get bigger and it is possible for a driver to get it in a hole a little faster than it wants to. The shifts in high range are not completed as quickly as low range needs?