Does anyone find the man. trans a little strange?

[nose-gobblin]

I have a 2001 zetec and it has a manny. it seems like i can never get a perfect shift i have been driving a stick for 7 months and i cant seem to take off without a small buck and or a ratleing noise. and it doesnt shift smoothly unless its into fifth, fifth is easy am i over revving?
when im at like 2k or under in 2nd thru OD and i giv-r-some it chatters hmm couldd be resinence noise but wut about the shifting>

[beyondloadedSE]

While I had my lease 2003 ZX3, i thought the mtx-75 was awesome. I could slam gears like none other in that car without any hesistation. Its definetely a lot smoother than the mtx-75 in the contours without the upgraded post 2000 shifter forks. I think you just need to work on your launching and it sounds to me that your letting the rpms fall to far before shifting. If you rev match, it should feel smooth.

[zx2srdotnet]

mines the same way and its a diff tranny then you, just shift faster, and work te clutch right you'll be ok

[nose-gobblin]

I think i know waht matching is but can you please explain so i can better fix this annoying probem
ty.

[03Focus_Guy]

its not really a "problem" but why would you be shifting around 2k or under 2k anyways? its only a i4 its gotta rev up more then big v8's to get the same amount of power...so if you rev it higher in each gear you should be fine

[nose-gobblin]

no mad when i shift it goes down to 2k or so not i shift at 2 k. like from 2 to 3rd ill shift at 3or so then it falls to lke 22hunred

[azn_focus]

the only thing i dont like is the key that u need to lift to get in to reverse

[03Focus_Guy]

yea i find that a little stupid myself i mean seriously if your in a hurry and you have the back up quick you have to spend more time getting it into gear when you could be using that time to be backing out of harms way

[beyondloadedSE]

hmm...i actually like the reserve lockout feature.

[zx3guy2001]

I am new to manual trannies on cars but not on bikes, I find that the tranny shifts good and I don't have any problems with it. Before getting the car my friend took it for a spin, he drives a 2002 nissan sentra ser with a 6 speed manual and he actually liked the way my car drove and didn't note any problems with the tranny.

[focusyn]

Originally Posted by zx3guy2001

I am new to manual trannies on cars but not on bikes, I find that the tranny shifts good and I don't have any problems with it. Before getting the car my friend took it for a spin, he drives a 2002 nissan sentra ser with a 6 speed manual and he actually liked the way my car drove and didn't note any problems with the tranny.

My brother had an SE-R V-spec and I like the shifter in my ZX3 a lot better. I like the reverse lock-out as well.

[GO17ZILLA]

yeah the reverse lock out is a nifty feature, esp if u accidently through it in reverse which ive seen many people do, lol. Not very fun i tell u, esp when they are in 4th gear! My focus shifted beautifully, even tho it was brand new might be why, but i like how it shifts.

[GO17ZILLA]

you just might need to work on ur shifting, need to feel out ur car a bit, try shifting at different rpms, if im romping my focus i tend to shift at 5500-6500 rpms, and when it drops to about 2000-2500 i shift down. Just need to feel it out a lil more! All cars shift different than others.

[focusyn]

I find the transmission to be good, but sometimes when I am driving hard, it seems to bind up and become rubbery.

I still like it better then my brothers old SE-R Vspec. That shifter was notchy and vague, especially for a more capable car like the Sentra.

Best shifter I've ever driven was my 1988 Acura Legend. Even at 140k, it was still great. Light and direct, it has set the bar in my mind of how a manual should be. The clutch, that was a different story. It was like a switch, on or off.

BTW, does anyone have a short-throw shifter here? How much of a difference does it make and is it an easy install?

nosegobblin, it takes a lot longer then 7 months to become really good at a manual transmission. The more you drive, the better you will get, it's that simple. Instead of driving hard, drive gently. It will teach you how to finesse the clutch more. The Focus engine is not as responsive throttle-wise as it could be. Also, being a four cylinder, it's not all that strong to begin with (stock). So it does take a bit more revs to get going.

I hate to pick on you, nosegobblin, because I don't know you, but your english and grammar are terrible! Get out your english books, dude!