Learning stick on 2018 Fiesta ST
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Another question for you guys: the Fiesta goes into 6th gear around 40 mph. After doing some googling, it looks like people were saying not to really accelerate in 6th gear and preferably not 5th either. They are primarily for coasting and you're supposed to shift down to 4th and accelerate from there? Can anyone explain that?
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Yeah, you shouldn't be going into 6th at around 40. The owner's manual has recommended mph, and I believe 5th is about 45 mph. So 6th would even be higher than that. The owner's manual's figures indicate shifting at 2,500 rpm. The reality is the owner's manual is conservative, aiming for mpg, and most of the time you'll be shifting a bit higher than that. In other words 40 is way too low to shift into 6th.
As for not accelerating in those gears, do a little digging into what LSPI is. My understanding is that mild, gentle acceleration is ok from time to time in higher gears so long as your revs aren't too low. In short, don't mash the throttle when you're in low revs in 5th and never in 6th.
As for not accelerating in those gears, do a little digging into what LSPI is. My understanding is that mild, gentle acceleration is ok from time to time in higher gears so long as your revs aren't too low. In short, don't mash the throttle when you're in low revs in 5th and never in 6th.
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If you drive by the shift arrow you'll find yourself shifting in the 1500-1700 rpm range. BTW I actually do mind that suggestion and my mileage tattletail is currently showing 33.6 mpg with an average speed of 28 mph. Yeah, it's all city driving and I've gone so far as to choose my route so that stops are minimized.
Now concerning downshifting for accelerating, that depends on how fast you want to accelerate. These are small engines and even with a turbo they are lacking in torque and power below 2000 rpm. If you need brisk acceleration you should downshift so you are seeing about 3000 rpm's, if you need to really accelerate then downshift so you see about 5000 rpms.
Note, as a newbie you may not be aware that you can skip gears shifting up or down. Plain and simple you can skip gears without doing any harm at all to the transmission. Just be aware that if you try and go from first to fifth you can harm the engine by lugging it. Lugging is basically applying a high throttle setting when the engine is turning less than 1200 rpm. Now one example when a skip shift makes good sense is when you see a red light runner coming straight at you. In this situation slamming from fifth to second while going full throttle at the same time can have your car basically jumping out of the way of that red light runner. Done right the power hit will be just a bit insane and you WILL get a strong hit of torque steer, just hold the wheel straight and stay in that throttle. Because the car will reign in that torque steer and getting clear of that idiot will likely require every bit of that power hit.
It's one thing that took me a whle to learn, the way the torque steer correction in the car works requires a moment of two before it kicks in. If you start jerking the steering wheel you can get into a positive feedback cycle that can have you weaving like a maniac. DO NOT FIGHT THE TORQUE STEER, let the car do that. What you have to do is simply hold the steering wheel steady. BTW, second gear is the worst gear for this because it's the gear where this car really shines in acceleration.
For me, second is the Fun Switch. That 1969 350 hp Corvette next to you at the light doesn't know you'll humiliate him up to 60, so give it a good pull in first and then hit the Fun Switch and that Corvette driver will be thinking WTF, some damned Roller Skate just blew my doors off. BTW, after you hit 60, HP rules the day but a lot of fun can be had if you keep it under 60.
Now concerning downshifting for accelerating, that depends on how fast you want to accelerate. These are small engines and even with a turbo they are lacking in torque and power below 2000 rpm. If you need brisk acceleration you should downshift so you are seeing about 3000 rpm's, if you need to really accelerate then downshift so you see about 5000 rpms.
Note, as a newbie you may not be aware that you can skip gears shifting up or down. Plain and simple you can skip gears without doing any harm at all to the transmission. Just be aware that if you try and go from first to fifth you can harm the engine by lugging it. Lugging is basically applying a high throttle setting when the engine is turning less than 1200 rpm. Now one example when a skip shift makes good sense is when you see a red light runner coming straight at you. In this situation slamming from fifth to second while going full throttle at the same time can have your car basically jumping out of the way of that red light runner. Done right the power hit will be just a bit insane and you WILL get a strong hit of torque steer, just hold the wheel straight and stay in that throttle. Because the car will reign in that torque steer and getting clear of that idiot will likely require every bit of that power hit.
It's one thing that took me a whle to learn, the way the torque steer correction in the car works requires a moment of two before it kicks in. If you start jerking the steering wheel you can get into a positive feedback cycle that can have you weaving like a maniac. DO NOT FIGHT THE TORQUE STEER, let the car do that. What you have to do is simply hold the steering wheel steady. BTW, second gear is the worst gear for this because it's the gear where this car really shines in acceleration.
For me, second is the Fun Switch. That 1969 350 hp Corvette next to you at the light doesn't know you'll humiliate him up to 60, so give it a good pull in first and then hit the Fun Switch and that Corvette driver will be thinking WTF, some damned Roller Skate just blew my doors off. BTW, after you hit 60, HP rules the day but a lot of fun can be had if you keep it under 60.
Sounds like you're letting out the clutch out too fast and your RPMs are too high.
The fiesta is a pretty light weight car so it'll get rolling with as little as 1000 rpm.
My advice is don't worry, too much. You really aren't holding up traffic that much when you're starting out. And you're going to stall quite a few more times until you get it. Also since you are still learning I would give the other cars a bit more space when driving in the city. Being on hills are gonna freak you out a little but this car also has hill assist so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
The fiesta is a pretty light weight car so it'll get rolling with as little as 1000 rpm.
My advice is don't worry, too much. You really aren't holding up traffic that much when you're starting out. And you're going to stall quite a few more times until you get it. Also since you are still learning I would give the other cars a bit more space when driving in the city. Being on hills are gonna freak you out a little but this car also has hill assist so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Here
View attachment 2019-Ford-Fiesta-ST-Supplement-version-1_su_EN-US_08_2018.pdf
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