Sorry if it seems like dumb question, I did google it but it makes 0 sense to me. I’m only just getting into cars and someone mentioned something called shift assist.
The message they sent for context if that helps:
> Well driving standard now is way easier than when I was younger lol apparently they have shift assist so you don’t stall as easily or something like that
Edit: thank you everyone for all the answers! As a baby car enthusiast, I really appreciate and am enjoying the variety of answers I’ve gotten. I’ve learnt a lot already and it hasn’t even been 24 hours.
In: 6
If you’re talking about what I think you are, it’s basically a sensor within the cars many computers that uses various metrics in your car’s performance to determine when you need to shift gears to avoid stalling. The computer can tell what RPM your car is experiencing, among other things, and then it signals to you on the dash with an action you need to take. For example, say you were in 4th gear and your RPMs began to go down. The computer would sense this and light up the “downshift” indicator light on your dash. Downshifting into a lower gear would then raise your RPMs and your car would continue running.
I just wanted to to give more context about my knowledge. Or rather lack of lmao
I don’t drive manual yet. My boyfriend is going to start teaching me when I’m at his place on the weekends. So I don’t have a clue about anything. All I know is you have to balance clutch and gas when shifting, shift between 2,500-3,000 rpm, and I’ve started getting good at calling shift when my bf upshifts (always call it too early on a downshift).
I do drive my automatic in sport mode a lot (99% of the time) but I know/have been told that’s nothing like driving true standard. Either way shifting up or down has become second nature/automatic when driving sport/manual mode (some cars call it manual) I don’t even think about it anymore. I don’t even go by sound since I listen to music when I’m driving.
Probably they don’t actually mean shift assist (someone else already explained what that is) but synchronized gears.
https://www.mistertransmission.com/synchronized-vs-unsynchronized-gearing/
Before that, you had to manually match the speed of the engine to the speed of the wheels/gear while the clutch was engaged, which sucked. But not for cars built in the last 50 years or more.
The other posters might be right about shift indicators or synchros being what’s referred to, but I think maybe brake assist is just being miss-named; brake assist seems to be far more helpful for preventing new drivers from stalling.
The way it works is that when you’re stopped facing up-hill (brake in, gear = neutral), you make an effort to go forward (clutch in -> shifter to 1st gear -> brake out -> gas in + clutch out) the brakes will keep slight pressure to keep you from rolling backwards down hill. Most new drivers would panic from the roll-back and stall. To bypass the brake assist in my car I just have to let the brake out before putting the clutch in, but I ain’t no dang hero lol.
Edit: also possibly referred to as hill-assist.
This could be a synchro, which gives you a lot more tolerance in shifting when the speed of the engine is not the same as the drivetrain.
Modern assist features are auto braking, so if you aren’t quick releasing the clutch the car won’t roll backwards, and auto rev-matching so you can shift like an old F1 driver.
Since nobody seems to know specifically what you mean, and “synchromesh gears” have already been brought up, I’ll try a few other shift assistances that are common in manual transmissions and you should be aware of. In particular, a reverse lockout, centering springs, and lately hill hold has made its way into some modern cars.
In your traditional 5-speed layout where reverse is where 6’th gear would be, you’ll notice that if you shift into 5th gear, the Reverse position disappears. You cannot go into reverse from 5th, making a mistake when trying to shift from 5th to 4th less likely. Some layouts, especially where there *is* a 6th gear, will put reverse somewhere else entirely and have a sort of trick to shift into reverse. Example: if you push the shifter into the floor, the path to Reverse opens. Or there may be a lever mechanism you need to operate.
(If you do want to shift directly from 5th to reverse, you must return the lever to the middle neutral position to release the lockout)
Next up is the centering springs. While any position outside of a gear is “neutral”, the traditional definition of the neutral position is between 3rd and 4th, because that’s where the springs snap the shifter to. Take advantage of this. When shifting from 2nd to 3rd, do not apply any horizontal pressure on the lever. Just pop it out of 2nd, let the springs do their thing, and move it along to 3rd. With a tiny bit if practice this can be a very simple hand motion that will never go wrong. Anyone who accidentally shifts from 2nd to 5th is doing something *very* wrong, or their springs are broken.
Oh, also, that reverse lockout. When shifting from 5th to 4th, same idea. With Reverse locked out (if this is one of those 5 speed cars) the lever will just want to go into 4th. Do not apply horizontal pressure, lest you accidentally select 2nd and risk a very bad time.
And finally, hill hold. Yeah, computers are now smart enough to keep holding the brake for you on an incline to help you start. If your car is new enough to have it. I have a car that does, but it’s finicky. You must release the brake while in 1st, so a rapid gear-shift may not activate it. It will only hold the car for 1-2 seconds before it’ll let you just roll back anyway. Also the incline must be some minimum level which is sometimes hard to judge.
All respect to your mom, but you should also consider the possibility that maybe she’s wrong and that modern cars with manual transmissions just plain don’t have anything like “shift assist.”
*shrug*
The manual in our new WRX doesn’t seem to be any easier to drive than the manual in the 85 300zx I learned to drive stick on in the early 90s.
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