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
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.
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