Added weight will help a lot. My TWM shifter made a huge difference in shifter feel and throw. I love how this car drives with it.

I have yet to drive a car where the transmission actually liked being cold. Most manual (and autos) will seem glitchy when cold, but it's just like you would if you sat around all day, cold and then tried to do something strenuous without stretching first.

 

Down shift into 2nd gear when coming to a stop and it sounds like a jet engine. Seems to be getting louder as time goes on. Normal??

 

My 4runner tranny used to not shift until 4.5k in the cold I guess you have a point, just strange its only 2nd

Like a whining sound? It's louder in 1st on a slow roll and obviously in reverse. I wouldn't worry about that

 

Na, its way louder then the normal whine from a low gear. Also grind almost every time I put it in reverse. I have to make sure I am at a complete stop before putting it in reverse. I figured Id just wait until the tranny fell out, any other problem I have had with any car the dealer says "it's normal".

 

It's normal. The transmission has a new is "pre-synchronized system." It works by stopping the input shafts rotations when shifting in to reverse. The also takes care of that clashing when the output shafts rotation is changed.

 

It's "normal" that you have to do that.

 

ah, its just like im at the dealership

 

Sorry to bring back a post that's a couple months old.

My car has 16,700+ miles on it (bought it in Nov 2010)

For the first 5,000 miles, I had no issues with the transmission. Even at 20F temperatures.

After that, my car definitely has a hard time shifting into 1st gear when cold especially if I'm rolling. For a little while, it would also grind a bit when shifting into 2nd (clutch fully depressed).

Hasn't done that recently, but it scared me so much to hear grinding that I would take 1st gear up in RPMs, and skip 2nd, going directly into 3rd (my driveway is downhill)

Some helpful tips that have worked for me:

1. Try to make sure you are completely stopped before shifting into 1st.
2. If you are stopped, try shifting into 2nd, or 3rd before hitting 1st to align everything. (I always touch 2nd before putting it in reverse in any M/T to align the gears/syncros)
3. Try to only pull it in 2nd when the RPMs have matched the RPMs you need to be at for that gear (should reduce the grind if any)

Rev matching should be common practice whether or not you use the clutch peddle, this will save you from any potential grinding/excess clutch wear!

To fix all of these issues, you can get an automatic, but who would want the sluggish performance of an automatic in a sporty car like this? Sure, automatics have come a long way, but once you have experienced what it's like to have direct contact from engine to wheels, you won't go back to auto any time soon.

 

I have ~1500 miles on my car and I've noticed recently when DISengaging the clutch I hear a whirring noise. Sounds like a fan kind of or something spinning fast. 2nd gear likes to pop out of gear every once in a while if you flip it back and still leave the clutch engaged. In the morning it's a bit rough shifting, but it could be me. If you ever downshift into 1st, I'm going to smack you. 1st gear is useless and scary if you drive faster than 10 mph. If you feel like the gas is sloppy and you get a bit of a rock, up-shift. Tips is to keep RPMS 1500 to 2000 while moving slowly. On the highway doing 80 in 6th, the RPMs are only at like 2700 to 2900. Otherwise it's all driver error ;)

 

I hear the whirring noise only when my foot is not on the clutch.

Never had an issue with 2nd gear popping out.

I put the car in 1st all the time at 10+ mph when coming to a stop sign. As long as you know what you are doing, and rev match the gear, you will be fine. However, I would never put the car in 1st when going faster than 32mph, and never 2nd when going faster than 58mph, etc. That's bent valves waiting to happen.

When on flat ground, I usually roll off in 2nd starting at around 7 mph or so

 

I'm wondering why the dealer says all this transmission noise and issues is just perfectly normal....