Why Do Cars "bounce" in Low Gears? Options

[mrgrape]

I have a decent knowledge of how transmissions work, but I can't understand why a transmission would "bounce" or jerk when in low gears and not high gears.

What I mean by this is: When driving around in 1st, if you let go of the gas your car will bounce around and jerk like no other, but if you let go of the gas going 60 in 5th, it will slow down smoothly. Why is this?

[95CelicaST]

silly mrgrape. those are hydraulics. no one in their right mind would hit the switches going 60, thats why you never bounce.

i see you posted/ copy&pasted this from clubrsx...

....i see what you did there.....

This post has been edited by 95CelicaST: Dec 15, 2008 - 5:13 PM

[jesterwr217]

I have a decent knowledge of how transmissions work, but I can't understand why a transmission would "bounce" or jerk when in low gears and not high gears.

What I mean by this is: When driving around in 1st, if you let go of the gas your car will bounce around and jerk like no other, but if you let go of the gas going 60 in 5th, it will slow down smoothly. Why is this?

shift gears your rpms are too high

[RickJamesBish]

THIS THREAD IS AWESOME!!1!!1!

[x_itchy_b_x]

torque. your "band" is smaller in lower gears. taller gears its spread out longer.

[enderswift]

do you mean your letting off the gas in first gear at 3000+ rpm?

thats the only thing i can think of that would cause what your describing...

if thats the case, SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIFT

[stephen_lee]

i think he means when you're cruising at like 5-10 in 1st, cause idiots keep stoping and going in front of you and you don't feel like shifting 1-2-1-2-1-2-1 87495687x. i tap my gas and bounce, or jerk.. you know?

[hurley97]

...going 60 in 5th, it will...

you're auto tranny has a 5th gear ?

[bslik]

i think i kno wat op is talking about
i thought it had something to do with the little springy things on the clutch disk... but that sounds stupid now that i think about it.

[Hanyo]

you have blown shocks

[Rayme]

physics behind the high gear ratio and..that's it. A blip of the throttle will send slot of torque in low gears vs high gear making it easy to "rock it back and forth".

[yarik83]

Well my question is.. with my 3rd gen swap.. I can be creeping in first gear but as soon as i step off the gas it goes on a jerkadee jerk fest. In my old celi I never had to use my clutch foot so often as I do with this car...

[Batman722]

Well my question is.. with my 3rd gen swap.. I can be creeping in first gear but as soon as i step off the gas it goes on a jerkadee jerk fest. In my old celi I never had to use my clutch foot so often as I do with this car...

torque and your clutch.

[yarik83]

My car is putting out waaaay too much torque I think. They gave me a dyno number at 261hp to the wheels but never gave me my torque number and of course they havent retained my numbers. I have not been to a dyno since.

At first I used to spin my wheels in every gear but a year later I can control the beast. She is now parked as im going on my vacation and she is broken. My drive belt broke and I think it was alternator that caused it. I can spin it while its cold but when it freezes up when I start the engine. New one is due to arrive January 1st or 2nd so I will be fixing it on the 4th when I come back from Caribbean.

[jcbass7]

i'm pretty sure he is talking about a situation that happens for example in stop and go traffic.. and i agree with Dustin and Itchy, its the torque and power band. don't forget once you let off the gas and leave it in gear the engine is slowing the car down instead of speeding it up and at such a slow speed going back and forth from that it will jerk like that. If you drive most cars at about 5-1-mph and let go of the gas and stay in first or even in second it will start to buck/jerk.. its about to stall, but in 5th gear the engine is still turning over so much more that it wont stall and doesnt buck/jerk around..

I could be right, or wrong but i feel like that explains some of it.


Its kinda like when you learn stick the first time, in first gear if you dont give it enough gas it bucks like crazy