Advanced H-shifter question

[StoneC0ld]

I'm not sure if this would be considered a bug or intentional behavior that is questionable in its realism, but is there any particular reason why I need to hold the clutch pedal down so long when shifting on my G25 in advanced mode? I know that I can switch it over to simple (with or without warning sounds) to "fix" my shift timing, but as it stands right now, I have to hold the clutch down so long to complete the shift that the engine RPM is all the way down to idle by the time it registers as being in gear. Compared with ETS2, and compared to the real thing, this is completely unrealistic.

Is this a bug that SCS would need to fix, or is this just something that I have to learn to work around?

[room217au]

You need to rev the engine to the point where the revs stay within the sweet spot on the tacho. You can't let the rpm drop too much. Try dbl-clutching.
Try going to controls.sii and modifying the clutch-range variable. This can alter where in the pedal travel the clutch "bites".
Sometimes you gotta drives trucks like 2stroke motorcycles :) Keep 'em on the boil.

[Fury6]

Originally posted by StoneC0ld:

[...]but is there any particular reason why I need to hold the clutch pedal down so long when shifting on my G25 in advanced mode?[...]

You don't. If it's not engaging, you missed the gear. There's approx. 400 RPM difference between full shifts, 200 between splits on the 13 & 18 speed boxes (more for the 6 & 10). You either need to get your shift completed inside those timings (unlikely) or you need to learn to use your accelerator to match engine RPM with the transmission. Also, why are you even using the clutch during shifts in advanced mode?

I know that I can switch it over to simple (with or without warning sounds) to "fix" my shift timing, but as it stands right now, I have to hold the clutch down so long to complete the shift that the engine RPM is all the way down to idle by the time it registers as being in gear. Compared with ETS2, and compared to the real thing, this is completely unrealistic.

Is this a bug that SCS would need to fix, or is this just something that I have to learn to work around?

There's nothing to fix, except your shifting technique maybe. If you've attempted the shift and the engine speed has dropped more than the 400 or so RPM then you need to use your accelerator to raise the RPM back up to make the engagement.

No it's not unrealistic (yeah, it's 'different', but then they can't really do much better with the limitations of the hardware), you can't just declutch and jam the lever into gear any old time in the real gearbox either, you still have to match RPM to engage the gear. That is entirely realistic. These are not synchromesh gearboxes.

If you make sure you take note of the RPM right before you make the shift, you'll be able to more accurately judge where your RPM needs to be at the time you slide the lever into gear.

If you're not going to use the clutch, then after you pull into neutral use the accelerator to keep the RPM raised just a little above where you judge your RPM match to be until you push the lever into your next gear-slot. The gear will engage after you release the accelerator and the RPM begins falling. If the RPM continues to fall well past 400 RPM below your noted RPM without engaging the gear, then you've missed the shift (you held RPM too low).

If you are going to use the clutch, then you can let the RPM fall until you've slid the lever into gear, then use the accelerator to raise the RPM (not too rapidly, or else it won't engage and you'll have to let the RPM fall again to engage on the way down) until the gear engages.

The gearboxes in ETS2 are assumed to be synchromesh, which is why even in advanced mode the gear engagement is a whole lot more forgiving when using the clutch than it is here. Here in ATS, basically the only difference between using the clutch and not, is that when using the clutch you can engage the gear while raising the RPM (unless you stomp too hard on the accelerator), whereas without the clutch the gear will only engage with falling RPM.

This is all speaking very generally. Since the engine/transmission interaction is dynamic things will change depending on conditions such as gross weight, uphill/downhill etc.

[WinterQueen]

As far as im aware, real Manual trucks need time, partivularly US trucks, for the gear to travel from one, through Neutral, to the next gear. The clutch "issue" is just down to where you have the bite point set, for me on my G27 my bite point is around halfway down to the floor, thats how i can roll up to lights without touching the throttle. As for rev matching, ive noticed since 1.2 that its a lot easier to float gears in advanced (changing gear without the use of the clutch), as long as you learn roufghly where the gear should engage on the taco, as long as the revs are around that point, it should engage, maybe with a little bit of grinding, but till you get the technique down, it comes with the territory.

[FireAtWillsmith]

Floating gears in ats is a lot harder than real life, you real should only be using the clutch for stopping and getting the trucks going, I've talked to mechanics who say the true way of shifting is to actually use the clutch while driving to take it out of gear than float it in. In the game it's hard to judge road speed and there's no feel on the stick.

[room217au]

Also, in a real-world situation, you only need put pressure on the clutch pedal. Just enough to ease the weight on the clutch plate; over time you'll learn where that spot is. You should never push the clutch all the way to the floor, unless you're absolutely certain that particular transmission does not have a clutch brake.
Know your truck.

[StoneC0ld]

First off, thanks for the replies. However, as a trained and licensed truck driver in Canada, I know how it works in real trucks. The "problem" I was having at the time (keeping in mind that I originally made this post back in early February) was that I did not know at the time that ATS even supported floating the gears or what the difference was between simple and advanced shifter behavior; and at the time I posted the original message, there wasn't a whole lot of information about it that I could find. Before long, I did either stumble onto another thread or accidentally figure it out for myself in ATS, and am now able to shift just fine, whether double clutching or floating the gears.