smooth shifting
 

whats up guys, just have a quick question about my 04" Lancer OZ rally edition (5 spd). When I first got the car the gears shifted 100% smooth, now its still pretty smooth but at least 90% smooth, is that normal, I know how to drive stick (manual) but since this is my first brand new car I jus want to know if that was normal. my previous car, a 90" honda accord, the gears shifted so rough.

RE: smooth shifting
 

I think mitsu used the cheapo plastic shift forks for the U.S. Lancers, so they tend to wear down a bit the first few miles. However, they are solid pieces and will hold up, just don't be too aggressive in banging through the gears!

RE: smooth shifting
 

Im not really sure how much of a difference it makes but I kinda noticced that in my 04 rally sport and its an auto. It seems to hesitate when shifting into other gears sometimes now and when I first got it i didnt even notice. Its only 8 months old too so Im a little worried.

RE: smooth shifting
 

The TCU(transmission control unit) probably hesitates to shift to save wear and tear on the forks. Mitsu might have programmed it that way, but unless it takes excessively too long to shift, i wouldn't worry about it too much. The ECU and TCU are kind of leanring computers. They *see* the way you are driving and adjust accordingly to give you the best mileage, best performance, or whatever combination it see's fit. It's not too much of a problem and you can reset the ecu to make it re-learn your driving technique.