thomsbrain

I have a little notchiness in third, especially when cold (which is anything less than 20 minutes of steady driving on the road), and especially at lower-RPM shift points. On track, it's a rifle bolt.

I think it's easy to underestimate how long it takes to get this transmission fully warmed up and in the sweet spot.

Edit: It's also important to realize that this is a direct-shift design. There aren't cables or weird linkage between the shifter and the transmission like there were in your Civic. The shifter goes through a hole in the tunnel and straight into the transmission. You WILL feel the synchros operating even when everything is perfect.

chris_barry

Learn how to double shuffle when getting back to 1st gear at low speed.

Try changing the oil out for Redline MT85. The Redline oils have good feel/syncro operation over the full range of operating temps.

http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=140&pcid=7

hondagirl0615

Wow, I have driven nothing but manuals my entire life. I went from a 88 CRX, to a 00 Civic to an 02 S2000. I have never once felt anything like what you guys are explaining as "normal notchiness" My s2000 shifts just as smooth as every other manual car I've driven just with shorter throws. If you've had any experience driving a manual at all, the s2000 is no problem. Sometimes I rev it out and sometimes I shift at low rpms, depends on what kind of a mood I'm in. This being said.....the tranny never feels any different no matter how or when I shift. So I highly doubt it is when you shift or how you're shifting. Something is def wrong with your tranny.

Gotpepsi

I also daily drive an AP1 and I can consider my transmission to be notchy; especially while shifting at lower RPM's (2k-4k). The car becomes buttery smooth during mid (4.5k-6.5k) and higher shifts (6.5k-9k). I personally do not think that you have a problem with your transmission and is just to focused on the shifter's feel making you believe that a problems exists, I do this all the time. When I feel a slight notch in my transmission it is because I am doing the following:
To get that sweet shifter feel you should be shifting in the mid to high rpm range.

starchland

Have someone drive the car and shift without the clutch. It may help pinpoint the issue

fernando.

Meh, mine is a little notchy most of the time. I'm over it.

sonic9

thanks for all the input guys...i did just get a racing seat today and it put me closer to the steering wheel and also closer to the clutch...i may not have been putting the clutch all the way to floor cause now, although still somewhat notchy, its been smoother in every gear. especially 4th, 5th, and 6th, 3rd is still finicky and i have to shift pretty quick for it to be smooth

From what ive gathered from everyone though is that some experience this notchiness while other dont, it may just be my, as well as others with their cars, paranoia and extreme attention to every thing this car does..gonna try to take it easy and just enjoy the car cause its amazing aside from this sometimes finicky tranny

starchland

Are you rev matching ? Is your mat bunched up under the pedal?

S2KIrishman

just to let you know, youre actually making it worse by skipping 3rd...OP, it honestly sounds like a synchro issue to me...you could have the tranny rebuilt or get a good low mileage used tranny for about 500 bucks...dont let this issue ruin an other wise awesome car to own...chances are the previous owner(s) skip shifted a lot and essentially blew out your 3rd gear synchro

takeshi

I'll put it this way: more of the notchy complaints tend to come from inexperienced drivers while the pros who review the S place its shifter as one of the benchmarks out there. It's difficult to diagnose through discussion forum posts but you definitely have problems on your end of the shifter and you may have problems on the other end as well. It will take some time to adjust to shifting in the S.

That can definitely be a problem. My seat in the S2000 is a bit more forward than I would normally position the seat in other vehicles.

Thankfully the S2000's shifter will never be like the Civic's since it's directly connected to the transmission. My brother doesn't have a Civic but has a manual with a very smooth shifter and it's impossible for me to drive. In my S2000 I can rely on feel to shift. In his car I have no idea what's going on. More forgiving is nice but it makes for a terrible driving experience IMO. You've probably picked up a lot of small, sloppy habits from driving your Civic and other manuals. That's not to say that your transmission doesn't necessarily have any problems though. I'd +1 the suggestions to have other experienced S drivers try it out without telling them what you think the problem is so that their take isn't prejudiced/skewed. Or find a reputable shop that is very familiar with the S. Check your regional subforum for recommendations.