# 2016 LS Manual, slow on 1st and 2nd gear



## chevrasaki (May 1, 2015)

I would not recommend skipping gears when up shifting ever. That habit will have a tenancy to prematurely wear out the synchos (synchros help line up the gears in the transmission so they don't grind when shifting) 

The Cruze is a heavy car with a small amount of power. It was designed for fuel efficiency in mind. However, I understand the need to accelerate quickly in certain circumstances. The way I tend to do quick acceleration runs is to wind 1st gear out to about 5,000 RPMs then shift into 2nd and wind it, and each of the following gears out to about 5,000-5,500 RPMs until you reach the desired speed. 

Since this is your first manual transmission vehicle, it's just going to take some practice to get used to shifting gears and the way the car responds to your inputs. Hope this somehow helps, good luck!


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

I have not had my manual trans Cruze for a few years but I recall the owners manual stated that one should not skip gears up or down with the MT. Maybe things have changed since 2011.
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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

You don't want to skip gears while accelerating. The Cruze has a rev hang when shifting which assists in normal, non-speed shifting. During hard acceleration you'll need to delay your shifts until 5,000 RPM or so and then do a fast shift followed by a medium, but consistent speed clutch release. It does take practice.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Is the A/C on more than it was when you got the car originally?


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## chevrasaki (May 1, 2015)

Merc6 said:


> Is the A/C on more than it was when you got the car originally?


That's a good point, when you know you really need the most power, turn the AC off. Air conditioning robs between 10-15% of the engine's power to run the compressor.


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## U Cruz (Sep 6, 2016)

Thank you everyone for the feedback and answers! I greatly appreciate it!


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## Zealot (Sep 27, 2015)

The AC definitely kills power, although it helps a ton with the rev hang - which is the main problem this car has. Win some, lose some.

Apparently at high ambient temperature (summer) higher octane gas helps a bit. Can't say I've noticed an issue, and lower grade gas will burn quicker and make more power unless the car is tuned for higher- check your manual.

You are, however, running into the typical problems this car has. Throttle delay sucks and means it takes a while for power to ramp on, and it's a heavy car with piss poor performance unless the turbo is spooled. Keeping it spooled with how the rev hang works is hard too, since if you short shift to keep the rev hang at bay, you don't build any spool, and if you rev it towards 3k and up you have a ton of wait time for the next gear, which also kills the spool... There's no winning. 

You may be interested in one of the tunes kicking around here. More horsepower and better throttle response at least, although it won't fix the rev hang. Hope you didn't buy this car, or you'll have to live with it being what I'd consider unacceptably slow. I can't wait for my lease to be over next year - and warn people to buy these cars in automatic if they really feel the need to own one.


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## Skywagon (Nov 11, 2016)

I have 2016.5 L type six speed manual. If I spin the little motor up it has plenty of pep. Of course if you are depending on torque from the little engine and concentrating on gas consumption you will go no where.


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## elegant (Jan 6, 2011)

Skywagon, glad I just read your post for when I test drove a 2017 Cruze manual last week, I was totally disappointed in how slow it was getting off the line in 1st and 2nd gear. [It was cold and I did not have the AC on, and I was not skip-shifting.] 

We have a 2012 Cruze Eco manual and it has far more get away thrust than the new 2017, i.e., in the Eco, I can chirp the wheels in first getting off the line any time I wish. However, thanks to your post, I will take one more test drive, and this time hope that by keeping the revs way up, it has the pep you are experiencing. 

Having driven manual transmissions over 2,000,000 miles in 51 consecutive manual-shift vehicles, I do not lack experience or manual tranny expertise. I hope this next test drive works much better. If not, going to wait for the 2018 diesel, for I really want to buy a Cruze hatch if possible.

And for the gas version, GM is finalizing calibration on an air intake system good for at least 10 HP, and additionally a performance exhaust (and since both are GM parts, no warranty issues). Unfortunately the timetable on their release is mid-2017.


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

The intake has dropped off the time table, and the exhaust is still slated for July. @elegant


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## Nor*Cal Cruze (Jan 16, 2017)

All in all this is a 1.4L motor. If you want TQ outta 1st and 2nd then buy something with a V8. That'll sit you in your seat for sure. This car is intended for economy and that's exactly what it's good at. I SMFH at the people here who try and act like this is a race car just because it has a turbo. It's not that kinda party. A turbo intended to be boosted is found in a EVO or an STI. Those 4 cylender cars are pushing 300 plus HP which is double ours. STOCK mind you.


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

Nor*Cal Cruze said:


> All in all this is a 1.4L motor. If you want TQ outta 1st and 2nd then buy something with a V8. That'll sit you in your seat for sure. This car is intended for economy and that's exactly what it's good at. I SMFH at the people here who try and act like this is a race car just because it has a turbo. It's not that kinda party. A turbo intended to be boosted is found in a EVO or an STI. Those 4 cylender cars are pushing 300 plus HP which is double ours. STOCK mind you.


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## posidon42 (Feb 9, 2014)

Agree for the most part but I just got a Trifecta tune for my Cruze and it's a totally different car. Actually pulls like it has a turbo in it. Crazy torque in second and third. I'm working with them on the tune because imho the throttle sensitivity is a bit high when in top gear. And yes I have the LS manual as well. 

I almost sold this car after owning it for a couple of months but now I'll be keeping it. Still not a speed racer but it has enough power to get out of its own way.


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