I doubt many will remember me, but those who do probably remember that I’m a bit of an idiot, so this question/discussion should come as no surprise to them. How do you shift gears? Do you prefer to use Automatic and let the game do all of the work for you? Do you use Manual w/o Clutch to have a little bit of control over when and where you shift; or do you go full out and use Manual w/Clutch so you can feel like a pro? For the longest time, I always used Automatic when I played a Racing game. I would try Manual, but I was never able to do it right and always ended up going back to Automatic. However, a few years ago when the game DiRT 2 came out, I again experimented with Manual (w/o Clutch). This time, I stuck with it and was actually able to get better at it, and eventually improved my times. Now, ever since Forza Horizon, I’ve used Manual w/Clutch. But, my question is: How do you shift with Manual, with or without Clutch? Do you just keep the pedal to the metal, or do you actually release the accelerator when you shift? I used to just hold down the gas, but recently have started not to, and I have noticed an improvement in my times Now, I don’t know if that’s because I’m just driving better, or upgrading and/or tuning my vehicles better, or if it really is because of that small change. I’ll leave the answering and explaining to the people who actually know what they’re talking about. Is it better to release the accelerator when you shift with Manual, or does it not matter much, if at all? Thanks to those who were able to withstand my idiotic ramblings and read this post all the way through. Brownies and/or cookies to those who actually answer in an intellegent & helpful way.
On cars that have slow clutches I use manual with clutch. That way I control the speed of the gear change. This means most cars that are not built in the real world for racing.
Cars that are built for racing including the F2000 for example have quick clutches and times are probably quicker using manual without clutch. This goes for the Aussie V8 supercars, GT cars and most modern racing cars. Older racing cars have slow clutches so I use manual with clutch.
When I change up this is what I do. Hold the gas, tap A and B very quickly. Done. No letting off the gas. Only reasons I can think of for letting off the gas is if you want to do it like the real world or to reduce the risk of damage if you have damage on. I see no reason why letting off the gas would be quicker.
Changing down I let off the gas but on some cars like the Lotus Elise I get back on to 10% gas before releasing the brakes. Some who do that more precisely would call it rev matching. I am doing it a lazy way and only do it on certain cars. Once again I tap A and X at the same time and do not hold them longer than necessay - it is a very quick tap.
first thing i did when i got the game was set it to manual w/ clutch! no point playing a racing simulation game when it changes gears for you.
plus i love to kick cars out sideways and stuff with the clutch 
and i just hold the accelerator down, IRL that would make the car faster as it stays on boost but not sure if the game would actually have that effect.
I just bang mine in auto :))
You should put that on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker.
Would you have posted that if a chic hadn’t said it?
If this helps, I actually did a run on Sebring in my R class 08 viper yesterday. I’m like 140th on the leaderboard normally, running 1.57.4 using the clutch.
I ran with automatic transmission a couple of laps to see what I could do, and I could not run anything faster than a 2.00 flat. Using the clutch, or at the very least manual, will shave literally seconds off your time.
Here’s a question… You tried Man w/clutch vs Auto. But have you tried Man w/clutch vs Man w/no clutch? I’m very curious as to the actual difference. As SatEduardo said above, it may depend on car. But the long standing truth has been that Man w/clutch trumps all. I was racing on Forza 4 the other day and that’s def true on 4. But on 5, I haven’t seen a noticeable difference in times between Man and Man w/clutch. My theory is that, in real life, with the continual proliferation of and improvement in transmission technology with DSGs and SMGs, the dual clutch setups are quicker around a track in almost every case than a traditional manual transmission. Can some of you top racers do some actual trial runs to see if this is translating to the game in Forza 5?
Btw, dvetts, I’ve been racing your ghost and we’re very close on some tracks but on the Ring you’re killing me. I need to learn that track…
The effect of manual with clutch is dependent on two factors:
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skill at tapping the clutch and shift simultaneously to achieve near zero clutch lag, and
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which if any transmission & clutch upgrades you have installed.
The most dramatic difference comes when using stock transmission and clutch which also allows you to apply a significant amount of PI to other (usually engine or tire compound) improvements. Even on a short track this can result in improvements of up to 2-3 seconds per lap and the more shifts you make on a longer track the more that number grows. The only drawback is you can’t really race like this without risking blown engines/transmissions if using simulation damage.
The least improvement comes when you install racing transmission and clutch which will reduce the clutch lag but still not reduce it to anywhere near zero and costs you PI points you could have spent on something else.
IRL, dual clutch (sometimes called floppy paddle) transmissions are faster than any manual clutch could ever be because of the time it takes to depress and release the clutch while simultaneously adjusting RPMs by depressing or releasing the accelerator but that isn’t modeled in the game.
Yes, the difference is plenty with just regular manual too. I did not do a run like that one, but I know when I switched back to using clutch early in this game I gained an average of about 1-2 seconds depending on the track.
Haha, that lap on R class on the ring isn’t even a good one. I keep going off on 1 of 2 sections. I should be down to a 6:31 
I’ve dabbled in using the clutch, but I just can’t seem to get used to it. I’ve been driving most racing games with manual shifting ever since I played Kemco’s Top Gear (released on the SNES in 1992).
ive changed my controls around to make it easy to use.
shift up is right stick up and shift down is right stick down. clutch is LB
Thats what I do too. Only thing is I’m struggling a bit with changing from FM4 to FM5. I hear the transmission squeaking sometimes. I think the clutch must be held down a bit longer in FM5.
And with car that has those fast shifting double clutches automatics, I just switch to manual no clutch because clutching becomes a pain in the ***. Especially while downshifting quickly. It turns out to be a squeak fest and me cursing! lol
There are multiple ways but a lot of people switch clutch and e brake so A is clutch and LB is e brake. Then the clutch and gear change buttons can bot be hit together.
I do ^this^.
As far as releasing the gas or not, it depends on the car, or more specifically, its clutch. In a car with a quick clutch, such as F1/GT cars or S-Class hypercars, I’ll keep the throttle pinned.
I tried that, but I keep forgetting to hit both buttons, and I mess it up… Maybe I’m just clumsy…
I don’t know how you cant use the clutch if you can play using manual, you press B to shift up and X to shift down, all you have to do is tap A at the same time with your thumb? its not difficult, try it out!
This is what I do, but I’ve found this technique only really effective without TCS engaged. Using TCS, it’s not as smooth IME.
You have more control with manual & clutch.
That’s the only way I drive. I don’t even change it when I drive cars that may not have a clutch in real life.
Manual w/clutch becomes second nature if you just commit to using it and figure it out. Try mapping the clutch to the A button.
Manual with the auto clutch because I just can’t seem to hit the buttons right. If I had a decent wheel with pedals then manual with a manual clutch. Different cars with different upgrades have different power bands and it is a lot of fun to find the optimal shift points. And it is just a lot of fun to drive stick period even in real life. Nowadays it is the best deterrent to carjacking as most carjackers can’t drive a manual.