u/itsbildo

Hey all,

So I'm relatively new to driving stick and I am having difficulty pinning down how to rev-match properly. Every now-and-then (30-45% of the time) I hit it smoothly, and it's very cathartic. Problem is, I am not sure of the precise gear ratio differences? I think that's the term?

What I mean is, it seems going from 2nd to 3rd is a difference of about 1k RPM, going from 3rd to 4th seems to be 600/800 RPM, etc etc.

When I'm trying to rev-match down-shift, as I'm slowing down, I'm finding that I am engaging the clutch pedal, reving up about 1k rpm, then trying to catch where I believe the RPMs should be with disengaging the clutch pedal - is this correct? Or should I be reving and trying to catch it on the revs upswing?

Any tips or input would be greatly appreciated.

TL;DR at the bottom

Back in May of this year, I bought a brand new 2026 WRX Limited, which was an automatic (CVT/SPT). I originally went to the dealer to get service on my then var, a 2022 Forrester. On the phone, the dealership said something about lowering car payments and that it was in need of 2022 Forresters, I figured sure I will speak to someone, I guess.

When I pulled up on the lot, the WRX was on the sidewalk and I just gravitated towards it. Kept hovering and circling it as they worked on my car. The person who sold me the forrester 4 years ago asked if I wanted to test drive it. I sure as fuck did, and it was a done deal after that. For about a week I was over the moon and loved every second of it, loved how it looked, how it drove, everything! Until I started doing more research - admittedly this was a bit of an impulse buy. They hookline-and-sinkered me with the test drive, and I have a good job so I could afford it, but I didnt know the automatics of old are essentially non-existent, and that new age automatics, I learned, are what is called a "CVT" and I looked into what exactly a CVT is, cue the sweating.

Then, I started looking into upgrade paths, I knew the WRX from name as my friends would always talk about Evos and WRXs -and add to that I was even more saddened that I learned the CVT is not able to sustainably support as much more power as its 6MT counterpart.... so the creeping-in of regret and the stick started emerging.

I never drove manual, I mean I've helped my mom/dad shift when I was a child in the passenger seat in the 90s, and I had been behind the wheel of one..... once.... when I was 16....a short 22yrs ago lol. So I thought, "fuck it, lets call the dealership, crunch some numbers" hoping this would dissuade me...it would only be $20 more on payments. So then I thought "alright, lets try a test drive" thinking that would scare me away and I would go back to being as happy as I was the first week. So I went down to the dealership, the lady asked "You know how to drive stick, right"? I quickly said back "Oh yeah, its just been a while" to which she goes "Oh ok good, 'cuz I dont". O_O

<Insert gulp here>

So I get behind the wheel, and to my surprise I was able to not only bring the car down from the display spot, but drive it up and down a busy 4 lane street, got it to a parking lot down this busy road, did some quick "Im just getting used to the bite point" bullshittery, was able to drive it up and down some back roads, get it back to the dealership, AND back it in right back to where it was at the start......I only stalled 2 or 3 times.... Well shit, now I want a manual.

TL;DR - Soo, longer story shorter, I traded-in my impulse-buy 2026 WRX Limited Automatic CVT(SPT) to get a 2026 WRX Limited 6 speed, and I have been loving every second of it ever since, AMA

TL;DR at the bottom

Back in May of this year, I bought a brand new 2026 WRX Limited, which was an automatic (CVT/SPT). I originally went to the dealer to get service on my then var, a 2022 Forrester. On the phone, the dealership said something about lowering car payments and that it was in need of 2022 Forresters, I figured sure I will speak to someone, I guess.

When I pulled up on the lot, the WRX was on the sidewalk and I just gravitated towards it. Kept hovering and circling it as they worked on my car. The person who sold me the forrester 4 years ago asked if I wanted to test drive it. I sure as fuck did, and it was a done deal after that. For about a week I was over the moon and loved every second of it, loved how it looked, how it drove, everything! Until I started doing more research - admittedly this was a bit of an impulse buy. They hookline-and-sinkered me with the test drive, and I have a good job so I could afford it, but I didnt know the automatics of old are essentially non-existent, and that new age automatics, I learned, are what is called a "CVT" and I looked into what exactly a CVT is, cue the sweating.

Then, I started looking into upgrade paths, I knew the WRX from name as my friends would always talk about Evos and WRXs -and add to that I was even more saddened that I learned the CVT is not able to sustainably support as much more power as its 6MT counterpart.... so the creeping-in of regret and the stick started emerging.

I never drove manual, I mean I've helped my mom/dad shift when I was a child in the passenger seat in the 90s, and I had been behind the wheel of one..... once.... when I was 16....a short 22yrs ago lol. So I thought, "fuck it, lets call the dealership, crunch some numbers" hoping this would dissuade me...it would only be $20 more on payments. So then I thought "alright, lets try a test drive" thinking that would scare me away and I would go back to being as happy as I was the first week. So I went down to the dealership, the lady asked "You know how to drive stick, right"? I quickly said back "Oh yeah, its just been a while" to which she goes "Oh ok good, 'cuz I dont". O_O

<Insert gulp here>

So I get behind the wheel, and to my surprise I was able to not only bring the car down from the display spot, but drive it up and down a busy 4 lane street, got it to a parking lot down this busy road, did some quick "Im just getting used to the bite point" bullshittery, was able to drive it up and down some back roads, get it back to the dealership, AND back it in right back to where it was at the start......I only stalled 2 or 3 times.... Well shit, now I want a manual.

TL;DR - Soo, longer story shorter, I traded-in my impulse-buy 2026 WRX Limited Automatic CVT(SPT) to get a 2026 WRX Limited 6 speed, and I have been loving every second of it ever since, AMA

TL;DR at the bottom

Back in May of this year, I bought a brand new 2026 WRX Limited, which was an automatic (CVT/SPT). I originally went to the dealer to get service on my then var, a 2022 Forrester. On the phone, the dealership said something about lowering car payments and that it was in need of 2022 Forresters, I figured sure I will speak to someone, I guess.

When I pulled up on the lot, the WRX was on the sidewalk and I just gravitated towards it. Kept hovering and circling it as they worked on my car. The person who sold me the forrester 4 years ago asked if I wanted to test drive it. I sure as fuck did, and it was a done deal after that. For about a week I was over the moon and loved every second of it, loved how it looked, how it drove, everything! Until I started doing more research - admittedly this was a bit of an impulse buy. They hookline-and-sinkered me with the test drive, and I have a good job so I could afford it, but I didnt know the automatics of old are essentially non-existent, and that new age automatics, I learned, are what is called a "CVT" and I looked into what exactly a CVT is, cue the sweating.

Then, I started looking into upgrade paths, I knew the WRX from name as my friends would always talk about Evos and WRXs -and add to that I was even more saddened that I learned the CVT is not able to sustainably support as much more power as its 6MT counterpart.... so the creeping-in of regret and the stick started emerging.

I never drove manual, I mean I've helped my mom/dad shift when I was a child in the passenger seat in the 90s, and I had been behind the wheel of one..... once.... when I was 16....a short 22yrs ago lol. So I thought, "fuck it, lets call the dealership, crunch some numbers" hoping this would dissuade me...it would only be $20 more on payments. So then I thought "alright, lets try a test drive" thinking that would scare me away and I would go back to being as happy as I was the first week. So I went down to the dealership, the lady asked "You know how to drive stick, right"? I quickly said back "Oh yeah, its just been a while" to which she goes "Oh ok good, 'cuz I dont". O_O

<Insert gulp here>

So I get behind the wheel, and to my surprise I was able to not only bring the car down from the display spot, but drive it up and down a busy 4 lane street, got it to a parking lot down this busy road, did some quick "Im just getting used to the bite point" bullshittery, was able to drive it up and down some back roads, get it back to the dealership, AND back it in right back to where it was at the start......I only stalled 2 or 3 times.... Well shit, now I want a manual.

TL;DR - Soo, longer story shorter, I traded-in my impulse-buy 2026 WRX Limited Automatic CVT(SPT) to get a 2026 WRX Limited 6 speed, and I have been loving every second of it ever since, AMA

Alright, I'm hoping I dont get flamed too hard or flexed on....

I am thinking about switching to a 6MT sport car from my SPT(CVT), I have never driven a stick more than about 100 feet since I was 16 (now 38)..... EXCEPT when I took a manual out for a test drive. I watched like 8 YT videos and with that knowledge I was able to pull the car out from its display on the sidewalk, drive it down a main road, and get it to a parking lot while only stalling about 4 times. Then drive it in circles a bunch telling the dealership person "I'm just trying to get used to the bite point" to which I was then able to exit the parking lot, drive more down a busy road, up some side roads, back to the dealership, and successfully back it up back to its spot on the sidewalk, all without any burning smells.

The dealership person with me did not know how to drive stick, so I just kind of had to jump in the deep end and pretend I knew what I was doing.

Since that day (2 days ago) I can't stop thinking about that car, it's identical to the car I have now, only mine is a SPT (CVT).

I think I want to trade my current car in for the stick, but I'm hesitant.

Anyone else here switch from an automatic to a stick with no prior experience?

So I financed a 2026 WRX Limited Crystal Black Silica just under 1 month ago, but in the CVT/SPT. Since the bring home day, I started doing a lot of research, especially about what the CVT really is (not a car guy, so I figured automatic was the same automatic system when I was growing up). Now I'm not so sure I'm happy with the CVT, especially since the CVT basically has no room for improvements.

So on a whim, I called the dealership and inquired about going to a 6MT. They found the same vehicle, dame trim, but in 6MT, and I'm genuinely thinking about swapping.

Pain-points;

1. I don't know how to drive stick, but I've watched like 8 YT videos and I think I understand the concept. I also came across some videos of people saying they bought a manual not knowing how to drive, and just started to, and they don't look back as it being a bad decision.

2. it will be like $50 more a month to change.

Should I go through with the swap, or am I a big dumb dummy?

Thanks

So I financed a 2026 WRX Limited Crystal Black Silica just under 1 mo th ago, but in the CVT/SPT. Since the bring home day, I started doing a lot of research, especially about what the CVT really is (not a car guy, so I figured automatic was the same automatic system when I was growing up). Now I'm not so sure I'm happy with the CVT, especially since the CVT basically has no room for improvements.

&#x200B;

So on a whim, I called the dealership and inquired about going to a 6MT. They found the same vehicle, dame trim, but in 6MT, and I'm genuinely thinking about swapping.

&#x200B;

Pain-points; 1) I don't *know* how to drive stick, but I've watched like 8 YT videos and I understand the concept.

&#x200B;

2. it will be like $50 more a month to change.

&#x200B;

Should I go through with the swap, or am I a big dumb dummy?

&#x200B;

Thanks

Hey all,

Backstory

So I am not a "car guy" - I'm a "computer guy" and for all my life cars have just been a utility to me. I never learned how to drive stick, I tried to learn once when I was like 17 but I almost killed myself, so all my cars have been automatics.

I have been driving Subarus for about a decade now, started with a 2005 Outback, then upgraded to a 2022 Forester, went in for a service and traded-up to a 2026 WRX..... now, I fucking get it. This car has unlocked something in me, this excitement I've never felt before, now I want to look into upgrades.

The Car

So I have a 2026 WRX Limited, VB, but it's a CVT as I don't know how to safely drive stick, and I wasn't about to spend $40k on something I could potentially blow the transmission on leaving the parking lot.

The Question(s)

So I read the FAQ and plan to get a CVT cooler if I determine it's worth upgrading stuff. I understand with having a CVT I am quite limited in terms of upgrade paths, from the research I've done I don't have a lot of slack due to torque/drive train restrictions, but are there any practical upgrades I can do within the constraints of my vehicle? Would a cold air intake make sense? Would a different exhaust help the turbo?

The info I've been finding online has been wishy-washy and contradicting.

I appreciate any/all info and feedback,