[erix]

Yep, still using the stock stuff. And I wont change or add syncromesh (which form the posts I've read sounds wonderful) till I know its all good cause I dont want a hassle if something happens.

Other manuals I've had do have some kinds of tranny noise under low RPM when your bogging the motor. My STI does have some of that noise from 2500 to 1500, but I think its normal. I am not convinced syncro noise it normal, although I have noticed as its getting more miles on it it is decreasing. Its possible my tranny is just super tight and its wearing in.

As far as second goes, well, its relative. It does engage OK, just not as easy as the rest. It does have some bad days and some good days. My biggest complaint is the clutch is just inconsistent. For example I put in a couple hundred miles today. When I started out it was stiffer and just felt as if it was not fully disengaging and hard to modulate so it was jerky. When it was disengaging, it would have no play area on re-engagment and would be grabby.

The car sat for about 1.5 to 2 hours while we had brunch and when we left I noticed the clutch pedal was lighter and it shifted smoother. It drove great from there on out.

I had it in day before yesterday and they spent all of 5 minutes looking at it and since it wasnt slipping and could go from spot A to spot B then said it was normal. The tech did not look at another one per my request as its pretty night and day to me.

I am going back next week to go with the service manager and we will compare to others on their lot. Hopefully we get to the bottom of this, but if it acts like it did later today, I dont know what'll happen.

I dont know if you have read up on the clutch delay delete, but that also strikes me as a great idea. Course if you break a drivetrain part later, I could see them saying too bad no warrenty.

[supersubes]

The owners manual has a blurb in there about leaning on the lever when it is already in gear or even resting your hand on it while driving. That vibration becomes very pronounced when you lean on it. The sales manager where i bought my car warned me about the stiff noisy transmission when new.

Every manual i have ever driven has been crappy during first to second shifts. Those gears have the largest numerical gap of all the gears

[erix]

From that I'd gather you notice yours being not so clean. This is my first japanese car, so I'd have to assume its someone specific to them. All my other manuals have been either Tremecs, Borg-Warners, or Muncies. All of those shifted like buttah even though the munchy was pretty loud. But they also had good clutches/actuating mechanisms.

I'm leaning toward a dodgy hydraulic setup on the clutch.

Thanks, good to hear it may not be totally isolated., even though they dont all seem to do it from the couple other I've driven.