Lets learn to drive manual! Save my clutch Season 1

[b rawr z]

Originally Posted by calidus

Not driving manual for 2 weeks because of the snow has completely ruined me. I was stalling every other stop sign tonight in my neighborhood.

At least u were able to take it out lol..been over 2 week for me and im tempted to get winter wheels

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[calidus]

Originally Posted by b rawr z

At least u were able to take it out lol..been over 2 week for me and im tempted to get winter wheels

I only took out around the neighborhood. I wasn't brave/stupid enough to drive it faster than 25.

I am going to blame trying to drive in steel toed boats for part of the reason I sucked.

[subiestyle]

what about if you have to drive slow to maneuver around things?

there's no way around riding the clutch, right? you have to

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by subiestyle

what about if you have to drive slow to maneuver around things?

there's no way around riding the clutch, right? you have to

How slow are we talking here? You can creep along at 3 or 4mph easily enough while fully in gear.

[subiestyle]

i have to pull into my driveway which is on a very very slight incline and then pull to the right to avoid bookcases in the garage.

so I pull up to the driveway, stop, open the garage door, and then have to move about 2-3 car lengths into the driveway.

[subiestyle]

also when you upshift to 2nd, 3rd, and beyond, how quickly are you getting on the gas after letting out the clutch?

are you doing the same clutch/gas balance you do to start in first for the other gears?

[AirborneDeth]

It is good that people have taken the time out to make and maintain a thread like this.

I just have one thing to say, and this is strictly my take and not pointing fingers at anyone:

If my kids have to ask how to drive a manual car on the internet, I have failed as a father.

[calidus]

Originally Posted by AirborneDeth

It is good that people have taken the time out to make and maintain a thread like this.

I just have one thing to say, and this is strictly my take and not pointing fingers at anyone:

If my kids have to ask how to drive a manual car on the internet, I have failed as a father.

Most families just don't have a manual transmission car anymore. You can't even learn to drive manual on uncle Jacks pickup anymore because they are all automatics too.

Dad sold his '67 Camaro when I was 4.

Random Question to everyone: Can anyone actually completely press and release the stock clutch without having to move their leg(ie ankle only)? I can't and it drives me crazy, because I tend to jerk the clutch at the every end of releasing it.

[SirBrass]

When I actuate the clutch pedal I do so smoothly & evenly. I can't do it with ankle alone, but that's no excuse.

Smooth pedal motions, smooth steering. That's the key to keeping the car balanced. Any car.

I'm on my phone so if I make mistakes, blame Sportsguy83

[subiestyle]

do you guys feel resistance in the clutch pedal the moment you press down on the pedal?

or is there an inch or so of very light resistance before you feel a stronger resistance all the way throughout the pedal stroke?

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by calidus

Random Question to everyone: Can anyone actually completely press and release the stock clutch without having to move their leg(ie ankle only)? I can't and it drives me crazy, because I tend to jerk the clutch at the every end of releasing it.

I can do it with ankle only (I have to especially when reversing into a tight parking spot, not as important when street driving on straights tho imo).

With normal driving it depends on how tired my left foot has become after sitting in traffic for how long when. I am a cyclist so maybe my leg muscles have had adequate training or something.

The key is to have proper driving shoes with grippy heels, and using the rubber mat also helps with practice (like the OEM FRS rubber mat from Toyota).

A pair of driving mocs can be had for not a lot of money and can be quite helpful (i.e. Clarks / Rockport / Geox / etc, obviously not Tods lol). With sports driving shoes it's harder to find something good these days (Adidas and Puma have increased their sole thickness towards lifestyle and less focus on the function of driving). I find that every brand now seems to only have one or two good designs, and not the entire range.

BTW I only wear driving shoes when driving stick, as the thin sole and grippy heel help with clutch and accelerator pedal modulation. I have fancy retro NB sneakers and I can't heel and toe with them at all (Initial D is so bs). The one thing I find with driving automatic is that you can't train your right foot to have good gas pedal control and becomes a bad habit.

[SirBrass]

I have a pair of Puma Precios (sp?) & they're absolutely perfect for both lifestyle & driving. The sole thickness is just right.

I'm on my phone so if I make mistakes, blame Sportsguy83

[calidus]

I finally gotten the hang of the basics, no more stalling! Now I would like to work on smoothing out my shifts and rev matching.

• I am generally shifting gears when I shit 3k rpms, besides just getting more comfortable with releasing the clutch is there anything I can focus to help smooth my shifts more?
• When moving the shifter from one gear to the next sometimes it is buttery smooth and sometimes it is not. Why is this? I can't figure out what I am doing differently. I am doing my best not to death grip the shifter and to push it gently into gear.

[Manic]

Apart from rolling off the clutch smoothly, all I can think of to make your shifts smoother is to progressively get faster with every motion. When shifting up, the faster you do it, while still being smooth, the more fluid the shift is.

Also, I've noticed that while shifting from 4th to 5th, I do get a little hung up. Not quite sure why, but it tends to slow down my shift which lets my revs drop a little lower than I like. As of late, instead of trying to "draw" that zig zag pattern from 4th to 5th, I just push to the right and upwards as if it were a straight diagonal line. This seems to help a bit.