Jerky / shaky starts
 

Well this is my first car as well as my first manual transmission. Idk why but I've been driving this car for 700 miles or so, and yet I still get jerky coming out of first. And sometimes when I shift, I feel like riding the clutch. Any suggestions for this to stop happening? My friend who drives an Impreza STI drove my car around the block and it was smooth through each gear. What am I doing wrong lol

Off topic but if you want to see my car, look up on my Instagram @Raymondwanngg.

I'm always open for advice,suggestions, and hate. :)

let the clutch out slower. you just need to feel when the clutch lets go. park the car on a flat surface and let the clutch out slowly in first with no gas don't let it out all the way just feel the point when the car starts to inch forward on it's own. remember that point.

I did that when I first received the car to get the feeling but when I'm at a light or stop sign, I can't seem to feel that spot. It's hard to explain >.< but ill give it a shot tomorrow again

You'll be fine, just keep practicing. The more you drive the more you'll get a feel for when the clutch is catching...just takes time and practice.

I had a thread earlier where I posted my concerns about the clutch feel. To me, the FR-S' clutch is very light, the catch point is rather high, and sometimes it can feel vague. Again, this is relative to other cars I have driven, and I'm sure it will sort itself out after some time, and as the car breaks in.

All of my friends seem to have their own way of driving manual. Some blip the throttle and ease the clutch out afterwards. Others let out the clutch and only give it throttle when it catches. Personally I ease out the clutch while giving it gas.

The stock catch point is really high, too high. I did this little mod and the difference is amazing.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8040

700 miles is nothing if you're still trying to perfect driving the car. Just keep on practicing and it'll be second nature soon enough.

Been driving manual transmission cars for the past decade now, and I find that I usually will still stall a new car once and a while. Takes time to learn...each car is different. You'll get there.

Honestly while ur still learning I would highly suggest to not do this. It may work better when you have mastered Mt but for now it will throw off your timing. It takes a while to get better at Mt. Also remember first gear on this car is a bit jerky in general. Furthermore second gear is hard to smoothly shift into while cold. If you find after a few thousand miles u still aren't happy with how it feels switch to pentosin mtf2 tyranny fluid. Thinner. Warms up quicker and will give u a smoother shift into second. If your still not happy with the catch point then change it. But it takes time! Good luck brotha!

The DIY clutch mod helps a lot too

I'm just the same with this.

This is my 3rd manual car and it took me a while to get used to this one compared to the others. You'll be fine, just keep practicing.

How can I get out of first gear more smoothly?

Let the clutch out slower. You want a smooth transition from foot off the gas with the clutch depressed to foot off the clutch with the foot on the gas.

Like everyone else has said keep practicing. I'm in the same boat with 2nd. Sometimes it's good sometimes not so much but this is my first manual and I learned in it so keep at it because it's that much more rewarding when you everything clicks in place.

Also once your car is a bit more broken in you may be able to feel the catching point a bit more. My clutch feels way different from when I first got it (though could just be all the practicing too, lol. I'm At 2700 currently today)

Just more practice man. Got to find the right release point in the clutch while applying gas. The more you drive, the better you'll get at it.

Don't worry so much about accelerating faster cause of the people behind you. They can either wait or switch lanes. Focus and feel your your clutch.

I've found it helpful to lift my heel up and bend at the knee slightly when releasing the clutch. I dunno why, but the ankle-pivot throws me off sometimes. I'm planning to do the clutch mod as soon as I get a nice warm day to play with it.

This is my first MT also and the 1-to-2 shift is something I still can't get right all the time. Any other up-shift is no problem.

I had to develop a whole separate technique for the 1-to-2 and in the process, I learned that it actually makes the other shifts better as well... lol

In other words: practice and experience.

It was about 1500k befor I got the hang of it and still do it from time to time. As long as your still only shaky and not stalling your doing good. But simply try to have it at atleast 1500 rpm befor you let the clutch out enough to grab.


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Today I test drove the FR-S and I must say that even I had a hard time getting use to the clutch. The clutch on this car is VERY soft compared to the one in my Prelude. Took me awhile to get use to it. Make sure you practice and try not to gas it above 1500RPM while releasing the clutch.

plz direct your attention here. the first to second gear shift is common for all our mts. you can read this thread or continue to work too hard to shift in and out of second. good luck
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...t=gear+synchro

do you have pentosin in your tranny? i noticed that you're in socal also and was debating on which fluids to swap in. I assumed that it doesn't get that cold down here compared to other regions therefore I thought thinner fluids wouldn't be necessary.

the thing is cold is subjective, but not for this car, imo under 50 its a pain to get into second. even when its warm like 80 outside getting in and out of second is still vastly too rough. im in oc, if youd like to drive my car to see the buttery smoothness yourself ill show you.

The 1-2 shift in this car is abnormally tricky to get completely smooth. I think it has to do with the fact that the ratios between the two gears are so far apart you could drive a truck through them, mixed with the revs not falling off quickly enough after you depress the clutch. (It holds them for just a second after you press the clutch, and it pisses me off)

practice practice practice ..then do the mod. It's worth it.

I must be getting old. I saw "Jerky / shaky sharts"

Don't overthink it, that's what usually causes it and prolongs the learning curve. Eventually, with enough practice it will all fall into place for you.

The car has an awkward clutch plain and simple. 1st gear is tough to get smooth regardless of your practice with the car or manual transmission experience

I was dropping off my girlfriend today, and I was low on gas, so I figured that I would grab a tank, and then on my way home, I decided to have some fun, and play around with starts from a complete stop and shifting into second.

Now personally, the way I found it easiest to get consistent, smooth, starts from a complete stop is too try and keep your RPMs as close to 1000 as possible until you fully disengage the clutch (should happen around 6MPH), and then you give it a little gas. Blipping the throttle or easing out the clutch before giving it gas generally wound up in rough starts.

As for 1st to 2nd, it's still a work in progress for me. I generally wait for the RPMs to drop a bit while fully depressing the clutch, if I'm consciously thinking about it; however, I never consciously think about it whilst driving.

That's just my sub-500 miles experience. I'm sure I'll have a revelation, but I did find I drove better after having a beer. Please take that advice with a grain of salt, I'm not encouraging driving with alcohol in your system, but it helps to take the edge off.

As others have said, it's all about practice and experience with the car. And EACH car is different. (Also as others have said, once you're used to it adjust the clutch to your liking so you can get used to it all over again. :-)

I've been driving mostly manuals (from my first Morris 1000 to trucks to tanks) for (damn, ran out of fingers & toes) 34 years and I will still bunny-hop an unfamiliar car at times. (Haven't stalled on in a while though!)

It's not about what gear you should be at X rev, it's about listening to the engine and being in tune with what the vehicle is doing. Anticipate what the car will need when you hit that hill / off-ramp / corner / little-ole-lady in a zimmer frame. Being at one with the vehicle is an awesome experience, it's an extension of you.

I usually get that in the morning after a few cups of coffee...

A trick I learned when I first learned how to drive stick...

I also didn't know where the point was.

A relative told me to slowly release the clutch while watching the rpm. At the "point" the rpm will drop a little. This is where the clutch starts to engage - this is the point where you can start applying gas.

It gave me a reference when I was learning. Hope it helps.

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I think the throttle being so responsive is part of the difficulty. Mentally you realize you've given too much gas, and in order to avoid burning the clutch you let it off a bit quicker, and simultaneously release the gas a little, now you're bunny hoping.

It's just tricky to feed in that barely noticeable amount of throttle to maintain 1200-1500rpm while smoothly releasing the clutch, while not slipping too much, nor too little. Just remember that the clutch must be slipped in first. No two ways about it.

I know my friends lotus has a really light clutch and a really aggressive engagment. The best strategy for that car, is a small throttle blip, and a very smooth clutch release as the RPMs start to drop. You might try this with our cars, as its more similar to a lotus, than say a big GT car.

Try driving barefoot or get some proper driving shoes so you have better pedal feel, and try not pivoting the clutch foot off the floor, use your whole leg to push/release the clutch instead of just your ankle.

Oh and try moving the seat around a bit sometime you think the seat is in a good position but a tiny adjustment can make it much better

the clutch adjustment is definitely needed. Even as a beginner. Since you're adjusting the entire clutch, he might as well get the change done now and get use to it. Otherwise he'll be learning the car twice.