New Stick Driver, looking for advice.
 

I've been driving automatics for about 6 years now and this is my first manual.

Its definitely difficult but I'm getting the hang of it now. I'm hoping for some help though. The first day that I drove it...I smelled the clutch from fifteen feet away >.> and now, about 60 miles later, I'm not burning it at all so I'm making some progress.

I'm mainly here for advice on maintenance, techniques and other things that would enhance my enjoyment of this amazing vehicle. I realize that there are many guides/tutorials out there but none of them seem to deal specifically with Subaru BRZ's.

I'm also new to modding vehicles so I would appreciate any advice on what to do with this car.

I am definitely getting the clunking noises (saw the thread) from shifting into 1st/2nd after a full stop and it sounds like something is wrong but I don't think anyone has really addressed the issue...how do I fix it? Is it even a problem? Possible future problems?

A few questions that I've thought of so far:

1. What speed/revs are you guys normally shifting gears?
I've mainly been upshifting around 3k RPM but haven't really had to "downshift" yet since I haven't been brave enough to enter rush hour traffic yet.

2. When do you guys normally downshift?

3. What revs are you guys using to revmatch?

4. Anything I didn't mention that I should know?
I've been reading the manual but am only about 80 pages deep so far due to hw/distractions.

P.S. I live in San Francisco and it is very difficult to find "flat ground" to practice on >.<

Congrats on making the leap (I did the same). You can find some good info here to start you off:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...light=practice

I've been driving a stick for 40 years, and I believe it's about listening to the engine and driving by feel. The best thing I can advise is to not get too robotic. I'm still in the break-in period with my BRZ, but generally take it right up to the 4,000 rpm before shifting. Personally I think shifting at 3,000 causes the engine to lag after the shift.

I've taught several people, including my sons, to learn to start on a flat area without touching the gas pedal. If you can repeatedly get the car rolling without touching the gas, it teaches you the feel for the clutch. Then you'll not over-rev the engine when you start normally. Try this and see if it helps.

I'm in the Bay Area as well, and it might be worth it to make a trip down the Peninsula, and use some of the large office parking lots down around San Mateo/Foster City/Redwood City either later in the evening or on the weekend. There are a ton of big office buildings down here that will have nice empty parking lots to practice in.

Ummm... Maybe you should get out of San Fran to find some nice flat terrain?
Actually, even an empty school parking lot or something of the sort is a good place to go.
When you've memorized where the clutch engagement point is (where the revs drop and the car starts to move forward and shudder if you don't give gas), you'll be able to do even uphill starts without using the handbrake. I'm sure that will come in handy where you live...

I've been driving stick for 20 years, and I think I'd roast the clutch driving in San Fran too! :D

On flat ground, I shift around 4k in early gears, but as I'm cruising and not accelerating, I'll shift earlier. Going up hill, shift later.

You get a feel for it - if you're accelerating fast, you hold the gear longer. If you're being casual, you can shift earlier.

I went into SF with 1.5 hours total of practice, only stalled on hills 1 time! :D (admittedly, I didn't spend much time in SF that day)

I still have a lot to learn, I really suck at rev matching (always off by a lot), but I'm trying to buy my own car soon so I can get some proper practice. I think that if you're in traffic and you aren't good at downshifting, it's best to just not downshift and go into neutral after you run out of revs, at least that's what I do, since the abrupt change in speed that happens when you screw up and drag the engine with the clutch is probably pretty annoying to other drivers. Practice can happen when there's no one around to crash into.

As someone still learning MT, my opinion on hills is don't bother using the handbrake, it's too confusing, and you'll eventually just use your feet anyways. I tried to do a handbrake start on a flat road, but my head couldn't get around the idea of my right arm controlling the brake. I just practiced in a parking lot to use as much clutch "bite" as possible immediately (if you get what I mean), and then got in the habit of moving my foot to the gas as fast as possible in traffic. I gave it 2000rpm and that was enough to not stall on a really steep hill. The initial rolling backwards 2 inches is the most frightening thing ever though lol.

It depends on how I'm driving... Cruise, racing etc....


And I remember using using the hand brake on hills, lol. Damn those hills!! A d those people who get too close!

It's possible you weren't smoking the clutch. The smell you report could possibly be normal on a new car. It may not even have been the clutch you were smelling.

Probably the catalytic converter. Ah, the new car smell, lol.



The guys pretty much covered the basics. What also helps is to see the mph range in which each gear is in and the sound the car is making at that mph/rpm. For example, 1st gear = 0 - 15, 2nd = 16 - 30, etc etc. The numbers I'm using are just random, not specific.

I hope I make sense, lol.

Congratulations on the new car! You're brave learning to drive stick in San Fran! You'll be able to get hill starts down like a pro in no time. Best of luck :)

Don't concern yourself with rev matching, fast downshifts, or anything fancy like that until you're pretty comfortable with stick. Learning those things will come with experience and the synchros will help you through the learning process. For now, shift when you feel comfortable and just work on being smooth.

Im fairly new to the stick aswell. Ive been driving it for a total of 2200 miles regularly. Once you get the feel for this clutch youll start getting better and better. Im almost to the point where i want to take an offensive driving class just to be safe.

First steep hill i encountered with a stop sign a lady rides right up on my rear. I pretty much smoked the clutch to not roll back. Now im getting the hang of balancing the clutch and throttle, to stay in my current position. Now what would be the next step in my manual self training. Downshifting?

Is it bad to go from 5th gear, slow down to approach a freeway entrance, then switch to 3rd gear without going to 4th?

Or should I go to 4th from 5th then to 3rd a few seconds later?

Do I have to press on the gas when downshifting from 5th to 4th to 3rd or can I just shift to all those without hitting the gas pedal?