New Manual transmission drivers Q&A
 

Didn't see a thread like this while searching, so I made one!

The FR-S is my first manual car, and I've noticed it's the same for some other people on this board. Just wanted to make a thread where we can ask noobie questions to more experienced manual drivers :)

First question: Is there a difference between using the foot brake or the hand brake to assist with a hill start? I find it easier to hold the foot brake in, bring the clutch up to the friction point, then let go of the brake to prevent rolling back. Most people tell me to do it with the hand brake though. I live in Austin, which is an (unfortunately) very hilly area, which has intimidated me quite a bit with regards to learning manual.

hand brake is easier, but if your skilled enough to use the foot brake I don't see why not

I've never used the handbrake personally, though I know some people start out this way. I don't see any reason to use the handbrake if you're able to do without it.

I think using the handbrake is usually only easier for beginners since they don't have to worry about having quick footwork quite so much.

You use the hand-brake because you can also use the throttle lightly. If the hill is steep enough then you'll stall .. or panic a bit and either slip it hard or spin the tires.

I mean .. if you are experienced enough you can get by using the foot brake but it's unnecessary extra effort.

Good idea for a thread. I've been learning this past week myself with my own FR-S and the times where I've stalled it, it was because I was panicing trying to get going on a hill.

I personally prefer the hand brake method on steep hills. But after my week of owning the FR-S, I'm pretty good and almost never need it now.

This is what I do in order of how I do it. I'll assume you're sitting on the hill with the car running.

1. Step on the clutch and put the car into first gear. You can hold the car on the hill by either using the foot brake or hand brake at this point.
2. While holding the button down on the hand brake, keep the hand brake in the up position. This will let you get off the foot brake while still being able to use your left foot on the clutch. Keep in mind the car should be in 1st gear by now or the car will roll backwards.
3. While holding the car on the hill, start building RPMS by giving the car a little gas. When I'm at about 2k-3k rpms, I start to let the clutch out while still holding the hand brake. The car starts to squat in the rear end when the clutch engauges so when that happens, simply push the handbrake down and you'll start moving.

I do this all the time when on a steep hill and it never even moves backwards at all. The trick is to start with the car in gear and wait for it to squat down. When it does, just release the hand brake and your off.

Thats how I've been doing it anyway. The only issue i've had was when I forgot to put it in gear. :bonk:

bneale

You're going to cut the clutch's life short revving to 2k+ and engaging.

Another question: what's the proper way to start out smoothly (on flat ground)? Do you let out the clutch until you hit the friction point, THEN add gas, or do you add a slight bit of gas, then let out the clutch?

You'll figure it out. Once you get used to it you'll learn to give it the right amount of gas at the exact moment that it starts to engage. But short answer, don't wait until it starts to engage and then give it gas. Learn to time it so that the revs are starting to climb right as the clutch starts to engage.

I am learning stick as well. I'm doing fairly well at this point, I can comfortably start on hills, downshift when appropriate and so forth. But my difficulty is getting from first to second smoothly. It always seems slow and a little rough, that's when traffic goes past me lol. I have been learning on a civic and this past weekend on a yaris with no tach.

I take it you haven't driven in San Francisco? :D

I agree though, you shouldn't need it unless the hill is so steep that you just can't react fast enough. Either that or you are worried about the car behind you. Now that so many people grow up on autos and have never driven a manual, a lot of people end up stopping far to close to cars on hills.

In first gear of course. Simultaneously slip the clutch a little until on the gas, off the brake on the gas. The steeper the hill the more gas you need to keep from stalling or rolling back. Usually you don't need anything more than a normal driving RPM.


The manual transmission actually takes a split second of time in neutral to synchronize the gears so you really just can not ram the shifter from gear to gear especially when cold. Shifting slowly allows time but fast shifting requires a simultaneous technique.


A manual car requires doing things together all at once for the fastest smoothest shifts, not one, two, three, 4, 5 then 6 ; clutch down, off the gas, shift to neutral, shift into next gear, clutch up, then gas.
You can clutch down, shift to neutral, and off the gas to rev match as best as possible at the same time; shift to next gear when clutch pedal hits the floor, clutch up, then gas.

More or less like that. You can work on your own technique as you gain more experience.

Please don't take offense to this because as males (which I'm just guessing you are) we get really defensive when someone says something like this to us but...

This is very wrong! You should absolutely NOT be revving the car to 2-3k while getting going. In fact, if you advocate this, there's no point in using the handbrake at ALL. The reason you use the handbrake on a hill is so you can avoid revving this high. Your RPMs should stay the same as if you were getting going from flat ground. Revving that high is something I would expect from someone inexperienced with the clutch while NOT using any brakes.

Like I said, don't take offense, I just wanna get this out so you as well as others don't do this. We gotta have our 86's last right?? :happy0180:

What I used to do was keep it in neutral an let off the break a little when people are pulling up. This will scare/warn them enough to stay back because I'm driving stick.

I think I used the handbreak method only once. But that's because I'm stubborn and just wanted to use my feet.

I learned how to drive manual for the most part in an SUV, which had no hand brake. Only a foot e-brake. So I was forced to learn to just be quick. It's pretty easy once you get used to releasing the brake and gasing clutching very quickly. I never understood why people always roll back at lights or on hills. If you learn to clutch and gas smoothly you shouldn't roll back at all, or atleast most even half of an inch.