[dbrandt01]

Originally Posted by calidus

Bad Habits to Avoid:

1. Riding the clutch- Putting enough pressure on the clutch pedal to partially engage the friction plate on the clutch, therefore he clutchplate will not grip the flywheel properly and will partially slip. I agree with the dead pedal comment above. I've always done that though.
2. Resting your hand on the shifter? My father rests his hand on my shifter, claims it doesn't do anything since he's had multiple manuals. He's too stubborn to listen though
3. ???

Questions:

1. What should I be doing while waiting at a traffic light(assume no incline)? Neutral? 1st with the clutch completely pressed? I go in to neutral then shift into first when it's time to go. It's more relaxed that way which is a lame excuse.
2. If am making a left turn at intersection from a complete stop should I be shifting from 1st into 2nd while turning? For me it depends on the situation. If there's nobody coming, I do the turn in first then shift to second exiting it. If there's a lot of traffic, I shift into second mid turn.
3. If I come out of 5th gear and I am coasting, then when I am ready to accelerate again, what gear should I put the car into? Depends on the speed. If I'm going say around 30mph-35mph I shift into 4th, 25mph-30mph 3rd gear. Higher than that 4th, you just learn where to shift it.

Now, I learned to drive in this car, so I may be wrong. This is just based on videos and combined with what my father told me.

Edit:

For me, I usually down shift because I anticipate the light changing soon if traffic isn't bad. With the exception of first, I never down shift to that. The only time I ever really put it in neutral and cruise is when I say go into my driveway. It's a habit I'm trying to get out of cruising in neutral. I did it more when I was learning.