Quote:
Originally Posted by MidnightMonkey
i've driven a handful of manuals with no guidance, albeit none of them for very long intervals. I'm just curious about a few things:
1) When coasting in any gear to maintain speed and shifting is not necessary due to RPMs, is it detrimental to take your foot off of the gas fully without engaging the clutch? I've noticed that when I do this (on other cars) when i need to get back on the gas - regardless of how smooth - it's jerky.
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It is fine to leave it in gear and let the weight of the drivetrain slow you down; that bump you are feeling is the gears in the transmission and differential going from the coast side to the drive side, mostly it is coming from your differential. The next time you get a chance to get under the car, set your emergency/parking brake as hard as you can, chock the tires, leave the transmission in neutral, and when you get under the car grab the drive shaft and turn it back and forth. That little bit of movement is what you are feeling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MidnightMonkey
2) When decelerating, is it wearing on the clutch to downshift to decelerate? Is it more feasible to just put the transmission in neutral and brake to a stop?
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Yes, it is wear on the clutch to downshift to decelerate.
-Oppinion: When I was a teen, and driving older cars, I was taught to always treat a car like something might fail. One of those lessons was keeping the transmission in the appropiate gear to take evasive actions. Both methods are acceptable and the extra wear on the clutch from downshift isn't enough in my oppinion to worry about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinoyplaya
Starting to get used to the clutch now. But GG... I started at 3rd gear today.... It wouldn't let me shift to first and there was a car behind me  . Shoulda went to 2nd instead. |
Starting in 3rd is fine, just don't make a habit of it; also is show that you have developed clutch control. As far as not going into first, this could be a syncro issue if you were at a dead stop; the next time you encounter this: keep your foot on the brake, hold the shift in neutral and let the clutch all the way out, then press it back in and try again to shift it into first. Do not force your shifter into a gear if it doesn't want to go. Look up double clutching, it is a skill that should be learned and understood <it has nothing to do with racing and everything to do with understanding how and transmission works>.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinoyplaya
Also, is it okay to go to NEUTRAL when coming to a stop? I shift to neutral and just coast to stop. Though it feels like the car is loosing power as if its about to die down... maybe its cuz of the AC.
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Shifting into neutral to come to a stop is ok, but remember you are letting your engine go back to idle and it still have the load from the AC compressor and a small load from your brake booster. If it concerning your or seems to drop the idle too much, take someone local for a ride and ask their oppinion.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, I've just been using a clutch on a motorcycle, tractor, or automobile since 1994 and I have swapped/replace quite a few clutches, set up a differential or two. These statements are based on my oppinion and your results may vary.