Lets learn to drive manual! Save my clutch Season 1

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by RacerX

Just out of curiosity how tall are you guys and how far back do you have your driving position?

I'm 5'10 and I have my seat as far back as it will go. When I was first learning to drive stick I'd have the seat about half way back. As soon as I tried a laid-back driving position I instantly improved in smoothness. It will require ALOT more ankle movement to floor the clutch, but I find that anchoring my heel on the floor gave me so much more control and precision. I can still do all the tricks like heel toe just fine.

I think having the seat this far back is not the norm for someone of my height. The few times I've taking it in for service the seat was adjusted so far forward I could bearly get in it. Now when I move my seat forward I can't stand it.

So if you're struggling with clutch control give this a try. It took a day or three to get used to but it helped me out alot.

I'm also 5'10 with size 12 feet (but I have fairly short legs 28" inseam) and when I first got this car, I have to sit a lot closer than I did driving automatic to get good clutch control. As I got better I started to move the seat back a bit so that my right knee wouldn't get tired from all the bending while driving long distances. I find it harder to modulate the clutch if I sit too far back. Also sitting more straight helps with heel and toe too I find.

[ronboogieon]

It took me a while adjusting seating position to find the perfect distance. At my current seating position, if I push the clutch in all the way my leg is almost stretch out but not quite. I find this position perfect for modulating the clutch. Any other position I feel like I'm too far or too close. I also find that shoes that help you feel the pedals are also good for clutch modulation.

[RacerX]

I have a 32" inseem as well. With my seat all the way back, flooring the clutch is about 50% ankle and 50% knee/leg. I don't feel like I'm slouching to reach the pedals and I still have a decent about of bend in my legs. It still requires me to physically lift my ankle off the floor as I move my leg over to the footrest. So it's not a lazy "all ankle" motion where my foot never leaves the ground and I drag it across the floor to the footrest. I commute 80 miles a day to go to school, sometimes in stop and go traffic, so I naturally discovered the easiest and most comfortable way to clutch and shift. Finding the most efficient way of doing something isn't lazy. When you have to do a motion over and over you'll naturally do what takes the least amount of effort. I remember when I first started driving stick my buddy said "I can tell you're new to driving manual because of how your grabbing the shifter". He was right. At first I would grab the shifter like a baseball, now I just kinda nudge it from 3-4 or 5-6 on the side with my finger tips while my arm is resting on the E-break (usually only when I'm tired). Is that lazy? Meh, I don't care. It works for me.
Of course when I am feeling a little more spirited with my driving, I'll adopt the proper way of doing things.

[BRZfan]

ZZZZZZZZZZZ when is this thread going to end???

[Alltezza]

Lol damn I'm relearning how to drive a stick pretty much because I'm struggling on first gear. I let off the clutch until i feel it "catching" and then i give it some gas and it goes sometimes its jumpy and all but basically I'm trying to learn how to do first gear a lot faster and quicker, because on a hill start I don't wanna roll back into someone I notice I tend to panic when the car starts to roll back and i kinda give it a little too much gas and i end up launching the car lol I know i'll probably get it down in a couple more days but damn lol its nerve racking on a hill and in stop and go traffic sometimes

[Ec1990]

Originally Posted by Alltezza

Lol damn I'm relearning how to drive a stick pretty much because I'm struggling on first gear. I let off the clutch until i feel it "catching" and then i give it some gas and it goes sometimes its jumpy and all but basically I'm trying to learn how to do first gear a lot faster and quicker, because on a hill start I don't wanna roll back into someone I notice I tend to panic when the car starts to roll back and i kinda give it a little too much gas and i end up launching the car lol I know i'll probably get it down in a couple more days but damn lol its nerve racking on a hill and in stop and go traffic sometimes

Give it a little gas, enough to hold 1000 RPM's or so while releasing the clutch.

For hill starts pull up the parking brake a couple notches until you do what's above then release the parking brake as you take off.

[Alltezza]

Alright thanks lol I'll be practicing. I hope nobody sees me stall or fail in this sexy car it would be really embarrassing

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[Jyn]

Originally Posted by Alltezza

Alright thanks lol I'll be practicing. I hope nobody sees me stall or fail in this sexy car it would be really embarrassing

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Don't feel bad. I've stalled on a hill in traffic and caused the Tundra behind me to miss the light. He deserved it for consistently riding up on me despite me giving the little "roll back warning"

Also, the handbrake method works for me on bigger inclines. Just remember to release the handbrake as your clutch engages otherwise you're gonna do a mad tyte launch!

[newports]

5 star thread. This is awesome since I'm new to stick.

[subiestyle]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

As I was driving home today, it occurred to me that the clutch pedal is actually designed for using your entire leg. Think about the gas pedal. It's set so that it's easy to rest your heel on the floor and flex your ankle. The brake pedal is designed for intermittent use, so it's higher up and levered in such a way that you get the best use of it by lifting your leg off the floor.

If the clutch were intended to be used like a gas pedal, why is it designed just like the brake pedal? This topic got started when someone mentioned not being able to leave his heel on the floor when using the clutch. Maybe that should tell us something.

In normal driving, I keep my right heel on the floor to use the gas and brake pedal. In fact, my heel doesn't move at all. It just pivots to use the gas and then pivots over to use the brake. When I need more force, that is when the heel lifts off and my large leg muscles push through. But in terms of speed of getting to the brake pedal, nothing is faster than the pivot.

Panic braking/heel toe is another matter entirely though. I lift my heel and use my leg to push through.

So you can see the way I use the gas/brake carries over to how I use the clutch.

[chas3wba0]

Originally Posted by Alltezza

Alright thanks lol I'll be practicing. I hope nobody sees me stall or fail in this sexy car it would be really embarrassing

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Best advice I ever got and will pass along to you is this: stop looking at the tach for a while and just go by FEEL and SOUND. You should be able to gauge how much clutch/throttle to give as well when to shift and what gear to shift to solely based on those 2 senses

[Alltezza]

Thanks lol yeah I noticed I'm always looking at the tach lol and by the way I have stalled a couple times and there are some times where I revved pretty high at like 4k or 5k and she's still in the process of being broken in. Is she going to be okay or did I mess up the car and my clutch?

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[chas3wba0]

Originally Posted by Alltezza

Thanks lol yeah I noticed I'm always looking at the tach lol and by the way I have stalled a couple times and there are some times where I revved pretty high at like 4k or 5k and she's still in the process of being broken in. Is she going to be okay or did I mess up the car and my clutch?

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How many miles are you at? And don't worry about revving to 5k, it's not gonna mess anything up. Especially if everything was warmed up already

And the clutch is made to handle that to an extent... you may have just shortened its lifespan by a few miles, no big deal

[Alltezza]

Originally Posted by chas3wba0

How many miles are you at? And don't worry about revving to 5k, it's not gonna mess anything up. Especially if everything was warmed up already

And the clutch is made to handle that to an extent... you may have just shortened its lifespan by a few miles, no big deal

Oh okay a buddy of mine with a sti was telling me I need to be careful and not burn the clutch and shit but yeah appreciate the feedback
And I'm at like 100 miles
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