Completely new driver. Need advice

[Mazdaspeed]

Congratulations! Don't let the stress of your first few in-traffic stalls or roll backs discourage you, you'll be a pro within a month.

[PoRco]

Wasn't worried about rollbacks until you mentioned it :O

What if someone is way too close to me at the back :O

I still have to practice on a steep hill.

[ichitaka05]

Originally Posted by PoRco

Wasn't worried about rollbacks until you mentioned it :O

What if someone is way too close to me at the back :O

I still have to practice on a steep hill.

that's why there's an ebrake for. Use it

[Mazdaspeed]

Or, in a pinch, just give it a few thousand RPMs and release the clutch quickly - it'll be an excessively dramatic start but you won't roll backwards! Don't make a habit of this though, neither transmissions nor police officers like these kinds of starts.

[ichitaka05]

Originally Posted by Mazdaspeed

Or, in a pinch, just give it a few thousand RPMs and release the clutch quickly - it'll be an excessively dramatic start but you won't roll backwards! Don't make a habit of this though, neither transmissions nor police officers like these kinds of starts.

or just keep it in between. Once a while when I'm stopping in the hill for stop sign, I don't hold any brake or ebrake, just throttle & clutch control. That'll help practice the clutch.

[Mazdaspeed]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

or just keep it in between. Once a while when I'm stopping in the hill for stop sign, I don't hold any brake or ebrake, just throttle & clutch control. That'll help practice the clutch.

That's what I do, but that's a pretty rough learning curve for a new guy - everyone understands the "rev it up and dump the clutch" method.

[ichitaka05]

Originally Posted by Mazdaspeed

That's what I do, but that's a pretty rough learning curve for a new guy - everyone understands the "rev it up and dump the clutch" method.

My friend try that method and instead stalled it and it reverse back & hit the car behind him lol

[PoRco]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

My friend try that method and instead stalled it and it reverse back & hit the car behind him lol

This sounds scary lol

[Mazdaspeed]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

My friend try that method and instead stalled it and it reverse back & hit the car behind him lol

Hahaha, d'oh! That had to be a pretty good ego bruiser.

PoRco: If all else fails just stand on the brakes, it's the answer to all your "new to manual transmission" problems.

[ichitaka05]

Originally Posted by PoRco

This sounds scary lol

Nah, rear car was his parent's car w very minor scratch on it.

Originally Posted by Mazdaspeed

Hahaha, d'oh! That had to be a pretty good ego bruiser.

Well, it was his first week driving MT and his dad force him to drive up the hill (to go to restaurant or something like that).

When he hold me about it, I told him bout the ebrake and then he had that d'oh moment lol

[rice_classic]

A couple non-drive tips about using your manual transmission that will increase the life of it drastically.

1: Don't rest your hand on the shifter. The day you rebuild a manual transmission this will be glaringly clear to why. Basically, your shift forks will thank you. (many transmission have aluminum shift forks that can wear very fast).

2: Reduce how long you push in your clutch pedal. I'm not talking about while shifting gear to gear. I'm talking about getting ready to go or being at a stop. When coming up to a stop light, put the car in neutral and let out the clutch. This keeps your Throw-Out bearing from wearing out and also keeps the oil flowing through gears of the transmission. The more time that clutch pedal is depressed (and I'm not talking about shifting from gear to gear), it puts wear on the Throw-Out bearing. The Throw-Out bearing is a non-oiled bearing. The clutch and throw-out bearing in my 192K mile Prelude are still the original.

3: When shifting gear to gear, don't do it too fast. Even if you take the car out for a track day, don't shift like you have something to prove. You're not competing, there's no trophy and there sure as hell are no umbrella girls.


Your transmission thanks you.

[PoRco]

Originally Posted by Mazdaspeed

Hahaha, d'oh! That had to be a pretty good ego bruiser.

PoRco: If all else fails just stand on the brakes, it's the answer to all your "new to manual transmission" problems.

Yeah, if I stall the car and quickly hit the breaks, I should be good, right?

[PoRco]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

A couple non-drive tips about using your manual transmission that will increase the life of it drastically.

1: Don't rest your hand on the shifter. The day you rebuild a manual transmission this will be glaringly clear to why. Basically, your shift forks will thank you. (many transmission have aluminum shift forks that can wear very fast).

2: Reduce how long you push in your clutch pedal. I'm not talking about while shifting gear to gear. I'm talking about getting ready to go or being at a stop. When coming up to a stop light, put the car in neutral and let out the clutch. This keeps your Throw-Out bearing from wearing out and also keeps the oil flowing through gears of the transmission. The more time that clutch pedal is depressed (and I'm not talking about shifting from gear to gear), it puts wear on the Throw-Out bearing. The Throw-Out bearing is a non-oiled bearing. The clutch and throw-out bearing in my 192K mile Prelude are still the original.

3: When shifting gear to gear, don't do it too fast. Even if you take the car out for a track day, don't shift like you have something to prove. You're not competing, there's no trophy and there sure as hell are no umbrella girls.


Your transmission thanks you.

Damn, did NOT know about the bolded part. My instructor didn't mention that. (I guess cause I was never resting my hand there during the instructions, but I would have rested my hand in long trips!) I have to make it a habit of resting my hand elsewhere then... or maybe just not rest it at all? What do you guys do?

Define "too fast" . I'm not sure if I do this or not =/

[Mazdaspeed]

Originally Posted by PoRco

Yeah, if I stall the car and quickly hit the breaks, I should be good, right?

Yeah, this is the first thing I tell everyone when learning how to drive a car with manual transmission - the brakes work just like they do in any other car. If the car stalls, if something jumps in front of your car, or anything bad happens, forget about everything else and just hit the brakes. You'll be safe and (if you're moving) the ensuing stall will not hurt the car.

Also, I'll chime in on your second post as well. As you drive, keep your hands at 9 and 3 on the wheel unless you're shifting, push your left leg against the "dead" pedal to hold yourself in the seat, and always be looking as far down the road as you can (this includes looking out the side windows in tight corners). As for shifting speed, just don't grab the shifter like a baseball and smash it into gear, I recommend using an open hand and a gentle push to switch gears. It will still move plenty fast and you won't be breaking stuff.