Manual shift in local traffic? A soon-to-be FRS owner

[whaap]

There was only one time in my life that I had a problem with a manual in traffic. That was my '01 Harley Davidson Heritage Classic. My left hand (the clutch hand) would really take a beating. With cars I've never had a problem.

[doctortt]

Originally Posted by FR-S Matt

Just leave it in second gear, you'll be fine. Autos are weaksauce.

A dumb follow up - Will that kill the clutch in long run?

[RT87]

I think he means leave it in second in bumper to bumper traffic, you'd still shift into first from a stop.

[boredom.is.me]

Originally Posted by doctortt

A dumb follow up - Will that kill the clutch in long run?

Driving the car will kill the clutch in the long run. Just use sense. If you are doing 0-10, first is a good place. But if traffic continues rolling, you can take second all the way down to about 7-8 with out issue.

[chenshuo]

lol aww so i guess i'm a weak sauce?

[jlu]

Originally Posted by f0rge

autotragic

How cute.

Haters gonna hate.

[campy]

My advice is to try and keep your momentum going. It's easier on you and the car if you already have a bit of speed to start with. That said, there is nothing wrong with starting and stopping. It's what the clutch is designed for. And if you never figure it out, you could just replace the clutch after you destroy it.

Since our cars don't come with hill start assist, you could hold the handbrake up while you move your foot from the brake to the gas. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but it can come in handy when you inevitably stop on a steep hill with a soccer mom right behind you.

And hey, nothing wrong with an automatic. You won't be impressing any girls with a jerky ride.

[Fnbeast86]

Originally Posted by doctortt

Hey guys,

Is driving a manual shift annoying in local traffic? I've never driven a manual before, but I'm going to get the stick shift FR-S. Therefore, I'm just wondering what your experience is in handling local traffic emotionally and physically.

Thanks a bunch

Frs is te first car I owned with a manual I don't think I'm ever going back to auto....... Haha jk maybe but nah it's worth it especially on the frs

[gmookher]

NYC,Seattle,Denver, and now PHX

I drive a manual. Once it becomes second nature, you think about it as much as You think about making sure the spoon has the correct trajectory for your mount when eating cereal.

[FR-S Matt]

Automatics just make you lose a lot of thrill with the car. Take it on a windy road, where you have to brake, accelerate, downshift for power up hills. It's a ton of fun compared to flipping paddles on a steering wheel. Not to mention working the clutch is really fun as well. Even in traffic, I have no problems with a manual. Even from a dead stop, I'm able to take off from second gear without riding\burning the clutch at all. First gear is extremely short. Long term damage? Not at all, just normal wear and tear on a clutch. Second gear isn't jerky at all in bumper to bumper traffic.

[steve87j]

Hey Guys I'm also new to manual but on the FR-S i noticed 2 things.

Granny shifting: the only way to get smooth shifts from 1-3 is to apply gas when releasing clutch otherwise you get jerks.

Fast shifting: I cant seem to shift fast 1-3 without getting jerkyness is this normal?

Goal: I want to shift fast without getting jerks. but the clutch always either pulls unless i give it gas. and if i give it gas release clutch fast and shift I get a ROCK sensation rather than jerks. almost like i was trying to drive it hard but it wanted to engage at a higher RPM but im driving slow.

[encity5]

i learned driving home (first time sitting in a stickshift at all) from the toyota dealer in nyc to staten island, late at night, construction blocking the bqe, stop and go traffic. youll be fine. just learn to not react to the people around you and dont rush when you dont fully know how to drive stick yet.

(learned on tc that i bought there and traded soon after for the FRS)

I drive hittin the traffic on the BQE in the morning, since your from NYC, you know what the traffic is like, emotionally, most of the people know how to go around you, so dont sweat it.

[campy]

Originally Posted by steve87j

Hey Guys I'm also new to manual but on the FR-S i noticed 2 things.

Granny shifting: the only way to get smooth shifts from 1-3 is to apply gas when releasing clutch otherwise you get jerks.

Fast shifting: I cant seem to shift fast 1-3 without getting jerkyness is this normal?

Goal: I want to shift fast without getting jerks. but the clutch always either pulls unless i give it gas. and if i give it gas release clutch fast and shift I get a ROCK sensation rather than jerks. almost like i was trying to drive it hard but it wanted to engage at a higher RPM but im driving slow.

Granny shifting and not double clutching like you should

[steve87j]

Originally Posted by campy

Granny shifting and not double clutching like you should

broski double clutching? im not sure how to do that. why do you recommend it?