starting in second gear

[Hook]

Thanks for this thread OP.

This is my first manual too. (I'm used to driving v8 or v6 autos so it is completely different drive for me)

I'm loving the car and I think after about 2 months of driving without any music or other distractions and just listening to the engine I am starting to be able to drive it as smoothly as the automatic (close too anyway). I still come across situations all the time that I'm not sure of what the 'best practice' is. eg I have a stupid big hill with a roundabout at the top that leads on to a highway off ramp. So theres always a big que of cars (bumper to bumper) turning onto the roundabout. Because of the slow progression I find the friction point (if thats the right term) of the clutch and hold it there and just sort of see saw the clutch/accelerator on and off as I make my way up the hill. I could use the handbrake all the time but it is a fairly constant flow (very slow though) and it would get very tedious brake, clutch, handbrake, release clutch, engage clutch, accelerate, release handbrake. repeat again in 5 metres.

By reading some of these comments what I'm doing sounds like a bad idea.

[u/Josh]

Originally Posted by Hook

Thanks for this thread OP.

This is my first manual too. (I'm used to driving v8 or v6 autos so it is completely different drive for me)

I'm loving the car and I think after about 2 months of driving without any music or other distractions and just listening to the engine I am starting to be able to drive it as smoothly as the automatic (close too anyway). I still come across situations all the time that I'm not sure of what the 'best practice' is. eg I have a stupid big hill with a roundabout at the top that leads on to a highway off ramp. So theres always a big que of cars (bumper to bumper) turning onto the roundabout. Because of the slow progression I find the friction point (if thats the right term) of the clutch and hold it there and just sort of see saw the clutch/accelerator on and off as I make my way up the hill. I could use the handbrake all the time but it is a fairly constant flow (very slow though) and it would get very tedious brake, clutch, handbrake, release clutch, engage clutch, accelerate, release handbrake. repeat again in 5 metres.

By reading some of these comments what I'm doing sounds like a bad idea.

This is a BAD idea. Never use the clutch to hold the car in place on a hill. That is what the brakes are for.

[hobojoker]

Hook, definitely do not do that! No need for handbrake when starting on a hill. Just use your brakes, and definitely don't seesaw it on the friction point on a hill. That's one of the worst things you can do to your clutch.

You can let a little distance between you and the car ahead of you build. Move up, brake, then hold it until there is another significant gap, rather then constant clutch abuse to crawl.

[boredom.is.me]

Ya @Hook, your clutch must hate you. If you really need handbrake, then you don't really need foot brakes. Just pull when you stop rolling up. It's one less thing to think about, but you really need to learn it with only your feet.

[Hook]

Yeah cheers for the response guys, didnt really understand it was that bad. I will get better with just foot brakes, I just normally get people right up my arse and its quite steep, so dont wont to roll backwards into someone.

Will stick to the handbrake for now (even though it is a pain).

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by Hook

Yeah cheers for the response guys, didnt really understand it was that bad. I will get better with just foot brakes,

[I cannot just leave our Aussie friend hanging like this...]




G’ Day, mate!

You’re free to abuse your car anyway you like. Save money for a clutch replacement unless you plan to sell the car very early in its life.

A properly driven clutch should last well in excess of 100k miles, absent regular racing-style “launches,” which will reduce that life dramatically. That’s fun, too, but you must pay the dues. I’m guessing you do not indulge in that kind of fun. Otherwise, the clutch should endure a very long time, probably longer than you own the car.

The clutch pedal should be IN or OUT; minimize in-between time because the friction disk is slipping against the steel plate of the flywheel whenever the pedal is in-between. That generates lots of heat and wear. You’re ERASING the clutch friction disk.

You don’t want to do that.

Would you adjust your speed on the open highway by keeping your throttle right down, and just dragging the brakes with your left foot? Erasing your brake pads? That's a skill, too, you know.

No?

Right, then, don’t do something similar to your clutch disk.

I just normally get people right up my arse and its quite steep, so dont wont to roll backwards into someone.

Exactly. Failing to use the handbrake risks doing exactly that.

And that’s apart from the entirely unnecessary and excessive wear on the clutch friction disk if you fail to use the handbrake. I say it is foolish to incur that wear for no reason, save for some absurd notion of it being somehow uncool or unmanly to use the handbrake. (People are just so ... well.)

When God created cars, he saw that there were hills. God said, “And Let There Be Handbrakes,” and so it came to pass.

Use it.

If there is any area where one finds more collective ignorance and foolishness than the issue of handbrake use in hill starts … I cannot think of what that would be. The majority seem determined to pursue doing it wrong, and to sneer at those doing it right.

Forest Gump’s mother observed, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

I’ve always liked Forest’s Mom.

Will stick to the handbrake for now (even though it is a pain).

Stick to the handbrake FOREVER, because it is the CORRECT thing to do, properly employing the tools at your disposal to minimize wear and maximize efficiency and component life. Best Practices...

Handbrake starts are not something confined to only gifted athletes like myself. It's SIMPLE, for crying out loud. In no time at all it will become reflexive and automatic. You'll actually "forget" how to do it.

Sometimes ignorance and foolishness is punished in this world. This is one of those times. Erase your clutch as you like.

Or not…

Peace & Love,

-Professor Porsche


*****************


“I am not young enough to know everything."
-Oscar Wilde (author, poet, & playwright; 1854 - 1900)


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[strat61caster]

I'm in the same boat as Hook, steep uphill onramp with rolling traffic in the morning ~2 mph.

This post has kicked me into gear, I'll start re-learning my handbrake start-stop and stop burning the clutch.

[u/Josh]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

I'm in the same boat as Hook, steep uphill onramp with rolling traffic in the morning ~2 mph.

If the traffic is moving continuously, you might be surprised how slowly you can roll in first gear.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by u/Josh

If the traffic is moving continuously, you might be surprised how slowly you can roll in first gear.

Oh yeah, it'll lug up the hill in first at 2-3 mph but traffic isn't consistent (metering light) and I'll need to put the clutch in or risk slowly bumping someone.

Smoothest is riding the clutch but it isn't worth it since I'm the only one in the car, just gotta figure it out so that I keep traffic moving smoothly while not causing unnecessary wear and tear on my car

[hobojoker]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Oh yeah, it'll lug up the hill in first at 2-3 mph but traffic isn't consistent (metering light) and I'll need to put the clutch in or risk slowly bumping someone.

Smoothest is riding the clutch but it isn't worth it since I'm the only one in the car, just gotta figure it out so that I keep traffic moving smoothly while not causing unnecessary wear and tear on my car

You can also leave a bit of a gap in front. Instead of slowly creeping, stop and start less often. You're still not getting their any quicker than the person in front of you.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by hobojoker

You can also leave a bit of a gap in front. Instead of slowly creeping, stop and start less often. You're still not getting their any quicker than the person in front of you.