6spd shifting questions

[wkim711]

thanks in advance for all the help

i just bought a 06 6spd sedan and has been about ten years since i have driven a manual and have a few questions about shifting

1. when parking what gear should i leave it ini thought it was first gear with the handbrake up but my friend says to leave it in reverse

2. when coming to a stop i would always slip it into neutral and coast then would use my brakes to complete the stop

my friend says that this is the same as riding the clutch which i think means holding the clutch in and coasting while coming to a stop

is the right way to downshift it through the gears and if so do you do it all the way into first gear as i recall the car will lurch when going from second to first when coming to a stop

3. at a stop i would hold in the clutch and select first gear and wait until the light turned greenhe says that this is also bad for the clutch and i should wait until the last moment to engage fist gear

thanks from a newbie

[C-Kwik]

1. I don'tput it in gear when parking unless I'm on a hill. It's rather pointless. the parking brake will hold fine in this case. Actually, if it's on a hill, the parking brake should still hold fine, but the gear is a fall back should the brake fail for any reason. Especially since the parking brakes are on the drivewheels. If you must, putting it in reverse or first is the best bet as it will resist movement the most.

2. I'm not completely clear on this one. Putting the gear in neutral is just fine. If you want to downshift through the gears as you stop, make sure you are rev-match downshifting, otherwise you put uneceessary wear on the clutch. For all practical purposes, jut put it in neutral and stop the car with the brakes. I heel-toe downshift all the time, but onl to continue to keep myself sharp so I feel comfortable at track events. I don't ever downshift to first just trying to come to a stop. It's too short a gear to do anything useful with and can be hard to match revs on.

3. Yes, hold the clutch in as little as possible at all times. The pressure plate is actually quite stiffly sprung. The pressue you feel at the pedal is much lighter as you have a great deal of leverage through the pedal, the 2 cylinders and the arm in the bellhousing. However, the throwout bearing bears ll the pressure that is needed to push on the pressure plate splines. Holding the clutch will cause the bearing to be under load. While it is desgned to hold this pressure, it is indeed a wear item. If you were to hold the clutch in at every light when you wait, you can expect to need a throwout bearing replacement well before the clutch wears out (this bearing should be replaced with at least every new clutch). The bearing is quite durable so there is no need to baby it, but don't stand on the clutch pedal unecessarily if you can help it. Also avoid holding the foot on the pedal as well. Especially when moving. Even some light pressure at high engine speeds can cause some excessive wear.

[wkim711]

thanks for the infoanybody else with their opinion

[szh]

thanks for the infoanybody else with their opinion

I agree with all of the responses from C-Kwik.

Z

[rydwhite]

C-Kwik took of it all.