driving stick shift!

[NismoDriver240]

i cant drive anything but stick now...it accutally helps me concentrate on the road...i remember driving my dad's benz and i almost fell asleep cause it was soooo damn smooth and i didnt have to do anything...

i know what you mean! i kinda did doze a little, not in a benz but still, and i went cold turkey on auto.

OP: stick with it and dont stress, youll do it in no time. i learned in a parking lot and the next time i drove stick i was test driving my car to be, the dude selling it was like "a lil rusty?" haha if he only knew

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Remember that you are going to need to let the clutch and gas out at different speeds. Clutch too fast & gas too slow= you killed itClutch too slow & gas too fast= rev high and wheelspinClutch too fast.......... you get the idea. It just takes practice, practice, practice. That's how I learned.

good luck!

[pflicht]

r34 gtr, how do you get the car rolling on flat ground without giving it any gas at all?

Both of the working 240's I have/had, L200 Saturn, and my 91 corolla I've done this to. All of them I got to go through my neighborhood in 2nd gear NO GAS Pedal applied. Its really easy btw. In 2nd I can do 10mph without giving it gas, until I want to go uphill and then it wants to stall.

[DevilMB3017]

Once you get a feel for the friction zone with the clutch(motorcycle reference FTMFW!), stalling is all in the past.

I use this method to sit on a hill. Right where the clutch catches and I'd normally roll forward just lets you sit on a hill. Hit the gas pedal, and feather out the clutch and you don't roll backwards. You also piss people off because you don't have brakelights on. (I.e., careful around cops - use the handbrake for that)

[frapjap]

I'm impressed, this is probably the best information I've read about helping someone learning to drive a standard. Good thread everyone!

When I teach a girl or another friend, I also have them learn by starting from a stop using only the clutch pedal. After the third time or so they go "oooooh, I get it now!" and we can move forward with gas compensation.

One of the biggest buggers is that some gas pedals are A LOT more sensitive to weight than others. The 240 is a touchy one, but opposed to a trans am or camaro, it has a stiffer gas pedal feel. C5's are touchy too, in my experience- though I think the engagement, gas sensitivity, and my height, arms reach, and leg reach is PERFECT in that car. I could be THE most comfortable driving a standard in that vehicle.

[xckid]

Before my friend got manual car...everyone would as me to teach them...i always said yes..but never did..cuz i like my clutch ...and i think my car does too. Also my slave cylinder is always going out.The only difference with reverse is you can go faster with out the gas just let it out slowly. Also i find its harder to kill it in reverse ive let mine out pretty quick and i get jar'd around pretty good bout it..but it never dies

[Loki]

How about some advice for moving from a dead stop up a fairly steep hill? Little while ago I was stuck at a light, went to take off and stalled. Tried to start it and take off real fast and ended up spinning my wheel for a couple seconds. Quite embarrassing.

[xckid]

Hold your ebrake up with the button pressed down, so you dont roll back.Let the clutch out to where you can see the motor bout to struggle pump the gas a llittle and let the clutch out as your putting the hand brake down

[DevilMB3017]

How about some advice for moving from a dead stop up a fairly steep hill? Little while ago I was stuck at a light, went to take off and stalled. Tried to start it and take off real fast and ended up spinning my wheel for a couple seconds. Quite embarrassing.

Personally, I think the e-brake technique for newbs,

When sitting on a hill, you have to know the 'friction zone', as JustinStrife said. This is where the car will naturally start to roll foward on level ground when you start letting go of the clutch pedal. What I do for hills in both my 240 and my Saturn is keep my right foot on the brake, of course, and then with my left foot I slow let the clutch out till I hit that 'friction zone' sweetspot when the RPM goes down about 100 or so and the car would NORMALLY start to roll without any gas. Then you can let go of the brake and 9/10 times you will just sit there. Give it some gas and let go of the clutch pedal slowly like usual. Works everytime.

[xckid]

haha same thing different brake :p

[VinceSez]

practiced more today and i didn't even stall on my xB. pretty much got it down on the 2nd day, thanks err one!

[Loki]

Nice. Took me damn near two months to teach myself.

[s13girl]

i tried to learn on a few civic and a del sol and i just couldnt get it..

one night my b/f and i were suppose to go out and i wasnt feeling well, so he made me drive his 240 instead of riding( i feel better when i drive) and ive been driving stick ever since..i dont know but the 240 was perfect for me to learn on..

[Ilvemynissan]

haha I had to teach myself how to drive my car when I bought it. I had to go on this Island to buy it. The guy asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin I said yah but i've never drove a stick before. He just laughed and I got in it he said. 'bring it back in one piece'. I said i'll try lol but yah it isnt really rocket science. I only killed it twice and that was the first day I got it. Not too bad in my book.

Oh and before I got my motorswap and upgraded clutch..well earlier someone was talking about just lettin out the clutch with no gas. I used to do that with the stock clutch through all gears. In 5th I think you can get it up to like 7/10 mph maybe. But yah I don't know why I did it. Just messin around

[SketchyRollin564]

Hmm, well ive only driven stick twice in my life so ive never gotten the chance to try the whole "start rolling without gas" thing. I figured it would only be possible on a car with a high idle or lots of torque, but i guess not.

Since this is pretty much a random stuff about manny transmission's thread, i guess ill ask one question.

How in the world do you shift without using the clutch without damaging anything? My friend showed me in his 5spd kia. He said it was just timing, but i still dont get it.

[Ilvemynissan]

I think your talking about rev matching or somthin. i'm not familiar with it but i think you get the rpms high and then just push it to the next gear and wait for the rpms to drop and it's supposed to just slip right in gear after the rpms drop a certain amount I've never done it so you might want somene elses opinion.

[SketchyRollin564]

I think your talking about rev matching or somthin. i'm not familiar with it but i think you get the rpms high and then just push it to the next gear and wait for the rpms to drop and it's supposed to just slip right in gear after the rpms drop a certain amount I've never done it so you might want somene elses opinion.

I thought rev matching was heel-toe downshifting without braking. AKA i thought heel-toe downshifting was just braking while downshifting and revmatching

[DevilMB3017]

Rev-matching is just that, matching the revs of the motor to the trans/wheels. The clutch's purpose is to attach the engine's crank to the trans. If you get them spinning at the same speed, they mate without much effort.

In the Saturn it's super easy for me, I just pull it out of gear and as the revs fall, I push it into gear. You really just have to know how fast you are going compared to RPM for a given gear.

In cars without synchronized trans, you HAVE to rev match. I.e., old cars and almost all 18-wheelers.

This is most useful when braking in racing so you shift smoother as you enter a corner. Also so you don't kick the rear out when exiting. (in RWD, at least... )

Also, as the for the 'rolling without gas' thing - it's easier in my experience with the KA or any half-weighted crank. The engine likes to spin itself out of stalling. I taught my girlfriend to drive stick in 1/2 an hour on it, just for emergencies. She said she's afraid of it now. *shrug*

[ScrapMetal]

Clutchless shifting is basically the same as double clutching except without using the clutch. Lets say I'm in 3rd going to 4th gear, I push the shifter in neutral let the revs drop down a bit and then the shifter will basically slide(effortlessly)into gear without having to use the clutch. When your gonna shift from high to low gears, its the same thing except you have to rev up to match the transmission and it will slide into gear. Atleast thats how I do it and I learned how to drive stickshift on a Freightliner(maybe I'm doing it wrong I dont care)and when I tried reverse for the first time I ran over a wooden fence(Fu%& yeyuh!).
Modified by Metaru_Gia at 7:56 PM 3/13/2008

[BMAR240SX]

Wow this thread really surprised me, i had an idea that everyone on here was perfect in stick and stuff but i see it took some people time and others are yet to get the hang of it, pretty cool. I myself still haven't learned but if my pocket is right i will make my attempt in the beginning of April to buy a 5 speed swap and go about it from there, i will definitely post my feedback

[Loki]

Man, I'd love to take a beater 5 speed out to a track with some of you guys and learn some of this stuff

[nametakennow]

Wow this thread really surprised me, i had an idea that everyone on here was perfect in stick and stuff but i see it took some people time and others are yet to get the hang of it, pretty cool. I myself still haven't learned but if my pocket is right i will make my attempt in the beginning of April to buy a 5 speed swap and go about it from there, i will definitely post my feedback

Haha, everyone's gotta learn.

After a couple of short drives around the block, my dad parked his Dodge Dakota on a hill in my neighborhood and said, "Alright, let's go." I was 14, and that was scary ****.

Rev matching is fairly intuitive. I really don't know how people can stand to downshift without it.

I tried teaching my gf the other day. She'd done it a little on some other cars before. My gas pedal is very sensitive, so she had a heck of a time getting the hang of it. I'm going to try the "get it rolling without using the gas" deal on her next time, cause that definitely is the best way to teach clutch engagement.

[DevilMB3017]

Man, I'd love to take a beater 5 speed out to a track with some of you guys and learn some of this stuff

Bring one out to Carlisle. Not too far from you I don't think Loki.

[Loki]

Heh, that's what I was thinking, but I'm hella cheap and I wanted to bring my 240.

[DevilMB3017]

Heh, that's what I was thinking, but I'm hella cheap and I wanted to bring my 240.

A clutch job costs as much as a beater really...

Just make sure you can still drive it home.

[izzydawg11]

yeah i recently learned the whole shpiel about letitn the car roll without gassin...once its rollin you can apply the gas no problem. the issue with stalling is, unless you're moving, you cannot completely release the clutch..