driving stick shift!

[VinceSez]

hey guys, besides the clutch what else could you damage on your car if you stall it too much?

[S13Teddy]

Your starter... but maybe if you didn't stall you wouldn't have that problem. Practice practice practice.

[Papi Chulo]

Your ego.

[Loki]

Your ego.

+1. I wore mine out a lot learning. Soooo happy I can take off without stalling or screeching the tires.

Also hurts you gas mileage I think.

[dickie]

Ability to get laid.

[danielekfuj]

Your ego.

+100

[VinceSez]

i only stall from a stopped position, but i'm getting good at it =)) i just hope i don't have to replace the clutch any time soon.

[Mr1der]

eh...hell, I've been driving them for nearly 10 years or hell...more than that...and still stall on occasion...

my slave going out isn't helping the matter

[Loki]

i only stall from a stopped position, but i'm getting good at it =)) i just hope i don't have to replace the clutch any time soon.

If you manage to stall from anything other than stopped more than once in your life you should seriously give up stick. I was godawful at stick when I started this year, but even then I never stalled in anything but first.

How good are you at reversing btw?

[r34 gtr]

The way I practiced was letting the clutch out and getting the car rolling without giving it any gas at all. Once you get that down, getting her rolling with use of the "go pedal" is no problem. I also knew how to do it because i had been riding a motorcycle for several years before I was old enough to drive, so I guess I just suck.

But yeah, practice. The only thing you've got to lose is your dignity. You don't even need to do it on the street, you could go to a big parking lot so dignity is maintained.

[slikaznricer]

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...

thank God i learned stick when i was 12.... in a BMW Z3 M vert.

sexy-ist car ever..........even pwns my 240sx and my old S2K......

OHH YEA....make sure you dont take the ladies around before you master the clutch....

unless you drive a GTR then you're set..

[SketchyRollin564]

It really isnt that hard to drive without stalling other than the first time. After that its just easy and you dont really have to think about it.

If you wanna practice without any pressure, just bring some music and go to an empty parking lot and just practice parking, reversing, stopping and going, coming to a stop without going into neutral, downshifting, etc. The more you do it, the more comfortable youl be doing it, and the more comfortable you are doing it, the better you will be at it.

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

[danielekfuj]

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

if you're really smooth with the clutch, its doable or rather easy. in some cars. helps if you drive a diesel or have a relatively high idle.

[stopatnothing]

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

Yea, I was wondering the same thing cause I can only do that on a bike. Unless you have like 1000 ft lbs of torque...

[slikaznricer]

yea as he said..its simple reallyjust slowly ease off the clutch with the car in 1st gear...it will pick up speed to a whopping 3-4mph....no gas needed

[s13girl]

i remember when i learned how to dirve a stick..

now i wont buy a car unless its a stick, when i drive my parents car i always push in the imaginary clutch

[leesredgt]

you should be fine.

The only thing i would try to avoid if possible would be steep hills untill you learn a little more.

I still hate when im on a hill and somebody pulls right up on my tail and gives me no room to catch the clutch, and ive been driving a stick for almost 4 years.

[themadscientist]

Put the clutch in, stick it in 1st, bring the revs up to about 5000 rpm and violently release the clutch, all the time. No more stalling.

[alms24sebring]

I was looking for a 5 speed SOMEthing as a beater, got lucky and my naighbor had a 5 speed Escort.........fcuk it. Needed an alternator , battery and acouple fuses and let me have it for 300. anyways Ive been driving it all week, doing a little stalling here and there, seems to happen more in traffic and stop lights, definantly embarassing, especially if it happens more than once.

[Red coupe]

i remember when i learned how to dirve a stick..

now i wont buy a car unless its a stick, when i drive my parents car i always push in the imaginary clutch

Or the left side of that oversized brake pedal

If you manage to stall from anything other than stopped more than once in your life you should seriously give up stick. I was godawful at stick when I started this year, but even then I never stalled in anything but first.

How good are you at reversing btw?

I never got the whole reverse thing. I used to know a girl who could drive stick as long as she didn't have to reverse. Is it that much different then 1st?

Learning to drive stick sucks. It felt like it would never work, and I was worried cause I just jumped in and bought a stick before I learned how to drive one.

Next learn to rev match, then heel toe. Heel toe was almost more awkward to learn then 1st...just feels so complex at first, lol.

Leese, use handbrake to hold the car while you snag first gear... But other then a STEEP hill you shouldn't really be rolling backwards.

240's (or at least mine) have enough torque to get started with no gas pedal on level ground. Getting the car moving with nothing more then the clutch is a pretty good way to get a feel for the engagement point

Even on cars that would stall you can notice a dip in the RPMs if your slow with the clutch.

[stopatnothing]

yea as he said..its simple reallyjust slowly ease off the clutch with the car in 1st gear...it will pick up speed to a whopping 3-4mph....no gas needed

Yea, I mean I know how to from riding on bikes. Cause I use it when I'm creeping around corners or parking lots if I'm on my bike. But I think the reason I cant do it in my car is because the clutch is getting to be on its last leg, I'll have to try it in my dads.

[danielekfuj]

I was looking for a 5 speed SOMEthing as a beater, got lucky and my naighbor had a 5 speed Escort.........fcuk it. Needed an alternator , battery and acouple fuses and let me have it for 300. anyways Ive been driving it all week, doing a little stalling here and there, seems to happen more in traffic and stop lights, definantly embarassing, especially if it happens more than once.

word of advice: start saving up. my dad had a 5sp escort, until the engine block cracked.

[NSR_s30]

Your ego.

[alms24sebring]

^ yeah...clock just rolled 154000. Its a beater, but not bad for a total of 550$. Not really worried if it blows, ill junkyard it then, until then that clutch will have a slow and horrible death

[JustinStrife]

The way I practiced was letting the clutch out and getting the car rolling without giving it any gas at all. Once you get that down, getting her rolling with use of the "go pedal" is no problem..

This is what I always tell people who are new to driving a manual transmission. Once you get a feel for the friction zone with the clutch(motorcycle reference FTMFW!), stalling is all in the past. Each vehicle will be different with where that friction zone is. So practice feeling where it engages.

After driving my friend's 91' Miata, I have a hell of a time in my C5 for about an hour. Drives me crazy every time.

[Loki]

I still hate when im on a hill and somebody pulls right up on my tail and gives me no room to catch the clutch, and ive been driving a stick for almost 4 years.

I have, honest to god, had nightmares about that. Pennsylvania hills suck

Or the left side of that oversized brake pedal I never got the whole reverse thing. I used to know a girl who could drive stick as long as she didn't have to reverse. Is it that much different then 1st?

I only ask because of how my experience was. I got to be really good at reversing right off the bat and it took me awhile to really "get" that reverse and first are the same. When I started using my method of reversing for 1st I really got it down.

[RyanAwesome]

Another tip is dont try to keep yourself from stalling with the clutch pedal. If the car starts to stall give it a tiny bit of gas then more clutch. You can feather the clutch once you get better.

[cmfireman]

One thing I notice I do is kind of "modulate" the throttle as I let out the clutch.

My g/f just gives it gas up and eases off the clutch, but when I do it, I kind of feather the throttle until I hit the sweet spot, then push it to the floor.

[VinceSez]

any tips on how to get the car going from a stopped position? that's the only problem i have right now, but i'm practicing.

[Loki]

Uhh, pretty much what everyone just said dude. Give it a bit of gas and let out the clutch slow. LIke, stupidly slow. If you still stall, give it a bit more gas next time. Wheels spin? Bit less gas. Car bucks? Slower clutch.

Surefire way is to go into a rich neighborhood with lots of folks walking around and lot's of stop signs. Take a convertible, drop the top, go practice. If you don't kill yourself you'll have it within a mile.