Knight

Edit deleted, Non needed comment.

chowgp

[quote=MustangLynda;994370][quote] .No, because when you are releasing the clutch you are not shifting. The only time you should be shifting is when the clutch is in, not out. What releasing slowly will do however is slow down how fast you are moving forward.

Sorry I meant to say that if I release the clutch slowly like everyone tells me, I wouldn't be able to accelerate or press the gas until the clutch is fully released and everyone behind is tailgating me because I am so slow.

Knight

do it slow until you get used to it. You will speed up with experience.

After practice you will not have any gap in accelerating inbetween shifting.

it literally takes me less then a 1/4 of a sec to change gears and with the momentum of the last gear there is no loss in acceleration.

i would practice first with only useing the clutch in between gears. clutch in, shift, clutch out, then gas after fully in gear.

StangMahn

Yeah, the more you do it, the faster you will get. I have a really old gearbox with about a 6 inch travel, and I can shift it much faster than an automatic transmission can shift, if I want to. But dont pay much attention to your tach, do it mostly by sound, you dont want to shift right away, and you dont want to shift with the car roaring at you. Think of how it sounded with your automatic, at a smooth acceleration, the sound should be similar to that.

cop on my back

MAN.....if you spent as much time on here reading how to drive a stick actually driving the car, you would be slamming gears down the 1/4 mile like a pro!

Just get out where there are few cars and drive all day, you will figure it out. The ONLY way you are going to learn is by doing, nuff said. If something breaks, there is a 99% chance warranty will cover it anyway.

hags1

Yes and no...how's that for an answer....LOL....The proper release of the clutch and the amount of gas to give it in first gear is the hard part to learn, because your starting from a dead stop...Once the car is rolling and your up in RPMs you can push in the clutch, swtich gears, release the clutch fully, and then give it gas......Your most likley giving it too much gas before the clutch is re-engaged; and once second gears grabs ahold, your car clumps if the RPMs are too low, or lurches if the RPMs are too high.

Try the above sequense and you'll glide along from first to second, second to third, etc.....It's not a real smooth acceleration of the car when doing it this way, it's almost like a 'Sunday driver type' sequence, but you'll learn where and how much gas to give it when shifting thru the upper gears...ie...2 thru 5. Once you get the feel where, when and how much gas to give in between gears, your acceleration will flow just like your automatic did....or even better when you get good at shifting....

I'd practice it in the parking lot until you can proceed between gears just like you did with your automatic.

hags1

Anonimac

This must be a useless tip but years ago when i learned to drive stick one of my mental blocks was realizing that i need to PUSH THE CLUTCH IN rather than let it out when i paniced or the car was about to stall. May be common sense to most folks but i figured i'd throw the suggestion out there if someone found it useful...

so...

Tip: To save a stall (or bad shift, or most other problems) PUSH CLUTCH IN, don't let it out.

cntchds

From learner to learner...

What I do when I'm driving a stick is exactly what's been said here. Especially at red lights, give it enough gas that it is just over where it normally idles, from there let the car have more and more gas as you let more and more off throughout the friction point. When you actually have the clutch fully out you can worry about accelerating, but just give it enough gas to accelerate fairly smoothly.

If you try to drive barefooted you have a lot more control of the clutch. Try that for a little while to feel where the friction point is.

Another hint to finding the friction point... Put it in gear and drive in an empty parking lot in circles, only in first gear. Once you get the car moving at ~3K RPM push in the clutch slowly with your foot completely off the gas. As soon as you see it hit 1k RPM the clutch is in. You don't need to go any further than that point, and by doing that you won't have that long wait while you let off slowly once you have it in a different gear.

If you are ever scared that you are going too slow for a gear, you are. Shift down, and keep it at steady RPM's. You'd rather want it at 3-4K than having it almost stall.

Good luck.

Rebel73

Man, this post brings back memories! I learned to drive stick in my dad's 1969 Honda Civic! That was actually a cool little car, and perfect for learning on. Took me about a day to be able to get around without stalling, but a couple of weeks to get it down smooth. Just keep at it, man. Smoothness is the key.

chowgp

A person that I know show me a way to start out in first smoothly. He would give it steady gas and then release the clutch slowly and the car would start out in first smooth. I ask him if that would wear the clutch out because he gave it gas before even getting to the friction point, but he didn't know. Would that type of starting out in first gear wear the clutch out badly?

n8rfastback

the longet you let the clutch out, the more it wears it down....

so effeciency is key, the longer you hold the clutch between the friction zone and having it out all the way, the more it wears it down...

dont worry about wearing it down right now. just learn to drive, you can practice your bad habbits later on.

n8rfastback

i havent heard of too many people wearing a clutch out just learning, unless your really bad at it.

chowgp

Is the method of starting out in first that I mention earlier proper or any good?

n8rfastback

yea its ok, as long as you get going your good!!!! lol

MustangLynda

It's fine, no worries. Keep driving it and it won't be long before you won't have to do it that way anymore anyway. First is the hardest. Yoo hoo!! you have climbed a major mountain! The rest will be easy

chowgp

Hey guys thanks for all the tips and help. I just want to do a follow up of my 2 week driving experience. I don't stall anymore, but starting in first can be clumpy . I usually start out in first gear by releasing near the friction point and then giving it some gas, but I tend to keep my foot on the clutch and don't release it all the way out. This would result in the clump, but after the clump I let off the clutch fully. If I try to release it out too fast there is also the clump. Am I doing harm to the car when I start out in 1st gear and don't release the clutch the all way out resulting in a clump? Also I find it hard to start out fast in first gear, because the releasing of the clutch to friction point slowly while applying gas seems to be slow. Is there a way I can start out in first gear faster? Any technique in releasing the clutch/apply gas to start first gear faster and without the clump at the end? Also, sometimes its hard to shift into 3rd gear, seems like it doesn't want to go in or something. I try to downshift a couple of times but after I downshift it makes a clump because the rmp is too low. Is there a way I can tackle this? Is there any technique to drive in the parking lot at slow speeds? In first gear , the car chokes because it is so slow. should I have my foot on the clutch? Last of all, when I do a reverse, I have been riding the clutch slowly to back up, never apply any gas except on a slope. Is that the proper way to do a reverse? Is that bad for the clutch or should I be apply gas and releasing the cltuch fully? If I don't ride the clutch while reversing it would be too fast if I apply gas and if not the car is choking because lack of gas. Sorry I wrote so much, this would probably make someone's eyes bleed by reading it. Thanks a lot for all your help guys/gals.

chowgp

Hey guys thanks for all the tips and help. I just want to do a follow up of my 2 week driving experience. I don't stall anymore, but starting in first can be clumpy . I usually start out in first gear by releasing near the friction point and then giving it some gas, but I tend to keep my foot on the clutch and don't release it all the way out. This would result in the clump, but after the clump I let off the clutch fully. If I try to release it out too fast there is also the clump. Am I doing harm to the car when I start out in 1st gear and don't release the clutch the all way out resulting in a clump? Also I find it hard to start out fast in first gear, because the releasing of the clutch to friction point slowly while applying gas seems to be slow. Is there a way I can start out in first gear faster? Any technique in releasing the clutch/apply gas to start first gear faster and without the clump at the end? Also, sometimes its hard to shift into 3rd gear, seems like it doesn't want to go in or something. I try to downshift a couple of times but after I downshift it makes a clump because the rmp is too low. Is there a way I can tackle this? Is there any technique to drive in the parking lot at slow speeds? In first gear , the car chokes because it is so slow. should I have my foot on the clutch? Last of all, when I do a reverse, I have been riding the clutch slowly to back up, never apply any gas except on a slope. Is that the proper way to do a reverse? Is that bad for the clutch or should I be apply gas and releasing the cltuch fully? If I don't ride the clutch while reversing it would be too fast if I apply gas and if not the car is choking because lack of gas. Sorry I wrote so much, this would probably make someone's eyes bleed by reading it. Thanks a lot for all your help guys/gals.

cntchds

When you know where the friction point is you can let it out faster while giving gas and you should do alright. Just don't drop the clutch. Give it time to engage.

As for slow driving, my dad always tells me that while I'm driving around parking lots the clutch should never be all the way out. That way you can stop easily without stalling if you have to, and you aren't going over the parking lot speeds.

For reversing, let the clutch out a little, give it enough gas to move then push the clutch all the way in and coast until you are out of the spot, from there put it in first.

Good luck

chowgp

Thanks for the advice, I will try it day.

cntchds

No problems, we're learning together man.