So, I bought a '13 mustang a couple weeks ago (GT Premium, Deep Impact Blue, amazing) and I'm still having troubles with my driveway/clutching.

I'm not a clutch newb, I learned on a standard and drove one for at least 10 years. However, I've never driven a sports car with a standard -- only trucks and low HP cars.

My driveway isn't too steep, but it has a curb at the bottom I have to come to a stop to avoid rubbing on.

Perhaps i just don't have enough practice (quite likely), but the RPMs required to keep the car from stalling on a hill are a *lot* more than the trucks I've driven, and I don't like "lugging" it up the hill as I'm told that's really bad for the transmission. I also avoid "riding" the clutch up the hill as I would prefer not having to replace it every 10k miles, ha! This all equates to me having to go up the driveway a *lot* faster than I'm particularly comfortable with.


The first day I brought it home I killed it 3 times trying to get up the driveway at a "safe" pace and into the garage.

Any hints, tips, tricks for me? What's the best way to enter into a garage from a driveway in a controlled manner without burning through clutches?

 

hills are, and always will be the most difficult part of driving a stick. Practice is all I can say.

 

If its steep and there are cars behind me, I sometimes use the parking brake with my thumb on the button so it is ready to release. And yes, practice makes perfect.

 

Thanks for the reply, but it's actually not rolling back that's the problem -- the '13 has a hill assist feature. It's a matter of getting a good "crawl" speed up a hill without lugging or riding/burning the clutch. I actually have the same problem just trying to "crawl" around on flat surfaces, like in a parking lot (typically I slip the clutch a bit to get some momentum and just coast around in that scenario).

Perhaps I'm just spoiled by automatics and low geared trucks but I can't seem to get that controlled "crawl".

 

Oops - didn't know that.

 

Put some 4.30 gears in it, you'll be able to creep at 2 mph without lugging.

 

Just floor it. That's what those big brakes are for.

 

Well, I guess the real question is: is sipping/riding the clutch up a driveway once a day on average going to cause me a lot of trouble? I can do that just fine, just don't like it.

 

Go in backwards?

Not a manual guy, so I don't know if it would make a difference.

 

LMAO that was my thought the first time I rocketed into the garage trying not to ride/lug: "thank god for big breaks"

 

Most of you have probably seen this but it still makes me cringe every time I see it.