Sonic05

The other reason they say you should not coast in neutral is because it wears the brakes more. You should definitely NEVER coast down a hill. You will kill your breaks, where if it was in gear, the engine will act as a break and take some load off.

I just don't like a lot of unnecessary downshifting, and wear and tear on the trans and clutch. I leave the trans in gear down to a certain speed, but then coast in neutral to a stop. I just don't subscribe to the whole accident avoidance thing, I guess it depends on where you are driving.

stangprincess

I'm also new to driving a stick and feel like I've got it pretty well down, and have a much better feel for the car now with 800miles on her. But it was great to read through this thread and see the answers you "experts" were giving to the questions - some of which I had too when first starting out.

And about driving on hills - I'm scared crapless and aviod them at all costs... I dont want my new baby drifting back into anything... :nono: Any further suggestions on this would be great...

Shannon

Practice, practice practice. I learned the mechanics of driving a stick years ago but had the same fear of hills or any incline for that matter. For about 5 years my husband indulged my fear of manual trannys but finally went back to one. Of course our house was accessible by only one road with a stop sign atop a steep hill. Oh the horrors. Luckily, most times no one was behind me. Once, before I mastered it, I pulled up to that dreaded stop and someone was behind me. I applied the e-brake, got out and asked them if they would mind backing up because I was still learning to drive a stick and didn't want to roll back into them. It took me a couple of weeks of just going around the block and doing it over and over.

Hang in there, find a safe place to practice and you'll get it in no time.

JZInternet

Hey guys I am also new to having a stick. My first day I caught on pretty fast but I did have a question preserving the cluth and brakes when coming to a stop.

Let's say I am traveling along at 60mph (5th gear) and there is a stop sign ahead. I have read different things for this. Some say downshift. Some say hold in the clutch and brake until stop, some say shift to neutral and and brake. If I'm downshifting do I need to go all the way through the gears? I read in some place that if you have a stop up ahead you should just let the car slow to 15 mph then shift to neutral.

Forgive me I'm new to this.

DADS05

Just curious or maybe being a smart aleck but what kind of car are you driving that can rev an engine up to 30,000 RPM? :scratch:

racerx

Thanks again for all the tips .
- I'm gettting the feel where the clutch "catches" on 1st w/o stepping on the gas
- I'm coasting less to stops and trying to downshift more.
- Transition from 1st to 2nd getting better, still a bit rough when I have to do it while turning from a complete stop.
- I'm riding the clutch less while parking.

Happy and safe motoring everyone! :drive:

stargirl66

Here's what I do when coming to a stop sign from 60mph (fifth gear): take foot off the gas and put it on on the brake pedal, than when car approaches about 30mph (or whenever you sense the car will stutter and stall), apply the clutch and continue braking until the car comes to a stop.

The only times I really downshift is for a very gradual slow down of traffic when I need to be in a lower gear, or unless I need extra juice in the fast lane.

I'm no expert, but I do have 202,000+ miles on the original clutch in my car.

Kluski

I live in Pittsburgh, so it is hard to avoid all hills. A common trick is to apply the parking brake. Put the car in first gear. Start to give it gas and let the clutch out as you normally would. As you start to feel the car pull forward, release the parking brake. This keeps you fom going backwards.

I remember writing about this last fall on here, and I think someone from England said that is part of their driving test. If they don't do it, they don't get their license


<!--QuoteBegin-JZInternet@April 1, 2005, 1:45 AM
If I'm downshifting do I need to go all the way through the gears?
Forgive me I'm new to this.

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No, you don't need to go thru all the gears. Kinda like you don't need to go in order when you upshift. you can skip gears. But remember, the same principle applies. Don't shift into a gear that can't handle the rpms you are currently at.

For instance, don't downshift to 2nd when you are doing 60mph. You can slow down and about 40 or 35 (just guessing) and shift from 5th to 3rd. You can even take it out of 5th, coast a little, then down shift to a lower gear.

There is never a need to just hold the clutch in. Either shift and let the clutch out, or put it in neutral and let the clutch out.