emilram11

Ok, I'm a newb to a manual car. Driven them before here and there but I'm coming from a....

wait for it....
wait for it.... Automatic Honda Civic with a whopping 106 HP, I need some tips.

I don't REALLY have experience driving a stick well -- like in a performance fashion. Yah just here and there fine but especially not a high performance car like this will be.

My question... how do you drive your manual 5.0? Seems people have different theories on RPMs for daily driving, RPMs for passing, which gears they use when, when to shift, skipping gears, starting in 2nd, etc etc.

I could use some advice and would enjoy reading how YOU drive your 5.0! Please share!

stangfoeva

I take it easy in mine when there is a lot of traffic or when I'm just around town. But when its clear or I need to pass someone I let that pony run free.

The only other car I've owned is a 126hp 4 cyl Cougar (which now feels like a go cart when I drive it lol) and I drove it the same way. Except the Stang is a lot more powerful and I don't have to take the crap of any of the idiot drivers in SoCal anymore.

brycerichert

For the timebeing, it sounds like you should just shift at 3K for every gear.

Laws of Nature will follow and you'll naturally begin to shift at better places for what is appropriate for the given situation.

Lancel

Yeah, most of it you'll get used to, but something to take note of is that the car hits the power band at about 4000 RPM. Later on if you want some real speed you probably want to pick a gear that puts the car in that ballpark. Other than that, just pick the gear you're most comfortable with, but if you're cruising, keep the revs as low as you're comfortable with. For me I tend to shift down if the tach goes below 1250, sometimes more if traffic is being particularly annoying with random brake applications and slow downs. After driving this car for a week, every other car seems slow, even when they're slowing down.

pony racer

i drive it in my dreams..

still awaiting arrival!!

Bert

I don't know how many miles you have on the car -- but during break-in you want to vary the RPM's a lot; make short full throttle runs up to mid-high RPM's and then go easy for a while to let it cool off; some people say no engine braking but I don't know if that is really important (meaning -- don't down shift and use the engine to slow the car down, rather use the clutch or neutral to let it coast while slowing down)

beyond that I can't really comment since mine is a 4.6

Agent

You can find a lot of advice and detailed instructions all over the internet. But nothing substitutes for personal practice. I'll offer three points that I think distinguish a proficient driver from a hack: FIRST GEAR; driving through turns rather than coasting through them; and smooth imperceptible shifts.

Note: unfortunately, even the more accomplished drivers can end up in the "hack" category from time to time.

DontShoot

For daily (sedate-pace) driving, I find myself starting in 2nd, and shifting into 4th at about 2000-2500 RPM. After 2000-2500 RPM in 4th, I go 5th if the speed is about 45-50. Anything higher and I'm in 6th.

For spirited driving, all bets are off. I'll run her up through the range, shift, and do it all over again. And again. I'll tool around in 5th just to keep the RPM high, just for the sound, and to be in the power range if I need to pass someone.

Ebony5.0

I think one of the greatest things about this new 5.0 is that it's easy to drive in a civilized fashion even if it is a total beast when you want it to be. This car has very good torque and power throughout the range so you will almost never lug the engine. That gives you a good vehicle to learn with. Do like the other folks here have suggested. For day-to-day driving in traffic, run it out a little until you feel like you need to shift. When you have a lot of open highway in front of you, run it to the limiter over and over again. Caution when you do that, you'll be well over 100 mph before you hit the limiter in 4th.

emilram11

So is the power band different in every gear or the same? Also, you say down shift at 1250 or so but do you go all the way down to 1st or 2nd then do you start in 1st or 2nd again?

Yah I've heard conflicting things on using the engine to slow down. I've heard people say its just better to use your brakes while others say downshifting is part of driving.


So you skip gears? This is the sort of thing I've been interested in too. Seems like this is fairly common. Any tips on this?

As far as your second point do you mean you hit the limiter or hit high RPMs in each gear before shifting?

Same question above on running up to the limiter to you, is that okay to do? Anything I should be careful with?

Good tips guys. Everyone seems to do things a little differently so this is very interesting and good for me to learn how to REALLY drive a manual with.

GRABOID

"So is the power band different in every gear or the same? Also, you say down shift at 1250 or so but do you go all the way down to 1st or 2nd then do you start in 1st or 2nd again?"


Yikes you dont drive a stick do you? NOOOOO if you are going along in 6th at 1250rpm please do not try to shift to 1st.

emilram11

Yah I know that! I guess I was asking if 4k-7k is the "general" power band.

Bert

just to be clear --

I was talking about break-in; I have heard that during break-in, engine breaking is not good for the ring seal (not sure if that is accurate or not)

During normal driving after break-in -- I have heard the same as you; I do either/or depending on the situation -- dowshift if I feel like it, generally during more spirited driving, or use neutral and coast / use the breaks sometime, usually when I'm trying to be frugal with the gas.

Lancel

Yes, yes please do not downshift into 1st if you're not going exceptionally slow. You can pick whatever gear you like though, don't feel constrained by what neighbors the gear you're in. You can think of it as transitioning through neutral whenever you pick a gear. With the clutch depressed or the transmission in neutral the engine isn't connected to the wheel. This is why letting out the clutch easily is important, as it will gradually make the connection and match the engine to the wheel speed by the time it makes the direct connection. Skip gears whenever you want, just if you find it hard to put the shifter past a gate, take it as a sign that you need to stop and rethink what you're doing. There's some physics I don't fully understand there that will make the shifter resistant to being put into gears that would be Very Bad.

As for the power band, I'm not by any means an expert but my brain tells me that the power band should be the same regardless of what gear it's in. That's certainly been my experience. If it's not exactly the same, maybe due to wind/road resistance, the difference should be nearly imperceptible.

And as for engine braking, it's a question of style. Some prefer it to save the brakes, others say wear the brakes, save the clutch. I don't do much engine braking yet myself, except to slow down slightly while following traffic without having to tap the brakes. Some manuals say not to engine brake during the engine break-in period, but the Mustang manual doesn't mention this. It just says to vary your speed, which I take to mean go through the gears and vary the RPM in each. It also says to avoid long wide open throttle maneuvers during the first hundred miles. Other than that, feel free to drive it the way it will be driven.

Ebony5.0

Hitting the rev limiter isn't bad. If the car didn't have one (like the old Porsche 924s) there is some risk but the limiter is there to keep you from blowing your engine. Some (and I do mean some) don't like to do it during the break in period but the manual just tells use that we should avoid prolonged high rpm runs during break in. The rev limiter essentially cuts power when you hit it. Ideally, when you're going for maximum acceleration, you rev to just below it and then shift thereby never losing power.

DontShoot

No real tips on skipping gears. You shift into second, ease off the clutch, might need to give it a little more gas than you need to than if you were starting from first gear. This is a valuable trick to master if you're going to be driving in slick (rain, snow) conditions, as it keeps your tires from spinning too fast (and breaking traction with the road) at the start.

I don't typically hit the limiter. I think I've hit it twice, once intentionally to see what happens. The other time I just got lost in the sound of the engine. If you're driving correctly, you won't hit the limiter; it's more efficient to shift just below the limiter, thus avoiding the fuel cut off and the ensuing loss of power.

The only other tip I can give is "practice, practice, practice." I've driven nothing but manual gearboxes since I started driving. It still took me a little while to get the hang of the Mustang's gearbox. Not because it's difficult, but because every gearbox/clutch setup is different.

The bright side: The Mustang's gearbox and clutch are very forgiving. The clutch is light, with a pretty good point of engagement. The shifter has a nice short throw. The engine supplies enough power and torque so that stalling the engine isn't much of a concern. Good luck, and congrats on being motivated to learn to row the gears yourself.

Lancel

Quoted for emphasis. I'm told this even varies slightly between two cars that are exactly the same year, make, and model. Practice, as always, is the best way to get used to it. Know the theory behind it all, then apply it. I've had my car only 10 days, and this is the only manual car I have ever owned or driven on any kind of regular basis, and I've already gotten largely used to it. I wouldn't call myself an expert by any means, but hopefully I'm getting there. It will seem intimidating at first, and I killed the engine plenty of times the first week I had it, but give it two weeks and you'll get comfortable with it, just keep at it.

A further tip, don't panic at starting off when there's traffic behind you. This was my biggest issue. Having driven an automatic for six years, I was used to being able to go at a whim and the car moving forward just from taking my foot off the brake. So with a manual I'd try to rush it a bit and I'd end up stalling out, and then giving it too much gas the second time and spinning the tires some. Kinda made me nervous. Don't worry too much about it. After a week, you learn not to care if you stall out or take longer than everyone else to start off. It won't matter how much of a head start that Honda Civic in the other lane had on you when you start off, once you get going, it's getting its *** handed to it.

Oh yes, I'm definitely getting used to this fast car thing.

Agent

DontShoot: "I just got lost in the sound of the engine"

azoufan

Like it was said before, you'll get used to it real quick and not worry about RPM's. Before I swapped in the GT500 cluster, my tach had been broken for almost 2 years. Every once in a while now I look down to see what RPM's I'm at on the highway, but I haven't checked the tach for when to shift in...ever I guess. It's new, you'll have fun figuring it all out at first, but my bet is that within a week you'll be shifting based upon the amount of vibration through the seat and the sound coming into your ears.

Enjoy learning all about the nuances of it though!