Skotty

Using the emergency brake to hold the car before taking off on a hill is an interesting idea. Not something I ever did when learning though. I did it red-neck style. Get in. Try to drive. Keeping trying to drive until your driving.

Here is how you measure progress on hill starts:

1) Under-rev and kill the car on takeoff. Noob.
2) Over-rev and peel out and kill the car on takeoff. Still a noob.
3) Over-rev and peel out but it gets you going. You're learning now...noob.
4) Over-rev and coast back about 3 feet before taking off. Now your getting there. But your still a noob.
5) Proper revs but coast back about 3 feet before taking off. Good job. You've advanced from noob to novice.
6) Coast back about 2 feet before taking off. Getting better, still a novice.
7) Coast back about 1 foot before taking off. Intermediate.
8) Coast back about 6" but over-rev in the process. Trying to become an expert driver? Keep trying.
9) Coast back about 6" before taking off. You're almost there.
10) Coast back negligible before a smooth takeoff. Congratulations. Now you are an expert.

Be warned. Until you are an expert, anytime some yokel snugs up on your butt on a hill, your experience level automatically drops 2 levels.

JimmyM

Thanks for the advice, guys - again.

lol

chutoyy

I've seen many people actually try the handbrake thing... It has worked for some, but it's actually adding to the already 'extensive' list of, clutch, brake, gas, handbrake, steer, shift gear, car behind you, car in front of you, car behind you, car behind you....

A lot of people panic and either rear-end the car in front, or roll into the car behind, or do a little uphill burnout.

fdjizm

Drove my car brand new off the lot, stalled it twice and went on my way haha only way to learn is to jump in the pool.

My lessons, don't overrev to get moving from a stop (clutch doesn't smell good)

use the ebrake lightly if you're on an uphill stop light till yoiu learn to release the clutch quick and smooth.

Don't take your time releasing the clutch as slow as you can when moving or shiftng (again clutch doesn't smell good)

Learn to rev match on downshifts.

I think that's about it, 3 years later I am an accomplished double-clutching powershifting ****.

JimmyM

Been awhile, but some more questions..

1.) Sometimes when I try to do some very spirited driving, I can smell the clutch burning afterwards. When shifting at high RPM, do I shift "normally?" Or should I let out the clutch faster? Or slower?

2.) Do you guys often leave the clutch half depressed when reversing? I'm asking because most of the time, I back up slowly (down the driveway and past the sidewalk). So I will back out a little bit and then depress the clutch to let it roll back, then let it halfway and keep backing up a bit, and so on.

3.) When you guys wear new or unfamiliar shoes, do you have trouble driving the stick as you normally would? I feel like I'm burning the clutch a lot more in shoes that I normally don't drive the stick car with.

db2797

When doing spirited driving, you don't want to let the clutch out faster. The key is to be smooth with it. Let the clutch slip a bit as you bring up the throttle. When you get the hang of it, you should literally feel the car "launch" as you start pulling into the next gear. Now I don't mean launch as in "jerky"...you'll feel it...it'll be a smooth feeling of launching.

There's a sweet spot with this car and how it revs. It took me about 3 months before I found it...when I did...all I can say is Oh My God...if you don't know how to drive these cars, they feel "slow"...when you find that sweet spot and how to launch these cars, it'll feel like the car has far more power than you thought it had.

As far as backing up, I rarely can let the clutch out all the way. So yes...it's ok to have it "half depressed" when backing up.

Hawaii 5.0

When i first started learning i just found a big open parking lot and some empty back roads (cept for a couple friends in case somethin happned) and practice out there. Most tips have already been said so i guess ill just chime in and say practice makes (almost) perfect!
Burnouts are tricky too by the way

Red Jay

3. i can relate to that. i have about 6 pairs of shoes. 2 of them are new. i can say it feels different with the new ones from the old ones. in one of my new pairs its a bit difficult to drive because the width of the shoe to me seems wider that my other shoes so sometimes my shoes rub together while on the brake and clutch or might accidentily give the throttle a stab.


the burning clutch smell is definately not a good thing.

chutoyy

MSG TOO SHORT.

JimmyM

I do want to add that about a week ago, I ran over a plastic bag. Well, it was floating in the air, but I was boxed in so I just kept going. It's just a plastic bag, right? Turned out that the bag wrapped itself around my mid pipes. Can't reach it and my ramp is useless after I lowered the car.

Eventually, most of it burnt off or ripped off. Now, though, there is residue remaining. I don't know how else to describe it, but melted plastic is still all over my pipes. Maybe that's what's causing the smell. Since this is my first manual car, I don't really know what burnt clutch smells like.

Bert

Once you smell it, you will know! The brain remembers smells better than anything else . . . it is not like burning plastic, more like hot brakes if you have ever smelled that when driving behind a trailer truck.

For some reason in when starting out in reverse up hill I still have a little trouble and get that smell every now and then . . .

RandyW

Yes, this can make a big difference. You don't realize how much data you get through your feet until you've tried driving a manual transmission in snow boots. Not that I've done this in a Mustang, but I have in a pickup. The lack of sensation can feel disturbing.

Boomer

I have dedicated shoes for driving. Flat footed Penguins... provide great feedback.
Any heavy steeltoed shoe...CANNOT drive with them.

Funny story about the plastic bag smell.
I had run over a plastic tarp on the highway 2 years after I bought the car.
Scary situation...luckly the tarp went under instead of OVER the car.

Tarp went under and it felt like a parachute opened on the car...slowed me down a bit...saw the back of the car and the tarp flailing in the wind. Thought it was wrapped around the driveshaft!

2-3 seconds late...boom..it lets go.
2/3's of my exhaust pipes were covered in burnt plastic.
I STILL have the smell 3 years later...theres some still stuck in a hard to reach spot...hahahah

JimmyM

Wow. So I guess the smell stays as long as the burnt pieces are still on there?

Kona

I agree. Whenever I get new dress shoes for work I don't feel the pedals right for a few days.

There is nothing worse than driving a manual in flip flops though. You only do that until the back side (heel) of the flip flop gets caught between your nice 5.0 custom mat and the clutch pedal. Bare feet are better than flip flops and have a great feel for the pedals: grin

Boomer

its not as bad, a lot burned off.

But yeah, whats left is still smells. Catch a whiff once and a while. Nowhere near as bad as when it happened obviously.
A plastic bag smells bad when that happens...imagine a whole tarp that has 2-3 feet of burning plastic on the pipes.

South of my XPipe looks like Freddy Kruger in some spots hahah