OK so I'm young and new to driving a stick (actually, I haven't put in the t56 yet), so I want to learn proper techniques (at least in my head) before I learn in the car - you know, stupid things to do or not do to not ruin the clutch or tranny that I may not be aware of. Any advice or links to places where I can learn some good techniques? Thanks!

 

get in and drive get comfortable with shifhting like a sane person first and then start banging gears besides you need to give the clutch some time to seat in.

 

when i got my car, the only time i had driven stick was in my dads '56 bel air with a 4-speed on the floor. so, what i did was just hopped in my car, and drove around the neighborhood(good cause no cars, slow speeds) i eventually got the hang of it, but in the end it costed a clutch. owell, i got two valuable learning experiences, 1. how to drive stick, 2. how to change a clutch

 

That's exactly what I'm talkin about.......I don't want to change a clutch out immediately! I'm not saying I want to go in perfect, but I don't want to do something stupid I could have learned without getting in the car, ya know? For one, I've been wondering what's the proper technique to downshifting for like a pass on the highway? Cause I know in my automatic, downshifting manually makes the car bog (naturally), and I just want to know what the proper sequence of actions is to do that sort of thing....

 

get in and drive. You will get the hang o f it pretty quick. Remember to let the clutch out easy untill you feel the tranny grab then ease down on the throttle. Knowing when to downshift comes to you. You're gonna kill it and make it jump and buck from time to time. That's part of learning. I also learned in a 55 Bel-Air wagon. Weighed several ton and had a 3 sp on the column. No power steering or brakes and didn't have a hydraulic clutch. I grew up in the woods in Ok. and mom and dad started letting me learn at the tender age of 13.

Good luck to ya

 

I am forced to agree with all the other guys above - just get in and drive. I learned to drive on a POS '80 toyota truck, with a 5 speed manual. After 2 years, I could hold it still on a hill without using the brake, just the gas and clutch pedals. Cool to do, but kills the clutch. Explaining these things is tricky without being in the car at the time. Each car behaves a little differently (power, clutch, etc), so you just have to get used to yours. The hardest part for me was slow speeds (<10 mph). The engine starts to sputter since the RPMs required for that slow of a speed is lower than the engine's idle. Once you get to higher speeds, it's not a big deal. Upshifting is always fun

Downshifting is kind of tricky. Usually, you just hit the clutch, slow down, and put it back in gear with a little bogging down. There is something I have yet to try called "heel-toe" shifting, where you push on the gas with your right heel, and the brake with your toe, or the other way around. Of course, your left foot is on the clutch pedal. This revs up the engine to the proper RPMs, and slows the car down at the same time. Racing drivers use it so they don't bog down when going around turns.

Good Luck!

 

When you're starting off from a stand still on a flat road you don't have to rev it up and sort of drop the clutch to get going - you can just blip the throttle once and as the revs come down let the clutch out just enough until you feel it grab - then sort of blend the throttle and clutch applications together as the car moves off. This kind of happens all in one go as it were and it's difficult to put into words.

Think of the clutch as providing slippage so the motor can gradually overcome the inertia of the car. So, on a flat surface you pretty much just blend the throttle and clutch together and get going. On a hill, or when you're towing something, there's more inertia to overcome so the process of blending the clutch and throttle together takes longer because more slippage is required to overcome the inertia.

Starting on a hill:

1. On a steep hill you can use the emergancy brake to hold the car and when your're ready to go apply constant throttle - about a 1000 rpm - let the clutch out until you feel it grab a little then do the blending application as described above while letting the hand brake off at the same time as the car begins to move forward - again this is all one process and is smooth once you get the hang of it.

2. On a slightly steep hill I don't bother with the emergency brake process I just hold the car using the ball of my foot on the brake and bring up the revs by giving the throttle a good shot with the right side of my foot. I then let out the clutch a little so it's slipping as the revs come down - this holds the car long enough for me to get my foot from the brake to the gas.

3. On most hills though I find that the car doesn't roll back enough to worry about - just give it shot of gas, catch it on the clutch and away you go.

 

toe on the brake heel to hit the gas to match revs but don't try to learn to do it on the street on good can come of that

 

Don't ride the clutch pedal.

 

other than just getting in and driving, learning a stick for the first time can be very tricky to some people, the first day I tried it I ran into a camper (in my yard) and almost knocked it over
I was backing up, while the junky engine wouldnt ide itself I had to work the gas and clutch at the same time to keep from going 100 backwards and I turned the wheel the wrong way this multi-tasking will come as a second nature quickly, if your not shure I'd suggest practicing backing up and all the things you would need to do in a parking lot with no cars around. I'll sell ya the datsun truck I learned it for 50 bucks! :sillylol:

 

well the other guys already covered it pretty well. i learned to drive on my dads 1928 ford model A. hehe, all 40hp of it and i had to learn to double clutch cuz there were no synchros!!!! as for downshifting, its hard on the tranny if you dont double clutch. upshifting is fine with just single clutching but if you dont double clutch downshifting you will start to break things 30k or so later. its easy. you know when you shift to any gear you go by neutral right? like 1st to 2nd you feel that little bump in the middle when it goes through neutral. well when you down shift, like 4th to 3rd for example, clutch, pop it out of 4th but not into 3rd yet, let up on clutch, give a blip on the throttle, then clutch and go into third. sounds hard but its really easy and it will save your tranny. good luck!

 

Just another one chiming in ... just drive it. you are gonna have a brand new clutch so don't worry too much about killing it. Also downshift ing = same as upshifting only you move the stick back ; ) also I generally don't downshift (unless I am passing someone) I just pull it outta gear and use the breaks to stop.

 

i know how to drive a stick, but the idea sorda poped in my head, what technique do you guys use when takeing off from the line??

 

exactly, i need advice on this too, i cant launch worth $h!t

 

The best way to learn is to put the car in 1st bring the rpm's up to about 3500 and let the clutch out real fast.... that'll get you rolling....

after that you just push the pedal, shift the gear and let out the pedal.

 

Thanks for trying to help me sabotage my car, I really appreciate it - but I'm not that dumb

 

No problem.

If you really want to learn find a bud that knows and take him for a ride and listen as he provides tips. I can explain to you everythign you need to do in any situation but not one bit of what I say will mean anything to you until after you've been there. The best thing i can say is if anyone tells you not to downshift, that it's unnessacery or to use the parking brake to hold you on a hill disregard everything they say, a good driver doesn't need brakes to get rolling or to keep from rolling back.

The biggest thing to remember is if your not pushing the clutch keep your foot off the pedal, if you put any pressure on the pedal at all you run the risk of slipping the clutch and burning the disc.

 

But your learning how to drive from a message board.

I taught myself when I was a kid, just get in and try it. So what if you kill it a few times, it won't hurt the car. What 87RS402 said is not bad advice, it will get the car rolling.

 

I'm not learning to drive, I'm asking some friends for advice before going out and learning stick.

Anyways, 87RS402, thanks for not thinking too much about what I said, I realize you were being sarcastic now but you didn't really hint at it!

 

This from a man who took my advice... in MY car

Still, your not going to learn a darn thing from a message board. Go try to drive it with a friend who can drive a manual trans, then you'll learn how.

 

Well I obviously don't expect to read these posts then go out and be perfect at shifting, just looking for a few tips is all , keep 'em comin!

 

i learned in a dune buggie when i was 12 years old, 16 now, i can power launch any car now, from my 86 mazda B2000 4cyl truck to my grandpa's Zo6 twin turbo vette. it just takes time, relax and dont think to much about your feet and you will learn faster, i was to worries about looking over the steering wheel then what i was doign with my feet, it just takes time, also when you launch you should give it gas JUST before you drump the clutch, NOT AT THE SAME TIME, thats how you stall, so that or give it a lil gas then dump the clutch when yuor first begining thats the easiest then you cam slowly learn how to do ti at lower revs, i can now do it at idle. just takes time.

 

To launch a manual car at the strip you need to use a technique called sidestepping - with the clutch in bring the engine up to desired RPM level (determined usally by your suspension) and when the lights drop move you left foot from pressing the clutch in to somewhere to the left of the pedal ; ).

Thanks for trying to help me sabotage my car, I really appreciate it - but I'm not that dumb

- And loeding the toruqe converter is good for your car?

 

What?

If that means what I think it means, it doesnt apply to me cuz I haven't been to the track yet (just got the car) and I don't launch like that on the street, obviously.

 

I learned to drive a stick on a 1993 Ford Probe. My dad was "teaching" me what to do, but in reality he was just yelling at me. He made me back out of our driveway up hill and go do up hill starts it was also raining a little. I didnt start on flat until i had to get to school the next day. It just takes practice.

 

LOL, thats exactly how my first lesson was

 

I hear students respond better to kind words rather than yelling. My calculus teacher gets pissed whenever i say that. She also drives a 1990 'vette.

 

I learned how to drive a stick shift on a truck, low horsepower but lots of torque.

I had difficulty trying to teach several people over the years how to handle a stick shift. The problem is that V8 engines are too powerful (even the LO3) and many first timers get intimidated when they spin the tires.

It can be done, however I'd recommend practicing on a small engine beater until you get fairly comfortable.

I've worked enough clutches to know that no two are the same. I've had a new clutch for over a year and I still stall when driving. The principle of the clutch-shifter-gas operation is unchanged, but at some point you are still going to have to learn how to handle the clutch in the car you want to drive. Only then will you go from fairly comfortable to very comfortable.

 

heh...I'm learing at work.

The only problem with this is it's a different kind of car every time So I don't get the luxery of getting used to "my" clutch.

Anyway...

Though it's been covered, the biggest thing I can think of iis giving the throttle a blip before you let the clutch out. When I first started, I didn't know that's something ou had to do, so I kept stalling them out. (I thought you just had to let the clutch out REAL slow ... )

And uh.....blip the throttle on a downshift, so the car doesn't jump forward (It's also kinder on the trans). And when downshifting to come to a stop, you don't need/want to go through all of the gears, all of the time. I don't know the validity of this one, but when in reverse, don't let the clutch out ALL the way?

That's all I can think of. I got quite a few tips onling by googling it, unfortunately, I don't remember exactly what I searched for

Oh yeah: Straight-cut gear whine (reverse) rocks...zzzzzinnnnggg

 

I learned to drive a stick in a 4 bangr ranger..... The first day I had my bird I turned it sideways in the middle of an intersection : (. The moral of this story is - don't get discouraged just keep at it.

 

After 1.4 million miles driving almost every imaginable manual trans (3, 4, 5, ,4+2, 4+3, 5+2, 5+4, 6+4, 7, 9, 9+2, 10, 10+4, 13, 15, and 18 speeds) I still downshift to almost every gear every time. In some states if you take a drive test in a manual trans car and don't downshift you fail the test. The only gear you don't downshift into is 1st, you can skip a gear downshifting but in a car trans the extra wear from doing that isn't worth it to me.

 

I have always stopped with out downshifting. Expecially for a new driver d-shifting while stopping can create more problems than it it worth. IMO breaks are lifetime warrenty. Frontends + higher insurance = $$$$$$.

 

When one learns how from the beginning problems are avoided.

FWIW, you can keep your lifetime brakes, I use a performance compound thats $100 per axle for just the pads. Lifetime brakes are the worst possible pads/shoes you can put on a car; Hard compound for long lining life = less friction = less stopping power.

I'm still looking for a performance driving school that doesn't agree with me on downshifting.....

 

I'm actually writing a paper on this kind of thing. Some people will heel and tow on sharp turns and dubble clutch, and downshift w/o learning about it. Some people can just get in and drive (after a few days of trial and error). So get in and drive, find out if you were born to do it, and good luck!

 

I said that about the downshifting through every gear because that's what I read somewhere. It was some article about diagnosing customer problems. Part of it was to go for a ride with them, with them driving (I guess last resort, if you can't recreate the problem), and see how they drive. One of the examples of what to look for included downshifting through every gear.