MY first stick

my new car is a 5spd now iv driven my friends cars around the block but iv never had one for a daily driver.. i was just wonderin if im just bad or am i just not used to it yet..iv only had it a week..i have a bad habit of dumping at2-3k...im getting better but my morale is low..:(i need some encouragement

Just drive around as much as you can, it will become instinct and you will not even think about it. I look back and laugh at the retarded things I did when I was learning.

hah it always seems like i wanna race because i constantly squeel tires..im getting better about launching thoguh

Yeah, the best thing is to drive it daily and to get a feel for it. The worst thing to do is race it already. You'll end up ruining your transmission or your engine if you screw up a shift, dump the clutch too high, or downshift too much. Just remember the basic rules:

1. Never downshift to first (unless going under 20mph, even then be wary)
2. Always use the clutch
3. The redline means you have 500rpm before the engine blows up, so shift quickly if you're racing.
4. Be wary of speeds when downshifting. Obviously don't downshift to 2nd going 100mph, you'll destroy the engine, and make sure you're extra careful when downshifting (going for 4th and getting 2nd, bye bye engine if you're going too fast)
5. Easy on the clutch, don't sidestep it, and be wary of revving when it's still catching and beginging to engage, that wears it alot and will cause slippage.

I recommend you go to http://www.howstuffworks.com/ and read about manual transmissions if you haven't already, it gives you an idea of what you're doing at all times and helps you realize the limits of what you can do.

Also regarding you being bad, don't sweat it, once you learn its like riding a bike, and as a daily driver you'll learn quickly (you'll have to ;) )

good luck

i have had my first 5spd for about 2 months now ....and it was hard once i first got it but i dont even think about it anymore ...dont worry you will be fine

riding the clutch and dumpign too high just messes up the clutch
1> my car wont let me shift into first unless im stoped and going very very slow..
2. the rev limiter keeps you from blowing up
3. anyone who down shifts to 2nd doing 100 should be shot and that will bend your valves:)
iv checked out how stuff works and it makes sense but it think its just soemthing u get used to im doing like you aid and driving as much as possible..thanks for the advice

some cars shut off the fuel 500 rpm past the redline, others don't. I'm not sure if yours has a rev-governor or not, but even if you have it i wouldn't push it.

Originally posted by ricergurl

3. anyone who down shifts to 2nd doing 100 should be shot and that will bend your valves:)I've down shifted into 2nd at 95 mph. I was in my cousin's chevy though. It's not bad for it as long as you don't let it out all the way. Just let it out a tiny bit at a time and keep it between 3k-6k rpm. :D

Originally posted by ricergurl
i was just wonderin if im just bad or am i just not used to it yet..iv only had it a week..yes, most likely you are bad. :)
not tryng to be mean, but it's the truth. 99% of people are bad when they first start out, you don't get good until you practice more. So like everyone else is saying, just give it time and get lots of practice. :)

well its not like im starting from scratch..i have experiance just not this much..hills seem to be th eonly problem i know how to shift..

Originally posted by ricergurl
hills seem to be th eonly problem is it starting off from hills that you're having a problem with?

yea im afraid im gunna roll back on the a**hole riding my a** up a hill.

Originally posted by ricergurl
yea im afraid im gunna roll back on the a**hole riding my a** up a hill. well after tons of practice you'll learn to do this:
when pulling up to the stop sign, start to slow down, but don't stop completely. When you're about to stop, get off the brake and let the car roll to a stop by itself with your feet on the gas and the clutch, no brake. And when the car comes to a stop, just hold it there by lightly letting out the clutch....giving it little gas if you need to. I would suggest finding a hill that nobody drives on and practicing. When I was learning to drive, when I was about 13, I practiced this for about a half hour each day. After a week or so I got it down, and now I do it without even thinking about it, just a habit. Hope that will help ya :)

im just a big scared baby.. i practiced today and did jsut fine but im retarded

Originally posted by ricergurl
im just a big scared baby.. i practiced today and did jsut fine but im retarded lol, you'll get used to it and think back and laugh :)

I had a question on racing with a stick, I heard of a racers "missing a gear" what the hell does that mean?

Originally posted by ArtemisEntreriR34
I had a question on racing with a stick, I heard of a racers "missing a gear" what the hell does that mean? not putting it in the right gear, or not putting it all the way into gear.

when im on a steep hill i just pull the ebrake and when the light turns green i just let the clutch out and give it some gas and let the ebrake down ...im still somewhat nervous im gona roll back into the person behind me

Originally posted by CustomBlackCivic96
when im on a steep hill i just pull the ebrake and when the light turns green i just let the clutch out and give it some gas and let the ebrake down ...im still somewhat nervous im gona roll back into the person behind me yeah, I know a lot of people that do that.

From experience, I would suggest getting the daily flat driving down first. Then once you know your car and your clutch, go tackle the hills. I've driven 3 different vehicles with stick and all of them had different feeling clutches. So once you are familiar with how yours feels, then you know how much gas to give it so it won't stall and when your clutch "grabs" and goes. And once you get your feet trained to move quickly then you can stop on a hill w/o using the e-brake. I rarely use the e-brake when I'm on a hill now. But usually I just wait at the bottom till traffic is clear or go like 5mph till its clear. No use frying the clutch to get to my destination a minute faster. ;)

Originally posted by ArtemisEntreriR34
I had a question on racing with a stick, I heard of a racers "missing a gear" what the hell does that mean?

yeah what he said, and its much easier to do on a 6spd. when i first learned a stick on my dads 6spd miata, i constantly went from 2nd to 5th, because i went for 3rd and missed it. 6spds have a much tighter gear box and its easy to miss without practice. However, its not my daily driver or common driver by any means and i never do it now.

Originally posted by 93speed
I've driven 3 different vehicles with stick and all of them had different feeling clutches.Oh yeah, I've probably driven at least 100 different stick shift cars and only found one or two to be the same. Just get used to your clutch, practice a lot with it, and you'll get used to it pretty fast. :)

hill+clutch=heel-toe

read my sig

nore...

haha did i mention i cant drive good with shoes on?

you dont drive with shoes?, yo, do you have a pic, of yourself

i can drive a lil with sneakers but id raher have bare feet

hm, i never thought of that. probably woulda helped when i was learning...but i learned on my bro's mazda pickup, his ebrake is in a different place.

Originally posted by CustomBlackCivic96
when im on a steep hill i just pull the ebrake and when the light turns green i just let the clutch out and give it some gas and let the ebrake down ...im still somewhat nervous im gona roll back into the person behind me

Originally posted by NuEra
hill+clutch=heel-toe

haha good one, never thought of that...handbrake way is too ghetto
and it can be useful when %&*)@%& glue to the back of your car up a hill. Actually nah just slide right into them and you'll get a brand new r bumber.

you know when i first started driving a 5spd i didnt like to have shoes on either....i dont know why ....but now it dosent bother me

Haha, but seriously. Heel-toe makes you look like a good ass driver. I started with my first stick 6 months ago and started heel toe the same time. Now its second nature, the other day someone who drives stick was in my car looking at me like I was nuts. He didnt understand what I was doing with my feet all over the place and the reving of the engine. It turns out he never knew of it, and he liked that it makes the car run smoother without jerks, like downshifting. He said if he closed his eyes he would think he was in an automatic. Ive seen a lot of people, like old men who have been driving forever, drive horibly (herky-jerkey) but I dont want to say anything to them.

driving without shoes is impossible for me because I need the extra width of the shoes to touch the brake and the Acc.

NuEra you know your shit:bandit:

its just cant feel anything with 3 inch heels on if youd see the shoes i wear in the summer youd understand

Originally posted by NuEra
Haha, but seriously. Heel-toe makes you look like a good ass driver. I started with my first stick 6 months ago and started heel toe the same time. Now its second nature, the other day someone who drives stick was in my car looking at me like I was nuts. He didnt understand what I was doing with my feet all over the place and the reving of the engine. It turns out he never knew of it, and he liked that it makes the car run smoother without jerks, like downshifting. He said if he closed his eyes he would think he was in an automatic. Ive seen a lot of people, like old men who have been driving forever, drive horibly (herky-jerkey) but I dont want to say anything to them.

Yea ricergirl, its amazing you can drive like that, I cant slide the clutch out without shoes.

NuEra do u actually dclutch when u heel-toe and revmatch? I find it makes downshift perfectly smooth that way but it wastes too much time and its poinless for daily driving like me, but its supposed to take load off syncros or something...

NuEra do u actually dclutch when u heel-toe and revmatch? I find it makes downshift perfectly smooth that way but it wastes too much time and its poinless for daily driving like me, but its supposed to take load off syncros or something...
No, I know about that too but thats only for racecars or highly tuned cars, we only have to use the clutch once, rev-match when you have the clutch in quickly. I mean you could do it the other way but its pointless because regular cars dont have syncros, I've read this somewhere.

the best way to learn is to learn to put it in gear with out pushing the gas at all. u will get the feel of where the friction point is, just release the clutch really really slow but no gas. u might stall a few times but it will help. (im not saying do this forever or on real streets, just on side streets while practicing). Once u get it down with no gas then u can add a tiny bit off gas and feel that u can let the clutch up a little faster than before. Before u know it u will be a pro. Also on hills just let the clutch up until it hits the friction point and then let go of the brake and add gas, if u do it this way u wont roll back at all. Probably by the time u read this ur already a pro but if not try this out, it is how my friend taught me and how i teach people and they learn instantly.

haha i dont need extra width i have big feet...

sorry mine are just long. When i heel-toe i dont actually use my heel and toe, I use the right and left side of the ball of my foot.

gently let off the clutch, and gently press the gas.

gas should be pressed gently, yet rapidly

well whenever i get tired of driving my car its ok cuz my bf and roomate drive stick so im like wanna drive home...i shouldnt hve a bought a brand new car im sure it was suffering for a while there..it isnt now but it was a long first week