Couple questions learning stick again *Update picked up new car

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Haven't driven a stick on a car since I was 17 years old. I remember enjoying it and unfortunately the vehicles I am interested in today only come in stick (civic si, fiesta st). Had a couple questions. Am I supposed to give it gas as I shift from gear to gear or just clutch only? Also how do I keep car from rolling backwards if I'm on an uphill stop? Also what is a good way to relearn in a vehicle? I would really like to rent a car to get myself back in the groove as opposed to relearning on my new car. I'd hate to damage the car in any way while I relearn. I drive an eighteen wheeler for a living but when I test drove a stick car I found myself doing things I do when I drive my 18 wheeler and that just won't work in a car (letting off clutch without giving gas).


New ride. Having some major fun again driving a car. Never thought I'd say that again.

Hi Mongrel. I guess my good looks got me my new car and property. So glad I could just walk in and get a new car because they liked me. Surely it isn't because of my made up profession of driving an eighteen wheeler.

 

[KentState]

The higher the gear, the less gas you need to give when changing gears. Let out the clutch and slowly feather in gas to match acceleration. For hills, I hold the brake, let out the clutch slowly until it grabs and then move over to the gas and modulate both.

I have only driven higher torque cars over the last 15 years and they don't require much gas to get going. I'm sure the 4 cyclinder cars are a little more picky.

 

[vi edit]

I've owned nearly half a dozen manual transmission cars of various smaller 6 cylinder and 4 cylinder over the last 10-15 years and every one of them I could launch without even using the gas. You just need to go out in a flat parking lot and just get to learn the clutch and it's engage point. Each car had a certain point that if you dumped it too hard it it'd stall. If you eased through it you could get it to move without even using the gas.

I will say that my recent Focus was the easiest 5 speed I had. Almost to point where it was impossible to stall. I think there is some computer control that senses it's ready to stall and it'll throttle up for you.

Each car had it's own personality and you aren't going to learn it in a couple test drives. It takes 6 months to get to know it and the nuances they bring.

 

[heymrdj]

Yes the modern Fords help you with shifting. As a person who hasn't done manual shifting in years (and that was on 13 speed internationals and F-350's with powerstrokes), the salesman told me I literally needed no re-learning to drive this thing, and to just trust him and get behind the wheel. He wasn't kidding, I literally could not stall the Fiesta (not the ST, just the regular one). Putted around town with no issues. Everytime the RPM's got low the engine would rev up and you'd get a bit of a lurch, it was definitely better if you feathered it yourself. But still, it was great as a city commuter. I did end up with the auto though, too much fun with the dual clutch.

 

[Fenixgoon]

rev to redline and drop the clutch pedal

but seriously, just ease the clutch out as you give it a little gas. in my opinion, first learn the clutch - where it engages, where it slips (friction zone), and where it disengages. once you have that down, adding gas to get going isn't so bad. on a level surface, most vehicle can be started in 1st gear without gas - you just need to ease the clutch out carefully.

 

[JulesMaximus]

It's like riding a bicycle... or sex. If you know how to do it, it doesn't matter how long it has been since you've done it last.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

It's like riding a bicycle... or sex.

intense pain in the groin?

 

[_Rick_]

For hill starts, use the hand brake. That way you can manage both throttle, which you will need to get going (hell, I stalled a fully laden, cold diesel van three times in a row, on an incline, despite liberal throttle application), clutch and brakes independently. and simultaneously.

 

[pcgeek11]

For hill starts, use the hand brake. That way you can manage both throttle, which you will need to get going (hell, I stalled a fully laden, cold diesel van three times in a row, on an incline, despite liberal throttle application), clutch and brakes independently. and simultaneously.

No, just No. From your own description you do not know how to drive a standard shift.

 

[SearchMaster]

Dunno about the Civic, but with the FiST (and FoST):

Am I supposed to give it gas as I shift from gear to gear or just clutch only?

FiST has "rev hang" where the RPMs don't drop for a few ticks between gears. It's primarily for emissions. For daily driving you don't need to apply throttle between shifts.

Also how do I keep car from rolling backwards if I'm on an uphill stop?

The FiST has "hill assist" which will apply the brake for up to about 3 seconds after you push the clutch in on a hill and release the brakes when you release the clutch

 

[kitatech]

For hills I use the heel/toe approach...Heel on the brake, toe on the accelerator

...a rocking motion between the inside (not the back) half of the heel and outside half of the toes/balls of the foot gets enough RPMs going to get the clutch engaged while the heel begins to release the brake...simple, once you get the feet coordinated.

 

[dbk]

when i try to do heel toe i step on the brake too much... so i just brake to slow down first then rev match..my brain cant do both in one motion

 

[JulesMaximus]

intense pain in the groin?

:biggrin: You're doing it wrong.

 

[JCH13]

I wouldn't worry at all about damaging a new car. Unless you decide to dump the clutch all the time or ride the clutch while you're driving you shouldn't have any issues. You're not learning from scratch, you're just knocking the rust off, so to speak.

Try a couple test drives to see how you like them and to re-learn driving stick-shift cars. Then say you want it in a different color...

For hill-starts in FWD cars I like to use the e-brake to hold on the hill until the clutch is starting to bite. This is really easy to feel because the car with pitch a little when the clutch is starting to engage.

 

[Fenixgoon]

for hills i just let the clutch slip a little more than usual and that's it. i take my foot off the brake, give it gas, and let the clutch out (but not completely so as to stall) and away i go.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Just make sure you don't downshift when coming to a stop. You wouldn't want to place all that extra wear and tear on the clutch and gearbox. Oh, and always park it in neutral.

 

[soccerballtux]

Haven't driven a stick on a car since I was 17 years old. I remember enjoying it and unfortunately the vehicles I am interested in today only come in stick (civic si, fiesta st). Had a couple questions. Am I supposed to give it gas as I shift from gear to gear or just clutch only? Also how do I keep car from rolling backwards if I'm on an uphill stop? Also what is a good way to relearn in a vehicle? I would really like to rent a car to get myself back in the groove as opposed to relearning on my new car. I'd hate to damage the car in any way while I relearn. I drive an eighteen wheeler for a living but when I test drove a stick car I found myself doing things I do when I drive my 18 wheeler and that just won't work in a car (letting off clutch without giving gas).

I've taught 3 people (inc self) to drive on my original clutch is still going strong.

If you take long to shift you'll need to rev match (give it gas) to keep it at the right RPM range. First just go around the parking lot and practice going from 1 to 2, then 2 to 1 (rev match). That's all you'll really need.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Appreciate all the advice. Some really good tips here.

 

[pcgeek11]

Just make sure you don't downshift when coming to a stop. You wouldn't want to place all that extra wear and tear on the clutch and gearbox. Oh, and always park it in neutral.

That is a new twist. Neutral?

I learned to drive standard shift in the mid 60's and was taught to always park in the lowest gear with parking brake on, as it assist holding the car. Parking on a hill always turn the wheels into the curb as it will act as a chock also.

From the California DMV: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/curriculum/Unit 3.pdf

When you leave a vehicle parked on an incline, gravity works to pull your vehicle downhill.

To keep your vehicle from rolling away, you should leave your vehicle in a low gear or in “Park” if it has an automatic transmission. You should always engage your parking brake and may even need to block your wheels by placing an object in front or behind of the tires.

Just in case your parking brake fails, you should always turn the front wheels of your vehicle so that it will not roll into the traffic lane. The way you should turn your wheels depends on whether you are parked facing uphill or downhill and whether or not there is a curb.

If you are parking facing downhill, you should always turn your front wheels towards the curb or side of the road.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/learn-drive-stick-7

Put Your Transmission in Gear and Turn Your Wheels When You're Parked on a Hill

Most people are taught to put a manual transmission into first gear or reverse to park it—first gear if you're pointed uphill, and reverse if you're pointed downhill. Will this make it less likely that your car will roll down the hill? Definitely. Will it guarantee it? Absolutely not.

Why does putting your vehicle in gear help? By putting the vehicle in gear, you're making a direct mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels. You're making it so the wheels can't turn unless they force the engine to turn. And the engine is very hard to turn—especially in first and reverse gears. In other words, you're making a bet. You're betting that the force needed to get the engine to turn is greater than the gravitational force that's pulling the car down hill.

But you could lose the bet, for any one of several reasons, including low engine compression, a slipping clutch or if there's ice on the ground. So always apply the parking brake. And, as a final safety measure, turn the front wheels so that if your car does roll, it will roll into the sidewalk curb. If you're pointed downhill and parking on the right, your wheels should point right. If you're pointed uphill and you're parking on the right, your wheels should point left. You get the idea.

 

[_Rick_]

No, just No. From your own description you do not know how to drive a standard shift.

Oh right. I haven't driven anything else for 12 years now, and was taught, like everyone else, this method exactly.
The incline was more than 10%, it was a cold 2.5L TD engine (frost over night) and fully laden to 2.7 tons or so. People in the car were anxious to get away, so I didn't wait around idling the engine until it was warm, which made performance pretty pitiful.

Anyway, the basic method I described is correct, since you want to hold the car using the hand brake, then find the clutch bitepoint, unload the brake to prevent roll-back, release the brake, and the start off. If there's not enough torque in the engine to hold the car on the incline, it will obviously stall, as you release the clutch. But you don't want to let the clutch slip for too long, bearing all the weight of the car either.

Anyway, you made no real counterpoint, so I assume you have no idea how to drive a manual transmission either, or you would have come up with something better.

 

[JCH13]

That is a new twist. Neutral?

I learned to drive standard shift in the mid 60's and was taught to always park in the lowest gear with parking brake on, as it assist holding the car. Parking on a hill always turn the wheels into the curb as it will act as a chock also.

From the California DMV: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/curriculum/Unit 3.pdf



http://www.cartalk.com/content/learn-drive-stick-7

Pretty sure Jules was just screwin' around.

 

[pcgeek11]

Pretty sure Jules was just screwin' around.

God I hope so.

 

[eng2d2]

You will be fine. On the hill just put in neutral and apply brake. When its time to go, put in first and put a little gas. Since you are re-learning, wait for the car in front of you to move first for a distance then go. You don't need to step on gas to shift from gear to gear as long as you are on the right speed. Assuming I understand your question correctly. If you are on the right speed, let gas go shift and step on accelerator. If you hear the engine scream then shift again until the last gear.

 

[SolMiester]

It's like riding a bicycle... or sex. If you know how to do it, it doesn't matter how long it has been since you've done it last.

^ This...seriously!

 

[SolMiester]

No, just No. From your own description you do not know how to drive a standard shift.

??, are you talking about stalling or how to take off from a hill, because his description for the later is bang on!