How to drive a stick? **Downshift or Brake?**

[LOLyourFace]

I know it's all about driving one and learning from the actual performance but it couldn't hurt to get the concept straight and memorize in my head. (how to gear up/down, don't dos, & etc)

Can you guys help me out? I'm picking up my Mazda 6 five speed tomorrow (dad will drive it back first) and will be learning.

 

[handoverfist]

Don't ride the clutch! And make sure if you ever get any work done on your car, to check what gear they left it in. I almost 100% of the time leave it in neutral. My dumbazz never checks, and well you know what happens...hehe

Be prepared for much honking as you are learning... hehe

 

[rudeguy]

easy...just pop the clutch and nail the gas...thats all you have to know

 

[BDawg]

Go to how stuff works and look up a clutch. Not to be sarcastic, but learning the mechanics of one helps immensely.

After that, it's all about giving it the right ammount of gas as you're releasing the clutch. Each car is a little different.

 

[Reliant]

I had people tell me how to do it before I got my stick and it didn't help at all.
You are just going to have to practice, that is the only way that helped me!

 

[LOLyourFace]

Originally posted by: Reliant
I had people tell me how to do it before I got my stick and it didn't help at all.
You are just going to have to practice, that is the only way that helped me!

yea but memorizing the steps would benefit even if it's miniscule.

 

[LOLyourFace]

Originally posted by: handoverfist
Don't ride the clutch! And make sure if you ever get any work done on your car, to check what gear they left it in. I almost 100% of the time leave it in neutral. My dumbazz never checks, and well you know what happens...hehe

what's riding the clutch, i've heard that term so many times but never sure what it meant

 

[Reliant]

Memorizing helps, but there is only so much you can do before you go out and try it.

 

[godmare]

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
I know it's all about driving one and learning from the actual performance but it couldn't hurt to get the concept straight and memorize in my head. (how to gear up/down, don't dos, & etc)

Can you guys help me out? I'm picking up my Mazda 6 five speed tomorrow (dad will drive it back first) and will be learning.

Sounds like your parents are pocket digging for it? Slick deal
Practice makes perfect

After that, it's all about giving it the right ammount of gas as you're releasing the clutch. Each car is a little different.

 

[Koing]

All about foot coordination at first.

Have no acceleration on at all.
Push the clutch in fully then *slowly* take it up you should feel a point where the car starts to move *slowly* forward. This is the biting point where the clutch engages.
Now after this point you can apply acceleration to it and move the clutch up slowly.

Gearing wise change with low revs for the first couple of hundred of miles since your car is new. Someone will have better info as I haven't been in a new car!

Then after that just let loose and go ape sh!t on it once in a while

Gear whenever you feel like it. 3000rpm is alright. Just make sure you car isn't in such a gear to cause it to splutter. If so change down.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace

Originally posted by: handoverfist
Don't ride the clutch! And make sure if you ever get any work done on your car, to check what gear they left it in. I almost 100% of the time leave it in neutral. My dumbazz never checks, and well you know what happens...hehe

what's riding the clutch, i've heard that term so many times but never sure what it meant

Riding the clutch is pushing the clutch all the way in and leaving in that way and not putting on the gas. They are *coasting* also. I think thats another term to ride the clutch.

 

[Excelsior]

After you start the car, and want to go into 1st, hold down the clutch, and as you slowly let off the clutch, give the car the slightest bit of gas. ITs a fluid motion from letting off the clutch to increasing gas. Now, after you are succesfully in 1st, accelerate. Watch the RPM, and listen to the engine, after it gets high enough (before redline), then let off gas and push down on the clutch and move the gear then let off the clutch. All within a few seconds. Its really easy to change gears, and you just do that same thing until you get to 5th gear.

When you are slowing down (stop sign or red light) you can either downshift (most reccomended) by obviously repeating the previous process just in reverse; or you can put it in neutral and brake. Im a newb though, so just get advice from the many other people who really know how to drive.

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace

Originally posted by: handoverfist
Don't ride the clutch! And make sure if you ever get any work done on your car, to check what gear they left it in. I almost 100% of the time leave it in neutral. My dumbazz never checks, and well you know what happens...hehe

what's riding the clutch, i've heard that term so many times but never sure what it meant

Riding the clutch is pushing the clutch all the way in and leaving in that way and not putting on the gas. They are *coasting* also. I think thats another term to ride the clutch.

That's not riding the clutch. Riding the clutch is leaving the clutch partially engaged when you're driving or stopped.

 

[Platypus]

Wait, you bought a car you don't know how to drive yet?

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
After you start the car, and want to go into 1st, hold down the clutch, and as you slowly let off the clutch, give the car the slightest bit of gas. ITs a fluid motion from letting off the clutch to increasing gas. Now, after you are succesfully in 1st, accelerate. Watch the RPM, and listen to the engine, after it gets high enough (before redline), then let off gas and push down on the clutch and move the gear then let off the clutch. All within a few seconds. Its really easy to change gears, and you just do that same thing until you get to 5th gear.

When you are slowing down (stop sign or red light) you can either downshift (most reccomended) by obviously repeating the previous process just in reverse; or you can put it in neutral and brake. Im a newb though, so just get advice from the many other people who really know how to drive.

Your brakes should be doing most of the work as brakes are a lot cheaper than a clutch Downshift to accelerate or, when braking with the clutch down you can change gears so that if the light turns green you'll be in the right gear, but just compressing to slow down will wear your clutch faster and increases the chance of getting rear-ended from people because brake lights don't go on Compressing is best used on hills to keep a constant speed without having to brake continously. This is IMO though and I'm sure others see it differently

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: Ultima

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace

Originally posted by: handoverfist
Don't ride the clutch! And make sure if you ever get any work done on your car, to check what gear they left it in. I almost 100% of the time leave it in neutral. My dumbazz never checks, and well you know what happens...hehe

what's riding the clutch, i've heard that term so many times but never sure what it meant

Riding the clutch is pushing the clutch all the way in and leaving in that way and not putting on the gas. They are *coasting* also. I think thats another term to ride the clutch.

That's not riding the clutch. Riding the clutch is leaving the clutch partially engaged when you're driving or stopped.

Agreed, I don't see how keeping the clutch completely depressed could be considered "riding the clutch". How is it bad to keep it pressed down? That's like saying "neutral is bad for the car". Uh, you're in neutral every time you stop. Unless you do panzy-ass stops and stay in gear/stay moving.

BTW, LOL-dude - why are you learning how to drive a standard transmission on your first car, or on a brand new car.. ? Seems kinda iffy to me. I wouldn't wanna fock up my new ride learning how to drive stick. If I were you, I'd get someone else who has a standard tranny and try out their car. You'll get a good feel for it after a few tries, and you'll be ok in your car afterwards.

 

[imacbad]

question. I drive stick ok (my parents jeep every once in a while) but I think I've been riding the clutch in reverse. When I back out of my driveway in reverse I don't use the gas, I just let the clutch out to the point where the car goes backwards slowly. Is this bad? I don't like using the gas while doing this cause my driveway is pretty short and I get too much speed with the gas. Also, driving stick is easy as hell when your on the road, just dont' let the pressure get to you at red lights with cars behind you.

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: imacbad
question. I drive stick ok (my parents jeep every once in a while) but I think I've been riding the clutch in reverse. When I back out of my driveway in reverse I don't use the gas, I just let the clutch out to the point where the car goes backwards slowly. Is this bad? I don't like using the gas while doing this cause my driveway is pretty short and I get too much speed with the gas. Also, driving stick is easy as hell when your on the road, just dont' let the pressure get to you at red lights with cars behind you.

It's not bad if you don't do it for long and you're not giving it gas while you do it... but.. why not just get the car to the point where you don't need to slip the clutch? At only 5 mph you should be fast enough to not stall the car.

 

[Hartford]

you really do have to just learn from experience. and along with that, no 2 manual cars are the same. the clutchs on the cars can be way way different

 

[Supermercado]

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
Wait, you bought a car you don't know how to drive yet?

I had the car I would be driving before I knew how to drive a stick. I learned on it and have been driving it for almost 5 years.

 

[Yossarian]

the coolest thing about driving a stick is you can pop-start it quite easily!

 

[handoverfist]

I learned how to drive stick on my first ride. It is a 00 Rodeo. And I did just fine. At about 45K right now. Clutch feels the same as it did the first day.... GOOD LUCK!

 

[halik]

ridiing the clutch is not bad in reverse or when creeping up in 1st. Theres no way to avoid that. Just make sure you keep your foot off the clutch if you're not shifting. If you drive with clutch partially engaged, it will burn out the disc faster (you can tell by the smell)

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace

Originally posted by: handoverfist
Don't ride the clutch! And make sure if you ever get any work done on your car, to check what gear they left it in. I almost 100% of the time leave it in neutral. My dumbazz never checks, and well you know what happens...hehe

what's riding the clutch, i've heard that term so many times but never sure what it meant

Riding the clutch is pushing the clutch all the way in and leaving in that way and not putting on the gas. They are *coasting* also. I think thats another term to ride the clutch.

No, that is not "riding the clutch". If the pedal if fully down on a properly adjusted clutch, then everything is completely disengaged. What you describe isn't even remotely close to "riding the clutch".

Riding the clutch is when you rest your foot on the clutch pedal when you aren't shifting. This slightly reduces the pressure on the clutch and creates clutch-slip which will wear out a clutch in very short order.

ZV

 

[LOLyourFace]

so when does a car stall? what should you avoid? how long would it take to get manual driving become your second nature? days, weeks?