Took my first manual transmission drive today!

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I practiced with my dad two or three times now using the manual transmission in his Accord, and I had some trouble until I realized you don't have to bring the clutch all the way back going from 1st to second gear. Today I took it out with my dad, got a haircut, and then went to a Sears Hardware store. It was pretty fun, and I like driving it more than our Volvo station wagon because of the turning in his car and it being a small car compared to the station wagon.

 

[m2kewl]

wait to you learn to heel and toe, and driving in the winter.

 

[Ryan]

Yea, you learned on one of the best transmissions/clutches ever. Honda has the best.

< - Learned to drive on a new Honda Civic.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: m2kewl
wait to you learn to heel and toe, and driving in the winter.

Hehe, whats heel and toe? Is that when you're on a hill and you have a car behind you and you have to accelerate up without going back or something?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
Yea, you learned on one of the best transmissions/clutches ever. Honda has the best.

< - Learned to drive on a new Honda Civic.

Yeah, the clutch seems pretty smooth, especiall 3rd to 4th gear, I have nothing to compare it to since thats the only manual I've driven, but I seem to like it. The clutch has gone 160k+ Miles and hasn't changed or had a problem yet

 

[SWirth86]

Originally posted by: AgaBooga

Originally posted by: m2kewl
wait to you learn to heel and toe, and driving in the winter.

Hehe, whats heel and toe? Is that when you're on a hill and you have a car behind you and you have to accelerate up without going back or something?

I guess you could use it for that, but its more of a racing term. When you're downshifting(in the beginning/middle of a curve) but still need to brake at the same time. You press the clutch with left foot, brake with right toe, and you hit the gas with your right heel to pick the engine speed up so you can downshift smoothly.
Not something you need to use in regular driving ever.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: SWirth86

Originally posted by: AgaBooga

Originally posted by: m2kewl
wait to you learn to heel and toe, and driving in the winter.

Hehe, whats heel and toe? Is that when you're on a hill and you have a car behind you and you have to accelerate up without going back or something?

I guess you could use it for that, but its more of a racing term. When you're downshifting(in the beginning/middle of a curve) but still need to brake at the same time. You press the clutch with left foot, brake with right toe, and you hit the gas with your right heel to pick the engine speed up so you can downshift smoothly.
Not something you need to use in regular driving ever.

Hehe, I'm going to give racing atleast 5 to 6 years

 

[Ophir]

Originally posted by: SWirth86

Originally posted by: AgaBooga

Originally posted by: m2kewl
wait to you learn to heel and toe, and driving in the winter.

Hehe, whats heel and toe? Is that when you're on a hill and you have a car behind you and you have to accelerate up without going back or something?

I guess you could use it for that, but its more of a racing term. When you're downshifting(in the beginning/middle of a curve) but still need to brake at the same time. You press the clutch with left foot, brake with right toe, and you hit the gas with your right heel to pick the engine speed up so you can downshift smoothly.
Not something you need to use in regular driving ever.

It's also an easy way to kill yourself if you aren't proficient at doing it.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Ophir

Originally posted by: SWirth86

Originally posted by: AgaBooga

Originally posted by: m2kewl
wait to you learn to heel and toe, and driving in the winter.

Hehe, whats heel and toe? Is that when you're on a hill and you have a car behind you and you have to accelerate up without going back or something?

I guess you could use it for that, but its more of a racing term. When you're downshifting(in the beginning/middle of a curve) but still need to brake at the same time. You press the clutch with left foot, brake with right toe, and you hit the gas with your right heel to pick the engine speed up so you can downshift smoothly.
Not something you need to use in regular driving ever.

It's also an easy way to kill yourself if you aren't proficient at doing it.

How so?

 

[Jombo]

Originally posted by: SWirth86

Originally posted by: AgaBooga

Originally posted by: m2kewl wait to you learn to heel and toe, and driving in the winter.

Hehe, whats heel and toe? Is that when you're on a hill and you have a car behind you and you have to accelerate up without going back or something?

I guess you could use it for that, but its more of a racing term. When you're downshifting(in the beginning/middle of a curve) but still need to brake at the same time. You press the clutch with left foot, brake with right toe, and you hit the gas with your right heel to pick the engine speed up so you can downshift smoothly. Not something you need to use in regular driving ever.

thought you use the heel to break, and toe to accel.. (that was the way it was expalined to me anyway.. could've been wrong)
<~~ just picked up my first manual ride, so still trying to break in and get used finding the right down shift points, w/out looking down at the speedo.. mile marker 1000 can't come fast enough

the hardest shifts are getting stated on first and getting into second. once the car starts rolling at a descent clip, upshifting becomes easier, thus your 3rd 4th is smoother than others, as precise clutch control becomes less important.

and i remember RSX type S having one of the best clutch shifter combo driven. altho accord V6 six speed had one of the touchiest clutches ever driven..

 

[Ophir]

Originally posted by: AgaBooga

Originally posted by: Ophir

Originally posted by: SWirth86
I guess you could use it for that, but its more of a racing term. When you're downshifting(in the beginning/middle of a curve) but still need to brake at the same time. You press the clutch with left foot, brake with right toe, and you hit the gas with your right heel to pick the engine speed up so you can downshift smoothly.
Not something you need to use in regular driving ever.

It's also an easy way to kill yourself if you aren't proficient at doing it.

How so?

People usually heel & toe when going hard into turns so they don't lock up the brakes when downshifting and to keep the car in a lower gear during the turn. The problem is, that some people don't have enough practice heel & toeing, then try it in a non-racetrack environment - like a curvy mountain road or a blind turn after a straight. This is a recipe for disaster as the right toe can easily come off of the brake or can hit the brake too hard and lock the tires. More often than not problems occur because they don't have enough practice, afford themselves to small a margin of error, and react too slowly when things are happening really fast. If you are not proficient at it, do not try it on public roads.

I've seen it happen and it wasn't pretty (no one was seriously hurt, though)