I didn't know that. But I've never done that either so it's all good.

 

It is bad. The Clutch is made of a friction like material, similar to brake pads. It is designed to wear away but grip while it is there. If the engines fly wheel is spinning against the clutch it will wear away, unless the clutch is fully engaged. If you are riding the gas and the clutch on a hill the clutch is not fully engaged and it is wearing away at the clutch plate. It is not "bad" in the sense that it is doing something it was not designed to do, but it is bad in the sense that you will end up having to replace your clutch alot sooner than you were expecting to, and in a front wheel drive vehicle any shop will charge at least 600-700, at least. So it will end up costing you.

And i did not say that you should not practice out of traffic, definately practice. I only meant that no matter how much practice you do, once you are in traffic, it will be a different story.

 

So the general consensus is that using the normal brake method is bad and the ebrake method is better?

EDIT: Wait, isn't the ebrake method doing the same exact thing to the clutch (wearing it down while my foot is slowly letting it go) just without the foot brake?

 

No, the general consensus is not to use the clutch to brake yourself on a hill. Thats what the brakes are for.

 

I'm a bit confused, how is it possible to use the clutch as a brake???

 

To use the clutch as a brake on a hill, you need to leave enough clutch in so that the clutch is slipping against the flywheel causing just enough friction to power the wheels and offset gravity.

Don't do this as your are wearing away the clutch extremely rapidly.

 

Oh, gotcha! Thanks for all the help guys, any other tips?

 

the big thing that's been stated before is practice; and get some good wheel time so you get comfortable with the car and this new process. These cars are "easy" to learn on ( compared to older vehicles ), so it should come to you fairly quick and before you know it driving a manual will become second nature.
My daughter learned on a sunfire; the first few times had her upset with herself and the whole idea... but a short time later she was handling upshifts & downshifts with only a rare mis-step. And a couple years later our little tuner girl vows never ever to own an auto.
So take your time, pay attn to what is going right and what you need to work on, and before you know it you'll be down at GL dragway running down the 1320.
good luck

 

you'll do just fine...keep practicing...when i first started i did a little bit of homework (reading) and kinda knew how it worked... started off in an xterra...not so good turn out.... then tried my friends tC (kuz i drive an automagic) stalled like you wouldnt believe...then came an autox day where a fellow SCCA member taught me in his miata... the same day...i co-drove his car..and raced the miata....FIRST TIME "really" ever driving stick...by that i mean actually getting the car to go somewhere and not stalling it.... about my 2nd and 3rd run... i spun the car....at the finish line kuz i came in too hot....*golden rule in spinning out: clutch and break in "both feet in")...not that the tc would really spin...but it can happen!

its great driving stick...just practice more... when i was practicing in the miata... i stopped at a hill...and did just fine... a little jerky at first...and finally got it... i do still have the "riding the clutch syndrome"...but i am getting over it... i dont have a manual car of my own yet... (which is why im planning on buying a miata) to practice on ...and eventually make my actual race car....

you'll do fine...practice makes perfect... work on finding the happy point between the clutch and gas...and you'll get it...let the car stall from time to time so you can find the point at which the car will stall...esp on a hill, it'll stall faster on a hill than on flat land... you'll get used to it...dont give up..

remember every car is different too...there's a different "happy point" between the clutch and gas in every car... i do like the tc's clutch...you'll have an easy time... i eventually jumped back into my friends tc that i stalled many many times before, after i learned in the miata...and i played with the clutch a little bit...just to get a feel for it...and took it for a spin...didn't stall it this time... so practice makes perfect!

if im a girl and i can learn... (my clumsy ___)...you can too....it takes time...

 

and as said before, these new cars ( with hydralic clutches, easy shift linkages, FI, etc ) are very "forgiving" for a newbie.
try learning on an old truck, "3 on the tree", a sputtering carb, manual steering that gave you popeye arms, and a clutch that seemed to require Both legs to get that pedal in....... if us oldsters can learn on crap like that--you will be just fine!!!

 

Any tips on avoiding shift shock? Especially from 1 to 2. I've been driving my MT tC for a while now, and I still can't find that "sweet spot" for a smoother upshift. People ride with me and they pretty much suffer from whiplash.

 

well, I personally don't tach watch when i'm driving unless I'm nailing it; but rather drive by sound/feel for shifting. So i can't say if there is a certain rpm range as an example that will be smoother for you. I would suggest that it's a combination of smooth clutch pedal release as well as throttle input. These TC's have a fair amount of torque so can be "jumpy", but if you are easy on the clutch pedal and same for throttle it should be ok. Don't feel too bad, even us older ( err..."seasoned" ) drivers can kill a car, miss a gear, or.....
Only time ( for the most part ) that I give anyone whiplash is when i'm running to redline, getting scratch in 3rd, and I look at my wife who has that "must you" look on her face.... either as I didn't 'warn her' I was gonna play, OR it's the fact that she should be the only one to drive her car like that.
oh well

 

I can edit m double post...but I don't know how to delete it.

 

You need to learn to match the RPMS when you let out of the clutch. It will take time, but you will learn exactly when to clutch out and will shift smooth as butter.

My best compliment has been a back seat passenger exit my car after a 20 minute drive and exclaiming "OMG...this is a manual???".

 

I just got my tC a while back, about 500 miles on it so far. I am getting pretty good at shifting, and usually avoid whiplash. But one thing i do is slowly let off the clutch and ease on the gas so that it is smooth. From the time i start to let off clutch to the time my foot is off the clutch is like three seconds maby. Is this bad for it?

Oh, and i have to get on the busy highway from my neiborhood on a big hill, so i either had to learn hills or stay in the neiborhood. needless to say i learned pretty fast. Not the e-brake way though, that never worked great for me.

Oh, and when i start to see an opening in traffic ill give a little gas and let off clutch a little bit so that i roll up but then back down a little bit. Helps me get started. Is this real bad for the clutch? I try not to do it too much, but sometimes ill do it wothout thinking,

 

Not really. I mean, you will go through the clutch a bit quicker, but maybe like 5-10k miles quicker so not that much. I still would recommend to clutch out quickly at the matching rpm. Like I said before, it will take a bit to figure out your clutch out points, but once you do its very smooth.

I'm a little confused here, you are starting to go, then stopping, and then starting again with the roll down? This seems like it would be added wear and tear on not just the clutch but the whole drive line. Granted, its not much, but its still something I would avoid.

 

hmm, let me try to explain.
I am waiting to get out of the neiborhood. I see an opening, that may not be very large. I let off the clutch and give a tiny amout of gas, enough so that i roll foward like two feet. This lets the car that is coming that i am about to go, and they will either slow down, or speed up. If they slow, then i will pull out, and if they speed up, then i have to just stop and wait for another break.

I dont do it very often, just when im in a hurry, and need a break.

 

Ah, yeah thats fine.

 

I just got back from a professional driving lesson and the guy told me that at stop lights I should be in 1st gear while holding down the clutch so I'm always ready to go. I should only go into N if I'm waiting for a train or something so my leg doesn't get tired. On here I've read that that's bad... What do you guy's think?

He also told me that I should use less brake and use more engine braking so like when I'm at a sharp turn I shouldn't drop into N then back into 2nd when I'm done, I should instead go into 2nd to engine brake at like 3500 RPM then just power through the turn without N.

 

brakes are cheaper to fix then the engine...

use the brakes and don't engine brake often