i mean advices for a newb for 5 spd

 

i STILL LOVE my auto!!!!!

 

I don't understand why you auto guys take such offense with us manual enthusiasts. There is no need to justify your purchase with us. If you love your auto, good for you! And this seems to happen in every thread that has anything to do with manual trannies. I love both trannies for different reasons and applications.

 

It's honestly not all the different for me, hill or not. I've become so used to finding the catch point. . . it just means that I have to do it ever so slightly faster on a hill.

Hints:

1) Practice. . . find a deserted road you know of that has a sharp incline, and practice. . . maybe some kind of entrance to an apartment, or maybe a multi-level parking lot.

2) If you feel nervous, use the parking brake to assist. Basically, pull up the parking brake, shift into first (clutch still in), and get ready to lower the parking brake. Start launching the car, and when you feel the car pulling, ease down the parking brake. I use this technique when parking in tight spots on a sharp incline, and I can't afford more than a few inches of rollback.

3) Ironically, it's hard to give a tip on how to launch. . . you don't want to over-rev and burn your clutch, nor do you want to stall. So you have to do it right in that sweet spot. . . which isn't much of advice. My advice is to not get nervous, as it will cause you to panic, and stall or burn clutch.

You're going to move quickly to the catch point, but you aren't doing a drag launch either. . . you're going to let the clutch slip a little. But you're also going to give a little more gas than usual, but not too much more. All in all, if you've been driving manual for a few weeks, you should intuitively feel it.

 

yeah my first time driving a stick was with my dads car that costed 100 and some thousand a porsche turbo...and i had to stop at a light going up hill with someone tailing me pretty close i was absolutely horrified

 

Well, usually we have to take offense because manual enthusiasts are usually trash talking auto's It's one thing if you just like driving a manual, but I always see the discussions about performance. Anyone that has gone to races/seen some high end cars race, i've seen plenty of auto's that were just as fast as any other comparable car in a manual, I really think it depends on the car and driver. As for me, I went from a 3 speed neon to a 4 speed auto tC, and after a few mods its going to be more then fast enough for me Good luck with the new manual version though!

 

well, i do know that different cars have different sweet spots as well as different catching piont and feel for the clutch. So I want to know how the clutch for the tC feels like? heavy? and how much do I rev for launching? 1000rpm?

 

Clutch is so light. I mean, I can barely tell Im pressing it =P

Rev for launching? If you mean starting to move I dont think I rev at all, I let out the clutch at the same time I press the gas.
If you mjean racing or something I have no idea sorry =(

 

Yes and no. . . trash talk is definitely unacceptable, but you have to seperate fact from fiction:

1) The automatics in 99% of consumer cars are nothing like race application auto's. They work differently, are built differently, and have huge differences in efficiency.

2) Assuming there is no extreme difference in gear ratios, a manual will always be faster than an auto, unless the driver misses a shift (which happens quite a bit). For boosted applications, the difference is much larger, as keeping the car in boost is vital.

3) If someone says an auto is slow (or slower), it's flat out true. You can't get butt hurt over a true statement. But to talk trash like (only women drive auto, or some other BS comment) is stupid.

4) Consistency is always higher in an auto

5) Hydrollically (however you spell it) operated manual trasmission (which have both auto and manual modes) decimate all. Note that these are EXTREMELY different than shiftable automatics. . . one is a manual tranny controlled by a computer, and one is an auto tranny controllable by the driver.

6) If you are looking for flat out track use, you are better off with a manual.

7) Number 6 doesn't mean that auto's can't race either.

Driveline losses are always higher due to more moving parts and more rotational inertia in the drivetrain.

In a high HP application, I'd probably want an auto for consistency's sake. But anything under 300hp is rediculously slow in my book (unless you're some kinda super light track car).

 

Agreed and well said, all the stuff I was going to say but didn't want to get off track/go on a rant I think we are going to start seeing more built up auto's from the factory(already happening), especially as they are making more and more cars with crazy amounts of hp stock. Personally I would like to see more cars that could function as an auto/manual, and not just "sportronic". It's only a few minor annoyances that keep me buying auto's:/

 

Actually, those high end cars usually aren't autos...they're sequential gearboxes, which is an actual automated manual transmission, really.

Edit: someone else addressed that already

Yeah...so far the only ones I know of that are automatic with act like a manual are the SMG from BMW and DSG from audi

 

Well when you get your car take it to a flat area and let it idle, meaning put it in first and keep the clutch in. Now without putting your foot on the brake or the gas just let the clutch out slowly. Now when you feel it start to die push it back in. You have just found the catch point. Do it a few more times so you know where it is. So remember when you shift all you have to do is just push it past that point by a little and you'll be able to catch it fatster.

About revs: Don't watch the tach. Learn to feel the revs. If you're concerned too much about getting the engine up to 2500 rmps, letting the clutch out slowly while giving it gas, you'll never learn how to drive stick. You'll learn to feel it soon enough.

 

I agree with all your other statements, but I just wanted to point out something about the "boosted application" statement. I don't think the difference between auto and manual gets larger when turbocharged, except for during the launch. The auto will actually be better in keeping the turbo spooled between shifts since you never have to close the throttle. Plus, tranny computers, like in my '97 Talon AWD, often cut timing during the shift so EGTs skyrocket and again helps keep the turbo spooled. The launch becomes more of an issue, especially with a larger, laggy turbo, but can be remedied with high stall torque converters in an automatic.

That being said, my tC is a MT while my "race car" Talon is an AT. It was just what I bought at the time, but I am thinking about doing a tranny swap. It's already pretty fast (11.97 ET, 117 mph - on 112 octane), even with the added weight and drivetrain loss of an AT, but it really is a street car first and race car second. On the street, in my opinion, a manual transmission is just more fun to drive.

Sorry to deviate from the main topic.

 

SlowtC, I think you're right, but I won't pretend to have a clue how it works during shifting in an auto, because I don't. I was under the impression that fuel was cut during a shift, but beyond the basic knowledge of planetary gears and torque converters, the auto tranny is like that arcade game that lets you play for free because of a glitch-- you don't ask why or how it works, you're just thankful that it does.

I was thinking more along the lines of autocross or racing on a course, holding a gear.

 

boy i just got my 5spd at the dealer and stalled couple of times on my way back lol, Going to school thru hwy tom, wonder if I'm ready?

 

hmmMmmm... i took that advice and ended up with an auto.
friends convinced me to get stick or i will regret it, and guess what? I did.
well... at least u did the smart thing to exchange it for a stick. cost about 3G's+ to change the transmission to stick. I'd rather trade it in and u dont gotta wait that long to get it switched to stick.

 

well, there is always a price to pay. But I totally enjoyed it! Man, the 5spd feels so "torquey", lol. Oh well, I think I will go drive around the neighbourhood to get some practice. It will be FUN!

 

so first to second gear and second to third we're suppose to clutch in really quickly and clutch out quickly? How quick should i clutch out? like just dumping the clutch or just a little quicker than 3rd to 4th and 4th to 5th.

 

DOn't think of it as speeds. . . all shifts should feel "smooth;" that's the goal. A jerky shift is one that is abusing the drivetrain. Furthermore, you should make it smooth with as minimal slip as possible, aka finding the sweet spot. YOu learn the different rates of clutching out by practicing this.