I just picked up my 2007 5 Speed FM tC today, I love it so much, but I seem to have a very hard time getting used to launching it.

I have driven other manual tranny cars so its not that.

Whats happening is that :
A: You can barely feel the friction(catch) point on this car (maybe cause its new?0

B: If u let the clucth out with the gas above 1k it bucks. Its like there is so much tq down low that it does not need much gas to get rolling. But this presents a problem. The slightest tap on the gas pedal and the car is revving around 2.5k. I have no control over gas pedal modulation whatsoever, its like it has a mind of its own.

Do all tC's do this? Rev sooo quickly with the slightest tap on the gas?

If so, how do all you 5 speed drivers get used to this, I feel like Ive never driven a manual before!!

help!

 

it's not so much the drive by wire as you getting used to the drive by wire split second lag. give it a couple of days. practice on a hill to feel the point with the throttle.

tC_2NeR, if you type "drive and by and wire" into search with tC as the forum, you'll get 63 hits for you to peruse. (one thread shows how to do a home fix on the delay)

 

the lag... ugghh the stupid lag on the gas will really screw people like me up, people who are still trying to learn manual on their tC's... but I'm slowly starting to get it

and no, you really don't need much gas to get the car rolling (obviously if you release the clutch slow enough no gas at all, but of course that's not appropriate for traffic situations)

I got the clutch for the most part now, though... I only have about 30 miles though, so I don't know if there really is a problem finding the point or not, but I can find it now

and yea, the accelerator is very sensitive... its usually that way on most non-American cars, but its hell with a manual if you're not used to it

 

specifically on a hill
every car has a different throttle feel and catch point. every manual is about learning the ideosyncracies of the transmission. no biggie. as you add different manual transmission feels to your repertoire, you'll be comfortable getting into a new one.
you won't hurt the car learning it.

 

hey man i feel ya. i just picked up my tC yesterday and youre right about the throttle. however, i am starting to get used to it-- so i guess its like they always say: practice makes perfect

 

You think the bucking is bad on a stock car? You try launching a tC that has a fully stiffened Ingall's ETD installed!

But seriously, give it a week and you'll be fine.

 

The car revs very fast in 1st gear, it takes a month or two to get use to.

I'd go ahead and get the Ingalls stiffy now if you're ever planning on getting it because once you install that you have to get use to it all over again.

 

I also feel it's only a matter of practice.... you'll be fine. Of course all manual cars are different. WHen I 1st test drove a tC, my 1st attempt was too few revs, 2nd and 3rd attempt too many. AFter a few more stop and goes at the light it's a-ok.

 

update:

I got in the car today and I just drove the hell out of it. I came the the conclusion I was paying too much attention to the car, and if I just get in and dont think it goes real smoothly. I learned all the ins and outs on the tranny and have mastered hills with this clutch. I knew I could do it its just that damn throttle.

So basically everyones right, practice does make perfect, 2 days and Im good to roll.

PS: Anyone else have trouble keeping the 3-2 downshift smooth, the only way I can have it smooth is to rev match, a slight lil blip, not difficult by any means and actually fun, but just wondering if anyone else experienced this problem.

oh and yea, 1st gear is damn fast, lmao

 

I haven't shifted from 3 to 2 that often, but the few times that I have, I've had to either work the clutch slowly or revmatch. Lately I've been stopping from 3. And I used to downshift from 3 to 2 almost all the time in the '99 Corolla; the engine and transmission in the tC is so different from the Corolla. First gear seems so slow, almost like a "towing gear" that you'd find in a Jeep or a stickshift pickup truck; lately I've been using first to get moving from a dead stop, then shifting right into second; otherwise I end up taking the engine over 3K and perhaps annoying a few pedestrians.

I think I'll try it a few times today.

P.S.: the '99 Corolla was Mystic Teal Mica, but there's no forum icon for that color. Where would I post to potentially fix that?

 

I wouldn't consider this a "problem". Whenever you downshift in any manual-tranny car you've got to double-clutch and rev-match or you'll get a nice "bump" as the rotating assemblies in front of the clutch come up to speed with the wheels.

In my opinion the tC is a pretty decent car to learn stick on, other than the slight lag. I learned to drive clutch on an 88 Dodge Shadow ES Turbo that had been beaten on. Nothing like learning stick on a car that has no low end torque (engine relies on the turbocharger too much), relatively steep gear ratios and a worn out clutch.

 

I've been driving stick for 13 years now...On downshifting...no matter what gear you are coming from...just match the speed with the gear and Rpms and if you are going too fast, assist w/ the break to slow the car and smooth the transition...not sure what you guys mean by rev-matching, but there should be absolutely no need to double clutch a modern car...maybe an old ice-cream truck or an 18 wheeler...

I did find that smoothness with the clutch in the Tc can be assisted greatly by having an ideal seating position...I had to mess with it a bit before eveything was comfortable and smooth.

I notice most of you complaining are very young guys and can't have even been driving but a few years...just like anything else practice makes perfect...

 

I feather the throttle when pulling out...kinda blipping it. Works like a charm.

 

You'll get used to it

 

I usually just rev to 4 grand and dump the clutch.

....not really.