Okay for those of you who know how to drive stick, can you guys give us a list of do and do nots. Along with a step by step process on how actually DO it in person. Thanks

 

Well i do this When i know i am going to turn i drop it into 2nd or 3rd depending on the speed in which u plan to turn, hold in the clutch, slow down take the turn let off the clutch and hall ___!

Also give it more gas then clutch...

 

I have been learning on my xA. From that I have been told the Scions are pretty easy to learn on. Good Luck.

LV

 

this is the worst thread ever.

 

I need to learn as well.

try these sites:

http://www.10w40.com/individual/100186.asp

http://www.standardshift.com/

http://www.hints-n-tips.com/kylearticle8.htm

 

I'm not the best in a manual because I've never owned one but I have driven several of my friends Foci with 5spds and even my friends supercharged SVT Focus. The hardest part is first gear. Learning where the clutch catches and throttle control is key to getting going. Just practice and you will get better. After that, all the other gears are a cinch. I can't really explain downshifting. I would say that when you slow down, do as mentioned above. Put it in 2nd or 3rd and press the clutch. If you dont' have to stop, let it out and keep on going. If you are going to stop, come to a stop and put it in neutral.

Like I said, I'm not a pro and I may be doing everything wrong but from my time driving a 5spd, this has worked for me. I test drove a 5spd tC today and only had problems with 1st gear. When I get it and start driving it daily, maybe the way I drive will be totally different.

Good Luck!

Oh yeah, if the car starts to jerk and stall, just push in the clutch! The clutch is your friend.

 

you guys are all saying to put it into 2 or3 when coming to a turn I have a 1999 VW cabrio and when I am gona turn about a quarter mile back i put it into neutral and when I complete the turn I put it into 2 is this bad for my car :?:

 

LOL
TRUE TRUE.

For newbie manual drivers:

When in doubt, hold the clutch, rev until the needle hits the red colored numbers, put into first gear, quickly remove left foot from clutch while slaming right foot through the floor.. wait for burning clutch smell then repeat until you run out of gears.
:D

 

Hey, Ive driven a manual for about 12 years now, and Ive found that if you shift fast enough, you dont even need to push the clutch in. If you're not fast enough, you'll hear a grinding noise. Try it in your mom's car first.

Also, that burning clutch smell makes you go faster.

 

I was thinking about that too...
I've done this, but you really have to know your car and "feel" the gears to do this.
Again, I agree with erick, try it out on mom's car first, or your dad's old ford/chevy truck.

 

you bishes are just dieing to see someone post something like "i tried to shift quick without the clutch and it broke"

there was once a time when u too had to learn to drive stick. lets not thwart the efforts of new manual drivers.

for those of u learning to drive stick... ask a friend or family member to teach u in their cars... they wont tell u the wrong way cuz they actually care whether or not you kill the car.

redline is evil.... thats why its red

 

Ok this will be long, but I give and give:

Step one do a search on yahoo to supplement this:

Tip 1. Practice with the engine off and the ebrake on first, to get a good feel, and know your gear slots.
Tip 2. I'm not going to go deep into details about starting in first gear, as it takes a lot to explain it, but basically from a stop, push the clutch in all the way and shift into 1st, holding the clutch the entire time. It is important to remember to always push the clutch all the way(for normal driving anyway, not gonna go into detail). Now the trick on starting is giving some gas, but not too much. Simultaneously, release the clutch very slowly(in first gear, the release should take about 3-4 seconds. The slowest part of the release should be towards the end of pedal travel. You will get better at this with time.
Tip 3. When shifting, release gas, gently, clutch in(doesn't have to be slow), and shift into the next gear. Now you are going to repear the clutch/gas process from Tip2, but ever so slightly faster. Remember the goal of manual shifting is to not make the car jerk. Passengers should not be able to feel the shift, once you are good. This ensures the least clutch wear.
Tip4. When not using the clutch, keep your foot off the pedal.
Tip5. Shifting into neutral is not bad for the car, but if you hold neutral too long before a turn, you won't be able to accelerate quickly if you need it.
Tip6. Holding down the clutch for any reason hurts the clutch. ESPECIALLY IN TURNS OR AT STOP LIGHTS. If you are going to be out of gear for longer than 20 seconds, use neutral.
Tip7. At first you'll find your revs are high, but once you are experienced, starting from first gear should sound just like an auto. You give it just enough gas not to make the car shake/stall, but not so much that you are excessively revving the engine (for instance under 1.5k RPM
Tip8. You don't need to use every gear. It's fine to start in 1st, then shift 2nd, then go to 4th. . . this ideal for city driving.
Tip9. On hills, if you are scared of rolling back, use your emergency brake to keep the car from rolling back, and release the E-brake once you feel your car wanting to move(you can gradually release it too).
Tip 10. If your RPM drops below 1000, clutch in or shift to a lower gear(low means low number high means high ie 5th)
Tip 11. 2nd gear is best for cruising in parking lots. Start in first and cruise in second.

http://www.10w40.com/individual/100186.asp click that if you were too lazy to use a friggin search engine.

 

if someone broke their clutch on a new tC... it'd be so sad and so hilarious at the same time... but they'd probably never post it.

 

I'm guessing they would fail to see a hilarious side.

 

i wouldn't recommend shifting without the clutch, lol. the pedal is there for a reason. clutches aren't cheap to replace.

my tC is a 1 on a scale of 1-10 hardest manuals to drive. my wrx is about an 8 and my wrangler is a 3

 

Shifting without clutching is a GREAT way to kill your syncros.

Biggest tip I can give someone: Learn how to engine brake. Engine braking on my current car has prolonged the life of my brakepads to currently around 90,000 miles.

Engine braking is basically downshifting and drifting to slow yourself. When I come up to a stoplight, I apply the brakes for probably about 2-3 seconds.

 

Thanks too all of you guys who showed this, it really helped. As for the dude who called this a "stupid Thread" i only got 2 words for ya, Fu*k Off!!

 

first off, first gear will be the only real gear that you will need to learn. you will almost never stall in any other gear(unless you are braking in like second gear and forgot to take it out, then it will stall)

the person above explained most of the stuff you need to know. here are some other info.

1. turning on the car(people that nevered had experience with manual). you must push the clutch all the way down to the floor. and turn the key like an auto(make sure you are in neutral)

2. if you are in a gear and the rpm is pretty low, the car will start to shake, that will mean you need to add more gas or go to lower gear.

3. if you are in gear and rolling. DO NOT push the gas and brake at the same time, unless you are pushing in the clutch also. (just in case you are curious about doing this)

4. engine assisted braking. lets say you are going like 70 mph in fifth gear and something jumped in front of you. the brakes itself might not strong enough to stop the car. if you want to use the engine to assist in stopping your car. use this technique.( or tip or whatever you want to call it) down shift to fourth(from fifth gear stated above) and brake. this will use the engine and transmission to help you stop. not just the braking system. if need be, down shift again. to slow down more. (im not very good at summarizing stuff, you will know what i am talking about with some manual driving experience)

*note, if you use this tip in a car without ABS, the car might stall if you lock the wheels while you are still in gear.

hmmm... i dont know if i left anything out or not... hmmm.. oh yeah, DO NOT try to jam it into gear if you did not succeed the first time.(the problem might be that you did not push the clutch in enough), when you didnt get it in the first time. release the clutch and try again.