Okay so it's my second week officially having the car and I am still not too comfortable driving stick. It's my first one, i've already driven it to work which is a 30 minute drive on the freeway and I've driven it around the city a lot. I get the basic idea of driving, downshifting and all that.

But I still stuck, first gear is still KILLING ME especially pulling out of shopping centers. Third gear has been wierd lately for me, feels like there is a block there and reverse isn't too fun either. And this Tuesday I will be getting rid of my old automatic and I'll be driving the MINI to school. I don't stall but I get close sometimes and I press the gas way too much when I go into first.

Is this all normal? because I've been thinking about taking a class to help me out.. anyone know any in Los Angeles County?

 

Just give it time.

 

Reading that brought back a lot of memories of when I first learned. I think it started 9 years ago when I passed my temps test and my mom threw me the keys and said, you either drive or you walk.

Mind you, the DMV was in the ghetto and it had just snowed.

Patience. Practice. Time.

That's all it's going to take, although if you want to, taking a class won't hurt.

Try to think about the mechanism of the whole thing. Your clutch is based completely on friction. The clutch pedal is what allows you to have or have-not friction. It's not a binary system where it is either on or off, there are varying degrees of pressure/friction that you can play with. As you let off the clutch in a gear, more and more friction is applied between the engine and the wheels... so much so that when you eventually let off of the clutch, there is so much friction that the wheels turn at the same speed the engine is turning.

If you're still nervous about it but don't want to take a class, go to a parking lot and get a feel for the clutch. Try to get your car moving from first with no gas at all. (It's very possible on a flat terrain) Yeah, it's complete hell on the clutch, but I think a safe and confident driver is more important then any clutch.

 

When my bro gave me his car a long time ago it was a stick and I had never driven one before.

I felt the same way you do now. On one Sunday afternoon I went to a deserted parking lot determined to get 1st gear down. For 45 minutes I got in and out of 1st and left a pro. Practice.

 

I did the same thing when I got my MC, but didn't have an auto vehicle to fall back on - which helped actually! All I can say is, just keep driving. It will come to you. My first month was iffy, I had a really bad day and stalled like 5 times on a very busy road on a hill at a traffic light. Haven't done that since! I still grind third every now and then for some reason, I think my right hand and clutch foot are still not fully sync'd, but this doesn't happen very often. Also, it does feel like it is a bit notchy in third as well.

Practice in empty parking lots starting off from a stop. This helped me a lot. Also, try starting off from a complete stop by only using the clutch and no gas. This will help you get a great feel for the friction point. I think this is what helped me the most, besides being forced to find out where it is in order to start from a stop on hills.

Most of all, don't worry! Before you know it you won't have to think about it at all!

 

Thanks,
I'm gonna go practice in my school parking lot in an hour or so. I just feel like when I get nervous its worst, I've burned out at a few turns and out of a few parking lots. :(

But yeah, I know what to do I just need to practice.

I'm also quite confused on the whole going into first without pressing the gas on a flat?

 

It helps to give a little more gas than clutch release in the beginning, i.e., it's better to chirp the tires than stall it IMO.
You'll get better with time. Good luck!

 

Hm... how to describe this one in text...

First, think of a disk brake system. When you press lightly on the brakes, it lightly presses the brake pads against the rotor which creates a little amount of friction to slowly slow you down. When you slam on the brakes it slams the brake pads against the rotor with so much force that the rotor just stops turning completely.

A clutch is a very similiar system, except the pedals are inverted. When your foot is OFF of the clutch it's like slamming on your brakes. The clutch is slammed so hard together that the engine and wheels cannot operate separate of each other. When your foot is ON the pedal, the two plates are completely separated from each other.

To get your car moving from a stand-still with no gas you have to slowly release the clutch pedal.

Say that your engine is turning at 750rpms at a standstill. The "brake pad" is connected to the engine and is also rotating at 750rpms. The "rotor" which is connected to the wheels is not turning at all. As you slowly release the clutch the "brake pad" starts rubbing against the "rotor" which starts creating a little friction and eventually the "rotor" will start rotating with the "brake pad".

I use "brake pad" and "rotor" to draw the similiarities between the brake system and the clutch system. Those are not the technical terms.

If you were to just release the clutch and slam the two plates together you would kill the engine because the engine isn't getting enough gas to withstand that kind of friction.

That's why to get out of first gear you have to give the engine more gas, so that as you are creating more friction you are giving the engine enough power to withstand that friciton.

 

Yeah, until you get pulled over to "Accelerating too fast"

No lies... I did. I did get off with a warning though.

It was my second day of driving with my license and I chirped the tires... yes... chirped... not squeeled.

Still got pulled over...

 

My son was learning to drive my MINI and it helped him (it becomes natural with practise) to blip the throttle just slightly (to maybe 1200-1500 rpms) when launching in first gear. It is theoretically possible to launch w/o doing this but you'd have to go real slow w/ the clutch and that's just not realistic in a traffic situation. Helps on an '03 anyway...

 

Most new stick drivers think as soon as the clutch starts to take hold you should let it come all the way out when in first gear. Not so, a big NOT SO. Practice bringing it out slowly, don't let it go when your car first starts moving. You can actually hold the pedal where it is when your car first starts moving when you are practacing in a parking lot. When you get the feel you will start being smoothe. Keep trying, no need to spin your tires.

 

oh Bera,

i feel your pain. this is my first full week of driving stick, and i'm not fully confident with getting out of first in traffic either. especially unprotected greens. ugh!

someone gave me a great piece of advice: "honks don't hurt"...well, only your ego, maybe. i was actually thinking of having my boyfriend make a decal for my window that says "Don't be a d*ck, i just learned stick!". other jerk drivers can suck it- seriously. it's pretty obvious when you see a new stick driver. yeesh.

driving at off hours has helped me A LOT. it's less nerve racking and if you stall, no big deal. it's nice to take your time and really feel your clutch.

like everyone else said, giving the car too much gas in first is much better than stalling. give yourself a pat on the back (give your car a hug, too!) for learning something new, and cut yerself some slack. you'll get it.

oh, and turn the music off. converse with your car. you'll see he/she will appreciate it and you'll become one. mmmmm.

good luck!

 

This may help:

Try gently blipping (revving and releasing the gas) as you slowly let the clutch out. As the car starts to move, stop the blipping and press the gas just a bit more. All this must be done smoothly. This is a very easy way to get a smooth start. When you get good at it, you can gradually decrease and then eliminate the blipping.

Since installing my new exhaust, I do it occasionally because it sounds so cool. =o)

Zip

 

Just keep driving your stick. It will take a bit of time to become proficient, but you will. One day the light will come on over your head & you'll say "I got it!".

Happy motoring.

 

With practice you'll develop what they call 'muscle memory'. You'll smooth out when you learn two things. One is where the clutch starts and finishs engaging in the pedal travel. The other is fine tuning your throttle control.

I recently gave stick lessons to a CVT owner. At least half her challenge was learning how much pressure on the gas to use. She tended to give it to much or too little gas as she was concentrating on learning the clutch.

I had her practice standing still in neutral and going from idle to 1200, holding that steady and back to idle, to 1500 etc. for a few minutes. Seemed to help. It can help for you to ride as a passenger in YOUR car with a experienced driver driving you around for a bit too. This will let you get used to by ear, to the rpm used etc.

Good luck and hang in there, you'll get it.

 

When I learned to drive manual, my friend's technique for teaching me was very similar to mmatarella and was easy to practice. We practiced in an empty parking lot where it was flat and level. We repeated the following several times until I got the hang of it:

1. Have the car stopped and idling with the clutch pedal all the way down
2. While keeping the clutch all the way down, add gas until the engine is revving at exactly 2000rpms
3. Put the car into 1st gear
4. Release the clutch pedal gradually (e.g. not a sudden movement), but do NOT allow the tach to fall below 2000rpms or rev above 2000rpms. Use the gas pedal to keep the engine at 2000rpms -- the car will begin moving
5. Continue releasing the clutch pedal and keeping the engine revving 2000rpms until the clutch pedal is completely released. The car is now successfully and smoothly moving in 1st gear.

Before she taught me this exercise, everyone would tell me "to feel where the clutch's friction point is", but I had no idea what they were talking about. After doing this a few times, and feeling the feedback from the car from smoothly getting into 1st, THEN I knew "the feeling" that people were talking about. I don't know about others, but this exercise worked for me in learning how to get a smooth start.

Like everyone says, it's all practice and patience, you'll get the hang of it, and hopefully you'll love driving manual!

 

Trying to explain the technique in words is like explaining how to swim or ride the bicycle. You just have to spend the time in the car and get a feeling for it.

Your hour in the parking lot will do wonders. Start off, go just 50 feet, and come to a complete stop. Repeat over and over and over again. Very soon you'll get good enough (and bored) and want to move on to shifting. Again, repeat doing the same thing over and over again. If you master just one sequence it will be a great boost for your confidence.

When I first learned to drive manual many years ago, I did spend an hour with an instructor and it was helpful. Nowadays I'd imagine it is much more difficult to find a driving school that does manual transmission. If you can find one, even a single session with an experienced instructor watching you would be worthwhile.

 

Yeah, I haven't driven the last day and probably not the next two cause I just got my wisdom teeth pulled but you all have been very heplful. Just want to say thank you all very much and I'll take all of your words into my driving.

Sincerly,
Bijan

 

Stay with it; practice will make perfect. It takes time to get the technique right, but you will master the manual transmission!

 

Keep at it!

 

I remember on my second day of driving stick, I was caught in Chicago rush hour traffic . It was a very rough ride but after it was over, I had no problem getting out of first.

 

^ ha, that just happened to me the other day.

i still have problems squeeling the tires in first, but i guess it beats stalling in the intersection on an unprotected left hand turn!

 

Its great reading all these tips because I just took delivery on my car on Thursday, and I didnt know how to drive a stick.

The dealership taught me a bit a few weeks in advance and let me use some test drive models to practice. I had issues of course with the new car since it wasnt an R53 and the friction point was different so the ride home was very rough.

I'm now 2 days in and I can get into first pretty well.. maybe not as fast as others but its not noticeable for the person behind me.. They just think I'm a soccer mom in terms of reaction time :P

But I now don't have to pre-rev like it was explained above since I'm not noticing the friction point and I can give it a small bit of gas at the point and start real smoothly. I'm proud of my driving : ).. I just need to get use to changing gears a bit mroe smoothly.. 1st -> 2nd is always a jerk for me..

 

It really helped me to have the music off and just feel and get used to the car. Once you drive enough and have that relationship with your car, you'll be driving like a pro in no time. Hills are still tough for me but at least I don't stall anymore.

 

This is the right approach.

Key is to keep rpms up while releasing the clutch slowly, once the clutch is let out and the car is in gear rpms will drop unless you ease up on the throttle to keep rpms up 2000+. The smoother left foot lifts off the clutch and right foot eases onto the throttle the better you do.

Another key point is to practice this on a slightly downhill surface and it will be even easier. If too easy then practice on a slightly uphill surface.

I took my 16 year old son out one night and within an hour he was getting the hang of it and driving my MCS pretty well for the first time.

Now he's asking about going out again. He's got a permit.