question for manual tranny people
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,524
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco Bay Area
I posted this a while back ago but when I was driving an MT, these were the techniques I used when I was in The City.
Originally Posted by Aggro_Al
Driving a MT in San Francisco you learn to drive the hills quickly or die trying. I got tired of driving a clutch in The City so I got the AT. There are basically four different ways to get started going uphill with an MT.
1) Quick Transfer Shift: This basically your regular type shifting. You just do it faster. If the hill isn't too steep this will be the most common method of getting started. The downside is you will get some rollback even when done correctly.
2) Clutch Technique: Keep your foot on the brake and start to release the clutch. As soon as you feel the friction point give it gas immediately. If timed right there will be no or little rollback and you might even roll forward a little bit. The downside is excessive clutch wear especially if done wrong. If you totally screw it up you will stall. Good method when rollback is not an option and you need to move right away.
3) E-Brake Method: Apply parking brake instead of foot brake, give it gas and release the parking brake when clutch is engaged. More confidence on steep hills because there will be no rollback. Not as quick as the other methods. Sometimes necessary if the car behind is very close and left no rollback room. A necessity when you are parking on a hill.
4) Heel-Toe: When stopped or slowing down, use your right heel on the brake and your right toe on the throttle. Apply enough brake to keep the car from rolling back and apply enough throttle to keep the RPMs up. It's a little bit of a balancing act This is similar to powerbraking on an AT, brake and throttle at the same time. When it is time to go, release clutch as normal and take your heel off the brake at the friction point. The car will move right away, no rollback. This method is the hardest to do and requires practice. Preferably not in your Z. When done right there is no drivable hill you can't conquer. The heel-toe will work in almost all situations except parking.
Hope this helps. Have fun and drive safe.
1) Quick Transfer Shift: This basically your regular type shifting. You just do it faster. If the hill isn't too steep this will be the most common method of getting started. The downside is you will get some rollback even when done correctly.
2) Clutch Technique: Keep your foot on the brake and start to release the clutch. As soon as you feel the friction point give it gas immediately. If timed right there will be no or little rollback and you might even roll forward a little bit. The downside is excessive clutch wear especially if done wrong. If you totally screw it up you will stall. Good method when rollback is not an option and you need to move right away.
3) E-Brake Method: Apply parking brake instead of foot brake, give it gas and release the parking brake when clutch is engaged. More confidence on steep hills because there will be no rollback. Not as quick as the other methods. Sometimes necessary if the car behind is very close and left no rollback room. A necessity when you are parking on a hill.
4) Heel-Toe: When stopped or slowing down, use your right heel on the brake and your right toe on the throttle. Apply enough brake to keep the car from rolling back and apply enough throttle to keep the RPMs up. It's a little bit of a balancing act This is similar to powerbraking on an AT, brake and throttle at the same time. When it is time to go, release clutch as normal and take your heel off the brake at the friction point. The car will move right away, no rollback. This method is the hardest to do and requires practice. Preferably not in your Z. When done right there is no drivable hill you can't conquer. The heel-toe will work in almost all situations except parking.
Hope this helps. Have fun and drive safe.
Last edited by Aggro_Al; Dec 17, 2005 at 01:26 PM.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 620
Likes: 0
From: Maui
Originally Posted by The Brickyard Rat
Handbrake? Come on, people, learn how to use a MT.
Its a matter of practice. If in doubt, I'll rev the engine a hair & slip the clutch. But a driver should be able to let out the clutch & apply gas w/o stalling.
Its a matter of practice. If in doubt, I'll rev the engine a hair & slip the clutch. But a driver should be able to let out the clutch & apply gas w/o stalling.
He's asking how to avoid rolling back into the person behind him, not how to avoid stalling on the incline.
Originally Posted by danroydlc
have you ever tried to use a clutch brake procedure? this procedure is done by giong halfway engaging your clutch and increasing your rpm to prevent a roll back or forward motion in an inclined surface. If you have practiced this procedure a lot, you may even not use your hand brake on a steep grade. A good MT driver never rolls back. Practice a lot..... c",)
"He's asking how to avoid rolling back into the person behind him, not how to avoid stalling on the incline."
Okay; I'll amend my earlier post.
Its a matter of practice. If in doubt, I'll rev the engine a hair & slip the clutch. But a driver should be able to let out the clutch & apply gas w/o stalling OR ROLLING BACKWARDS.
Point is the same; no need for handbrake.
Okay; I'll amend my earlier post.
Its a matter of practice. If in doubt, I'll rev the engine a hair & slip the clutch. But a driver should be able to let out the clutch & apply gas w/o stalling OR ROLLING BACKWARDS.
Point is the same; no need for handbrake.
I disagree brickyard.
Using the hand brake is not about being a man or a woman, it's about proper technique. There are certain situations where it is proper to use the hand brake.
Read aggro_al's post.
Using the hand brake is not about being a man or a woman, it's about proper technique. There are certain situations where it is proper to use the hand brake.
Read aggro_al's post.
Ah, I'm more having fun than serious.
It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye
a person should be able to operate a MT without it.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 203
Likes: 0
From: Canada Eh?
*ahem*
<--- is also a blonde and doesn't require the use of a handbrake on a hill
I'm with Rat, you should be able to start from a stop on a hill without rolling backwards OR using a hand brake. Co-ordinate where the clutch disengages and accellerate to compensate. But not for extended periods, no... thats why the car is equipped with foot brake. Prepare yourself just before the light turns green, or before you're planning on pulling away from the stop
<--- is also a blonde and doesn't require the use of a handbrake on a hill
I'm with Rat, you should be able to start from a stop on a hill without rolling backwards OR using a hand brake. Co-ordinate where the clutch disengages and accellerate to compensate. But not for extended periods, no... thats why the car is equipped with foot brake. Prepare yourself just before the light turns green, or before you're planning on pulling away from the stop
I am with rat in this one too, you shouldnt need to use the handbreak in a hill. The best post so far has been the one by Aggro_Al. It explains the process perfectly, then you just have to practice the process to conquer it.
heres what you to when people pull up behind you too close or ride your ***..
on the back windshield, there is the little black **** with 2 spouts in it that spray water down onto your windshield. using a pocket knife or an awl or something pointy, angle the right spout up just a little bit so when you pull back on the lever in your car, one jet of water sprays onto your windshield and one shoots out and hits the car behind you
. when this happens they will either back up to avoid getting sprayed again, or get out of the car and yell at you. hopefully the first one.
good luck!
on the back windshield, there is the little black **** with 2 spouts in it that spray water down onto your windshield. using a pocket knife or an awl or something pointy, angle the right spout up just a little bit so when you pull back on the lever in your car, one jet of water sprays onto your windshield and one shoots out and hits the car behind you
. when this happens they will either back up to avoid getting sprayed again, or get out of the car and yell at you. hopefully the first one. good luck!
..... Here we are honing our skills:
OK, now for my evil post number 666. You don't need to use the handbrake, Heck you don't need to even use your brake. Just let your car roll back down to the car behind you and use their car to help you get going. Heck, if they got that close to you they deserve the scare anyways.
Or, heck just sit in your car and when they come to the window ask them why they rear ended you.
Whew, glad I got that post out of my system. I have to run a virus checker now.
New Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 7,175
Likes: 16
From: Here and There
Originally Posted by davidv
You could visit San Francisco and practice. That city has some insane hills.
This is where I learned how to drive stick. Once you've mastered parallel parking on a 45 degree decline, you're golden.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
From: houston
Find someone you know that has a steep driveway. There is a way you can use just the clutch and gas to make the car stand still on an incline without stalling. I've done it plenty of times in my driveway. I wish I had a vid to show you.
Registered User
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 671
Likes: 0
From: Hawaii
i was too lazy to read the two pages of comments. don't get mad at me, but if you have to use an ebrake, you should learn to drive manual better. know your grabbing points of the clutch. before my foot releases the brake, i am releasing the clutch, and then matching it with the throttle. i drove in san francisco and there are a lot of steep hills. after you learn your clutch, you will never use the ebrake again.