I always thought the Z was unforgiving compared to other cars...when you would give little throttle to other smaller cars that were manual they would stutter a bit before stalling..where in the z it just turns off lol..but that may be just me, since i never really had a stick car.

 

Never driven a stick and drove the car off the parking lot, onto the beltway (highway) in DC, and up a steep driveway.

Just be careful, and give it more gas and smooth with the clutch.

Ofcourse to get it right I had to practice driving in parking lot at night over and over.

 

i had driven a manual civic once before i got the Z, and i think the civic was much harder to drive than the Z. I think the soft clutch in the civic made it harder to control the clutch pedal. i say just learn in the Z. be a little careful and everything will be alright.

 

the Z is a heavy clutch setup and engagement is alot quicker then alot of none sports cars.....its def alot different than a civic or a hyundai tiburon which i came from which i got a chance to drive a manual and it was a breeze. for some reason the Zs clutch is heavier and hearder to drive then alot of other cars.. But the crazy thing is when i drive other cars its like nothing. The Z is def not a good car to start driving clutch in.

 

I also learnt driving with stick on the Z.. but the clutch is heavy for me at the beginning.. which makes my leg shakes when i first drive it back home from the dealer...

 

My dad took me to a Saturn dealership when I was 15.

He told a sales puke that we wanted to test drive a manual Saturn. The guy said, "well, what model? Color? price range?"

My dad said, "It doesn't matter".

We returned an S2 that afternoon with a funny smell. Then bought a Talon TSi from another dealer.

Saturns are good for something at least.

 

yea id let him drive my Z

 

I am driving a stick Z (first manual). Owned her for 3 days. I know the mechanics and I've praticed with some friends but nothing more than 10-15 min tops. YOu really don't learn to drive a stick car until you own one or have one at your disposal for like hours and hours. Learning to drive stick is different with each car. It takes time and practice. I stall at least twice a day!! LOL..yeah it pisses people behind me off..but sorrrry...MT is the way to go! Don't fret. The big problem is uphill...ARG...I am still trying to master that!

No you won't. You will be the slowest car on the road. I know I am when I start from a complete stop. I am still learning.

I spent a little time last night on a level parking lot refining going from a complete stop. I noticed that I can get the car going without using the throttle....wtf. It seems the car blips a bit of the revs up and as i ease the clutch to that fine point before it stalls..the revs go up maybe 100 rpm or so but enough to pull the car forward to gain momentum and then i can ease the clutch out. That normal?



LOL...I was making a turn today from an incline..and as i turned..I floored it a bit too much and my backend nearly came loose.! So 1 month for you huh? Wonder how long I'll take to learn to drive anywhere.

I agree somewhat...it is a hard clutch to learn...but its like starting from scratch for me. Even the people who've driven other manuals said they had to learn the Z somewhat. Oh well..too late for me to learn on another beater!


Oh...so what does burning clutch smell like? I don't think I've burned it yet..but just curious so I know what's up.

 

thats not the worse, the worse is hearing the sound of a misshift awww man that hurts. Or a not fully engaged shift ...awww man tat hurts more.

 

I learned to drive stick on a tdi jetta. It was a toad, but I got it down pretty quick and it was pretty easy to switch over to a 6mt g35 and others.

 

"but isnt it like powerful..wut if i like spin out or something like that..i just dnt want tocrash my car on the first day....."

Not going to happen.

To be on the safe side I'd have someone who knows MT drive it from the dealer to an empty parking lot. Then have at it.

 

NEVER!!! Then you get to miss out on the whole experience of driving your new car off the lot.

 

i learned to drive stick on a honda civic and it was pretty easy... and i'm pretty un-coordinated =P

 

I think it would be good to practice on the civic first, just so you are used to the mechanics of driving a manual car....What I always do when I get into a manual car I havent driven before is find out where the clutch grabs, easiest way is to hold 1500rpms and let the clutch up slowly. The first manual I ever drove was an Accord, the clutch was as soft as paper, and grabbed pretty high, I practiced on that for a few months and got pretty good, then I bought my first car which was a 6 speed 1995 3000GT VR4....much different, LOL. A clutch that was vaccum assisted because it was HARD to push in, but in this car, the clutch grab was instant, right at the bottom, but I never stalled, because I always find out where the clutch grabs first, once you know where it grabs, and if you are a decent manual driver you should be fine.

On the Z, the clutch is very springy, and grabs kind of high, easiest way to practice (I also use this to help my gf learn the clutch) is to drive the car when the engine is cold, so the motor is idling already above 1000rpms, just put it in first, and ease the clutch up until you start moving, you will get used to how springy it is, and realize where it grabs, practice makes perfect, Good luck!

 

when i first got my z i had a little experience driving friends civics and integs that were 5 speed...but for the first few weeks i started in second gear since the shift from 1 to 2 is still a hard one for me to make smoothly all the time...it will also help you out with getting a feel for the clutch and reduce your wheel spin...but when you get the hang of it...these cars are like crack...you just cant help but rip through the gears...good luck with your new ride and hope you enjoy it as much as all of us do

 

i just learned stick on my friends civic for like 40 mins...i stalled 4 times but that was at the beginning..ive been in a Z at a local nissan dealer an pressed the clutch in and the civics clutch is much softer..he told me i learned pretty fast but i still shake when launching at 1st but the rest is fine...would i be ok to drive the Z ???

 

Grow a pair and take it for a drive

 

Question... How do you launch in first? Like I know how to do it but I can't do it perfectly smooth yet... What technique do you use? (This is a general question... anyone feel free to respond.) Like do you shift into gear, then gas it up to about 2K and slowly let out the clutch or what? IDK how to get it perfect... Help?

 

A regular "street launch" or a drag launch?

Regular street launch, in gear, RPM to 1000 and let go of the clutch slowling. Once you're on the friction point (car starts to move) hold still and let the car accelerate to match the engine speed (slipping the clutch). ONce speed is matched, let go of the clutch and give it more gas.

 

/\ yea basically... cept i only erev it up a little... like to 1k and smoothly let loose of the clutch while slowly also adding a little gas