I used to stall at least once a day, but now it is better. I drove my Z to work today without any problems, but after work and running around, I still stalled a few times.

I just have such a slow time going from a complete stop. If I am coming to a rolling stop 4-5 mph, I still tend to keep my car in 2nd gear so I don't have to shift from 1st to 2nd...but the car feels like it wants to give out if I go any slower (obviously). Do you guys suggest I shift to 1st instead of hanging in 2nd gear?

Anywho....my shifts aren't perfect and I still tend to let out my clutch a little too fast between my 1-2 and 2-3 shifts since I feel a bit of "bucking". Do you guys have any tips? I am working on letting my left foot off slower

1. Going from a stop..how much gas do you give? That is..what is your rpm level as you start to ease the clutch. I try to keep it in the sweet spot and sometimes I get it right..other times the clutch vibrates..then get nervous..and buck the car by letting it out too quick.

2. I don't have my trouble with my reverse gear. I just shift it to R and then ease the clutch a bit and blip the throttle to get a little momentum and the clutch/brake the rest of way. Its like the opposite of 1st gear in some sense since I never use the gas. What is the deal here?

Hmmm...I would do a search but I think my post is sorta specific and since you guys have more experience with MT and the Zs than I do...well $hit..I am just too lazy to do a search and not confident I'd find anything relevant to my Qs!!

THANKS FELLAWS (and any ladies that might post)

 

1. Try giving it a little blip just before you start letting out the clutch in 1st
2. It's easier in R becuse it's geared lower than 1st IMO

Don't worry, it's all about practice and experience

 

i'm not a great manual driver but from a stop...i rev to about 1500 rpms. Sometimes i hit 2k because i have a heavy foot.

i'm assuming that when you said "bucking" it means jerky? If it is...This is how i have been shift smoothly most of the time. Say i'm in gear and i'm about to up-shift. I start pressing down the clutch and when i get to about half way (pass the enagement pt.), i start to change gears. Everything happens very quickly so by the time i'm done shifting to the next gear, the clutch would be depressed all the way. Then i release the clutch quickly to about the clutch-point then slowly release the rest of the way. Again...i'm not a very good stick driver. So if an expert stick driver reads this and feels the need to correct me, i'm all ears.

 

Yeah I'm looking to get a Z as an inexperienced stick driver as well. I practiced a bit in a friend's civic but still wouldn't feel confident taking it out on the road.

I'm just scared I'm gonna stall while making a left turn or something and get t-boned.

 

In order to learn how to drive i recommend understanding the idea of the clutch and how it works with the engine and tranny. try to find a picture, once you get an idea of how everything works you should be able to figure it out.

in terms of you slowing down in second gears its fine you'll need to depress the clutch.. you can't like stay in 6th gear and let it roll down to like 5-10 mpg and expect it to not feel like its about to die. and when you start moving from it. think of it as starting from a stop.. you need to give it a lil on the clutch and then gas and then feel it through.

 

Oh totally..I got that fear. I keep my Z in the lane and just go when it is completely safe. If I am at a light to turn left..I won't go forward unless its totally clear.

 

just dump it everywhere you go...no just playin...my Z was my first MT car and it does take a little practice. you will eventually get a feel for your clutch and it will become second nature. good luck

 

Practice, practice, practice.

Ken

 

this is what i do, may be or not be wrong to some but i always go by this rule of thumb... if you are slowing down, and your speedometer reads 10 MPH or below, then downshift to 1st gear. if it is 11 MPH - 29 MPH downshift to 2nd. 30 MPH or more downshift to 3rd, 40 MPH or more then downshift to 4th gear. i just remember it by the first number in the MPH reading. 20/2nd gear, 30/3rd gear, 40/4th gear, etc... thats what i do... you could do it like that too... but again this is for casual driving, if you are racing or power driving, then it would vary on what your driving needs are.

 

its cool man. I am european. I drove a manual for a few years then I drove an auto. When i bought the Z i almost forgot how to drive a standard transmission.


I can help you with the slowing down part. I was taught that when you are driving and see a red light or a stop sign.... shift into neutral and let it glide... while slowly braking. I havent had any problems with any of my trannies and did this before. That way you will not stall out. And if just before you arrive at the light you can always shift into gear and drive along.


As for smooth shifting... I depress the clutch, shift, and then when slowly releasing the clutch I add just a little bit of gas. Makes shifting alot smoother.

And for downshifting I depress, change gears, add some gas, let loose of clutch while adding gas...

Starting off is a little different. If I am in not hurry I usually rev to like 1k MAX and slowly / smoothly let go of the clutch and add gas at the same time. If I want to start off a little faster I just get it to like 1.5 -2k and also slowly let loose of the clutch while adding a litle gas. My bad habbit is that I drive on 1/2 clutch for a little too long. Aka Im alraedy moving and after like 5 seconds I let go.

As for stalling out. Yea its embarassing, yea it happens to everyone, yea it sucks. Because I do drop it into neutral whenever I am stopped or slowing down preparing to stop I dont stall. When moving up a steep hill I rev it to like 1-1.5k and let loose of the clutch while applying gas a little gas. I always keep my right hand on the shifter so I always feel whats going on. I rember when I was still in my begining stages of learning I knew I was about to stall when the damn **** vibrated ALOT.... lol



Like everyone said it just gets getting use to. Practice makes perfect.

 

When you get the hang of it it's tons of fun

 

All it takes is practice and shifting will become second nature.

I just did some quick arithmetic and estimate that I have driven vehicles with a manual transmission for 468,000 miles! And I still goof-up every now and then.

 

If you are not a expert, then you are on you way.

Others may disagree, but perfect shifting (and driving in general) is very smooth. A passenger should not even notice that you are driving a manual transmission. Shifting, acceleration and braking should be smooth.

 

I promise you within 2 months you will be a pro. It becomes like second nature and you dont even realize it when your doing it. There will be times when your at a light and you get nervous because people are behind you and you dont want to stall. Completely normal. Take my advice...at a light, dont put the shifter in gear and hold down the clutch till the light is green. You will end up launching at higher rpms because your feeling nervous. Start the process when the light hits green. The entire process should not take you more than 2 seconds. Keep practicing till you can get that down. When starting, try not to rev over 1k rpm. As you become more experienced, you will be taking off at very low rpms, which is the way to be. I hope I explained everything right. Dont worry, In a matter of months you will be racing!

O yea...try not to have a chick in the car with you till you get it down good. Potential mistakes could be embarrassing

 

Ok,

The first thing I tell ppl whom I've taught to drive MT is, RELAX! Seriously, do so, it will make a world of wonder, trust me.
Practise (on a level surface) releasing the clutch very slowly..... If you do it as slowly as possible, she wont 'Stallout' on you... do it slowly, and carefully.... You should feel (and get a good idea) the 'spot' when she 'grabs' if that makes any sence.....

 

lol. yeah i had fun learning to drive a manual. i remember when i got
my first manual i could barely get it off the lot. i also used to cruise
in neutral when approaching a stop light.

made it easier since you can stop with no worries of stalling or simply
shift back in gear if you need to accelerate.

 

lol. that advice applies to more than one concept in life.

 

cessna is very right. the most important thing is to just relax. stay sharp but be at ease.

i learned stick on my G and man that was a painful learning experience. i only stalled like twice since i took it really slow and didnt even drive the car outside of my block after practicing for a couple hours a day.

dont worry about the jerkyness. this car is very hard to drive smoothly, and it will take a while for you to get the hang of it. like others have said, even after getting used to it, i still goof every now and then. try letting out the clutch a tad bit slower. good luck and enjoy!

 

1-2 and 2-3 smooth shifts aren't as easy to master. just a matter of driving day in and day out and getting the hang of it. U buck in these shifts mainly because the speed of the engine and the transmission do not match hence the bucking. u can fix this in two ways. first is to apply some gas as u are letting off the clutch or the second way is to slowly or gradually let go of the clutch. both of these methods result in matching the speed of the engine and transmission which gives u a nice smooth shift.

if ur going from a dead stop, u shouldn't rev past 1.5k rpm. if anything, that's the limit, going beyond that is just a waste of gas. giving enough throttle to get up to 1.1k rpm should be more than enough to move the car. at that much throttle u should be able to get a nice smooth launch from a dead stop. learning at which point ur clutch engages (as cessna said "where the clutch grabs") and applying a small amount of throttle is the key to launches. U can even move the car from a dead stop by just engaging the clutch alone! if u can get down pat u can move off the line even quicker and smoother if u add a little gas. once again, practice makes perfect.
it would help to learn to control ur foot when it comes applying the desired amount of gas. try sitting at a stop and practice ur right foot revving the engine by increments of 500 rpm. this will help u in launching and later on when it comes to rev-matching when u downshift and even heel-toeing.

if the car starts to buck when moving from a dead stop gradually apply more gas to avoid the stall. Never downshift to 1st gear unless ur going less than 4 - 5 mph. U'll most probably end up bucking. 2nd gear should be able to get u moving from 3 mph and up. U can even start from a dead stop using 2nd gear. 1st is specifically used to move from a dead stop. I suppose u can downshift to 1st at such speeds only make sure that u apply some gas to match the speed of the transmission to the engine, if u do that properly u can avoid the buck. I think i'm saying a little too much. but the more u practice and drive, the more u'll be able to put things together and understand what i'm talking about. if u need more tips go to http://www.standardshift.com best site about driving stick

 

These cars come stock with a fairly low idle. It makes it more difficult for less experienced drivers to get smooth starts off the line. Usually it's easier to get a smooth start if you just tear off the line fast. If you have an 03 or early 04 you can take it to the dealer and have them raise idle a few hundred rpms. It definitely makes it a little easier to start smoothly.