drgenefish

So I am new to driving stick (had my first lesson 3 days ago) and I need to learn fast because I might be picking up my Z in a few days. I have two questions:

1) Let's take this scenerio...you are doing 45mph and say in 4th gear when you see a stop sign coming. You want to downshift into third, then second, then stop...then put it in first after the stop. (Right?) When you downshift, do you need to apply the gas when you engage the clutch?

2) When I am creeping to a stop to park and I need to inch forward a bit, is it bad to ride the clutch or is that just what you have to do? Or to reverse slowly, do you just relase the clutch a little bit and not all the way?

Thank you in advance..

P.S. If anyone in the Philly area wants to trade a driving lesson for a few adjustments, let me know!

SoBe

If you are new dont down shift your gonna bounce around a lot. If you wanna make it easy pop it in the neutral and just use the brake. it is VERY easy to do.

tbcz

To answer the second (easier) question, riding the clutch somewhat in low speed creeping situations is just a fact of life. As long as you don't do it for extended periods of time or distances it will not cause undue wear on your clutch. Same for reverse.

The first question is more, well, controversial. There are basically two schools of thought...one that feels that downshifting with deceleration is better. The other camp (of which I am a devout member) feels that if you are approaching a stopsign or light it is best to simply put the car in neutral, release the clutch and coast to a stop. If you do choose to downshift it helps to rev match (apply a bit of gas) to make the shifts smoother. This method also utilizes engine braking which will save wear and tear on your brakes, at the expense of increased clutch wear. You will find many proponents of both methods...I have never seen a definitve post that makes me believe one is "better" than the other...seems to be more personal preference than anything. I of course will tell you the coasting method is better, because that's the one I prefer.

In either scenario, you can choose to sit at a standstill either in gear or in neutral. I think it is preferable to sit in neutral (less wear on clutch) and engage first gear a moment before you anticipate your launch...uhhh, I mean your start.

If you are ever in the Warminster area I would be happy to give you a few pointers...I have been driving manual since I learned (22 years ago...ack!!).

xzbum

To the first question, you don't have to shift down '4-3-2-1' when you are stopping.
Just use ur foot brake to stop in 4th gear(even though gear is in 4th you are still using the engine brakes) and right before it completely stop, put ur gear in neutral.

But I don't recommend putting ur gear in neutral while ur car is still running.

Have fun with ur new Z! =)

Boomer

1. Just take your foot off the gas a little at a time and coast to a stop, downshifting is not necessary unless you get delayed in stopping and have to maintain a steady speed before you stop; and

2. As long as you don't make it a practice to always have your foot on the clutch, bad; with more practice, you'll learn how to release the clutch completely and inch forward or backward as far as you need to; starting out, thats pretty much how everybody has to approach a new car's clutch action, a little at a time, but with practice you won't need to do it much as you learn.

I have always had a problem with putting a car in neutral and coasting because you give up control of acceleration. I prefer to push in the clutch and keep it in gear as I coast to a stop. Have fun with your new Z.

boyze

For some guidance, brake pads are lot less expensive than transmissions.

I'd suggest renting or borrowing a MT beater for a couple of weeks and practice and practice. Learning a MT in a Z is like trying to learn to ride a horse on a thoroughbred. It can be done but you'll end up on your backside a number of times and it doesn't do the pony much good either.

Have fun.

Norel350Z

1) I def would not Downshift, 4-3-2-1 I just throw her in Neutral, brake pads are cheaper then a new clutch, I save the down shifting for when I need that kick of power in the pants to pass someone.. this leads us to the slingshot method, which I love, and is something that takes a bit of skill to master, but that's for another post young one

2) I ride the clutch a little, but I try not to make it a habit, I get my foot on and off the clutch as soon as possible, the less time your foot spends over the clutch the less you will ride the clutch, when you stop, try to stop and stay stopped, a good way to do this is to leave the car in Neutral at a light, right before it changes, throw it in first and get ready to go, if you leave the car in gear and hold the clutch out your not only making the throw out bearing work, but your also more likely to ride the clutch to roll the car.

As for learning, I learned on my Z, on the drive home 50 miles from the dealership, stalled a lot, in rush hour traffic, was real nerve racking but a good experience. It took me about 2 weeks to really learn the finer points (like come out of turns in the proper gear, slingshots, ect) but its not impossible to learn on a Z, just a little harder. My buddy has a Doge Stratus RT, the clutch is nothing compared to the banana clutch of the Z, id def try to find a car like that to get the basics down, then maybe move onto a VW if possible, something with a little more travel in the clutch that is closer in relation to the Z.

Hope that helps, best of luck