lol took me hour in protege to drive stick.......find another car thats best way go to pro out the z in stick.......i think i stalled my z once...

 

yeah man, thanks for being so understanding... i stalled today in a supermarket parking lot, there were so many cars, and i had to stop to avoid another car, and i totally forgot to press the clutch and shift to "N". I just hit the brake, and i stalled...after that, i was trying to re start the car, but the car just shut down, i tried for like 3 times, still won't be able to start the car....i was so embrassed at that moment...cos a lot of people were staring at me b/c i was stalled in the middle of nowhere..and i blocked the traffic entering into the parking lot.... GOD!!!! i thought the car was dead...and i probably have to call the towing company... i waited for about 2 mins, and re start the car again, this time it works....thanks god..!!! How come the car shut down after it stalls?

 

i guess this time i won't regret on getting a MT 350Z.

5 yrs ago, i bought the RSX base auto cos i thought the RSX looks kinda cool, and i was so scared of driving a stick car. so i got an automatic RSX..

it took me about 5 yrs to make up my mind on buying a stick shift car..i was thinking of upgrading to RSX type S from RSX base auto...but ppl keep telling me it makes no sense to do so ....then ...after comparing all the choices, pros and cons, i finally got this 2008 350Z 6MT...I will definitely practice driving it a lot, and i won't give up. The only thing i am worried about is that i might burn out the clutch so that i have to spend lots of $$$ to replace it .

 

i think i am fine with the start up for now, it's just that i give too much gas everytime i start rolling...but i don't stall that much after two days of practise. and i am very happy!

but everytime i am trying to upshift from 2 to 3 , 3 to 4 , 4 to5, i get this hard jerk... Why is that? did i release the clutch too quickly ? or am i supposed to do something extra to make the shift smooth?

 

You have to wait for the revs to drop to make it smooth. Since when you shift to the higher gear, the RPM's need to be lower to match.

 

it helps if you have someone in your family who is passionate about cars and driving them. i taught my younger sister who's first car was a subaru 2.5RS with a 5 speed. at first she was pretty frustrated. we started going around the block first only using the clutch pedal and nothing else just to get the feel of the clutch engagement. then we did smooth stop and go in 1st gear. learning the brake and clutch. then the stop,1-2, 2-3 shift,stop,go. then 1-4, brake,turn downshift 2nd. this was the first intensive day with no traffic. she came a long way with that. my sister is the type of person who knows nothing technical about cars, but she really wanted to learn to a higher level and she bought the kind of car i thought would be cool for her to have. so she had to live up to it. it's been a few years now and she heel/toe match rev downshifts with lightening speed! faster than i can! the only thing she has to master is late braking and the "racing line." that's another advanced lesson to come! lol good luck

 

Try to hold the E-brake and and apply some gas and slowly release the clutch,and when you are ready release the E-brake.This works for me and should work for you

 

Good advice, this works really well. Of course, this is only necessary on very steep hills with a car right on your rear bumper.

OP, as others have said, hang in there and practice. You should have to rev the engine that high to start out. Use the advice of practice starting from a stop on a flat surface without using the gas, just the clutch. You will get used to the engagement point that way.

FWIW, I'm 50 years old and have had lots of experience driving sticks. IMO, the Z is one of the more difficult MT cars to drive smoothly. I've only had mine for a month however. With time you will get good at it and will appreciate having that MT.

 

So what is the right thing to do when upshifting?

let off gas first? and then clutch in, shift up, give a bit gas,clutch out slowly?? is that what am i supposed to do ?

 

well, my dad is a good sitck driver, he's been driving a stick for about 30 yrs or so..but he's not by my side rite now,and he has his own business to take care of...so , i guess i am totally on my own when it comes to learning how to drive a stick...thanks bro!

 

OK, so when i get to the engagement point, and i feel the car is moving foward. what should i do at this moment? hold the clutch for a second or two and let off the clutch slowly?????

 

Clutch in, gas out pretty much at the same time (maybe a little sooner on the clutch, but only tiny amount) , then you'll shift and engage as described above.

 

really hard to explain via threads, but i would always explain to my sister, smoothness. be smooth and gradual no abrupt liftoffs or stabs at the brake, clutch or throttle. want to shift as smooth as an automatic? you'll notice no matter what intensity you press the throttle there is always going to be a "sweet spot" when the motor will kind of level off in terms of torque load on the chasses. if you're not close to the sweet spot either above or below this range you will get a lot of weight shift due to the force the motor places on the chassis. get to the sweet spot of the desired gear, slightly lift off the throttle but not completely. you'll feel the torque of the motor slightly ease off the chassis. right at that split second you depress the clutch and shift to the desired gear. you have to have be smooth and quick. with practice you'll have more seamless shifting! this is better than granny shifting! lol this method is what i use no matter if i'm just easing along around town or trying for that extra hundreth of a second in the 1/4mi. it's just the intensity that's different. once you get that timing and smoothness it will click. watch your passengers heads out of the corner of your eye. do they move with every shift? always strive to be a smooth driver and DON'T ride the clutch too much. the longer you let it slip in stop and starts and between gears the shorter your clutch life will be. if it will help, put a cup half full of water on the holder and see how much you make it splash. you might need a lid! keep evolving until you get to the level of seamless downshift, then match rev-downshift, then heel/toe match rev-downshift, then perhaps even double clutch heel/toe match rev-downshift. then aim for the apex using smooth out-in-out lines, then work on your braking, corner entry then exit acceleration. yay! i love driving! i've also found youtube to be very entertaining in terms of watching someone drive lol. GOOD LUCK and be safe. it's exciting to just be starting (and with such a sweet car)!

 

Part of the problem, and my son had the same issue, is that there isn't a cookbook approach, ie no step by step instructions. What you need to do is visualize what is happening within the transmission and just work with it. As corny as it sounds, you just have to feel it.

I'm not a mechanic, so when I visualize it, it is very simplistic.

When you push in the clutch, you are really separating two spinning discs. One of them is connected to the engine, and the other to the transmission. The idea is to get the transmission turning without stopping the engine from turning. Picture the disc spinning on the engine and when you lift your foot off the clutch, you are gradually allowing those two discs to come into contact. Since both the engine and the transmission have mass, you have to do it gradually enough that friction will get the transmission moving without stalling the engine. If you have a very basic understanding of what is actually going on, then you will be better able to feel it.

If you understand what is happening, then you can adapt to various situation, such as starting on a hill, poor traction conditions, etc...

 

Welcome and congratulations. The best way to learn to drive a manual transmission is to…well…drive it. The transmission and clutch are pretty forgiving. So go for a drive.

 

For more fun try a 6 Pad Puck Ceramic Clutch and 14.1 pounds Flywheel.

 

Hills shouldn't be a big deal. Just pull the e-brake until it holds the car without rolling back and just slowly take off as usual. As soon as the car starts creeping forward, release the e-brake. Voila.

 

haha

 

/fail

Sell the car and get an automatic geo.

 

It's tricky...when stopped on a steep hill engage the parking brake. Now you can put your left foot on the clutch pedal. As you slowly release the clutch, and gently step on the gas, gradually release the hand brake. Presto! No roll back!

I've driven MT cars all my life, and I find the Z clutch a bit "sensitive." I've killed it a couple of times. Practice, practice, practice!

Have fun,
Steve