New to the Stick...Advice?

[camaro5]

Check out this clutch video. It allows you to visualize what's happening when your foot pushes and releases the clutch pedal.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch1.htm

Movie Time!

[mjwaldschm]

Well my piece of advice after skimming over all the good advice you've received here is FIRST if you enlist a friend to help teach/refresh you on the stick. Make sure they really know what they are talking about/doing. I didn't learn until years later and multiple clutch replacements that my dear friend's advice to have the clutch in anytime my foot was on the brake.

Although I guess I should have known when the friend was teaching me and decided the best place for me to learn was in San Francisco on Gough Street (probably one of the steepest streets in the city). And to boot nasty taxi cab driver behind me. UGH.

But since you said you've driven a stick before, even briefly, it will come back quickly. Almost like riding a bike. You never really forget. Just the more you do it the better you get. And then there is always getting to know you vehicle, regardless of transmission. ENJOY!

[illestdomer2005]

Originally Posted by CanadianRocky

Always....ALWAYS.... use your clutch when shifting. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is not your friend.

Again, this type of shifting will work on all vehicles. It is also the most difficult part of learning to shift. You need to train your feet.

Is it even possible not to? I'm pretty sure you can't even move my shifter without the clutch engaged...

EDIT: Actually, I guess I should say disengaged

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by illestdomer2005

Is it even possible not to? I'm pretty sure you can't even move my shifter without the clutch engaged...

EDIT: Actually, I guess I should say disengaged

The clutch is engaged when the clutch pedal is up. The clutch is disengaged when you're pushing the clutch pedal to the floor.

It is quite possible to shift without using the clutch and without breaking the transmission, but on a common synchronized transmission you'll never know if you're doing it right and you're likely to wear your synchros out prematurely. You have to have perfect timing when pulling out of gear into neutral, then you have to rev-match perfectly when entering a gear without the clutch. Synchros sacrifice their life to prevent you from knowing you didn't do it perfectly.

[Scrapppy666]

Should be a cakewalk in the Camaro once you learn where the clutch grabs and get a feel and ear for the shift points.... Torque and gearing of this car should help a TON as well as being a hydraulic clutch. If you really want to learn, drive something with little torque and a non-hydraulic clutch.... get yourself on a medium grade hill (away from traffic) and just practice taking off, coming to a complete stop each time. Taking off on a hill really is the most difficult part of driving a stick... master that and the rest will follow.

For the longest time only stick I drove was my El Camino.. which should be ballpark 350-400 ft/lb tq and 3.73 gears... you can take off in 3rd gear if you work it right... I drove my buddies dodge dakota 5-speed little while back and almost stalled it a few times because I wasn't use to the torque difference.....

Even rev-matching when downshifting and such will come to you naturally once you get a feel for it... you shouldn't have a problem...

Just don't try talking on your cell phone, smoking, eating a burrito and shifting at the same time.... I'm pretty good at driving with my knees but kinda hard to reach the clutch pedal while doing so

[SicSix6]

Originally Posted by NightmareSS

Ok...Ive asked about this a few times in multiple threads but i figured I might as well start my own thread to get responses from some more people...

I ordered a 2SS/RS in manual but i dont really have any experience driving stick. Well, I drove it a few times on a couple of my friends cars which included an old ass Volvo turbo, 95 Civic bubble back, and a 2006 Mini Cooper Type S...But the last time I drove any of these was atleast 3-4 years ago, so whatever I learned then is likely to have been forgotten. Although I do know the basics as to what i have to do as far as getting it moving. Getting into first was tough at first being the first cars i drove was the old Volvo and the Civic with a worn out clutch. I won't 4get how i stalled it 3 times at a light in the Civic. But when I drove the Cooper it was a breeze. My guess was that the clutch was brand new and it caught easily. Which is what im hoping will be the case for the Camaro. Give it a lil gas and ease of the clutch till it catches and once you get rolling you can fully release the clutch. Now knowing when to down shift is something im not familiar with and I'm really nervous that im gonna look like an asshole in traffic! Besides that, I dont want to mess up my tranny...Now I know alot of you might be thinking that i shouldn't even be getting manual but I want it. There isnt a day that goes by now, that I don't wish my 300zx was stick. And I dont know anyone with a manual car that will let me practice on and I don't want to pay for a class at some driving school. I think I'll manage just fine but I am still a bit nervous for when I go pick up my car. I live in New York and I ordered in New Jersey only about 25mins away with no traffic...but the dealership is on the side of the highway and when i pick it up i have to merge onto the higway and drive that baby home over the bridge! (PLEASE GOD DON'T LET THERE BE TRAFFIC!)

I know there isn't much you guys can do to help me without actually showing me first hand but if there are any tips or advice you can bestow upon me to help calm my nerves, take it easy, and help me not ruin my tranny it would be greatly appreciated! Come on Camaro5...help a Camaro brother out! I'm all ears...

Practice in a parking lot.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Scrapppy666

Torque and gearing of this car should help a TON as well as being a hydraulic clutch.

I thought that cable/linkage/whatever other kind of clutch is easier, because you can feel vibrations through it...with hydraulic clutches, you can't. The clutch in my VW feels like a video game clutch, it doesn't feel like it's hooked up to anything at all.

I don't remember what it felt like, but when I was 17 I drove my friend's Mitsubishi Mighty Max a few times and didn't stall once, nor did I sit there slipping the clutch for 10 seconds trying to launch. I just got in and drove as if I had always driven manual. I assume that I did it based on pedal feel, but it was a long time ago. Then last year when I got my VW it took like 6 months for me to get good at not stalling (I eventually realized that I was dumping the clutch as soon as the car started moving, rather than continuing to slowly ease it out).

[Zabo]

Just got back from testing one myself. Nothing to really worry about on the LS3 since the 6 is very forgiving, and gears are easy to find in a relative sense. Very crisp and firm engagements too, which surprised me having driven trucks and mustangs. Just be wary of not putting your foot into the car too much, as it was a shocker and almost caused me to wipe the car out..

But with that said, nothing to really worry about on this car. As far as methodology, Set and hold is the easiest to downshift, but I tend to use it to only drop one gear. If I have to come to a stop, shove the clutch in and let it idle down. No big issue. If you practice timing it with an auto, I've found that the transition was really smooth and I thought nothing of it.

[CanadianRocky]

Originally Posted by illestdomer2005

Is it even possible not to? I'm pretty sure you can't even move my shifter without the clutch engaged...

EDIT: Actually, I guess I should say disengaged

When you are on the accelerator, your engine is driving your wheels, when you take your foot off of the accelerator, your wheels are driving your engine.

In other words, there is always power transfering from one end of your vehicle to the other end.

The purpose of depressing a clutch, is to break that power transfer so it does not shock the system.

If you pull the transmission into neutal without pushing in the clutch there will be power transfering from the input side, to the output side. At some point, this power is spread over a very small area of the gears. That is what chips gears in the transmission.

As you let the clutch back out after you have shifted, the clutch slips which in effect works like a shock absorber to the drive line.

Can you change gears without a clutch. Yes.

Is it good for your transmission or your drive line. No

[illestdomer2005]

Originally Posted by CanadianRocky

When you are on the accelerator, your engine is driving your wheels, when you take your foot off of the accelerator, your wheels are driving your engine.

In other words, there is always power transfering from one end of your vehicle to the other end.

The purpose of depressing a clutch, is to break that power transfer so it does not shock the system.

If you pull the transmission into neutal without pushing in the clutch there will be power transfering from the input side, to the output side. At some point, this power is spread over a very small area of the gears. That is what chips gears in the transmission.

As you let the clutch back out after you have shifted, the clutch slips which in effect works like a shock absorber to the drive line.

Can you change gears without a clutch. Yes.

Is it good for your transmission or your drive line. No

Right. I understand the basics behind what is happening. What I'm saying is I have accidentally pulled on my shifter without depressing the pedal clutch before, and it didn't move. It was an accident; so, I didn't give it more force after the initial mistake, and I certainly don't intend to try that now, but I am not aware that it is even possible in my car. It certainly feels radically different from moving the shifter with the clutch pedal depressed

[2001ragtop]

Originally Posted by McGruff

I wouldn't suggest learning on your Camaro...you might stall a lot. I'd ask a friend to let you learn on their car. Buy them dinner or something.

If you learn using your camaro, you might end up excessively wearing down the clutch disk. You might pop the clutch a lot learning, and that will lead to clutch-chatter later on, which is caused because the clutch disc surface pressing against the pressure plate no longer is smooth anymore because you popped the clutch a lot, and both surfaces banged against each other way too fast. some people are faster learners than others though. you probably will be fine. be aware that all the parts involved with the clutch will have to replaced faster depending on how you drive your new car. I had the same clutch disk for over 100,000 miles, but the throw out bearing exploded eventually at 110,000 miles. that was with driving normal and not racing. adios

[CanadianRocky]

Originally Posted by illestdomer2005

Right. I understand the basics behind what is happening. What I'm saying is I have accidentally pulled on my shifter without depressing the pedal clutch before, and it didn't move. It was an accident; so, I didn't give it more force after the initial mistake, and I certainly don't intend to try that now, but I am not aware that it is even possible in my car. It certainly feels radically different from moving the shifter with the clutch pedal depressed

Not all vehicles come come into neutral easily without the clutch. It would take a certain amount of timing as you unloaded the throttle. The more a transmission has been used, the easier it would do it.

When I use to race my motorcyle (drag race) I would pull up on the gear pedle with my foot as I was accelerating and when I got to the shift point, back off the throttle momentarily (to unload the drive line) and then pull up to the next gear. Worked great, as long as it shifted.... not easy on the engine if it did not.

Now, of course, I would never, ever recomend anyone ever to do this.

[marxbrother]

Originally Posted by marxbrother

I have never driven a car with manual tranny before myself. But I do have two motorcycles (07 V-Star 1300 & 99 V-Max) and they are obviously manual tranny machines.

Will I have a hard time adjusting or getting the hang of a manual on a car? I understand "feathering" of the clutch, downshifting, etc. But the clutch on most MCs is a wet sump and can be abused, how different are the car clutches? I am not really nervous as I will learn on a beater first before I get my 2SS, although the hills have me thinking.

Marxbrother

bump

[Lucky SOB]

You'll be fine

just go rent a car and practice on that

also, you will really only get good at it when you are alone in the car and practice for a few hours.