new to driving stick

[jeffny09]

hi all

no im not that new to driving stick i hat a gti that i bought to learn stick
so not that bad,but are there any hints on how to drive it well? i mean i read all this stuff on speed shifting dumping the clutch im not to sure one what they mean so help me if u can

[Mindz]

just practicing for the most part.

Learn to rev match (downshifting and blipping the throttle so it's not a jerky shift) and heel-and-toe (pushing in the clutch with your left foot while braking with right right toe and rev-matching with your right heel). and then you'll learn eveything else much easier. I think those are the first two things you need to learn.

Speed shifting - I think they mean powershifting. This means not letting off the accelerator as you quickly push the clutch in, shift gears and release the clutch. Shifting from First to second just by slamming the shifter extremely fast. This has a HIGH percentage chance to grind your gears until mastered, and definitely not for newbies.

Dumping the clutch - Simple process here. Push clutch in, rev high, and let go of the clutch pedal trying to engage first gear at a high rpm. High chance of ruining your driveline at several points.

[jeffny09]

oooo ill just stick to what i know lol

[Mr Twisty]

LOL

Heel toe downshift is good to learn.

What you describe isn't powershifting so much as 'floating' ... And you will eventually end up with extra pieces in your gearbox. Floating gears in a non-syncro= ok, as long as you rev match. Modern cars have syncro's, please don't float the gears in your new Camaro.

Powershifting is keeping your revs up while shifting, using your clutch. Do it enough and you will find out what fried clutch smells like

Clutchless powershifting is, for lack of a better term, gear jamming. Imagine making just 2 cogs and the inertia behind them, to go immediately from 6,000 to 4,000 rpm's....Something is gonna break sooner than later.

[stovt001]

I'm right there with you. I learned a few weeks ago and now I'm looking for a car to keep practicing on. I'm pretty sure it will just be one of those things that will come smoothly after tons of practice and experience.

[zebra]

it don't really take that much practice & experience once you nail the basics. i learned on a stick when i was 11. then i didn't drive one regularly for about another 6 years (my first car that i only had 3 months) & didn't get another manual til 3 1/2 years later. each time, it only took a little getting used to that particular clutch & i was fine.

the advanced techniques (like rev-matching, heel-toe, speed shifting, power shifting, etc) take quite a bit of practice to hit right consistently. you also need to be very comfortable with that specific clutch & car before trying any of the fancy stuff or you can really screw things up.

[Kelster]

Another thing to practice is double clutching on the downshift which isn't really necessary for the street but it helps out the syncros. Very useful on the track for setting up a corner. And almost vital if you ever drive an old car or especially truck.

[TaylorRyanSS]

I have driven one once and trust me its not that hard. I don't know how to do all those fancy things other people said, but all you need to now is how to shift and not stall. Basically you take off in 1st gear, to go to 2nd: let off the gas and push in the clutch, shift to 2nd and slowly start to press the gas as you slowly let off the clutch. I didn't downshift when coming to a stop. I just pushed in the clutch and brake and put it back into 1st.

[The_Blur]

Every time I read a thread about manuals, I come to the renewed conclusion that getting one will cause me to do more harm than good to my Camaro. Besides, I'm elated with the performance of the automatic tranny.

[jeffny09]

well thanks fellas i do know how to drive a stick its just the racing part of it that gets me to wanna know more

[ZeeTwentyFour]

I just got a Geo metro 5 speed to learn how to drive stick as well. The biggest thing for me is getting a smooth take off and a smooth shift from 1st to 2nd.

[5thGenAnyone?]

Yeah, I don't really downshift when coming to a stop either. There's nothing wrong with this is there? I just taught myself how to drive so I guess I really didn't have anyone telling me those little handy pointers. Also, can you explain that "Heel to toe" thing again. So basically when down shifting you want to keep the rpm's up a little bit by pressing the accelerator with your heel while also breaking with your toe? Does this just make the downshift a little smoother I'm guessing? Weird, never heard of this heel to toe thing. But, like I said, no one really taught me how to drive stick.

[5thGenAnyone?]

Originally Posted by ZeeTwentyFour

I just got a Geo metro 5 speed to learn how to drive stick as well. The biggest thing for me is getting a smooth take off and a smooth shift from 1st to 2nd.

Try letting the clutch out like super slow. that should give you a nice smooth shift from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd.

[N8dawg]

Originally Posted by N8dawg

"Yeah, I don't really downshift when coming to a stop either. There's nothing wrong with this is there? I just taught myself how to drive so I guess I really didn't have anyone telling me those little handy pointers. Also, can you explain that "Heel to toe" thing again. So basically when down shifting you want to keep the rpm's up a little bit by pressing the accelerator with your heel while also breaking with your toe? Does this just make the downshift a little smoother I'm guessing? Weird, never heard of this heel to toe thing. But, like I said, no one really taught me how to drive stick."

Heal toeing was originally developed as a racing technique designed to get the driver into the preferred gear quickly and smoothly before entering a corner. Basically its braking with one side of your foot and pushing in the clutch while simultaneously putting it into a lower gear and with the other side of your foot you blip the throttle and let off the clutch. This will slow down your car much smoother than just downshifting and letting out of the clutch slowly, its also much better for the car when performed correctly. If you want to learn how to do this I highly recommend perfecting rev match downshift first. All a rev match downshift is, is a normal downshift but before you let out the clutch you blip the throttle to the RPM it will end up reaching when you let off the clutch. Once you perfect that part then all you gotta do is add the brake to it and there's your heal toe downshift.