How to correctly drive an MT.

[chilibowl]

On many forums I browse thru, (as im a enthusiast of all types of cars), there is such a misconception on how to drive a MT. All these talks of double-clutching, and how to correctly downshift, and riding the clutch a bit too much on take-off. Although the G's arent the easiest cars to drive in the planet, its not rocket science. We have high-engagement point clutches, but as with anything, you simply adapt to it. If you cant adapt, then you simply dont belong driving an MT.

For first, "double-clutching" is NOT NECESSARY AT ALL. These are synchronized transmissions, and whoever is doing this is honestly wasting their time. Double-clutching, to those who dont know, is the act of using the clutch twice in order to make a gear shift. So lets say your in 2nd gear, wanting to shift into third. You would clutch in, put the shifter in neutral, clutch out, match up RPM's, then re-clutch in, and then put it in 3rd, then re-clutch out. This is simply f*cking stupid. Whoever is doing this, is seriously wasting their time because this doesnt "save" your transmission from abuse nor will it make it last longer. This was done on cars WAYYYYY back in the day who did not have synchronized transmissions.

Take a peak at this video...Listen for the downshifts as he comes back to the camera...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N18RmcuyV38

Do you hear his downshifts? You can CLEARLY HEAR, this incorrect downshift, and I addressed it with one of my boys that he is simply downshifting incorrectly. What you hear in this video, is this person simply putting the shifter into a lower gear and letting out the clutch very slowly, allowing the clutch to fry in order to catch up with the drivetrain. Although the slower you let your clutch the more you fry it, you will not feel such a sudden jerk/pull on the car, but it is still very bad for your clutch. Whoever this is, in this video, I feel sorry for your clutch at about 40-60K miles. When you do this, you are simply forcing your clutch and flywheel to match up with the RPM's in the previous gear.

The correct way to downshift, is to rev-match. Lets say youre in 5th gear, at about 3K rpms on the highway, and you need some more passing power. 4th would be nice...so in order to downshift CORRECTLY, the process goes as this...

1) 5th gear, 3K rpm...you want 4th...

2) You clutch-in, and AS YOUR MOVING THE SHIFTER INTO 4TH, you blip the throttle, matching the revs as to what they would be in 4th gear, approximately 4.5K rpm. Let the clutch-out. This must be done in one step. Not 2, not 3. One step. If done correctly, you should feel NOTHING, no tugging/pulling of the car, but simply a louder motor because of the higher revs. Granted, once you start practicing, you may miss it, by over-revving, or under-revving. If you over-rev, the car will lurch forward. If you under-rev, you will feel a tug. If you under-rev, thats when you can use the clutch slightly to smooth out the transition, but you should NEVER "use" the clutch 100% to do your downshift for you. As I said before, you are simply frying your clutch.

Heel-toe'ing is a different subject and it is honestly not needed in daily driving. Track use, yes, very efficient technique to have the best braking and best acceleration around corners, but for daily driving, it really isnt necessary at all.

Over-revving on a takeoff is also bad on your clutch. From a 1st gear takeoff from a light, you should NOT be higher than 2K rpm's while the clutch is halfway. If you are revving past 2K rpms on a take off , you are burning up your clutch. Too much over-revving and you decrease the life of your clutch. Once in a while, its fine, no disaster, just dont make it a habit. The sweetspot for a take-off is 1.5K rpms.

While sitting at a light, never have the clutch-in waiting until the light turns green. This is stupid and the only thing youre doing is tiring your left leg and eating up your throw-out bearing. If your sitting at a light, you simply leave it in neutral, and unless ur on a hill, you shouldnt have to have your feet on any pedal. Once you see that the adjacent light is turning yellow (your turn next), you clutch-in, 1st gear, and you take off. Simple.

Also, this is a manual transmission people, do not be afraid to play with your revs. If your in 5th, and want to downshift into 3rd, and you barely tap the throttle and YOU KNOW you didnt tap it enough for a smooth 3rd gear downshift, simply leave the clutch pushed in and play with your gas pedal, until you blip it to the perfect rpm, then let the clutch out smoothly. It is not a crime to play with your revs, do it all you want. Good lucky and happy shifting....




Edited with Summarized document.................

[MIA BlazinVQ]

wow this is VERY good info as im a Newbie MT driver and im about to get a G coupe 6MT. if u have any more tips on what NOT to do with a MT please feel free to PM me or post on the thread. thanks

[kyu1021]

Originally Posted by chilibowl

... It is not a crime to play with your revs, do it all you want...

Well, I know in certain areas you will get a ticket for reving (ie Buffalo). It is considered a exhibition of speed, or something of that sort. But, good info.

[chilibowl]

Originally Posted by kyu1021

Well, I know in certain areas you will get a ticket for reving (ie Buffalo). It is considered a exhibition of speed, or something of that sort. But, good info.

Im talking about while moving, not standing still at a street light revvin like a ricer. If your going 60mph in 6th, and you miss the revmatch on a downshift to 4th, youre not going to be redlining....Unless you have an obnoxious exhaust, 4500rpm isnt that loud at all..

[chilibowl]

Also, 1st gear is ONLY for takeoffs. If youre rolling at 10mph, or even 5mph, you should be in 2nd. It is also physically impossible, unless you wanna trash your transmission, to downshift into 1st. If youre going 15mph in 2nd, the car will physically not allow you to enter 1st, the gate will be closed, and unless you force it (causing damage), you will not go in 1st. The gate for 1st is only open around 2-3mph. If youre rolling to a stop sign in 2nd, and you can clearly see no1 is coming from anywhere, stay in 2nd and equalize the gas and clutch just as you would 1st gear. If youre equalizing from 2nd tho, you must apply a bit more gas so it doesnt lug the engine.

Also, the only possible way to burn your clutch is if its halfway. If you have the clutch pressed in, the transmission and engine are fully disengaged. If you have the clutch out, the transmission and engine are in full sync. Dont be afraid to use your clutch on gear shifts, thats what its there for , to use. Sometimes, you do have to simply ride the clutch, just try not to do so for so long. Our clutches, although noisy, are very stout. They are not made of paper, but they are not made of cement either (although they sound like a cement mixer lol).

You should always let up the clutch slowly and smoothly. Not so slow that ur halfway for more than 2 seconds, but nice and fluidly. Our flywheels are a bit heavy on these cars and on the 1-2 shift, the revs take very long to fall back down, so for the 1-2 shift, you have to bring it up slower than normally as other gears. If you shift or let the clutch up too fast, the car will lurch forward, basically meaning the revs were still too high for that gear. If you take TOO long to shift, the car will tug at you, meaning you under-revved and the clutch had to sync itself up with the motor. To be able to shift smoothly, you must find the sweet spot between those two.

For final, if you've never driven a MT in your life before and are hopping into a new G 6MT, I HIGHLY suggest you practice your smoothness first. Dont ever try to be a speed shifter if you dont have smoothness down 100%. Once your eyes, hand, and feet are fully coordinated and comfortable with shifting smoothly, only THEN do you move onto shifting with speed. If youre driving aggressively, I suggest you turn VDC off, it hinders you from chirping 2nd and/or 3rd as it will cut power once it senses the wheels slip.

[Jeff92se]

Buahahahaha! Double clutching the upshifts!!!!!!!!!!!!! He must have watched the Fast and Furriest 25 times too many. Idiots

[MIA BlazinVQ]

well i've been learning for about 2 months now on my friend's 240SX, so i think i should be able to adapt quickly to the G, i just want to know some of the key things in this car before i actually get it.

[MIA BlazinVQ]

Oh and by speed shifting do u mean like in racing situations or just quick, efficient street driving??

[chilibowl]

Originally Posted by M.I.A. BlazinVQ

Oh and by speed shifting do u mean like in racing situations or just quick, efficient street driving??

Racing....

[Alan]

good post. there are so many people out there who have manual cars but really have no idea what they are doing (i would know, that was me for a while). it also helps to read up on http://www.howstuffworks.com/ to gain further understanding of what exactly is going on down there.

[MIA BlazinVQ]

LMAO ur probably like "what a Newbie" but hey we all had these questions at some point, we werent just born with the goods! i im coming from a 96 Civic coupe A/T so its an upgrade and i wanna get it right

[Klubbheads]

Very accurate info. If u wrote all this u must have had a lot of time.
Regardless good post for new MT drivers.

[Lucasvdw]

Good writeup. Also don't ever use the clutch to hold you in place on an incline. I had to go off on a friend of mine for doing that in my mustang once, and when I see people doing it it makes me shudder.

[MIA BlazinVQ]

oh yea, about inclines, i know not to use the clutch to hold me in place, but lets say theres an a$$hole like 2 inches from my *** at a red light, how do u guys go from there without hitting the guy behind u? do u just let off the brake fast as hell and then hope to not roll back before u start accelerating??

[Klubbheads]

pull the handbrake while holding the handbrake button, the start taking off just like u would on a regular surface. When u feel the car starts moving, slowly put down the handbrake and u will take off smooth without burning the clutch or burning out.