K I can reverse down and out of my driveway easily now without worrying about burning my clutch (thanks to aaronhl) but what about reverse stall parking or parallel parking? I seem to ride my clutch because I approach the spot slowly. I probably just have to practice reversing without using the clutch right?

 

When I back up, I usually work the clutch pedal in and out as much as possible to prevent riding the clutch. You want the clutch to engage the same way reversing as you do while going forward... so it does take practice. While backing up I never use the brake, because I can stop the car by engaging the clutch.

If you need to approach a spot at a VERY slow speed, lift up the clutch pedal (do not fully disengage, you will barely have to lift up the clutch) and tap the gas pedal slightly to get the car moving. You can then push in the clutch so the car is a free roll. Practice doing that while going forward as a slow speed because it is essentially the same in reverse. There is very little using of the clutch, and get good feel for the movement of the pedal because it's nowhere near just ON or OFF, so you can use that to you advantage.

 

duuude, your my 6mt guru thanks man

 

To drive a 6MT (or any other manual transmission) flawlessly takes practice, because you still have to make it comfortable for your passengers, save gas, prolong the life of the components, and not look like an idiot driving.

 

CHilli bowl i learned how to drive on a mazda miata m/t when i was 15.. And im 20 and in five years of driving no1 has taught me enough about driving an m/t than you even though i knew 60% of the **** you said.. GOOD INFO MAN THANKS FOR THE POST

 

No, I was born with it. When I got my learners permit my mom had an Accord that was a manual trans and she said time to learn to drive. I got in the drivers seat and after my first stall...(had to get used to the clutch...hahaha) i drove like a pro in that MT, Ever since I have had manuals and autos, depending on the car I would take either auto or manual, but manuals are still just more fun, I dont care if some autos shift faster than I could ever imagine doing manually I still like manual, but like the GTR, do you really want a manual? i mean those gear shifts are crazy fast, i dont think anyone could match the speed of the new double clutch auto designs like in the EVO's and the CVT from nissan

 

Wow only 20? still have lots to learn....never assume you know it all... i am 31 and yeah I knew the things he said, but there is still lots for me to learn. hell i even grew up in a racing family. Uncle is Nascar official. he raced with the likes of Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Dale Sr., and more. I got see a lot of the "illegal" parts they pulled off of some race cars, he had a big safe in his garage with all these parts in there. huge carbs, over bored and poslished heads, just crazy stuff. Funny I turned into a japanese vehicle lover. Wish some of those parts would fit my g. haha

 

thats how i drive, and when i do down shift i always rev match, but if your not good at downshifting and your trying to just slow yourself down or something def just use ur brakes, brakes are cheaper to replace then a clutch or tranny

 

one bad thing about rev matching is that the car next to you might think you are trying to race or get their attention.

 

If everyone just went out and DROVE their cars without reading so much, i think everyone doubting their driving skills will become better! Great info guys!!

Practice makes perfect!! use common sense and you will be good to go!

 

You know, the car has as much to do with it as the driver. I have driven a standard since 1970. I still can't make a smooth shift from 1st to 2nd all the time in the G. However, in our new Honda Si Sedan, it's like butter. That is the easiest car to drive I have ever been in. Shifting is like second nature. It just flows from you hand and feet.

 

Since about 1972, I've driven tractors, trucks, cars, some of which had an almost unfathomable method required to get them to shift correctly. By no means are all standards created equally. Hondas are super easy to shift but the fact they are in general torque-less wonders in lower gears starting up, the transmission can be much less beefy, with smaller, lighter pieces, because they never see that heavy of a load starting up. Most Hondas since the first Civic I drove in 1976 also have pretty light clutches stock. That's their safety valve - go do a bunch of VTEC 7000 rpm clutch drops and it will be done with very quickly. On the other hand the Getrag shifter in the BMW 2000 was a real rough POS that was so imprecise that even with the low power, the right gate was so narrow compared to the lever movement you really needed to pay attention until you got it down. If you've driven a Dodge Neon SRT/4, that's nearly the same crap transmission just 30 years later.

Our cars however have 200 ft-lbs to the wheels by 1800 rpm. IDK how many times I've turned over the wheels on the 3-4 shift - that's some heavy duty ****. The Honda's transmission in 1st and 2nd doesn't have to take that kind of punishment in any Honda I've ever driven. Take a look at our trans out of the car compared to an S2000 which w/o a doubt makes a lot of power - the size difference is readily noticeable. In the S2000 the torque doesn't come on to 90% of total by 1800 rpms. Anyone can shift one easily, it's not hard to do.

My Junior High School Shop Teacher told me when I was about 12 years old that in his opinion, "...most people,, no matter how hard they work at it, simply practice their mistakes until they have them down near perfect." No Yoda this dude, about 6'6", he pointed out when you weren't moving toward "right" with a big stick, some guaranteed embarrassment, but then he did always tell you the right way or one of the "right" ways. Would have made a great Sargent - let you screw up, knock the crap out of you, then make you do it right.

There are people who learn by reading, by doing, or some mix of the two. A good proportion of those who would read this thread (and some of those who wouldn't assuming they're perfect with a standard in any car ) probably don't know exactly what they're practicing to do. So if I sent someone out like that and say "Just Do it!" they have a less than clear idea of what "it" is (apologies to Clinton for plagiarizing). "Practice makes perfect" if and only if you have a pretty good idea of what perfect means, other than perfecting your flawed technique until its second nature. Longer time spent doing that, the harder it is to "fix". Same people burn out clutches car after car w/o a clue why, or prematurely wear out the synchros from sloppy upshifting.

My shop teacher was pretty damn sharp. A few weeks ago I was at a track and another person told me "I don't know what it is, I keep practicing my line, my braking for that turn, but I just don't go any faster". I'd already seen him and from behind it was obvious he was practicing over and over braking too soon, too abruptly, turning in at exactly the same wrong point every time I saw him. He was using his "common sense" and there was no shortage of "practice", he just didn't quite know what he was "supposed" to do. So he practiced his mistakes until he nearly had them perfectly repeatable, no one had told him what "right" felt like. I think that's what the original question was there for - "how do I know when I am doing this right?" IDK how many people told him to get an AT or flamed him as a noob, but IMHO that's always a damn good question. to the thread starter.

 

^^ excellent post!!!

 

1+

Some people act as if its rocket science

Reading for tips/suggestion helps, but most of it will just come out naturally from experience.

 

The S2000 has one of the smoothest transmission I'd driven. Especially compared to the G35. The engagement point on our 6mt's is way to high.