Hey guys,
I just got my 6mt like a few weeks ago, and have gotten fairly decent at driving it (first manual car and i sometimes stall on steep hills). A lot of peeps on the forum said that its pretty hard for a new driver, but so far I havent had any problems....Anyway, I did have some questions as too how to "properly" drive my G.
1) When shifting normally the car bucks, and then other times it shifts smoothly...is there something I'm missing? (not letting out clutch slow/fast enough?)
2) When driving in traffic is it okay for me to hold the clutch in (use that to move forward) in second gear (not use 1st)?
3) Lastly, what should I *NOT* do so I don't prematurely kill my clutch...

Thanks guys...

 

Excessive slipping of the clutch will burn it up, and slipping the clutch or hitting high revs while still new can result in hot-spots on the clutch, decreasing it's effective clamping power.

I found that slightly slowing down my shifts or slightly delaying the release of the clutch can put the revs right where they need to be in order to get a smooth transition. You could slow the release of the clutch to smooth things out a little, but it will wear your clutch down faster.

IMO, especially coming from a powerfull AWD car, the clutch is your fusable link, so to speak. While not cheap to replace, it's a lot cheaper than damage to the transmission.

While the clutch is depressed, the throw-out bearing is seeing wear. Don't keep the pedal pushed to the floor more than necessary or you'll find yourself looking for a new clutch a lot earlier. Had a female co-worker that needed a new clutch after only 25K miles. After riding with her, I realized why. She would sit at stop lights, on an incline, and ride the clutch and gas to keep the car stationary! The concept of putting it in neutral and applying the brakes must have escaped her.

 

Kinda off topic but when i was at the dealership last weekend, i test drove the 05. The clutch seemed really weird.. when i would let go and it would make a clanking sound. The car had 45 miles on it. Is that normal?

 

Yea on hills I'm doing what your co-worker did, keeping the G in gear but with my foot on the brake and the clutch (so I can transistion faster). I havent gotten good at keepin the car in neutral on a hill and then quickly putting the car in gear and hittin the accelerator (not with out stalling). The revs drop MUCH faster on an incline, too fast for me to compensate.
Also by "slipping the clutch" do you mean keepin the clutch pressed in while changing gears or after changing gears?

 

Slipping the clutch is when you start to let the pedal up, but instead of just releasing it for a complete engagement, you keep your foot on the pedal, typically releasing slower than normal. You'll find that the clutch seems partially engaged, which it is. That's slipping the clutch.

As for holding the clutch in while stopped at a light, on a hill, etc... ...people do that. It wears the throw-out bearing, but it's not that uncommon. My old co-worker slipped the clutch to stay stationary, meaning she kept the pedal at the egagement point but wouldn't release further for full engagement. Essentially, she used the clutch and gas like a brake to hold her car still on an incline. This was for a 5-minute traffic light! No good!

 

Check this link. It may give you some insight.

http://www.standardshift.com/faq.html

 

You can also check some video from this link as well. Hope it helps!

http://www.standardshift.com/videos.html

 

1- you will overcome this in time, it takes practice, try shifting at low RPM's.
2- Don't ride the clutch; either have it depressed or released... A good rule to follow is do not ever have the pedal depressed for more than 10 seconds, like at a traffic light etc. if you don't do this the throwout bearing will go bad fast.
3- Don't ride it, don't use the clutch to help launch from higher RPM's much, save that for rare occaisions.

 

Some very good advice provide here for you Virge. Learn the right way from the beginning so there are no bad habits and unnecessary clutch wear.

 

1) Too fast on the clutch. You are engaging the clutch at an RPM "mismatch", the buck usually is your engine being too high RPM compared to the drivetrain. When you drop that clutch fast at the wrong RPM you are mating 2 seperate devices spinning at 2 different speeds and one has to catch up and mate with the other. When you are at the exact RPM compared to the rate at which your wheels are spinning it will be a seamless transition

2) I'm a little lost at what you are asking. Are you wanting to slip the clutch and use 2nd instead of 1st? In slow moving traffic I have found that the G has enough torque to roll very...very...very slowly in 1st without having to clutch constantly. If you are talking about moving up 10 feet or something, it is best to clutch all the way out and then back in again, trying not to slip the clutch. Sometimes you can't avoid it (mine is backing into my garage--it gets tough to let the clutch all the way out when it gets into a tight space) but as these guys are saying it should be clutch in or out...never in between.

3) Please see other replies and my number 2


My biggest advice: find where you're clutch engagement point is. This requires slipping the clutch a time or 2 but you will learn where it is and never forget. To do this, get on a completely level surface where your car will not roll. With your foot off the brake put the car in first and slowly let the clutch out until the engine RPM's move down and the car barely starts to pull forward. That is the start of where the clutch grabs. If you know that point it really helps in shifting and even more in starting in first. Taking off is usually where a lot of bucking happens when you are learning since you want to be fast as hell on that clutch and either give it too much gas or too much clutch. Once you know where the clutch starts to pull at you start applying throttle through that point and if you are easy on the pedals (think egg soft) you'll catch on pretty quick.

The clutch engagement point trick also helps out on hills. Visualize that point. Have your car in neutral and clutch out and foot on brake (practice on gental hills first and then progress). Light goes green, clutch in and shift to 1st leaving foot on brake. Remember that clutch point and slowly ease the gas in after letting off the brake. Honestly when you are good at it you'll notice that you are already letting your clutch out as you take your foot off the brake and give it gas. The clutch coming out acts as a brake and applying more throttle pulls you away.

Def. check out those vids and that site as it helps a ton. Understand how the clutch works before you try and really learn. If you don't understand the whole concept you'll never understand why you have to do certain things.

 

By the way the G is my first stick. I learned in an hour in a 325 Bimmer and test drove a G a month later after the initial learning and drove it for an hour with no stalls. Went and picked my car up a month after that and it was an hour and a half from my house in stop and go traffic and I survived with no stalls. Since then I have taught the wife and have gotten pretty good at "heel and toe" downshifting. It will come in time. You'll find you get frustrated after a while and may not even want to drive your car.

Now I hate driving an automatic because I feel so disconnected from the car.

And don't worry about other people. If you stall it don't get all upset if the horns start honking. Clutch in, car in 1st, start car, take off. I still buck it every now and then...yes I get frustrated (usually grumbling "bad bad bad shift") but hey for a few months of driving a stick I'm doing alright.

 

Can the stock clutch be adjusted by cable?