i've read posts somewhere about this before but i can't seem to find it,
and i'm also pretty tired.
today is the first time in around 3-4 years i'm driving manual. back then, i drove around my friend's integra type-r everyday for two weeks and that's it.

few things i would like to question.

-i hear in honda/acura mt vehicles, the shifter doesn't really vibrate. (i don't remember) but when i'm driving my g around, i feel as if the shifter isn't fully in gear when it really is cuz of the way it vibrates along with the engine. this is normal i presume? i've only tried stick in a integra and nsx. i don't remember the shifter vibrating.

-for some reason i can't be consistent with a smooth take off. half the time i do, half the time i don't. any recommendations anyone? rpm, clutch usage, etc?

-besides using the e-brake, how long did it take for people to be able to accelerate smoothly from a complete stop on a hill after you first started to learn mt. (i burned the friggin clutch today trying...argggg) i'm not just talking about a small hill nor a steeeep hill, maybe around like a 35 degree gradient.

yea i'm still a noob with a MT vehicle but i wanna know how i can drive smoothly without putting too much strain on the vehicle. i'm just teaching myself really and just trying to get experience. but with some help, the better.
also it can be quite embarrassing.
i already had a bunch of kids in a car telling me how hot my car is and i just end up skidding out a bit as i accelerated from stop. NICE! haha, ok i'm a bit delerious from lack of sleep. any tips would help a lot, thanks!

 

u shouldnt be teaching urself standard on a G i can tell u that for 1 thing...

took me about 5 days to not stall in a day when teaching myself standard...but at that time i still drove a prelude so i dunt know...the G at first i found it really difficult to drive

 

cynical102,

OK, I can answer some of the questions, the rest will come with practice....

1. The shifter vibration is normal. It's caused because the shifter is directly connected to the synchros and not through a cable like in some other cars. (that's what I've been told). I personally actually like it, as it gives me a better "feel" of the car.

2. Starting on a hill. Instead of using the e-brake, do this very simple thing: while at stop, keep your right foot on the brake pedal and start easing up on the clutch, go slowing until you can start feeling the engine's RPM drop and you feel as if the engine is about to stall on you. At that point take your foot of the brake and apply gas, while releasing the clutch the rest of the way. What happens in this situation is that when you start releasing the clutch pedal you start the engine engagement which naturally will cause the car to start roll forward (on a flat slope-less surface). When you are standing in a hill this will be just enough to keep your car from rolling back. It takes some practice but really is a no brainer.

As far smooth shifting goes, it just takes practice and patience.

Good luck.


<font color=orange>Atco Meet</font color=orange>

 

wow who let you practice MT driving on an nsx? haha.

Anyways, yeah I agree with what speedholic said bout the syncros and vibrating and stuff. I've *heard* that because of this design, it's bad to keep your hand on the shifter all the time, over time it's not good for the synchros. Either way, I never like to keep my hand on the shifter all the time anyways.

keep rpm's low for normal launches. You should be able to have the clutch out pretty far before you apply any real amount of gas. That's what may be harder for your to adjust to from the acura's/hondas. In those cars, you gotta apply gas when the clutch is just out a little, while this car, you can have that clutch out pretty far (relatively) before you put any real amount of gas. Put too much gas before your clutch is far out, that's when the skidding out can occur.

Also let the clutch go slowly, but not too slowly. When learning, I think it's better to error on the side of too slowly, because it helps you to get smoother.

As for hills, it took me a while to get "normal" and only roll back like 2 inches without using ebrake on a steep hill. I think the best way to practice this is to first make sure you can launch without going over 1500 rpms SMOOTHLY. Then try to be able to do it without going over ~1000 rpms (maybe 1200?). Once you can do that consistently, I think going up a hill without stalling or revving too much gets much easier.

Hope this helps

---
2004 Twlight Blue/Willow 6mt Coupe.
Bel Vector 985 Hardwired.
Grounding Kit.
Splash Guards.
Next Project: Carputer.

 

feedback is always good, thanks everyone
i think practice/experience is the main thing that'll get me better.
on the acura/hondas, i never stalled out while i was driving on the road. i stalled once because i was at a stop light in first gear and let go of the clutch by accident. DUH.
but other than that i found the acura/hondas really easy to learn on. especially the nsx. it was my uncle's leased nsx.
i would say i'm pretty good for a beginner though, but i need to fine tune my manual tranny skills BADLY. i don't know why but i just can't be consistent with smooth take offs. half and half for me. i stalled like twice in the g because i panicked from a hill. stupid jersey roads.

 

"i stalled like twice in the g because i panicked from a hill. stupid jersey roads."

Hey I'd like to drive on these hills anyday over the straight flat lands of illinois/indiana!

How was the nsx anyway, never been in one myself.

---
2004 Twlight Blue/Willow 6mt Coupe.
Bel Vector 985 Hardwired.
Grounding Kit.
Splash Guards.
Next Project: Carputer.

 

i guess hills can be fun...but later for me
i still need to get over my fear of rolling back so much and moving from stop without any panic.
nsx was actually the first car i ever tried manual on. i didn't stall once for my first time, it was really easy. didn't want to push it though since i just started learning. i tried an old porsche 911 turbo, i stalled in that once on edgewater's riverroad, hahaha. didn't push that either since its not my car. just out of respect for the owner.

another question:

when parking on a hill, aside from just the e-brake, you're supposed to leave the car in first right?
do you do that before you turn off the car or after?
i'm gonna sound like a dumba$$ eventually with all these questions. =)

 

I taught myself stick on my G35. No big deal. It was a painful first week thinking I mad the wrong choice. But after the first 4,000 RPM launch, I knew MT was the way to go for me. I never did the hand brake thing on hills. I tried it a couple of times, but it got too hectic during rush hour to do a million things at once while trying not to stall out. The blaring horns of a mack truck behind you don't help either. For hills, I just mashed the gas and quickly dumped the clutch. It got me going without wheel spin, although it was an aggressive tactic. Eventually I got used to it. Fortunately or unfortunately, i live on a steep hill. I learned hill starting real quick. My advice is to find an empty steep hill. Practice practice practice. Over and over again.

---------------------------------
http://www.anythingbox.net

 

The G is my first MT car as well. I knew how to drive one before, but never actually owned one. I, too, think it's somewhat a difficult car to learn manual in. Took me a while to get fully used to it. I'm sure you have already figured out experience is the best teacher. The one advice I can give you, if not repeating the ones aforementioned, is to find a empty spot, and learn to get used to the cluth. Releasing the cluthing all by itself slowly to a point that the car would actually start rolling forward without any gas pedal pressed. That's the point to apply gas, shift, and keeps you rolling back from the hill. Learn that point well. I do it all the time just sitting at the light. Sometimes I use it to rock my car back and forth... It's fun. Good luck. I'm sure in no time it will become a second nature to you!

 

i'm the kid with the black 6mt stock looking vehicle with no license plate. if you see me say hello as well. =)

as for our clutch, it does catch pretty high which is why i think i'm having trouble getting accustomed to it. i'm slowly getting it though, and yes i did have a few thoughts about how i would feel about mt in the future, like or dislike, but from driving a integra type-r without any problems in the past, i loved a manual tranny and always wanted one. i'm just waiting till i get the hang of my g before i start judging. i'm sure i'll love it even more in the near future

 

I know how you feel. This is my 4th manual car and the hardest one to master. After almost two weeks of ownership I'm still stalling it about once a day.
Kind of embarrassing when I'm in cool mode.

DG/W/6MT/P/A Stock

 

I cant even tell you how many times I paniced with this car on hills, stalled, then left the light chriping tires. This car is very difficult to get used to and Im still stalling out from time to time (little over a month and a half with the car now). If ya see a kid in belmar in a black G35 that looks about 16, thats me. This was also my first manual and I find that the only way I can drive it is if I just shut up, get in it, and drive it....when you start paying attention to the a-hole that rode up on your *** on a hill and your being ever so careful not to stall, or just generally get nervous about driving is when you start stalling. Plus, living in jersey where most drivers enjoy stopping 2 inches from your rear bumper at lights makes this car all the more difficult to drive. It takes time, finese, and patience. You can't expect to be Mario Andretti in a day, and all those people that look over and laugh if you stall, well either a) they'd stall it too if they got in it cuz they dont know how to drive it or b) im sure at some point in time they were the ones learning and being laughed at too. Best thing, ignore everyone on the road (not their cars, just the people driving them) and the fluid shifts and nicer launches come much much eaiser. Oh yeah and I've had my fair share of "Nice car" "Thank you" *Stall* "sh...." So dont worry, we all gotta learn sometime. =)

2003.5 G Coupe premium. 6MT Black/black
Come join the G35Driver chat on EFnet. Channel name is #G35Driver. Catch me on aim (Xtreme03s10) if you need help setting up mIRC.

 

I've never tried the handbrake thing. My high school has a very steep hill to get to it, so naturally the first thing I had to make myself learn was to slip the clutch to a point where my car doesn't move forward or back on a hill. I know this is bad for the clutch, but I wanted to make sure that I didn't roll back onto anyone (probably a nice raised American truck with a skidplate, the vehicle of choice at my school) and mess up the nice JLO *** of the car. I learned stick on a 280ZX. It was way different when I got the G. I actually love the stiff clutch pedal of the G. After I got decent with stick in the G, driving my friend Civic MT was a joke, same with another friend's RSX S.

You'll love your clutch pedal and your shifter soon enough. =)

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

I never drove a stick before so I was wondering what you're doing different when you let the clutch "slip". Are you letting it out until it reaches the friction point? How is this different from how you're suppose to drive a manual?