Quick advice, when stuck in the same type of situation you can pull up the emergency brake to keep you from rolling back. Slowly release the e-brake once you are ready to move forward and have started to release the clutch and pressing the gas pedal.

 

well i just drove a 6mt, and my only experience with manuals is testdriving them, and i didn't have any problems other than rough transitions from first to second (due to my lack of experience and not the car).

one thing i don't like on the car is the clutch length. why do they add all that space past the friction point? i drove an acura and a mini cooper and they had no space, it was like a digital clutch ... on or off.

i think RWD cars are a little harder to learn on than FWD or AWD (although subarus are the kings of engine braking) because rough launches cause waivering.

i'm still kind of worried about rolling back on hills. when i was testing out an rx-8, a porsche 911 turbo stopped like an inch behind me on a graded stoplight. i was sweating. i hate when cars in front of me roll back.

 

shift quickly.. not like racing but quick... when i was learning to drive i shifted very slow, thinking its better but if you shift slow, the rpms drop more inbetween gears and the shift is rougher...

shift quickly, use a clutch a little more than necessary if u want to be smooth...
keep the music off if ur having trouble being smooth, its easier if u can hear the engine and tranny... plus you can save the car from stalling if ur car sounds like its gonna die clutch in... =)

just really think about what you are doing, instead of just shifting and you will get better... think about what ur left foot, right foot, and hand are doing instead of kinda winging it =) do everything conciously (spelling) until its perfect unconciously ... if it doesnt make sense ignore =)

and all of the above ^^

 

the jerks your feeling is probably because your not "rev matching" as some people put it. the clutch basically connects the engine to the wheels. everytime u shift gears the engine speed either gets slower/faster than the wheel speed as u upshift/downshift. rule of thumb is to adjust your engine speed by about 1000 rpm for every shift (keep in mind my car is still on order so u'll have to play with the numbers). if your shifting up from say 2nd to 3rd and u decide to shift at 4,000 rpm than u should be pulling off the clutch at about 3,000 rpm's. once u get a feel for the car and where the rpm's should be, the shifts will get smoother and smoother. anytime u don't match the rev's the car will either seem to hesitate or pull ahead depending how much power u have at each shift (underpowered/overpowered). a smooth shift will mean your engine and wheels are matched at equal speeds. this is also a lot better on your clutch since u avoid most of the stress for it to compensate the wrong speeds. hope that makes sense.

ps. if your having that many problems... why not get stick lessons from a third party company? that's the way i learned to drive the "right" way, as apposed to my uncle's version which is designed to leave my clutch behind! (no offense to my uncle dave )

good luck

 

I too am learning stick with my 6mt. After a week and a half, I'm getting much smoother with my shifting. I still stall occasionally when parking in tight spaces because I'll let the clutch go too much.

couple questions...
when i'm on a hill and the cars are about to start moving. with my foot still on the break i will put my clutch at the 'friction point' then just move my right foot from brake to gas and i'm off.
is it bad to hold the clutch for a couple seconds while braking?

when you guys are parking, do you just keep the clutch at the 'friction point' the whole time while backing up into a space or are you applying gas to park?

i don't park too fast and the clutch at 'friction point' is enough speed to back up into the space.

is this what they call 'riding the clutch' and is it bad?

my G and I thank you!

 

Whoa there... i never exceed 1500 rpm on a steep hill, when I was still learning i never exceeded 2000 rpm..

Find an area where there's NO cars behind you.. like an empty road or something... or maybe yours or a friend's driveway that's slightly sloped.

And then learn. That way, since you have no fear of rolling back too far, you can work on using much less gas.. And if you start rolling back too far, instead of slamming the gas, just push the clutch all the way in, hit the breaks, and start over.

It'll take a little while, but be patient.

 

Yea, the 6mt I am gonna get is going to be my first manual so i'm in the same boat as you Jason. I've been driving for about 6/7 years now on automatics. From what my friends have told me if you have experience driving it shouldnt take that long, maybe a few weeks, to get used to manual. Also for hills the handbrake is your best friend . But like everyone else is posting, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!! Thats the best way to learn anything! I intend to do that everyday/everyhour I possibly can when I get this car....

 

benster... i'm no expert, but what your doing sounds perfectly fine to me. i personally use a handbrake (on very steep hills... the way i was taught by a professional driver), but your method is good too. just try to time your starts to as close as the light is changing as possible. using only the friction point to park in reverse is also just fine as your using barely any power to move the car. my definition of riding the clutch is travelling on the road while still resting your foot on the clutch (u may be depressing the clutch slightly in this situation). i always move my foot to the dead pedal (or someplace else) and immediately take it away from the clutch when not in use.

 

i've chirped the tires going into 4th...

i test drove an 03 AT and using the manual mode i was able to do the same thing. granted, the tires were cold on the AT. on my 03 6MT if i am really running it hard (up to redline), the tires chirp into 4th quite a bit...especially with VDC off.

 

I agree with a previous post.
You should educate yourself on how the master+slave cylinders, syncro's, clutch, and flywheel all work together. Once you know what is going on, it's is all going to make more sence to you, and you will extend the life of your clutch+tranny vastly
I also recommend www.howstuffworks.com

A small tip: when downshifting, try "blipping" the throttle before engaging the lower gear. It will make your ride a lot smoother

A large tip: while learning to drive stick, don't forget you are still driving! Some people I have taught, <cough>gf<cough>, tend to focus so much on the shifting, that they stop braking normally/etc. You should practice off the main streets. Just find a large parking lot, and you'll get the hang of it in no time.

Oh yeah, and remember, your brakes are cheaper than a new clutch

Good luck!

 

i ocasionally chirped the tires going into 4th with my stock shifter at redline, but recently i installed the b&m short shifter and i can get the tires to chirp with a very quick shift from 3rd to 4th as low as 4500-5000 rpms.

 

Starting on uphills....I just hold the brake pedal with the ball of my right foot and
blip with my pinky and just start off like usual (basically a cheater style heel and toe
start). Never had to use the e-brake.

 

Roadracer516,

Maybe you need some more practice shifting quickly
Ok, just kidding Get out there and chirp those tires!

 

WOW lol.. I guess some people learn faster or are just meant to drive stick and some arent! I never owned a manual car and drove my friends G35 coupe 6spd way before i bought my M3 6spd, i picked up my M not driving in months and was fine, took a few days to get use to the power and shifting, im still nto full use to it but can almost heel toe, rev match downshift, and my shifting is perfect, never stalled once lol

 

My very first day driving a manual, I spent 30 min practicing in a parking lot, then stalled a total of 3 times at a stop light and missed 2 green lights but that was because there was a cop behind me and I was sooo nervous!! Never stalled once after that. First time on a hill, I had a friend behind me in his darn Benz and I was so scared that I might roll back and hit him.. but yeah I was perfectly fine to drive around town within a day, and I'm a girl, not saying it to bash any of you guys haha