i just started to learn manual on my brand new 05. last night was my first night driving it, and a manual. i stalled maybe 10 times. is that bad!?!? today i only stalled once because i got the hang of it. but the first day was just horrible for me. did i ruin my engine or battery by stalling that many times????

 

Short answer: no. Don't worry about it. However, is it possible for you to rent a stick for a day or two. It might be worth 50 bucks to save your clutch and get the really nasty grinding done on that rather than your new 35K car. Get one and go practice in a parking lot and then on a hill (facing uphill). The G has a difficult release point in first and not so easy from 1st to second until the clutch gets used a little bit. Not the best car to practice in especially when it is brand new.

 

Besides being embarrassed.... I hope nothing happened to your car.
This is my second week with the car and I still stall it sometimes when I rush it.

 

The 6mt tranny on the G is a bit unforgiving and not the best thing to learn on. Like Mr. G said, try to find another car to learn on like a rental or even pay for driving school for one day in a manual car. It will help a lot. My best advice though is to not get discouraged and don't panic in traffic. If you panic you will rush yourself which will lead to stalling. Good luck.

 

lol i'm scared every time i get in that car because i dont want to fvck it up, dammit. most of the time i get it. i'm talkin 90% of the time i'm switching gears like magic. then that 10% comes out of nowhere and fvcks me over. while changing gears i burn my clutch, and i smell it while driving. the first 500 miles are very critical to the car is what the dealer told me and i'm freakin out. its only been two days for me so maybe in 1-2 weeks i can fully adjust to the 6mt. i just hope its not too late by then for my poor engine to last me 5+ years- hopefully.

 

I tried to teach one of my employees how to drive a stick and I wanted to wring his neck. My advice is let the clutch out sloooooowwwwly and don't give it so much gas that you can smell your clutch burning. After a while you will get the hang of it.

As other have said this manual is unforgiving. I still stall every once in a while and I have driven manual cars since I was 15.

 

No - give yourself a break.

A few stalls isn't going to kill your car. Go to some parking lot on Sunday morning and practice - it's no big deal. The more you practice the more you're going to understand what the car requires and what you're comfortable with. It's a learning process, the clutch take-up point, how much gas to give for different roll-outs - it'll all come with a little 'stick time.'

I have the auto but have driven manuals on and off my whole life. From what I read here, this one can be a bear to dial in.

If you stall in traffic, try to be calm and get the car moving as quickly as you SAFELY can. If someone behind you has a problem, too bad for them. Missing a light is better than having to take the new G to the body shop because you were intimidated by some jerk in love with his horn behind you.

In short - be safe, be careful, and don't be so hard on yourself. Your car is tough and can take a little 'learning abuse.' As long as you're not side-stepping the clutch at 4000RPMs you'll be okay.

 

Here's a little tip. You can actually get the car going from a dead stop in first without even giving it any gas, assuming you're not going uphill. If you let the clutch out really, really slowly you can get it going without stalling. Try that a couple of times in a empty parking area or what not and learn to feel the engagement point of the clutch. Then when you get a feel for it then practice launching your car using the gas pedal. Keep on doing that over and over till you get comfortable. But I still maintain the idea that you should practice in an another car for a day or two before you start practicing in your G.

 

ahh this brings back terrible memories when i learned stick on my 6mt. the first two weeks were hell, but after that FUN! as stated before, take it SLOW! i stalled a couple times when learning also. also remember that our action zone is really high up, so you can start letting out the clutch before you give it gas. good luck!

 

The burning smell is you giving it too much gas while slowly letting up on the clutch. Up on the clutch and down on the gas in an even manner-try to give it as little gas as possible without stalling as you are letting up on the clutch. Don't forget at lights put it in neutral-don't keep the clutch down with the car in first or you will prematurely wear your clutch.

 

It's been 20 yrs or so since I've driven a stick. So being 40 I get the midlife crisis and go and buy me a 6MT, 3 weeks have now passed and I think I finally got the hang of it again, and I only killed it 3 times... You can let the clutch out half way before it grabs a little. I just watch the lights so there aren’t any surprises.

 

Do yourself a favor and learn how to use a stick on a different car - your beloved "G" will thank you for it, in the end.

I've been driving sticks since I was 12 (on the farm), and have done so now for 35 years. The "G" is the hardest car to shift smoothly I've ever had, due to a number of factors (the late engagement of the clutch, the high amount of power and torque, the "notchiness" of the transmission, etc.), but at 20,000 miles, I've got it down pretty good now, including launching pretty hard from a standing start without any bog or wheelspin (a feat in itself, in this car).

I still occasionally stall it from a standing start when I'm playing the tunes a little too loudly, and can't hear the engine - but it's mostly just done by "feel" after you get it down. Good luck, and your ability and confidence will grow quickly in this powerful machine.

 

Go rent or borrow a beater for a week or so and learn on it. It's a shame to beat up on the G learning stick.
C.

 

I currently drive the auto Gx, my first auto coming from driven manual all my life. I know how it feels to learn it. I've never driven the G stick but I've driven the 350z stick which is the same transmission. In my opinion I think it's much harder to learn stick on your G versus cars like toyota's and honda's. The gears are more notchy than toyota/honda. On the 350z, the car doesn't start rolling till you dis-engage the clutch I would say about a good 60 percent +. Since you are in the learning phase, you should give it a bit of gas and get it to above 1,000 rpm before you slowly let go of the clutch. You won't regret the fun once you get the hang of it. Oh...just like what everyone said, take a class on it...good luck.

 

thanks for all the input guys. i've been getting the gears pretty good now for my third day. my only problem i STILL have is starting out in first and to second. after second gear, i'm like magic. also on hills i keep rolling and rolling back until i eventually stall. dammit. i'm just gonna keep driving and driving. i drove for 1.5 hours last night straight so i can learn quicker. maybe a full week two weeks of that kind of driving will get me to where i want to be with the 6mt.