ClutchPerformer

YAY!

rsx_r04

Over 3 years, or about 80,000 km's.

sauceman

Then you can keep piling up the experience.

Clutches don't go in just 80k, unless you literally smoke them away.

rsx_r04

Yes, they don't go at 80k.

keejoonc

I don't understand what you are trying to say here.

I bought my car about 2 weeks ago and this is my first manual car. After some practice and couple of lessons, I'm pretty good with it and can travel virtually anywhere without problem although I still have a lot to learn to minimise unnecessary clutch wear and shift without a hint of lunging. I've also researched and read up on how clutch works and other people's tip on how to drive MT. Every single person I talked to and every single article I've read says "Push the clutch all the way down". I agree and that's what I do every time I shift.


I have a question for the rest of you experts though.
When I take off from stand still, do I first find the friction point and then start giving gas or do I first start giving some gas to increase the revs and release the clutch slowly past the friction point?

Thanks in advance, and this thread is great for beginners like me.

sauceman

On a Honda, if you want to do it the quicker way and avoid stalling, do gas forst, then friction point. If you do the opposite, you'll have an engine gasping for revs, and you might stall it.

bigwilliestyle

Speaking of which, does it matter nowadays how fast you push the clutch in? I make it a habit to quickly push the clutch in and disengage it, but does that have any benefit? Seems like a silly question... something I always wondered.

ClutchPerformer

Not really, but it's best to push it down fairly quickly b/c you are wearing the plates a bit when you're in the middle of the clutch pedal travel. But it's not that much. Just remember:

Clutch pedal down = good
Clutch pedal up = just as good
Clutch pedal in the middle = wear3

So just try to avoid staying in the middle for longer than you have to.

TSXDude

How about when you are finishing a shift and letting the clutch pedal back up?? Should you let it go slowly or just let it out quick... i'm always afraid of burning the clutch..

I watched some people do it on instructional videos, and they let their clutch out QUICK.
If i imitate what they do, i always get a jerk....

TSXDude

this is the best thread ever!!

ClutchPerformer

Quick is best, but you have to be smooth and have your RPMs matched correctly to your wheel speed. Otherwise, you'll be jerky. Smooth and quick is the key. It shouldn't take more than half a second for you to release the pedal completely on an upshift. Less if you're good.

Edit: Note that if your revs are matched perfectly, it doesn't matter how quick/slow you release the pedal. There's no wear whatsoever. Of course, this never actually happens--you're always a LITTLE bit off. It's just an ideal case.

biker

I wish the Honda MTs in cars were able to shift clutchless as on their bikes'.
Theoretically, if you have the revs matched perfectly you don't need a clutch at all - but like Clutch said that just doesn't happen.

Vindicator

Re "clutch pedal down=good",

Tom and Ray say otherwise, or at least they did in 1995. CP or others, any thoughts as to whether their advice is correct for our cars?

http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...ctober/07.html

Thanks,

V

yadfgp

I have a question regarding manual's and downshifting. If you know you're coming to a stop, let's say you're going 40 or so, and a stop sign is a couple hundered feet up the road. Wouldn't it be best to put it in neutral, and not down shift? Because if you're downshifting, you're working the gears and all that. But if you put it in neutral, you're allowing the car to slow down on it's own accord. So just let it gradually come to a complete stop at your desired stopping point. All this time keeping it in neutral. Then when you wish to go again, push in the clutch of course, shift to first, and you're on your way...

waTSX

^^It used to be that they taught you not to do that (in drivers ed) due to the fact that the car could stall while at idle, and in motion, causing you to lose control of the car. I'm not sure that's much of an issue with modern cars. Most people that drive stick probably do coast to a stop at least once in a while.

Downshifting through the gears while coming to a stop probably subjects the drivetrain to unnecessary wear, but when you're setting up for a turn, it's good technique.

yadfgp

^^^^^^ Interesting to know that. My last car was a Nissan 200SX manual, and I put on about 140,000 miles before I retired it R.I.P and it had the same original clutch, tranny and everything. I always used that coasting to a stop technique just cuz it seems to make sense to me. Just always wondered if it was really a good thing or not since I always hear about downshifting.

waTSX

Yeah, you can see my age dates me a little bit Do they even have drivers ed anymore? I think with modern ECU's it's much less of an issue. In fact, I can't remember ever having it happen to me, but that was the prevailing attitude at the time.

I do think that excessive downshifting can lead to tranny/clutch wear, esp if you're not smooth about it

Gen4MDX

I think it would use more gasoline also, I tend to do it both ways, just depends on the situation.

paranode

Lots of good advice here, different strokes for different folks. Personally, I feel that double clutching is not worth learning on a modern car. Heel-and-toe is worth learning if you like to drive for thrill, though I've never had any problem launching through turns without it. I don't usually push the clutch all the way down because I know well where the engagement point is (and I go well enough past it). I hope that's not 'wrong' but I can't think of how it could hurt. As for coming to a stop, most of the time I find myself just cruising down with the clutch disengaged and only using the brakes. Probably wears the brake pads a little faster but they aren't that expensive (compared to tranny parts). Sometimes I will downshift too, it's just an extra effort (small effort, I know, but nonetheless) that I usually forego.