Ok, ~newbie MT driver here. :o

I don't think people should be scared of learning on this car, unless you have terrible hand-eye co-ordination. It's rough for the first few days (just avoid traffic and hills), but after a few ("several"?? ) days of a steep learning curve, it starts smoothing into less of a concern. After a week, you stop being afraid of uphill starts (I can't explain that huge difference from "day 2").

At the risk of sounding like a fool, a few things I haven't quite gotten the hang of yet though:

1. The clutch seems quite deep (I haven't driven many others for comparison). The salesman recommended that I keep my heel planted on the ground and kind of "squeeze" it. This feels like it gives me a lot of control and helps me smoothly do it, but it has the really annoying effect that if I am wearing any rubber soled shoe and step in snow or a puddle, it squeaks whenever I shift until my shoe dries off! How do you do it? Do you actually lift your whole foot off the floor? What part of your foot touches the pedal, and does it "rub"?

2. I suppose it gets better with practice, but starting into 1... I seem to have to choose between keeping >1300rpm and riding the clutch until it "catches", or letting the rpm drop <1000 for a moment and risking near-stall vibrations if I don't get the two pedals timed quite right.. but when I do, it feels nice and smooth, so I'm assuming this is the right way?

3. the ol' 1-2

I also find that I seem to shift smoother and more confidently when I am alone and have music playing.

Any thoughts/tips?

 

been driving manual all my live (all 5 years of driving experience, hah!). but i use my whole leg to shift press in the clutch because my old accord needed it.

The TSX's clutch is deep, but the engaging point is probably 6in from the top, so you don't need to mash the clutch all the way to the floorboard. It only takes a slight movement of your leg to take it out of gear. You'll save a lot of time shifting if you only press it in slightly.

As for starting into 1st gear, IMO and I think others would agree, shifting becomes an unconcious thing. I have no idea what rpm's I shift at, it becomes repetitive muscle control (almost like a basketball player shooting). You'll get to that point w/ practice.

 

hey proo, i actually learned stick on the tsx as well.

here's the address to the thread that helped me understand the whole process of "learning" effectively.

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...=driving+stick

good luck, and hope it helped.

 

That's actually the proper way to work the clutch... use your whole leg and not just the extension/flexion of your foot. Not only does this provide less leg muscle fatigue in the long run, it's the technique encouraged in most racing schools since lapping a track full of complex turns requires the constant downshifting/upshifting, rev-matching, heel-toeing, etc lap after lap after lap. If you were to try using your foot flex alone to work the clutch, you're in for a whole lot of pain and cramping later. Good habits like this also makes short work of rush hour traffic that some have to contend with. So if you're new to and still learning to drive a manual and using mostly a foot flex/heel pivot to work the clutch, stop now before you have this bad habit ingrained in your head.

On that note, I love how the TSX has BMW-style, floor-hinged throttle pedal. Is this the only Honda product that has this? Because not even the S2000 does. It's very racecar-like and makes it a whole hell of a lot easier to perform heel-toe braking/down-shifting when needed even for people with smaller or narrower feet.

 

There is nothing wrong with using the handbrake to keep from rolling back if you are in an uphill start. Just my

 

...but not for people with bigger feet

 

Congratulations on your choice of MT!

I don't have much to add, but one tip: The clutch is NOT a foot rest! Just like it's unacceptable to ride the brakes, it's unacceptable to ride the clutch.

With practice, MT will become second nature to you, such that you don't have to think about shifting.

My TSX's MT was always willing and smooth, but shifting feels even smoother after a couple thousand miles on the odometer...

 

Thanks for the tips. I think I need to unlearn this now. I don't exactly understand how to control this well enough without having my heel on the floor yet, but I'll try. Whenever I do, it seems to take a lot of concentration and effort.

I don't tend to downshift yet, either, unless I'm really bored.