What a terrible thread title. Talk about crap: I used to drive a manual 1990 Geo Storm -you had about a nanosecond to get out of 1st gear or the car would risk blowing up or stalling -talk about stress. My 2000 Eclipse GT was manual and maybe "civic" should look at that -Stephen Hawkings could handle the clutch on that, it was mush. The speed racer wannabes on this board should take an autocross class on a track if they want to get the most out of a clutch and learn what shifting is all about.

 

This is my first stick! I always kind of knew how to drive manual, but the car is a little tough to drive slowly without it jerking too much. but the faster you drive, the smoother it gets!

 

ok i first learned on a 98 mitsubishi eclipse when i was 13 and i'm now 18, my older brother got it and i used to steal it and drive around when nobody was home. Now that car is easy to drive. so maybe you should get that and not bitch about the CL clutch. Every one of my friends that has driven my car has loved the kick back of the clutch even though they're not used to it. It makes this car so much fun when your ripping through the gears, spinning 2nd gear, chirping 3rd and 4th. This is by far one of the best clutches i've ever driven and i've driven everything from jeep cherokee sports to preludes, to a camaro ss. very few clutches are as good as ours so do yourself a favor and trade yourself in for an automatic or a mitsubishi eclipse

 

I'll second that! I stalled out 5 or 6 times before I FINALLY got moving. In the first hour I drove the car, I stalled so many times I lost count.

In my friends Civic Si, I stalled the first two tries and then drove for the next hour without stalling it. The clutch action on an Si is sooo easy you don't even have to think about it.

I've been driving my 330Ci for 3 weeks now and I still have to concentrate on getting into first.

 

A truck clutch is the worst to learn on. My first time, it took me 2 hours to get up a hill. I keep stalling. Glad it wasn't a populated street.

 

You might try going to a mall parking lot (after hours). When there practice going from a standstill by letting the clutch out with no gas! This will force you to learn where the take up point is (very early I admit) and how to modulate to get a smooth start (slowly in the take up region). It took me about 3 test drives to understand this clutch but once your brain/leg learns it, it works well.

 

Man, I was lucky when i test drove my CL-S the dealer said...be careful the clutch is one of the trickiest i've driven, I promise you will stall it..

I've owned it since May and haven't stalled it yet

however, getting the action when moving slow was tricky, but you'll get it,
plus work you clutch muscle....

take a big huge rubber band...

hold each end in your hands...place around your left foot

now move your leg/ankle like you are moving a clutch

oh it will feel sooo good and the performance of your driving will go through the roof!

my uncle once told me...

"Ian...drive a manual tranny like you drive a woman...smooth and easy, be real gentle...easy in....easy out...no jerking around, because they just don't like it..."

he is a wise wise man...not only is my driving better...but so is my dating life!

~E

 

The 3 series clutch is a little tough... the CLS clutch is a piece of cake. WTF is wrong with you people.

 

I hadn't driven a stick for a couple of years before getting my 6 speed. And even when I was driving sticks, my experience was limited to 4 cyl Hondas and a couple of Toyotas. I had no problem with the clutch in the CL. 4800 miles later and I haven't stalled it. I know I'm not a car driving genius so the original poster must just be an idiot.

 

Drive a car with a 6 puck racing clutch....you will never complain about the CL ever again.

 

I am seeing new names on this post that I have never seen before!

Who are all you people!?!?! :P

 

All I can say is that you guys out there need practice big time.
The CL-S Clutch is a lot smoother. Why I know, experience. I had a 97' Civic EX with a 5-speed when I was in highschool before I've gotten into a car accident (some old lady hit me) that civic's clutch was crappy until I up-grade it into a stage 2 neuspeed clutch, which had better engagement. Harsh but more reliable. CL-S clutch is really smooth compared to the civic I had. But in my point of view......it depends on the driver with the skills to operate the manual.

 

The clutch engagement/uptake in my 05 Accord V6 6MT
is the exactly the same as any CL-S. I've driven my
Accord extensively and test drive anything hot that
goes through my client's Acura store including several
CLs.

Once gearshifting becomes second nature, banging
off lightning fast upshifts, with tires barking will become
an illicit passion.

The best performance value of all mods I've done
on my car was my installation of a billet Nuespeed
short throw shifter (Comptech makes one too),
Corspeed solid metal shift cable
end bushings and GM's Synchromesh Friction-
Modified MT oil. I live out my Ayrton Senna driving
fantasy everytime I drive my car and frequently
go out of my way to extend my drive time.

All this for less than one hundred bucks.

Oh yeah, braided steel brake lines made a big
difference in brake modulation and feel and there's
probably even a kit for your car, mine were custom.

Another hundred bucks or so.

The UR u/d pully was a good performance value too.

About three hundred installed, as I recall.

I have an 04 TL-S rear sway bar too. Forty bucks
from Acura parts department. Made my cornering
much more nuetral even a little tail happy as
abrupt mid corner lift throttle oversteer is something
to be cautous of.

Have fun.

 

noobs............................4 year old post man!

 

lol....