3.0_Acura_CL

Thats how it is around here most my friends only know how to drive automatic and only 2 know how to drive stick shift...alot of people i know only drive auto because they don't want to bother with having to change gears and blah blah. but I like it. I learned how to drive stick when i was 15

Evan528

Southernboy, I appreciate that. I learned to drive stick about a year and a half ago on my girlfriends s-2000 and had been driving that regularly. I am really enjoying having my own "fun car" now. The first couple weeks learning was rough but I had a good teacher. She has owed only Manual tranny cars for the last 20 years and refuses to own anything else.

I am pretty confident in my abilitys now. The only time I get a little nervous is when stopped at a red light on a steep hill with a car who insists on pulling up within a foot of my bumper..... I am sure within a week or so that wont even phase me anymore.

I went from owing a Lincoln Navigator to a Cayman S..... I feel like my ass is on the ground but I am enjoying every minute of it!


PS- I feel sorry for the poor sole who purchases her S-2000 she just traded in. I dont think I was to easy on that clutch during the learning process.

CL6

To become a guru you need to learn to change gears without the clutch.

incredulous1

im almost there. i can upshift without, but downshifting is harder.

wackura

If this doesn't scare away a potential customer of MT I don't know what will.

SouthernBoy

Shifting without using the clutch is something I've only done in emergency situations. I learned all of this stuff I talk about here on this site in my late teens and over the years I've just perfected it and learned more. I also learned how to shift without using a clutch (really, same principle) out of necessity.

In my late teens with my first car, the ball joint fitting at the end of the clutch cable which was fitted into the release fork, broke a few times. This meant no clutch. Once this happened when I was on a double date. It also meant I had to upshift and downshift without using the clutch. Not a fun evening.

Shifting without using the clutch is something I never recommend for obvious reasons. Even when done near perfect, there is still going to be a little difference in shaft speeds and therefore a little added wear to the edges of the dog teeth. Do yourself and more importantly, your transmission a favor and abstain from this practice. Just a suggestion.

Shoofin

Want to take advantage of everything driving a manual has to offer? You need one thing:


"The low-cut Prototipo is the first Touring shoe to use our new Evolution bottom unit. Tested by our top racing drivers at Le Mans in up-coming Race Professional styles, the patented Roll Control heel Evolution concept features dual-density heel cushioning with an internal midsole, Phylon heel clip and our heel-&-toe reinforced lateral side of the right shoe. The Prototipo is constructed of a combination of high-quality suede and mesh to give you all the fit and performance you have come to expect from Piloti."

Any of their shoes are awesome... www.piloti.com



What I'm wearing right now:


They give you the best feel of the pedals, allows you to shift the smoothest as a result, and with the slightly wider rubber on the right shoe, makes heel and toe'ing a lot easier, when trying to brake/gas for the throttle blip while downshifting

West6MT

I have been thinking about getting a pair for a while ^^

Costco

I have that exact pair (black/white/grey) and they're great. I wish they made a wide size though, the shoes themselves feel great for driving but they hurt my feet after a while.

subinf

Can you wear them just as you would with regular shoes?

AznX TL

i hear puma driving shoes are slightly better than piloti. but i don't know first hand since i do not own neither pairs.

Shoofin

Yes, they are like sneakers, and they are probably one of the most comfortable pair of shoes/sneakers I own! The right show is an eeeentsy weeeentsy pinch wider, not noticeable unless someone is staring at both shoes. Take a look:



Look on the side of the right shoe, you see a little bit of the orange trimming? thats how much wider it is...not much. The left side also has the orange trimming, it just doesn't stick out as much as the right shoe.

agranado

Yeah.. to answer the OP's question.

Dr. Colorado

Hey shoofin and SB, you guys have any good info on heel-toe shifting? I've started practicing on my 911 but i feel that the stock accelerator and brake pedals are spaced too far apart. FYI, i have size 11 feet and drive with pumas. Apparently, porsche makes pedals better suited for proper heel-toe shifting. I'm had slightly more success with the traditional technique than the "rolling" method.

SouthernBoy

While I can heel and toe only because I know the steps, I am no expert at it since I never do it. I am definitely not the person to help you with this.. another one of our experienced members I'm sure will step in and give some advice with your questions.

Costco

Hmm.... hard to heel toe in a 997? I thought Porsche was good with that sort of thing.... at least from what I can recall the pedal placement in a 944 was good. I remember seeing a website that sold Porsche parts where they sell pedals that you can drill into the stock pedal bases that make heel toeing easier. I don't recommend the stick-on/clip-on pedals. Too much give and they slip.

As far as heel toeing, its not so much the heel and the toe. For me, I have my right foot on the brake pedal, then I pivot on the inside ball of my right foot and blip the throttle with the right side of my foot. I have no problem doing it in my car though, but better pedals would help. To make matters worse, my car's drivetrain tunnel is really wide to accommodate the big ass transmission. I'm only a 9.5 shoe size but sometimes my foot gets caught.

Try www.srpracing.com. At least for my car, the gas pedal is wider so that your foot can catch the gas a little easier.

Stock pedal assembly:



SRP pedals (note the gas pedal which sticks out a bit more to the left):

Costco

I've always liked how Best Motoring has an in-car camera for the pedals. About 1:30 in, they show the in-car view of the pedals. Watch and learn from the pros:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AvGj...eature=related

Shoofin

It feels different in every car. My technique is a little different than the way it's shown in the vid that Costco posted. All I can say is practice practice practice...On another note, I did find Porsches to be a little more challenging to drive smooth, though. Maybe because I don't drive one every day, who knows...

West6MT

I have a pair of Pumas, and they are nice. I used them when I went to a half day racing school thing a number of years back, and they were awesome. I never wear them though cause I am so used to my everyday shoes for driving. I have never worn Pilotis so I cant compare, but I am sure they are great like the pumas.

Dr. Colorado

Do you mean outside right foot? Like rolling your right foot outward so that the lateral foot is on the throttle? That's what i refer to as the rolling technique in contradistinction to the traditional technique where the right foot is at an angle with the toes at 10 o'clock or so on the brake and the heel is at 4 o'clock on the throttle. Werd on the upgraded pedals. A salesman at the dealership mentioned that the stock setup made heel-toe driving somewhat problematic and that an optional upgraded set was available through porsche. I'll research it more but thanks for the good advice

Costco

I do the "rolling" technique because I find it easier to modulate braking that way and it feels more natural. When I heel toe I start braking as I normally do... then I keep my foot on the brake and then I pivot on the inside ball of my foot (the knuckle of my big toe) and I twist my ankle and blip the throttle. Sorry if I worded it confusingly.... yes, the actual pivot point itself is the left side of my right foot.

Ultimately my right foot ends up with my toes at 10 and my heel at 4. Just find whatever works for you. Its good fun, though sometimes people who don't know how you drive or what you're doing will say "what and why are you doing that?"

Seems like you already got the gist of it though. Practice, practice, practice.

Dr. Colorado

^Kewl. Still doing paperwork at the office but hopefully will take the 911 out for a spin later.

CL6

The driving shoes might work but they look really :ghey: outside of the car.

When my VW Bus clutch went out I learned to drive without it until I could make it to the shop. That was interesting. The CL is pretty easy to drive without the clutch but downshifting does pose some more challenges.