darrinb

I've been wanting to learn how to drive a stick for a such a long time and finally got my chance yesterday. It was def a lot harder than i thought. My cousin and I went out in his 05 e46 m3 6 speed into an empty lot. I first attempted to get the car into 1st gear from a stop but i kept on stalling it and it took me a few times to get the car rolling into 1st. Once I get the car rolling though i am pretty good and shifting into 2nd then 3rd and so on.

Any one have any pointers for me on how to get the car going from a stop??? I know if i practice alot i could probably get it down but i dont want to break the clutch on the car.

But overall i did like rowing through the gears my self and i regret getting my cl-s in an auto, my next car will def have a clutch!!!

Sarlacc

congrats on learning....dont know that an M3 is the best car to learn on...haha.

its all about the tricks. once you master first its all pie.

tip: with the car in neutral slowly let the clutch out get it to the point where the car starts to shudder and almost stall out....you know know where the engagement point is...push the lutch pedal back down and agian and shift into 1st.

Now, get and hold the revs to 2rpms. smoothly let out the clutch remembering where the engagment point is...start making the clutch/gas transition.

It'll take some practice, but you'll get it and it will be come 2nd nature.

3.2cl-s

Darrin, it 2 weeks when you have mastered it........I see yourself going to your nearest dealer and buying the first manual transmission car they have there. I had my first auto (acura Cl) and it was so boring for those 3 years. I'm sticking to a stick.

ilitig8

If you can get it on an E46 M you can drive anything, it isn't the easiest modern clutch to get, once you do it is excellent for "work".

On flat ground you can start an M3 with NO throttle, try this a couple of times, letting the clutch out super slow, to get the engage points.

Just takes practice.

Vandy

Joe5.0

Imagine the clutch is like the brakes, just opposite action. Dont let it out fast, but also dont let it out too slowly. Being smooth and deliberate is the key. Realize that your feet are almost always doing the opposite motion of each other, so make smooth motions with both and it'll help. I have taught lots of people how to drive stick, and afterwards they always wanna trade their automatic for a manual. Next time we're at the track I'll take you for a couple passes so you can see the difference.

Remember to put it in neutral at stoplights, because always having the clutch pedal pushed in will prematurely wear out the throw-out bearing, and also its nice to give your feet a break.

NSX-Tuner

Congrats and keep up the good work...

Practice, practice, practice is the best advise... and a really good teacher helps...

The following should be done in a parking lot if possible:

Tip 1) Learn clutch engagement without using any gas.
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From a standing start... very slowly let the clutch out until car starts to roll... can continue to do so without giving it any gas... until clutch is fully engaged. Then give it a very slight amount of gas until revs are above lugging it... repeat this technique until you can do it without stalling or jerking car to a roll... This technique helps you learn the clutch engagement point and how fast the clutch can be let out without stalling engine...

Tip 2) Learn clutch engagement and gas peddle application.
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After getting the above technique mastered... again from a standing start, very slowly let the clutch out until the engine revs starts to stall, then apply a very slight amount of gas (just enough to get rpms back up but not too much) while you continue to very slowing let clutch out until fully engaged. This technique is close to real driving than the first one... but will help you learn when and how to smoothly slip the clutch and apply gas at the same time.

You should keep clutch slippage to a minimum and at the same time, keep the engine rpm up to prevent shuddering/lugging. You don't want to burn out a clutch before its time nor lug engine.

Tip 3) Learn how to start rolling on an incline (hill) from a stand-still.
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Using tips 1 and 2, you will need to incorporate the brake peddle and parking brake. With foot on brake peddle and parking brake on, start engine. Now put car in 1st gear and keep clutch in all the way. Then release parking brake button but keep parking brake engaged fully. Now slowly let clutch out as in Tip 1 until engine revs start to drop. Now hear's where it can be a little tricky; start applying a little gas (as in Tip 2)) while releasing the parking brake slowly. Keep this up until car starts to roll forward, until clutch is fully engaged and parking brake is fully disengaged. Once you feel comfortable doing this, try it on a really steep hill where it can be done safely. And please make sure the car has good brakes and parking brake.

Joe5.0

Yeah hardest part is take-off on a steep hill. I usually dont have to use the parking brake unless someone is RIGHT on my ass, and in that case I'll usually get out and yell at them fr being an asshole, and the use the parking brake so I dont roll backwards at all. It takes a good amount of practice (and fast feet) to take off from a stop on a hill without killing the clutch, while not rolling backwards at all.

I had a 5 speed loaner Ranger from the Ford dealer that I learned on.

Sarlacc

If you roll back a little and hit the car behind you, its their fault for being too close.

Anyway, I always love rolling back a bit, let the fockers behind me know i have a stick and need the room, specially all the tards here in la.

EPS CL

Good advice in this thread

Here's my question:
Once you let out the clutch and feel the car "grab" and then give a wee bit of gas, what do you do to get the car driving smoothly instead of jerking you back and forth like crazy?

Sarlacc

well, that the finesse part you have to learn

but every time you shift, specially if your doing a very fast or hard shift...your going to get the natural jerk. its just physics.

Crazy88

this is unrelated but man do i wish i had a 6 speed CL-S that would be sooo much fun

Joe5.0

I dont doubt thats true Sarlacc, but explain that to a cop. Basically its your word against their's, and you are the one who hit them, so the blame is on you. If you know how to drive it can be avoided, no matter how close they are.

I love freaking people out who tailgate me by downshifting into 2nd or 3rd and watching them slam on their brakes. Thats right bitch I can slow down like a muthafucker without brake lights. Of course I'd never actually let them hit me, but they get the point.

And EPS I'm not sure exactly what you are describing. Jerking back & forth like crazy is not something that happens in any car I have driven, unless you bog the engine, have major clutch chatter, or are experiencing wheelhop. All of which are usually operator error. You are always gonna have some "head toss" from a stop, and when shifting between gears due to the nature of it. You'd have to slip the clutch like crazy and be extremely soft with the throttle for the launch to be 100% smooth, but thats the recipe for a smoked clutch. I find ~ 2k rpm the best engine speed for a smooth takeoff in the CL-S. A small, but very quick amount of slip is needed to prevent bogging, and then a quick engagment is needed for it to feel like a smooth transition. I have been driving it for 1.5 yrs, and my gf still moves her head during shifts, but I know thats from the car having the stock suspension. I can see the front end drop when I push the clutch in between shifts.

Sarlacc

Yeah i do the same downshifting. But you dont have to explain it to a cop. they hit from behind. they rear ended you. Specially if you live in an at fault state. They hit you from behind..they were too close. Unless you know you rolled down the hill a couple feet and nailed them.

And the jerking EPS is talking about is when you up shift and you get "jerked" forward then back into your seat.

NSX-Tuner

No disrespect intended, but...

This is exactly how NOT to do it. The only thing this will accomplish is unnecessarily wearing out the clutch. There's no need to rev up engine before you begin to engage clutch.

Sarlacc

none taken.

well you gotta learn how to give it gas first so you dont bog down the engine.

Joe5.0

Yeah you dont want to start at 2k rpm until you know how to let the clutch out quickly without bogging and without too much slipping.

Sarlacc

ok bad advice...just trying to think of an easy way to get started.

NSX-Tuner

Agreed, but this is probably how most rookie stick drivers do it. I've been driving stick for over 35 years. I've found that the smoothest way (with the least wear on the clutch) is to start off the line (assuming I'm not racing someone) is to let the clutch get the car rolling first and as much as possible before applying a very small amount of gas. It's all in the timing of the foot work on the clutch and gas. The same technique can be used for both a slow launch as well as a swift launch.

When up-shifting, it a matter of timing the clutch engagement with the engine's rpm as it drops and then applying gas once the clutch is fully engaged. If done correctly, there will be no lurching foward or reving of engine and more importantly, no slipping of the clutch.

It all sounds easy enough but putting it into practice takes a while to learn as a second nature. After I bought my CLS 6MT, I had to refine my technique even more because the 6MT it has is a little more challenging to drive than most I've driven. Last Friday, I test drove an '05 NSX and found that it was easier to manage the clutch, gas and gear changes than in my CLS 6MT.

Sarlacc

Yeah different cars are all different stories.

I learned when I bought my 89 prelude...forced myself to learn....two weeks of pure hell. But I wanted a stick so I did it. And I've never looked back. driving stick is too damn fun.

Making the switch to the CL wasnt hard...very similar clutches. But my uncles boxster...very high engagement. 350Z vert i drove...same. STi...first time i ever drove one it was like I had never driven a stick before. The 6psd accord...more difficult...engagement is practically on the floor.

Different manuals require different finesse, but you figure them out soon enough.

Crazy88

I learned how to drive manual when i was 14 on a 76 Jeep CJ5, that thing is still easy as hell to drive, next car after that i drove was 1995 Carrera then an '00 Carrera. I once stalled the '00 in the middle of town, how embarassing. But after driving the Jeep and Carreras its like comparing apples and oranges. Porsche is just so crisp while the Jeep you barely need to worry about stalling.

F23A4

That's what I was thinking too. (BTW: IMHO, the best car to learn a stick on is a Hyundai Accent....they're very forgiving and shift nice.)

My wife taught me how to drive stick back in 93. (Dont laugh, I was born/raised in NYC...stick is a foreign thing to New Yorkers. ) After a few rough starts and once I got the hang of it (read: confidence), it became like second nature. I even borrowed my wife's cousin's Accent 5MT and showed my 14 y/o son how to drive.....although he already seemed to know how to drive stick and only stalled out twice in 90 minutes

Although all the cars I've had in the last several years have been auto, I still miss driving stick. Even driving my 02 Maxima can be pretty boring because its auto.....Man! I miss driving MT.

Zapata

2 lessons. Doesn't take long. I'm a huge proponent of "The Hill".


1. Park the car on an incline so it rolls back if you don' t have the brake depressed. Then your goal is to start the car moving forward without stalling. You'll roll back a little bit. Once you get that it's just learning the individual car.


2. Slow it down and be calm. Any jerky movements will translate to the cars movement.

3. BE CALM.......GO SLOW.

thealliance15

the only way u can learn is to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!! just go slowly with letting the clutch out and adding gas. itll get faster with practice. its not that hard once u get it going.

Edr0e

I learned to drive stick on a steep hill in an old rx7 turbo =) God I love rotaries.
(mountainview rd. side of 405 fwy @ Getty Center great place to practice!).

I practiced up a hill so that I could get used to the clutch and get faster in the transitions from gears ( less forgiving uphill ) . Also, practiced taking off from a stop on a steep hill ( actually came in handy when I stalled on the fwy in traffic uphill )

Just be patient when you drive, take your time to get things right, get a feel for the gears...

Its gonna seem like theres a donkey inside your trunk

2003type-s6

No way I'd let you learn on my car if I had a brand new M3,......but it's not mine. Drove my first stick @ 16, poor truck,.......it takes time. Practice practice, prob a high end car like an M3 is not the car to learn on. G-luck

darrinb

i dont think i fucked it up, just stalled it likt 5 times

GTRspeeder

instead of putting the car in neutral, cant you just hold the brake pedal down like a regular automatic car? if not, what happen if that was to be done? i never dove stick and i am also leaning

streetracing901

It'd be better to do it the other way....I learned in a Civic hatchback. The start off was always harder than shifting into other gears. But then again dropping the clutch in my friends rsx wasnt so hard... I drove a sti around town and didnt stall once!

synth19

learn on a honda.

Joe5.0

Sure you could, but you'd have to ALWAYS have the clutch pedal depressed when sitting at a light, because if youre in gear and not moving the car will stall unless you disengage the clutch. Trust me, the couple minutes of not having to do anything with your left leg is appreciated, especially in heavy traffic.

Plus, always depressing the clutch at lights will prematurely wear out the throw-out bearing, so it has a side benefit.

subtledreamer

good thread with good info.

my first stick session was on a 92 240sx. i believe my friend's clutch has been changed... he said its deeper than the stock one. so when i was releasing the clutch it just kept on releasing and seemed like minutes before i came to the engagaing point. 4 stalls until i learned it... i don't consider myself that bad

thealliance15

i learned also on my bmw, i find that the bmws are harder to drive standard. ( i dunno if it was because of 4wd) i have driven some friends cars (jetta, 240) and they are easy to drive. with the bmw i seem to always have to rev match from 1-2 where as older cars just seem to be easier to launch and change gears. i suggest u learn on a small econobox.

MemRheins

BMW"s prob one of the harder clutches out there to drive on....so good job...keep up the good work...Driving a stick is so much more fun

vishnus11

also kinda new to driving a stick...im alright...wont stall or anything around town, but not 100% confident. Of course, the only time I get to drive is when my friend brings his 01 Jetta so I guess its practive from hearon out.

I have a question: What does it mean to "blip" the engine on a downshift.