Newbie guide for Manual Transmissions

[Tastycakes]

Updated the main page for ppl that dont know how to drive stick yet w/ this info plus some other edits.
Thanks for the input, i'm trying to get this as helpful as possible for new guys.

[Tastycakes]

blahh

[Tom1222]

You guys not only are confusing first time stick shift drivers but also make it sound more complicated than it actually is. You are not driving a 1949 Willy's Jeep and the transmission isn't as fragile as you make it sound. I have driven anything from a 3 speed column shifter to a 6 speed Zo6 and some of the cars I have owned over 178,000 miles and never replaced the tranny or the clutch and not once I rev matched or doubleclutched any of them.
Rev matching may be a great thing but it's not the end of all shifting techniques. If you like doing it than please continue to do so but don't tell people they have to or their tranny is going to explode

Use common sense people and you will be fine. Don't overthink driving a stick. It will come to you.

[radiocontrolhead]

Originally Posted by Tom1222

You guys not only are confusing first time stick shift drivers but also make it sound more complicated than it actually is. You are not driving a 1949 Willy's Jeep and the transmission isn't as fragile as you make it sound. I have driven anything from a 3 speed column shifter to a 6 speed Zo6 and some of the cars I have owned over 178,000 miles and never replaced the tranny or the clutch and not once I rev matched or doubleclutched any of them.
Rev matching may be a great thing but it's not the end of all shifting techniques. If you like doing it than please continue to do so but don't tell people they have to or their tranny is going to explode

Use common sense people and you will be fine. Don't overthink driving a stick. It will come to you.

I'm curious to know where you found this information about double clutching is a must. No where in 5 pages have I seen that. I may be blind. However, I did read that double clutching makes for a smoother ride.

[dextor]

Originally Posted by radiocontrolhead

I did read that double clutching makes for a smoother ride.

Really? Rev-matching is for a smoother ride, double-clutching is for old manual cars. Some people still double-clutch because it creates less wear on synchros, but I never do it because I believe Honda makes quality synchros that'll last a while.

[Tom1222]

Originally Posted by radiocontrolhead

I'm curious to know where you found this information about double clutching is a must. No where in 5 pages have I seen that. I may be blind. However, I did read that double clutching makes for a smoother ride.

Good Question. I never said anything about Doubleclutching being a must or that it makes for a smoother ride? Better use your new and improved readers

[Tastycakes]

I was just trying to stress rev matching for skipping major gears. Most ppl dont know how to rev match and if you go right from 2nd and slap it into 6th or just pop it into 2nd to down shift from 6th its gonna be hell on the syncros.

And if you combine power shifting and speed shifting and improper down shifting w/ 2nd and 3rd they're gonna blow, its just that simple. I dont care what anyone says, going straight from 5th/6th to 2nd is improper shifting.

[Tom1222]

Why not slow down first and then downshift to the next lowest gear?
When I come off the highway I may downshift from 6th to 4th but never into 3rd or 2nd until the car had time to slow down some.
Why would anyone downshift from a highspeed cruise in 6th into 2nd? That just would be stupid and wouldn't be very healthy on the tranny

Normal shifting isn't hard, just use common sense and don't drive a like a moron

[Tastycakes]

Originally Posted by Tom1222

Why would anyone downshift from a highspeed cruise in 6th into 2nd? That just would be stupid and wouldn't be very healthy on the tranny

That is why we have the rev match Youv never been stuck behind a slow poke, doin 40 mph in 5th/6th, wanna pass him, go to 3rd and youll bog @ 40 mph and probably hit some on comming traffic And if you slap it into 2nd (which you agreed w/ me btw ) its bad on the tranny.

Well you kinda need to drop it to almost the lowest gear possible if you want any power in this car. I'm just talking about the extremes to make a point. If you go 2 gears its not really a big problem (2nd to 4th, 5th to 3rd) but for the big ones yea really need to rev match. Even when i'm tired and in a lazy mood i do a 1st to 4th on side street stop signs w/o rev matching.

And youve never pulled out into traffic and redlined 2nd to get to 50 mph quick so someone doest rear end you and went right to 5th or 6th?

[Tom1222]

I usually try to avoid going from 2nd to 5th or 6th Not much accellerating going on there

[schield]

My Si was my first manual, and I didn't think I was doing rev-matching correctly and I was right. I kept the clutch pedal in while trying to rev-match. oops. I've only driven about 80 city miles on it so far, but i've got everything down except for rev-matching. Once i'm back home from college in a week i'll try to get the rev-match down. I suppose manual quads and bikes have helped me quite a bit in picking up a manual quickly. Thanks for the post!

[Yodums]

Originally Posted by schield

My Si was my first manual, and I didn't think I was doing rev-matching correctly and I was right. I kept the clutch pedal in while trying to rev-match. oops. I've only driven about 80 city miles on it so far, but i've got everything down except for rev-matching. Once i'm back home from college in a week i'll try to get the rev-match down. I suppose manual quads and bikes have helped me quite a bit in picking up a manual quickly. Thanks for the post!

You can just single clutch rev-match. In other words, you don't have to double release and release or disengage the clutch when blipping the throttle. Disengaging (letting go) the clutch will just reduce the wear on the synchros. You can do either. I do single because I can and I'm lazy!

[Si_Chick]

Originally Posted by WhiteSicivic06

Some really good advice there for people wanting to know basics of manual trannys! I think females should read and re-read the part about riding the clutch and resting their feet there!

wtf? I bet I drive better than you

[fairladyz_gt-r]

^+1...my girl friend use to drive E39 M5

[sonej4]

Originally Posted by Si_Chick

wtf? I bet I drive better than you

[Omes]

Originally Posted by Yodums

You can just single clutch rev-match. In other words, you don't have to double release and release or disengage the clutch when blipping the throttle. Disengaging (letting go) the clutch will just reduce the wear on the synchros. You can do either. I do single because I can and I'm lazy!

Yep, double-clutching is only necessary for reducing wear and tear on your synchros or, in dog box transmissions, necessary in order to get the car into gear (since it completely lacks synchros)

Rev-matching while your foot is on the pedal is ok as long as you aren't dropping down too many gears and forcing the synchros to work overtime (2000RPM -> 6000RPM or something like that). It does save wear and tear on the clutch and your engine if you rev-match correctly though. You'll also be a smoother driver without having to ride the clutch a bit on downshifts.

[Tastycakes]

2 month Bump

Wow, feels like i wrote this yesterday

[ronin]

Good guide. Thank you for the write up.

[nayilsi]

Can you ride the clutch while having it completely pressed ?


in edmunds.com

Myth #1: It's OK to constantly "ride" the clutch.
If there's a philosophical way to think about how to treat your clutch, this could be it: Whenever the clutch pedal isn't all the way up or all the way down, you're putting wear on your clutch. Picture a big red light mounted on your dashboard. Whenever the clutch pedal isn't fully depressed or fully released the light is on, and your goal is to keep the light off.

[Quantum]

edit: oh nevermind I figured out what you were talking about.