How To Drive a Manual Transmission?

[Jelly]

At least in a synchronized automotive application...

Granted, different cars and trucks with different engines will drive differently, but in general...

How do you take off from a stoplight? Gradually push-in on throttle while slowing letting of clutch? Get off clutch very fast?

How do you launch a car when trying to take off fast? When you rev up, and "dump the clutch", do you let off very fast, or more slowly?

When going down the road, let off quick or slow?

 

[drive it forever]

My best advice is teach yourself-but have a friend help you out on your first drive. I dont think you can read a book on how to drive a car with a stick. You need to develop a feel in which in time you will understand how to drive a manual transmission equipped car. Anymore in todays age, most people who buy cars with manual transmission's tend to like to drive, and it is fun if you are an aggressive driver to drive a stick over an automatic.

 

[Jelly]

I drive a stick and love it!

Just curious as to what the "proper" way is to shift...

 

[Arup]

Everything about manual shifting is related to feel, there should be no judder or very little if any. You have to go by your ears as well, your engine gives a lot of feedback with the way it sounds, for extended life, never let it lug at any cost, I still am amazed at lots of people starting their low torque, high revving engines in second gear when they are not aware of the damage they are doing. When taking off, as soon as you can get some motion, release the clutch fully. My clutches usually last over 200,000 miles like this, imagine how long yours would last considering that the traffic conditions in India is horrendous.

The other bad practice which sadly is quite common is the atrocious practice of over revving the engine and then releasing the clutch abruptly, this does tremendous damage to the flywheel as well as burns out the clutch liners as well as doing irreversible damage to the pressure plate.

 

[OffOrWFO]

Jelly it really depends on what your driving. Please note that I know little about anything smaller than a V-8 power vehicle.

If you want to make your clutch last as long as you can you should use the least amount of throttle and lowest gear possible. Try to get the clutch out all the way before you add any throttle. Use just enough throttle to keep the engine from dying. After the clutch is fully engaged, then get into the fuel. The less time and hp/tq it takes to engage the clutch and get the car moving the less wear.

When your going down the road you should have the engine rpms such that nothing happens when you let the clutch out- slow or fast. This takes practice. I hope you understand my ramblings.

If your trying to leave hard then clutch wear goes out the door. Bring the RPMs up so that the engine is in it's powerband. Maybe 2500 for a V8 or higher for a smaller car. Vehicle weight and gearing/gear selected makes a difference. Put your left heal on the brake and the left toe on the throttle. Use the brake to hold the car in place and let out on the clutch till it starts to engage slightly. Linelocks are great for holding the car in place and makes the foot work easier while launching. You need to load the drivetrain/gears/driveshaft/suspension to take the slack out of everything. If you just dump the clutch with no load on the drivetrain you can break parts because all the slack gets a "running start at the diff." I have seen several spider gears and pinions blow out the bottom of a diff when people dump the clutch. Don't start to engage the clutch until seconds before the light turns or you will cause undo wear on the clutch. I wouldn't use this race method very often unless you don't mind spending money or have an aftermarket clutch.

Jelly if I remember right you have a 4.0l jeep right? Trucks with soft leaf springs are especially important to when it come to loading the drivetrain because the transfer box and leaf springs create a lot of slack. When leaving hard just let the clutch out as fast as you can with killing the engine while using as much power as your comfortable with. Don't beat on it too hard or you'll break it.

Its funny, I use my clutch very carefully on a regular basis so that I can abuse it when some smart kid with a far* pipe needs his but handed to him

[ October 16, 2004, 05:57 AM: Message edited by: OffOrWFO ]

 

[tdi-rick]

Yep, nice manual gear changing is all about feel.

Further to what OffOrWFO says, waaaaay back when I was involved in racing Formula Fords (1600cc, 4cyl, 110BHP, 495kg/1090lbs including driver), the best standing starts were achieved by loading the engine to 4900-5500 RPM (depending on track surface and temperature) and side stepping the clutch.
It achieved just the right amount of wheelspin/forward motion. I coached a couple of drivers on this style of starting, as they were used to starting high powered road cars where throttle feathering/clutch 'walking' was needed for the best getaway.
Yes, it occaisonally tore a clutch face clean off the driven plate. That's why I always insisted on them being bonded, not just riveted.
These cars used a 'dog' box and straight cut gears (no synchros) and I usually only used the clutch for starting and stopping.

To take your gear changing to the next level, you should probably master heel and toe downchanges, where you blip the throttle in neutral with the side of your foot on the down change when braking to match engine revs to road speed.
This, when the revs are matched properly, eliminates the back (or front) wheels snatching when dropping the clutch on the down change which unsettles the car badly under braking.
It also sounds bloody good when done nicely.

The next step is to master double de-clutching on the down change, combined with heel and toeing. This is very useful when a car has dodgy synchros, and usually results in a much faster downchange, with the shift feeling like a hot knife through butter, regardless of how 'fast' a gearboxes synchros are, as you are performing the synchros job for them.

As the clutch is engaged, and the gear stick moved from the higher gear, the clutch is slightly disengaged as the lever passes through neutral, and the throttle blipped with the side of the foot to match the revs with what they would be in the lower gear, then re-engaged as the lever slides into the lower gear.
When mastered, this is performed almost as fast as you can move the gear lever, often with the clutch being barely used.

Have fun.

 

[TallPaul]

I've been driving a stick for 27 years, but all were F150s. Each time I get a new used F150 I have to get used to shifting it. Once someone let me drive their little foreign manual transmission car and it was not easy to drive at first. Each one is different. But all are fun when working properly.

As for proper shifting, in general the take off is the toughest part. If you can roll out with a minimum of rpms yet not bucking or lugging, that is about the best it gets. Of course that is general driving. Hot rodding is a whole different matter.