zlaxman

iTrader: (4)

first of all i didntknow where else to put this...

i just started driving stick...lets just say i suck at it. that is really an understatment though. i know nobody is good at first but i am not really getting better. i can shift from gear to gear alright i just cant start. am i doing something wrong? when i start i have it in first with the clutch all the way down. as i release the clutch i wait for the rpms to start dropping and when they drop a little i give it gas until the clutch is fully released. i almost always stall...and not just a simple stall, its a violent thrashing car seizure feel like its going to die stall. what could i be doing wrong. the only way i can start is if i gun it and do a small burnout and release the clutch quickly....i know this is wrong but its the only way i can seem to do it...any ideas?

btw: car=new mazdaspeed protege.

chronohunter

iTrader: (1)

Step one: practice starting on level ground without using the gas as first. You need to develop a feel for the engagement point first and the rate of release of the clutch. You can do a perfect start without the gas (it will be slow though). After you have mastered that try (step two) sitting there blipping the gas to about 13-1600rpms and holding it there. Now you need to combine the two (step three) for the perfect smooth no wear launch. The problem you have that is causing the bucking is that when you feed in the gas at the engagement point you are then releasing the clutch too quickly. You need the same basic slow release you did with the no-gas starts! In other words you must release the clutch slower than you add gas, this feels uncoordinated at first because your feet work at different rates. Good luck! you willl get it!

zlaxman

iTrader: (4)

how do you do the start without the gas...whenever id ont give it enough or an y gas i stall like crazy.

chronohunter

iTrader: (1)

That's because you let the clutch out too fast...read the whole thing! go practice you will see

SharkyM3

When I was first learning how to drive a manual... i was told to think of the gas and clutch as a see-saw. You have to balance both pedals.
Another thing I did to help, was going on a hill, and trying to hold the car in place without moving forward or backward, using only gas and clutch.

nobuyuki

i vaguely remember learning stick...
getting the car going, especially on uphills was the hardest part...

perhaps if you don't mind wasting gasoline...
you could *gently* apply the gas to about ~1500RPM
then *slowly and gently* release the clutch pedal.

Just a suggestion
but, of course, chronohunter's suggestion is much better and should help you learn the proper technique.

jomagi

This is great advice. I wish someone had told me this when I was learning.

The trick is to let out the clutch slowly on flat road. As the clutch starts to engage, your car will begin to roll forward. If you do it slowly enough, you can let the clutch all the way out, without applying the throttle, and you won't stall.

Mister2zx3

AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS. that is a guaranteed way to burn up a clutch! clutch should be in or out, learning by slowly letting off the clutch is fine for learning, and as you improve you'll learn to either have the clutch in or out. only a very small few cases do you want to ride the clutch - drag launch with .10s worht of slip to build boost - holding the car still with the handbrake goign uphill.

but for learning - go slow like has been mentioned but as you improve your feeling and understanding of the clutch/shifting work towards either being off or on. in between is what cuases wear and failure. but don't worry about while learning, since liek was mentioned you should be learning using little to no gas.

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

Chronohunter's post is literally how my dad taught me how to drive a stick. That combined with buying a manual had me learning very quickly. Sure, I still stalled a couple of times in traffic, but dad's advice and survival instinct had me learning quick, and now I get compliments that I shift almost as smooth as an auto. Read his post very carefully and try this on a flat, seldom used road or parking lot, and you will feel like you know your clutch better than your best friend in about a week.

Thoe99

iTrader: (25)

Man, that is so wrong. Applying the gas and releasing the clutch is not inversely proportional to each other at all. You don't wanna floor the gas at the top of releasing the clutch pedal, do you? at least not in the Evo.

-FuknFast-

I learned how to drive stick when i was 12 or 13. I remember i used to steal my dad's truck and pick up my homies and cruise. That's how i learned how to drive stick! But honestly listen to chronohunter because he ain't lying. Take his advice and practice on it.

I personally think that u shouldn't release the clutch and watch the rpm's drop then gas it. U should do it simutaneously without having the rpms drop below idle. People don't do it on purpose. They do it on accident when they release the clutch too fast.

Another way to recover from stalling is to clutch it down again and if needed give it a little gas. Hold the clutch and start the gas-clutch balancing all over again. You could keep your car from stalling by doing this.

Anyone could shift and go fast with stick. The hard part is going slow. Starting from a complete stop and accelerating smoothly. Minimum clutch wear or tire burnings.

You'll get used to driving stick, it may take some time but you'll learn all the advatages of it along the way.

Good luck
Jack Boyer