NT school me on driving Stick

[Platinum State]

Its simple to learn but takes practice. Here's a few pointers:
When shifting step on the clutch all the way & release about 2" slowly then all the way, repeat to shift again
When coming to a stop, put in neutral & just brake
Doesnt matter what gear you stop in
Always start in 1st gear
When going up a hill use the e-brake until you get the feel for the car then you dont need it. (clutch all the way in then quickly shift foot from brake to gas)

 

[waitwut]

Sometimes I'll be driving my truck and pretend I'm driving a stick.

yoo i be doing this too when i drive a car thats auto

its such a habit to put it in neutral and wiggle it before i stop aint tryna stall the auto fam

 

[ralphsody]

I can't remember about my 93 civic but my boys TC there's a sweet spot with the clutch where it'll grab gear and the car won't move backwards at all or stall. He was the same guy who sold me the civic and left it parked in from of his building in New York, I didn't know how to drive stick yet so I peeled out when I saw the car rolling back towards the car behind me and chirped second. Lol

 

[legreyfoxx]

:I remember when the car use to stall on me on a busy intersection I would be sweating buckets, mad nervous trying to get the car started again

No, if you come to a complete stop you have to start off on 1st. 1st is your gear to take off, if you try to come off a complete stop on 2nd or anything after that your car would stall. How many gears does your car have? Remember, you can also coast in 4th gear. My car is a five gear car and I use 4th to coast local streets and 5th for highways.

i have a 5 speed, and alright gotchu, that cleared up a lot i was just winging it the whole time. but today i noticed i would decelerate in 3rd and downshift to 2nd, i noticed i wasnt making complete stops. also how high do you usually rev to get off? i accidentally rev real high like around 4 to 5000 rpms to go especially on a inclined area.

 

[legreyfoxx]

I wanna know this too. You must've been driving hard to blow out your transmission like that..

forreal were you revving real high rpms when switching gears? did you do a burn out everytime you came off a stop

 

[legreyfoxx]

Here's how I do it


Once I take off I usually go to about 10mph(1500-2500rpm) before I shift into 2nd
2nd gear: 10-20mph(1500-3000rpm) 
3rd gear: 20-30mph(1500-3000rpm) 
4th gear: 30-40mph(1500-3000rpm)
5th gear: 50mph up

I hardly ever go over 3k rpm. 

As far as coming to a stop, no matter what gear I am in as soon as I get close enough I'll throw it in neutral and coast to the stop, if its a complete stop I start over with 1st gear. If I'm coasting to a light and it turns green before I get there (depending how fast you're going) I'll engage the clutch blip the gas enough and go into the gear I need to. 

Pro tip: Starting from an incline or a hill always scared me, but its actually simple if you do this trick. Pull up the e-brake, push down the clutch, throw it in first gear, start giving it some gas and once you feel some force like it wants to move slowly let the e-brake go down and you shouldn't roll back or stall. It takes a while to get it but once you master it it always works. 

Good luck 

what s a good range of rpms to downshift from? say im coming to a turn in 3rd, do i drop it to 2nd before hitting the actual turn? then drop it in first like when making the turn then pick back up from there?

 

[picasso swerve]

Neveerrrr downshift to 1st gear.

Just downshift to 2nd while the turn starts, brake easy, then play with the clutch and gas. You'll get it after a while.

Is this a bad way to start off in 1st...ive been driving stick since August but I feel I have plenty to learn. When im at a stop or in general when I start, ill let the clutch go maybe 2 inches, then I gas..hold the clutch at that point til I feel the car go a bit, then I balance the clutch (letting it go slowly) and giving it gas depending on how fast I want to go.

It works for me, and its how I taught a few buddies how to drive stick. The whole "just balance the clutch and gas" didnt work for me, nor them. When I got the tip to let it go 2 inches and "hold" it, I got it. Been driving that way ever since.

 

[Platinum State]

what s a good range of rpms to downshift from? say im coming to a turn in 3rd, do i drop it to 2nd before hitting the actual turn? then drop it in first like when making the turn then pick back up from there?

Yes drop to 2nd when making a turn, otherwise you come in too fast. Downshift at around 1500-1800 rpm.
Later on you wont even look at rpm's when shifting, you start listening to the engine. You'll know when to upshift/downshift when you listen to it.

 

[mynameismyname]

what s a good range of rpms to downshift from? say im coming to a turn in 3rd, do i drop it to 2nd before hitting the actual turn? then drop it in first like when making the turn then pick back up from there?

Around 1500-1800, but you have to get it right or else the car will jerk. 

Its whatever you want to do, I find it easier going into neutral and slowing down then bliping the gas and go into the gear I need to go into. 

The other way I'd do it is start to slow down in 3rd gear and once you get close to maybe 1200rpm engage the clutch and hold it while braking at the same time, throw it into second, go round the turn and once you're passed the turn let off on the clutch slowly until it catches all while in 2nd gear. 

Hopefully that makes some sense, kinda hard to explain in writing. 

 

[superblytrife]

To all those dudes who throw it in neutral when braking, I'd advise against doing that. Not because of any possible wear and tear, but because of safety. What happens if for some reason you're in a situation where you have to accelerate quickly and you're in neutral? Do you trust your reaction time to be able to quickly throw the car in the correct gear?

Personally, I think that when driving, you should always be in gear. When having to make split second decisions when an unforeseen obstacle or another driver's bad driving catches you off guard, those seconds count. Why stack the deck against keeping yourself safe by adding extra clutch/shift work where it's unnecessary?

 

[Sinner]

Lots of info in here... but here's my 2¢...

First off, like ^ stated, I wouldn't go into neutral when braking for the same reason... you never know when you might need to suddenly accelerate. 

Anyway... some random thoughts... when I first started, the way I learned where the bite-point was, in an empty parking lot and with my right foot off the brake & gas, I would slowly let the clutch out.  At some point you'll feel the car wanting to crawl forward... that's an indication that you're reaching the bite-point of your clutch.  Try to find the muscle-memory on where this bite-point is.  In normal driving situations, you'd be pressing on the gas, but for the initial stages of learning your bite-point, that's what I did.  I lived in Seattle (hilly) so it was important to know where the bite-point was!  Especially parallel parking on an incline!  

When turning on, say, a 90-degree corner, I use 2nd gear.  I only use 1st in full-stop situations or if you're going up a hill very slowly and if your revs are dropping too low.  

Normally, I look focus more on the revs... I usually keep it at around 2000-4000, depending on the situation, of course.  For normal, medium-speed roads, 3rd gear... and for highways... 4 & 5th.  Like another cat above said... later on, you'll be using your ears more, listening for the revs. 

We'll talk about match-rev, blipping, heel-toe, downshifting, etc once you feel more comfortable with driving a stick. 

 

[yeezusdisciple]

I know how to ride a motorcycle how hard would it be for me to learn driving stick? Most ppl tell me it should b easy for me

 

[HNL HI]

I know how to ride a motorcycle how hard would it be for me to learn driving stick? Most ppl tell me it should b easy for me

Easy bro, granted you know how to drive a car.

 

[legreyfoxx]

i made a turn in 3rd gear so i slowed down quite a bit, and after that turn is an immediate hill but not too high so i was gonna just go up it until it gained momentum back to the 3rd gear it started shaking a little so i threw it down in 2nd and it still shook a little bit, is this normal?? and i wasnt gonna try to go down to 1st as someone told me in here that i should never drop to 1st

 

[dropten]

i made a turn in 3rd gear so i slowed down quite a bit, and after that turn is an immediate hill but not too high so i was gonna just go up it until it gained momentum back to the 3rd gear it started shaking a little so i threw it down in 2nd and it still shook a little bit, is this normal?? and i wasnt gonna try to go down to 1st as someone told me in here that i should never drop to 1st

Well, if you're going up hill 1st gear isnt an issue especially if you just came out of a turn.

 

[picasso swerve]

i made a turn in 3rd gear so i slowed down quite a bit, and after that turn is an immediate hill but not too high so i was gonna just go up it until it gained momentum back to the 3rd gear it started shaking a little so i threw it down in 2nd and it still shook a little bit, is this normal?? and i wasnt gonna try to go down to 1st as someone told me in here that i should never drop to 1st

It shook cause its taking the engine a bit of effort to get you up (too low OR high of a gear).

You should have been fine in 3rd going up a slight hill, maybe you werent giving it enough gas? In any case, 2nd gear would have been fine as well. Assuming you made the turn without stopping first, I would have downshifted to 2nd, rode the brake a bit around the turn (no clutch at all in any of this) and then gassed it appropriately up the hill.

 

[legreyfoxx]

It shook cause its taking the engine a bit of effort to get you up (too low OR high of a gear).

You should have been fine in 3rd going up a slight hill, maybe you werent giving it enough gas? In any case, 2nd gear would have been fine as well. Assuming you made the turn without stopping first, I would have downshifted to 2nd, rode the brake a bit around the turn (no clutch at all in any of this) and then gassed it appropriately up the hill.

good looking out, i have a habit of pressing down the clutch too much cause i overthink things right now when i drive. but i feel like im getting better. has anyone ever switch up frequently between auto and manual? because i drive a auto to work which is like 30-40 mins and i drive my manual locally.

 

[freshpairs]

people actually coast in neutral and brake? thats wearing out the brakes. downshifting ftw

 

[putting in work]

people actually coast in neutral and brake? thats wearing out the brakes. downshifting ftw

What would you rather wear down your brake pads or your clutch?

You can easily replace your brake pads depending on the car as a DIY, but to replace your clutch as a DIY project is not that easy.

 

[and1play5]

My tips (been driving stick since I was 15, 25 now)
Don't be scared of hills- just play the with clutch, don't keep ur foot on it while giving gas
Im usually in 3rd for most driving, unless I wanna chill in 4th to coast
Once you find the true catch point of ur clutch, everything becomes easy

Other than that, not much else, just more fun driving

 

[freshpairs]

What would you rather wear down your brake pads or your clutch?

You can easily replace your brake pads depending on the car as a DIY, but to replace your clutch as a DIY project is not that easy.

thats all a myth have you or anyone you know replace a clutch for downshifting? I have a 95 and never had to replace a clutch.

 

[blastercombo]

Always double clutch, no granny shifting......

















"I almost had you!"

"You never had me....... You never had your car!"


Crowdoooooooooooooo...........

 

[Platinum State]

people actually coast in neutral and brake? thats wearing out the brakes. downshifting ftw

Im guilty of coasting. But I find it more convenient than downshifting

 

[legreyfoxx]

Im guilty of coasting. But I find it more convenient than downshifting

for a noob like me im sure i would ruin the clutch quicker than the brakes by downshifting, but i do downshift sometimes.

 

[hrtjccc]

I learned driving on a stick. When I got my first car I was like nah I don't want this automatic crap lemme do a transmission swap. Never happened cause I couldn't find the parts and the cost of a new car is probably less than a transmission swap. I want my next car to be a stick but I might forgot how to drive a stick already.