I just tried that in my car. I can't put the heel on the floor and step on the clutch and release consistantly. Stepping on the first time is ok although my foot is not big enough to push it down all the way not moving the heel forward. but then when you release the clutch with the heel on the floor the pedal moves to the middle of your foot, besides I had to drag my heel back, so if I want to step on it again I have to replace my foot to do that. If the clutch goes down very short distance or you have huge foot myabe that's possilble... well, not me on this car.

 

As a rule of thumb, no. But there are definitely situations where use of the handbrake will make the difference between a smooth exit and a very messy one, burned clutch, or worse. I'm talking about starting from a dead stop on a very steep incline, or a lesser incline where high precision and or minimal rollback is required (the dummy behind you on the hill is 1/2 inch off your rear bumper).

You put on the handbrake to hold you on the hill, shift to 1st, gradually engage the clutch until you feel the weight ease off of the brakes and feel that the brakes are hindering your forward progress rather than halting a rearward roll. Then release the handbrake as you apply more power and fully release the clutch. Anyone who drives stick should have this in their bag of tricks.

 

using the left ankle for clutch control is definitely easier, and perhaps more precise. but when you get better and better at shifting, you tend to use the clutch less/faster so its ideal to not have the ankle resting at all... or so goes my experience. i admit though that on some mornings i just feather the clutch out while tapping the gas to get it going, cuz i'm just that lazy in the morning. to each his own i guess, and if you can get it moving nice and smooth, why not ride the clutch a little? i know i do this sometimes out of curtesy when i have lady friends in the car, or whiny girly men.

on parking anywhere, use first if you're facing uphill, reverse if you're facing downhill. turn the wheels so that they point into the road when facing uphill, and into the curb when facing downhill, so that if by some miracle your car moves it'll hit the curb and not the car in front/back of you. and make this a habit, using 1st/reverse when parking is essential, even on level ground, you never know whats going to happen.

 

When parked, everyone here says leave the car in gear. Why not just put the parking brake on? (except for parking on inclines).

 

Can the flood if you staled while the engine is still cold?

 

Yes fish. You can easlily flood the car if you stall it.
Happens to people all the time. Stall = tow truck.


http://www.standardshift.com/videos.html
http://www.10w40.com/individual/100186.asp

All you need are these 2 websites. Enjoy.

 

Two thoughts...

1) Always park in gear and use first or reverse depending on the incline. First for an uphill park and reverse for downhill. In other words, the opposite of the way the car wants to roll.

2) When downshifting you’re either wanting to help brake, or to drop gears for more power to accelerate. For braking, use the clutch along with the brake to speed deceleration and to setup for the next maneuver (i.e. dropping to second to accelerate out of a turn). For dropping gears to get more pickup, try and keep the gas pedal in exactly the same position as it was when cruising; the engine will rev up when you depress the clutch and you’ll find that you are in almost the ideal spot for the higher engine speed needed for the lower gear. Then punch it and smile.
:D

 

Why is it bad to drive with your hand on the stick? My brother specifically told me to do that because you can shift at a moment's notice. Is there something bad about doing this? Since he told me that, I've been driving w/my hand on the stick at all times and I shift much more consistantly now than I ever did before.

 

Zoom44 and Nubo the handbrake part was meant as a general rule.
If you need to for safety, use whatever you can. Learn the method without handbrake, its cooler and taxes the brake cables less.
As regards the heel on the floor part I will try to note what I do next time.
I have also been taught to use 1st or reverse gear for parking. Its a defence in depth mechanism along with handbrake.

 

Some of you have really big feet. Left heel stationary? Never heard or saw anyone do this. I'd only get the clutch half way down without moving my heel forward.

Now the right heel, that's a different story. For casual driving I almost never move my right heel.

 

That's not true. I spent a whole week stalling my car cold and it did not flood one time. Stalling cold does not guarantee you'll flood the engine.

There is a possiblity, but I believe the flooding is much more likely to occur when you shut down (or stall) when cold and then let the car sit for a while.

As far as MT and stuff goes - here's my several cents-worth:

*) Never rest your foot on the clutch. If you're not changing gears or taking off, your foot should be OFF the pedal completely. I know many folks who drive around with their foot resting on the clutch pedal - this takes up the free play in the system and can prematurely wear the clutch or the throwout bearing.

*) Learn how to use the handbrake for helping with hill-starts as has been mentioned in other replies. In Australia (where I'm originally from) this is a mandatory skill to learn to pass your driving test.

*) Dont just use 1st or reverse when parking - always use the handbrake. Rotary engines are much easier to turn over than piston engines, so the engine (even in first gear) alone will not be enough to stop you rolling when on even a moderate grade.

*) The rotary is a high revving engine - take advantage of it! When accellerating, I usually dont shift until somewhere north of 5000 rpms when driving moderately, and much higher when having fun. Cruising around at less than 3k RPMs can be a bit of a drag so I try to be in a gear such that the engine is running over 3k RPMs for the most part (unless I'm coming to a stop, etc.)

*) Given that the box is a 6-speed, usually there are about 3 gears you could potentially be in for any given speed. Say for example you're going 60mph. You could be in 5th gear and just cruising along nicely, you could be in 4th gear for a bit of extra pep for acceleration, or you could be in 3rd gear just getting into the fun-zone for good acceleration when going around someone. I often skip a gear on a downshift when I want to get going in a hurry, eg from 5th to 3rd or 6th to 4th.

.. I think that's all I got off the top of my head .. enjoy your ride!

Simon.

 

I have always heard that that is bad for the syncros. If you restrict the sticks natual wobble that is not good and wears the syncros.

Maybe as long as you dont hold it and restrict the movement?

Can someone confrim or deny this?

 

I don't know about physical wear (its not likely - the synchros aren't a factor once you are in gear), but having come through several performance driving schools, I can tell you that the instructors will always tell you to keep two hands on the wheel and reach for a gear when you need one.
Watch the in-cabin videos of pro drivers - that is how they do it.
If it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me.

Just to add to the clutch advise:

Learn to pick an RPM for a dead first-gear start (you can change that RPM for each start depending on how fast you want to scoot off) and hold that RPM as you let out the clutch.
The idea is to have the RPM stay constant until the clutch is completely engaged.
Of course, in the real world this will vary, but adhering to that principle will yield the smoothest starts, even if they are intended to be abrupt ones.
I, for one, would have a hard time telling you at what RPM I shift.
It is all by feel, though when I am slamming it (which is most of the time) I wait for the beep.

 

agreed

 

yup, that's what I was saying.

 

Dustin is a troll. He's also about to get banned- don't bother replying to anything he says, because he can't and won't back anything up. Check out all the posts he's made on the forum- he's NEVER once said anything nice, and never once been able to back up anything he's posted. He makes posts with the semblance of being helpful, but then adds something barbed and nasty into it. Luckily for us, he's doing everything he can to hang himself.

 

Thanks for the replies!

I want for a little midnight spin and i didnt stall or jerk out once

The best advice i got was to forget looking at the RPMs and just feel the car. I found that keeping my heel planted in first when releasing the clutch was the easiest and smoothest method. All the other gears i kept my heel off the floor.

I also found that the faster i threw the stick the smoother the transitions were.

Needless to say when i stepped out the car i had a big grin on my ugly mug.

I cant wait till the breakin period is over. I havent gone over 4,500RPMs and ive been keeping it at around 3-4.

Thanks again

 

A troll because someone asked if he could flood the car by stalling it...and my girlfriend and MYSELF have flooed her Britney Spears mobile by doing this....along with many others.
Of course its not "guarenteed" but it can happen easily.

Nice board. Someone asks a question and you answer. I guess thats why this board is a joke on all the other car forumns.
Mods like you.

 

Nice. So you can't back up your statements, you refuse to reply to anything I post until you can find a reason to attack me, and now you're playing it out like YOU'RE the poor abused innocent. Not any longer. And if anyone has any doubts, go search all of his posts, and judge for yourself.

Sorry for the thread hijack. Anyone want to discuss this further, pm me.

 

Resting your hand on the shifter induce extra wear on the gear, the sychros, and the teeth on the gear selector. By resting your hand on the shifter, you are pushing the teeth and the synchros cones further INTO the gear and therefore produces extra friction in the transfer of energy. Over a long time, you WILL induce extra non necessary wear to the drivetrain. If you go to www.howstuffworks.com and look at their animations of how the Gear selector work and how the Synchros work, you will know exactly what I mean.

Therefore, don't try look cool and drive with one hand one the stick and your seat back all way gangster style. You'll like a complete idiot to the real drivers. The real profs drives with both hands on the 10 and 2 position on the wheel with the seat move straight and close to the wheel.

 

Well I guess I'll stop that then, lol.

 

dustin4u: you drive the Britney Spears rx8?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHA

 

whats a britney spears rx 8 some 1 gimme a pic plz

 

I just took the Skip Barber performance driving class last month. They say to keep the hands at 9 and 3. Reason? At 10 and 2, your arms are in the way of the airbag and will probably be broken if the airbag deploys.

They also use a method of steering called shuffle steering where you never cross your hands. Your left hand is always on the left side of the steering wheel, the right hand is on the right side. It actually feels natural once you begin doing it, though it is difficult to do in low speed parking lot situations. Google "shuffle steering" if you want more information.

And yes, they tell you to shift and immediately move your hand back to the steering wheel.

 

Ban me? Really hard to get a new IP and e-mail address.

Yes its a Britney Spears mobile...not mine, ALL RX-8's.
Thats what RX-8's are called on all the other forums....Britney Spears girl car...thats what it is. Its a chick mobile like a Z3, Miata, Mustang ETC. You see one and you expect a girl to be driven it.

Hurry and ban this account so i can get a new one, and you will never know its me.
Thanks

Great mods here, what a joke./