im still learning how to drive and my second time driving i mustve stalled 10 times. Im scared that im really hurting the car.

when ur car stalls, what messes up? is it the transmission?clutch?both?

anyone know?

also, anyone got tips on getting into 1st gear that maybe im not doing?

 

I think with the lower torque values of the car, it is much easier to stall the car.
I have driven a manual transmission for almost 20 years and this is my first rotary. You definately have to get the rpm's slightly higher than idle to keep from stalling. With most piston engines you can get away with slowly letting out the clutch to get going.

 

I think Magnesium is right, just give it a little more gas and get the revs up a little more before letting out the clutch. Either that of you're dumping the clutch and not finding the release point very well. Go find a parking lot and just stop and let the clutch out several times til you fell the clutch start to engage the deprese the clutch and rinse and repeat several times. After doing that you should have a much better feel for where the release point is on the car and when to give it gas. Then after you think you have that down try reving it up a bit (not to much at foirst, maybe 5k max) and finding that release point again and then releasing the clutch a little more swiftly once you get close to that release point. I doubt there is anything messing up your car other than the driver :D


Ike

 

you know not to disagree with mag or ike cause they know their stuff but during the 600 mile break in i find myself easing into first gear with no stalling at all. but ike as you said i wait for the clutch to engage. it's a timing/experience thing i guess. :D

 

I stalled mine twice the first week I got it and I've been driving manual since I got my licence (years ago)... it's just a matter adjusting your driving style to suit your new car.

If you stall it, make sure you turn the ignition to off before trying to start again. If you don't and try to start many times, the car may go into limp home mode. (This info was on a quick start guide I received in my kit from Mazda a few weeks after I got the car -- I don't recall reading this in the manual).

 

Must admit, I didn't have any such problem on my test drive... I've been driving since I was 17, (now 29) and probably owned automatics for about a year in total our of that time.

Since I planned to buy a V8 4x4 and an RX-8 to cover different situations... and since the RX-8 has been delayed rather a lot here, I have beed driving a big V8 for 18 months... I got in the RX8, and drove it off the lot, didn't really have to think about the clutch or stalling it until I had to reverse (up a slight incline) it back into the tight space it came from in between the other NEW CARS... with what seemed like 50 people crowded round the car! I got the impression it was about to start struggling once, but some automatic process in my brain re-adjusted the clutch/throttle attitude to put another few hundred rpm's on without anyone being any the wiser... I found that the car (And the rotary engine) is definitely not incompatible with the same psychic communication which makes driving the best piston engined sportscars such great fun too... the information you need to know about the way the engine is working is all around you... you just have to learn to interpret it...

 

Absolutely right BlueAdept!

Personally, I have found this car to be impossible to stall due to it's massively heavy flywheel. Coming from cars with 10lb units, the RX8 is like driving a luxury sedan, at least as far as flywheel effect is concerned.

Don't worry about breaking this tranny learning to drive stick with it. I taught my wife on a 5speed WRX wagon and she didn't break anything.. and WRX's have *glass* transmissions. This Mazda 6sp (used in Miata and S15 as well?) should be bombproof by comparison.

 

you're talling because theres not enough torque applied to the gears to turn and the car shuts off because of it.

 

I thought the RX-8's flywheel was very light, I know at least it's lighter that previous rotary engies. Any experts around?

 

I have no idea about the weight of the flywheel, however the rotary engine is "under power" for much more of the rotation of the output shaft than a piston engine, so there is less need for a flywheel.

 

Like others have said, give more gas to be sure you won't stall. Course, it's not good on the clutch when you're accelerating and it's partially engaged...but FOR NOW, it's better than stalling in traffic, or on a tough turn (on an incline no less!).

Also, whenever you feel the car is about to stall (by now you should sense/feel/hear it coming) just put the clutch down...that'll save you from stalling...and then you get to try again, just this time without re-starting the car. Again, not a tactic you want to rely on, b/c eventually you want to get to the point where you never stall...but it happens to the best of us...and i'm nowhere near that group anyways.

As an aside though...I feel that if anyone buys a 30k car, they owe it to themselves AND the car to at least try to learn on an another car first. IF you have a friend who is willing to let you practice on theirs (I know it's hard to find someone like this) do that, or look up the phone book for driving schools...TRUST ME, they're there. That's how I learned.

It's good to learn on older cars for a few reasons...Older cars are GENERALLY harder to drive in manual...hence it's good practice. And if it's a driving instructor's beat up old car...you won't really care when you stall it out a bunch of times, right?

 

Try this:

Goto a parking lot.
Close your eyes and take your right foot away from the gas. Pay attention to the sound of the engine and the feel under your left foot. (turn off the radio too)
Now try to get the car moving by ONLY modulating the clutch. As you engage the clutch the car will move a little and the engine will bog down and try to stall. So you'll need to push the clutch back in to save the engine, but by then the car will be moving ever so slightly. Keep doing that until the car is moving fast enough so you can engage the clutch all the way. Make sure you pay close attention to how the clutch feels under your foot.

The purpose of the exercise is to increase the sensitivity of your left foot and so you get used to modulating the clutch. It's also a useful exercise to find where the clutch engages.

As far as braking stuff. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The worst thing that will happen is you'll destroy your clutch disk which is easily (for your dealer) replacable on most cars.

 

I've owned 5 cars, and all were manual - not that that makes me an expert. I learned to drive stickshift on a gradual incline. That way you learn how to catch the car and properly apply the gas to get the revs up higher. Once you learn under those conditions, starting the car in first on an even plane is dirt simple.

 

Thanks for all teh help everyone.

About how much should i rev the engine while releaseing teh clutch? I was told taht 2000rpm is the most but the last time that person drove manual was 20 years ago.

 

Well, it all depends on how fast you plan to pull away... also this engine is high revving and low torque, so up to 3000 rpm would be ideal for "normal" driving depending on how fast you're planning to accelerate... but remember that the 6.x second 0-60 time was achieved by dropping the clutch at 7000rpm, so if you plan to go really fast, you're gonna have to push hard... work your way up to this, and remember that it's not somthing which you should do a lot!!!!..

 

When I was on my test drive, and I first took off. I almost killed it, but then just re-adjusted thorttle and clutch I was fine. I guess years off driving stick helped. Every manual trannmisson car I have ever driven the clutch is different, just the way they go, you just gotta learn them. As far as a rotary stalling, lets talk about my 83 7. I was home and playing with my clutch. I held the brakes to the floor and with no gas, I messed with the clutch. I could get the rpms down to below 500 and push the clutch back in and it wouldn't die. I even one time tought I killed it pushed the clutch in and gave her a little gas and she came back to life. In my book its hard to kill a rotary period. :D

John

 

I'm pretty much with the above poster. Sticks in different cars can take a while to get used to... even if you've driven a stick for years. Where the experience kicks in is how long it takes to adapt.

It still takes me 10 mins to get used to my girlfriends Altima after driving my FB. And when I test-drove the 8 my shifting wasn't "perfect" even when it ended.

After reading these posts though I realized that the "clutch-in" mentality is one of my own. Whenever things seem funky I just hit the clutch and start over.

 

I have not stalled my A/T. :D sorry,I just had to say that

 

the rpms in the rx-8 drop alot faster then any other car ive driven. as for the low torque thing.... thats never been an issue i get the car moving at 1k rpms and just apply gas from there...

 

When you hear the crunch, put in reverse and try to sneak away, you just drove into the side of a minivan!

:D :D

 

Pretty funny Canzoomer...

 

The flywheel is light in comparison to other cars. There is still more weight that could be shaved, and I think RacingBeat is carrying them.

When you add a lighter flywheel to a rotary engine, you increase hp but reduce torque, noticed mostly at the bottom end, causing slower 0-60 times, but improving high speed performance, great for racing only.