How Do U Drive Your Manual ?

[r34_skyline]

How do u guys approach your manuals ? more specifically, how do u engage/dis-engage your clutch ?

friends who are giving me lessons are telling me different stuff. one goes, u should lift your whole foot off the clutch when u're engaging(coming off the clutch) and the other goes, u should have your heel fixed to the floor and lift only your toe (coming off the clutch).

how do u guys drive your skylines ? whats the best method to find the friction point ? and, do u always find the friction point first before taking off ?

Edited January 11, 2006 by r34_skyline

[Spook's_Skyline]

my heel never leaves the floor

different clutches have different contact points, my clutch engages fully barely off the floor

takes some getting used to, but so much faster to get moving

[Cubes]

I've always explained how to use the clutch by the following.

Slowly let out the clutch until it begins moving the car, once the car begins moving hold your position and don't let the clutch out any furthur, once the car is moving at a decent rate then continue to let the rest out.

Take it nice and slow.

Appears to work pretty much every time so far.

I've adjusted my clutch so that it engages ~1/4 up from its total travel, much easier to launch and get those quick changes in.

Edited January 11, 2006 by Cubes

[ignuz]

Hmmmm who ever told you to move your whole foot back without your heel touching the floor.. is a bit... out there.. waste of time.

The only time you're whole foot should move back is when your foot cant move back far enough to release the entire clutch.. unless you have super duper flexibility there.. when you can no longer move your foot back without actually raising it off the ground then just let your foot slide back with your heel on the ground.

^^ made sense =S

Ummm.. also Neutral is your friend... =D No point sitting at the lights for ever with your foot on the cluctch in first ( like they make you do in the test ) Just slide it into neutral and relax.. and the same for going down hills... etc slow traffic down a hill yada yada...

Don't shift while driving around a sharp corner =P ( obvious )

Umm.. that's all I can think of for now

[r34_skyline]

k thnx guys.

another question- when taking off from 1st gear(stand still), do u give it some revs, find the friction point, give it abit more gas and slowly take ya foot off the clutch ?

[AzzurrA]

i granny shift, not double clutching like i should....

[MANWHORE]

Come on guys, it's a sreious question. Lets give him a serious answer.

In regards to taking off from a standstill, it really depends on the car and the clutch.

I'll give you two scenarios

1. rb25 with stock clutch. I can just release the whole clutch out (slowly of course) then give it gas. Or I can do it at the same time.

2. rb25 with twin plate. As the twin plate is very fresh and very bitey, it will stall if released at anything less than 1.5-2k rpm. In this case, I have to give it gas first.

[r34_skyline]

1. rb25 with stock clutch. I can just release the whole clutch out (slowly of course) then give it gas. "Or I can do it at the same time."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

dont u burn the clutch if u do it at the same time ?

[Cubes]

No one lets the clutch out in one smooth action when the are learning, they don't have the co-ordination.

Let it out in 2 stages, when it first grabs then once you are moving let the rest out, find the sweet spot (rolling speed) on the final stage.

Let it out slow enough you should be able to take off without any acceleration. This is a good little test to get the hang of using your clutch.

[Gts-t]

Serious answer, rev the shit out of it and just dump it.

Hahah

[Bass Junky]

Right foot hard on accelerator on floor

Left foot hard on clutch pedal on floor, making sure that you have plenty of vasoline on your left foot.

when you hear the car going bap bap bap bap bap off the rev limiter, slide left foot off clutch.

Hold on.

[dan_the_man]

I put the clutch in then I put the car in first and then I put my foot on the accelerator then I ease the clutch out then when the revs feel right I put the clutch in again and I change to second then I ease out the clutch in much the same way as before. I continue this same routine through the rest of the gears until 5th gear.

Its a pleasant journey, I press flowers and stroke kittens and swim in rivers... wearing dresses and hats

[someonestolecc]

If you're learning how to drive go to a flat carpark.

Put the clutch pedal in and put the car in first. Slowly lift your foot off the clutch pedal till the car starts moving. You should not need to use the acc pedal at all (unless you're driving a hyundai)..

That's your friction point. If you cant intuitively from that you suck go get an auto.

[MANWHORE]

I need to use the aceelerator, but I have a fresh twin plate.

[MANWHORE]

dont u burn the clutch if u do it at the same time ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't be scared.

A clutch is strong and that's what it's designed for. It's designed to be used. Mate, anything you do aka driving the car uses the clutch. The clutch is just that, a consumable.

The idea of the clutch is to slip a bit to allow the box and engine speed to be matched. In order to do this, it must slip. Any slippage wears it out slightly.

I don't mean full rev it in half clutch. What I was saying, is that I judge the friction point, as mentioned by cubes, and give it gas. It's second nature and done by feel.

[AMS]

Its a pleasant journey, I press flowers and stroke kittens and swim in rivers... wearing dresses and hats

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ahahahaha! :lol:

[gt-t_r34]

Don't shift while driving around a sharp corner =P ( obvious )

ive heard how you are suposed to shift will going around courners but i dont actually know why? ive noticed when i do it sometimes say from a standing start in first you do like a 90 dergree turn the ones that you can short of cut, and this perticualar corner is kind of long so instead of like 'stressing the engine' i change into second but i get like a clunking noise? i guess thats the reason why but how come it does this?? and also when i first drive my car i get the clunky 2ndgear aswell for like maybe the 1st time or maybe 2nd time i change into second.

cheers simon

[MANWHORE]

There is no problem changine gears while in a corner. E.g. if you area at a set of lights, you are at a long sweeper, you can't just go in first at like 7000rpm. Change, no worries.

What the boys are sayingn is if you're going fast, or around a very tight corner, it's bad to shift throguhout the corner as you can lose control.

[Spook's_Skyline]

lifting off throttle in high speed cornering = BAD

[Links]

Main reason being - the shift in the driveline can make the car very unstable in the corner due to a sudden change in forces on the car..

e.g. don't do it.. or do it at low speed..

anyways - as for the clutch.. hmm.. although you can let it slip a bit - don't ride it.. e.g. rev highly while not fully engaging it/disengaging it.. you will eventually burn it out..

also - you shouldn't leave your foot on it while your driving in gear - there is a foot rest for that purpose..