Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Learning to drive stick

Might sound like a strange topic to post coming from a guy that just bought a 91 GTR... But... It's the case lol.

I've almost never drove stick before and boy can I say that 1) I'm complete arse at backing up the car and 2) I hate red lights and stop signs. Learning on a stage 2 clutch is pretty rough but so much fun! 

I can't heel n toe, I can't rev match, I have a hard time changing gears in a sharp turn lol, the list goes on. 

So SAU, help a learning bro out, you got any tips for me for learning stick on a skyline? It's nothing like I've drove before. Turbo, rhd, stickshift, it's all so unsettling yet so fun.

 

Cheers!

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/471088-learning-to-drive-stick/
Share on other sites

Don't worry about heeling and toe-ing for now. Practise the basics. Get your take offs smooth. You need to learn how far the clutch pedal comes up before it begins to bite and you need to know the minimum revs it takes to get underway without stalling. From rest let out the clutch pedal quickly to the bite point and then pausing very briefly increase revs and let the clutch right up. Do virtually the same at each upchange until it becomes second nature without over-revving or stalling. To start with do not double declutch for downshifts. If your synchros are still in working order just change down with firm smooth movements. You will soon find the necessary small increase in revs to prevent jerking. For normal driving do not downshift to slow the car - use the brakes (brake pads are cheaper than clutches and gearboxes) and then change down to suit your speed if necessary.

Do this a lot until you are comfortable changing gear while turning and can do a three point turn without drama. Heeling and Toe-ing will be easy if you can do the basics automatically - very hard otherwise.

  • Like 2

Just learn to drive it like your grandma would before you starting trying anything else. Learn the basics first, starting and stopping, shifting smoothly up and down etc. 

you will get there, once it all clicks it's pretty simple.

Edited by dave123456789

What the hell is a stage 2 clutch?

If that bears any reference to a twin plate clutch, please don't learn to drive with one...you will kill it...they aren't meant to be slipped let alone learned on.

Go get a few professional driving lessons so you can trash their car instead; money spent on this will be money saved on you destroying your more expensive components. They have dual control vehicles, so safer environment to learn in and experience teaching teenagers how to drive a manual, so can more than likely teach you too!

As others have said, don't worry about heel and toe etc. That stuff comes in time. When I was 16 all I wanted to do was learn to drive manual and I failed hard on the first drive with parents; couldn't get the hang of it. Embarrassed that I might never learn the "fun" way to drive but my friends could. First lesson with a professional driver and he laughed off the idea of me saying I couldn't drive manual (may he RIP...no, I didn't kill him with my driving). Within 5 minutes he had me taking off smoothly and changing gears no problems. I now consider myself the smoothest operator...a master of launches and wifi changes...and yes I heel and toe when the situation calls for it (note: rarely, and this impresses no one but yourself).

P.S. Smooth is fast!

Thanks all for the replies.

As for the stage 2, it's how we refer to an upgraded clutch where i live. Stage 0 = stock, Stage 2 = getting pretty darn stiff but will handle all the bolt ons and tune. Basically the max for a pure street car that's never going to see any track and It's not a twinplate clutch. It's just real stiff.

 

Cheers!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • After my last update, I went ahead with cleaning and restoring the entire fuel system. This included removing the tank and cleaning it with the Beyond Balistics solution, power washing it multiple times, drying it thoroughly, rinsing with IPA, drying again with heat gun and compressed air. Also, cleaning out the lines, fuel rail, and replacing the fuel pump with an OEM-style one. During the cleaning process, I replaced several hoses - including the breather hose on the fuel tank, which turned out to be the cause of the earlier fuel leak. This is what the old fuel filter looked like: Fuel tank before cleaning: Dirty Fuel Tank.mp4   Fuel tank after cleaning (some staining remains): Clean Fuel Tank.mp4 Both the OEM 270cc and new DeatschWerks 550cc injectors were cleaned professionally by a shop. Before reassembling everything, I tested the fuel flow by running the pump output into a container at the fuel filter location - flow looked good. I then fitted the new fuel filter and reassembled the rest of the system. Fuel Flow Test.mp4 Test 1 - 550cc injectors Ran the new fuel pump with its supplied diagonal strainer (different from OEM’s flat strainer) and my 550cc injectors using the same resized-injector map I had successfully used before. At first, it idled roughly and stalled when I applied throttle. Checked the spark plugs and found that they were fouled with carbon (likely from the earlier overly rich running when the injectors were clogged). After cleaning the plugs, the car started fine. However, it would only idle for 30–60 seconds before stalling, and while driving it would feel like a “fuel cut” after a few seconds - though it wouldn’t fully stall. Test 2 – Strainer swap Suspecting the diagonal strainer might not be reaching the tank bottom, I swapped it for the original flat strainer and filled the tank with ~45L of fuel. The issue persisted exactly the same. Test 3 – OEM injectors To eliminate tuning variables, I reinstalled the OEM 270cc injectors and reverted to the original map. Cleaned the spark plugs again just in-case. The stalling and “fuel cut” still remained.   At this stage, I suspect an intermittent power or connection fault at the fuel pump hanger, caused during the cleaning process. This has led me to look into getting Frenchy’s fuel hanger and replacing the unit entirely. TL;DR: Cleaned and restored the fuel system (tank, lines, rail, pump). Tested 550cc injectors with the same resized-injector map as before, but the car stalls at idle and experiences what feels like “fuel cut” after a few seconds of driving. Swapped back to OEM injectors with original map to rule out tuning, but the issue persists. Now suspecting an intermittent power or connection fault at the fuel pump hanger, possibly cause by the cleaning process.  
    • For race cars, this is one part where I find having the roll cage bar having gone through a hole in the floor better than the build it up on a ledge inside... The Merc I help on, the main hoop ends are marked on the car, and the jack is marked... Jack goes under a few inches and lifts one whole side of the car up... Removes that fight for long slim jacks for race car duties!   My biggest issue for the daily drivers I work on, is my jacks don't go high enough. The jacks start out on a few blocks, jack it up, then start a second jack under it on more blocks, and then I can get an axle stand under it. My axle stands are presently in use, and are nearly fully extended. The car is sitting with barely more than a cm of clearance to get the wheel off the studs! Sarah's Kluger is the same, as it has an ungodly amount of droop available in the suspension and a distinct lack of good jacking points!
    • Happy? Yep, my to do list is getting shorter and shorter. Either this light approaching is the end of the tunnel, or I'm about to be hit by a train... Ha ha ha   Also, Duncan isn't that far out of town that you need to make a multi day drive out of it. 😛
    • Sorry I meant that we are building the EH for a client.
    • LOL, when one "money pit" is never enough Noice, and excellent work mate
×
×
  • Create New...