shift stick driving
 

i'm new to driving a manual transmission.i'm already doing very well..but i was wondering if anyone has some tips as when to shift/downshift...is there a website that gives you tips/techniques/advice on how to drive a manual the best way?

I saw someone on here post this link recently and i found it to be very informative.

http://happytogether.com/318ti/noteb...ing/index.html

Best tip for down shifting is to double clutch...and blip the gas before you down shift...example

2nd to 1st...

hit clutch...take out of second...hit clutch again and blip the gas..then engage into 1st!!

Good luck...takes some practice...

Chas

There really is no need to downshift to 1st. And what you are refering to is not double clutching. It's called rev-matching.

clutch - take it out of gear - blip throttle - downshift - engage clutch.

I have learned to drive stick recently, and I think its a FRIGGING DRAG. I would rather have more HP/TORQUE from the engine than jack-off a transmission all day.

Although, I have been driving my wife's 1998 Saturn SL1 5-speed and I HATE that frigging car. Makes my 02 LX Pro feel like a, well, better car. Maybe that has something to do with my stick attitude.

Two things:
1.) Don't base your opinions about manual transmissions on a 100 hp General Motors car
2.) The drag is not the transmission. The drag is your incompetence.

stick is the way to go
 

i think with a manual transmission driving becomes more lively...you control all the power/acceleration and rpms. autos are boring to drive...my dads auto chevy lumina is like a couch and the rpms always stay at the same level....boring car to drive

I love manual trannys.....I wouldn't have anything else.

I sometimes drive my friends automatic cars... and they feel like such a drag...can't control the engine speed as whell and all that shit....

once you get used to manual cars... you'll start shifting wothout thinking about it no more. when i drive normally i don't even have to think about shifting, and down shifting.

when i'm pushing the car hard... ye i think about shifting more....just remember this when down-shifting...... I'll give you an example..... second gear on my pro hit just about 95kph at the rev limiter (did it by accident last night)....i normally shift when second is hitting up 80kph..... so that means the rpms where hitting 6750RPMS....... now don't down shift when your rpms are hitting that high.....i wouldn't down shift at like 5500RPMS or higher... or even 5000RPMS or higher...even though we have a rev limiter... i styll wouldn't do it.... and it ain't good bouncin off the rev limiter....(as people have been told)
well thas what i do when down shifting. But you probably knew that already...:D and i didn't need to recap it.

ALso remember... don't leave your hand on the shifter!!!! svrews up your syncros or something like that.

I'd say for now just get the feel of the manual tranny... and it seems liek you have.... practice starting off wihtout stalling.... get good using the clutch.... and shifting normally without grinding the syncros. then soon you won't have to think about shifting.... but you want to think about it cuz it makes the drive so much more exciting.:D

LOL.

Better launch speed, more fuel economy, the ability to engine brake, no power-sapping torque-converter, the choice of what gear I want to be in... The list goes on...I'll take the manual everytime.
Plus there's nothin' like heel & toeing down a twisty mountain road, Keeping the engine at it's PERFECT revs. It's kinda like doing a little soft-shoe number. :p Pure Fun!!

2.) The drag is not the transmission. The drag is your incompetence.

--------

dear nate0123: That was stupid and predictable. I know what I am doing re: driving stick. It's just no fucking fun. Pay the fucking extra money and get the auto. God forbid somebody doesn't enjoy wanking a gearbox!!

Keep your sex-life out of this... Dude! What's up with the beat-off obsession? You'd better go hit the shower:wackit: J/K Sorry, If there's a shot open, I gotta take it.:D It's sorta like tourette's syndrome...:p

eggynatey:

Saw that one coming from a mile away, but I'll give it to you. : )
Nice squirrel, by the way.

I didn't buy a manual because I was cheap. I had to look around to find a 5-speed ES w/premium package. I think you're vastly outnumbered on the "no fucking fun" stance, but I apologize if my comment sounded like a dig. Some people would rather not be "bothered" with a transmission you've gotta - gasp - DO something with! Incidentally, however, these people are not the same kind of people who join enthusiast forums because cars to them are just means of transportation. They don't want to think about them, nor do they want to be bothered. I know there are plenty of auto people on this board, but a lot of them have said they wish they had a manual.

On an aside, I had my car in for service this Wednesday, and my loaner car was a cute little white 03 LX... with auto. All my previous comments about transmissions were validated when I drove that car. The same engine I'm used to, hooked up to a slushbox, is totally killed. Downshifts take ... :zzzzz: ... :zzzzz: ... forever and a day. Upshifts are not firm either. It almost feels like there's about a second or two of slippage between gears, like it's holding onto the revs while it takes its time disengaging one gear and looks for the next. The gears are spaced way too far apart for any effective acceleration. ESPECIALLY from a rolling start... 15-20 MPH. It won't downshift to first, and you'll be flooring it for several seconds before you get up into the second-gear power band.

Plus there's the odd brake feel when slowing to a stop with an automatic. Like you have to brake a little extra to overcome the idle motion. And braking to a stop is non-linear. The list goes on, but I have a feeling I won't convince you, so I'll stop now.

Bottom line: The automatic takes away 95% of the driving enjoyment of this car. Fortunately the steering feel and handling are superb no matter which tranny you get.

It's ALL among friends...;)
Auto, Stick, Autostick, Who gives a rat's ass? It's a better car than a Civic no matter how you option it. Although from what nate(!) said, the auto on the Protege sucks ass.
:shift:<--good fun!

nate0123:

I know you're not cheap. Yes, the SL1 motor is an oil-eating piece of dog shit (I have to add 1/2 quart every month to her car).

You have a point about the auto first gear thing. It also seems like it doesn't want to hold 1st long enough when coming away from a stop, unless you almost floor it.

Yes, the steering/handling - what I bought the car for. I like to drive actively, but re: stick, well, commuting from NY to NJ in frequent traffic also kinda kills it for me. The engine has sufficent torque in auto guise to keep me content. Not ecstatic, but content. Some mods to bring 10-12 HP/LB-FT in the future will satisfy me.

But back to jjac28 - good luck, and congrats that you are getting the hang of it so soon. Don't do neutral drops. Peace.

JoeT, how does it feel when a guy that has the same car as you do but with a 5 speed tranny humilliates you?....not so good huh?

Being a former auto tranny driver I know how boring they are compared to a manual (at least for me), I didn't get the 5speed to save a few extra bucks, I did it because I wanted to...as a matter of fact, if it was the other way around and the manual tranny option costed more I would gladly pay the extra $ for it.

PS: I know you probably saw my post coming from 100 miles away :rolleyes: , how about this?:


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...f/fcf731d9.jpg

Ditto on that!:nod: :nod:

this is why i got the manual...to improve performance on my zoom zoom protege. my auto 2000 es was fast but there was something missing. i wanted more control,more acceleration. all the best world rally/racing car drivers use manual so it's designed for a purpose. also for a smaller engine - 4 cyl.engine- a manual trans. keeps it very responsive. but it's not for everyone...especially when you first start out learning to drive one. you go through stallling etc. but to me it's all worth in the end :) . with auto you have to worry less about how to handle/drive the car,it's more laid back driving. but i hear you well on the the traffic thing...

JAC:

I don't care what you drive or how you drive it.

(REMOVED MEAN PART)

How does it feel when an Acura "humiliates" you?? See, what's the point???

Easy tiger! Don't start shadow-boxing on us. Maybe it's NOT among friends...
BTW, I humiliate all Acuras with my huge Romanian Fore-arms!(flex, flex)
;pantdrop;

I never mentioned Acuras or any other car for that matter, what I said was that I would be ticked off if someone who has the same car as me gets better performance out of it (stock) just because I got an auto. I have nothing against people who drive cars with auto trannies, but I do believe you get the most out of your car using a manual tranny and that if you're serious about driving it's the right way to go, I also think they're fun, much more so than autos.

Guys, GUYS, forget the transmissions. Since we got booted to off-topic anyway...

A month ago my wife was driving my car, and I told her to go ahead and do something. She BANGED a lane change at 80MPH, with only the slightest 'sherk' from the tires. There was an impression of the whole car moving very precisely at once. I was like SHIT!! And later, when I looked at the car in the garage, it seemed to say to me, "Now you understand?"

That's why I bought this frigging car!! (2002 LX)

Sorry about my last posts dude, I was in a bad mood.

Out-friggin-standing. That's what I'm tawkin aboot :)