[2Loveletter]

I been praticing stick shift for quite awhile now and today i went out in traffic but i stalled at intersection stop alot, maybe because i get nervous but i dont stall in neighborhood actually since its more clam, and i can drive and turn easily.

I can drive stick pretty ok but i mainly have trouble getin the car moving at first gear, sometimes it jerks or shuts up.

I know im trying to balance the cluch and gas but i still havent gotten it just right during traffic..sighh

my friend told me to look at the rpm and release cluch like the car feel like its gonna die and gas it to 1500-2000rpm


Any advice on getin the car goin smoothly from first gear?

[onesh0t]

there's no REAL secret to it. Just keep practicing and driving. You'll get to know the car's release point better as time goes....but i remember when i first started learning...you become so nervous and start to panic....ahhaah.


good luck tho~

[ekinshuya]

umm im new to stick too but this is what i did, i just step on the CLUTCH all the way down and shift to 1st gear at a dead stop. Then i would slowly let go of the clutch very little and the car will move forward a bit, that is when i step on the gas a bit and let go more of the clutch. It helps me learn and you can give it a try

[BAMBAM]

I been praticing stick shift for quite awhile now and today i went out in traffic but i stalled at intersection stop alot, maybe because i get nervous but i dont stall in neighborhood actually since its more clam, and i can drive and turn easily.

I can drive stick pretty ok but i mainly have trouble getin the car moving at first gear, sometimes it jerks or shuts up.

I know im trying to balance the cluch and gas but i still havent gotten it just right during traffic..sighh

my friend told me to look at the rpm and release cluch like the car feel like its gonna die and gas it to 1500-2000rpm
Any advice on getin the car goin smoothly from first gear?

yup, just getting the car to move is the hardest part. i suggest practicing a lot of no-gas launches " (just slowly let the clutch out without giving it gas to get the car moving) to get a feel for the engagement point.

[OMGHIyori2U]

easiest way to start is just to rev it to 2.5k rpms and then let off the clutch. You should never have a problem with slow starts or jerkiness at that rpm. Except maybe starting on a hill. Only problem with starting at 2.5k rpms is you may wear the clutch out a little faster.

[Laxntiga]

rev the car at 2k rpm's just practice putting it there. then SLOWLY take your foot off the clutch while still reving at 2k, the car should start rolling.

[MeijerBranTM]

man you guys talk about reving up to 2k-2.5? man, i wouldn't do that to my clutch... i usually let of my clutch around 1200 rpms...

this is the best advice i have for you, is from a dead stop... without pushing the gas... let out the clutch ever so slowly, and eventually you'll feel it start to catch. and you will eventually start rolling without having to give it any gas. Now the only thing this really comes in handy for, is just you get to the point where you have foot muscle memory. you'll start to remember where it'll catch and therefor you'll know exactly when you'll need to give it some gas.. once you feel the clutch start to grab by the way, give it just a little gas while continuing to pull off the clutch. and you'll eventually get it quicker and quicker. every clutch and engine is going to be different... like an 8 cylinder always seems to need more gas in order to get rolling... but i used to be able to do this on my car... now my clutch grabs to quick to really let it off like that... but once you get it down... and you just drive everyday, it'll become second nature and you will never even think about it... good luck to you!

[Laxntiga]

man you guys talk about reving up to 2k-2.5? man, i wouldn't do that to my clutch... i usually let of my clutch around 1200 rpms...

this is the best advice i have for you, is from a dead stop... without pushing the gas... let out the clutch ever so slowly, and eventually you'll feel it start to catch. and you will eventually start rolling without having to give it any gas. Now the only thing this really comes in handy for, is just you get to the point where you have foot muscle memory. you'll start to remember where it'll catch and therefor you'll know exactly when you'll need to give it some gas.. once you feel the clutch start to grab by the way, give it just a little gas while continuing to pull off the clutch. and you'll eventually get it quicker and quicker. every clutch and engine is going to be different... like an 8 cylinder always seems to need more gas in order to get rolling... but i used to be able to do this on my car... now my clutch grabs to quick to really let it off like that... but once you get it down... and you just drive everyday, it'll become second nature and you will never even think about it... good luck to you!

Depends on what car you drive. I drive a miata, I can launch anywhere between 2-5k rpms =)

[MeijerBranTM]

Depends on what car you drive. I drive a miata, I can launch anywhere between 2-5k rpms =)

launching a car, and just getting it to start normally is two different things... if i'm at the strip... i'll feather my clutch at like 3500rpms... but once again that's for racing, not daily driving... and being rear wheel drive you will hook up better if you dump a clutch anyways...

[FusionGT2]

You just need to make it a habit of operating your 'off foot' <= o__O But yah generally what helps a lot, although its kinda cheating, is to give it a bit more gas while u release the clutch. Once ur clutch is fully released, just gas it and go. If you drive stick enough, it'll gradually become 2nd nature. Time is your best friend.

[OMGHIyori2U]

man you guys talk about reving up to 2k-2.5? man, i wouldn't do that to my clutch... i usually let of my clutch around 1200 rpms...

yah but she has a problem starting from a stop where the car dies or shakes too much. 2.5k was just a recommendation till she gets better with driving stick then she can go lower when she's more comfortable from starting from a stop. Too low in rpms is probably where she's starting at and it's giving her problems.

[phantompc4]

it took me roughly 5-6 days to get totally use to my rx8. but now im alright mostly except for bits of jerk every once in awhile. the real concern comes when u are on a hill and theres a car right behind u. then u gotta do the e brake trick for that if your not too good at getting that spot.

[fd3s_Rx-7]

what you should do as a few alrd mentioned is slowly let off the clutch until you feel the car start moving, when you feel it moving add a little gas and let off the clutch some more until your left foot is off the clutch completely... im still not perfect as i jerk a little from time to time because i dont have a manual car to dd. some cars are harder to start from a dead stop but its basically the same concept for every manual car. funny thing is i found it hard to learn stick in a civic or accord but easier to learn in my friends rx-7

[2Loveletter]

it took me roughly 5-6 days to get totally use to my rx8. but now im alright mostly except for bits of jerk every once in awhile. the real concern comes when u are on a hill and theres a car right behind u. then u gotta do the e brake trick for that if your not too good at getting that spot.

oh yea what about stoppin on a hill, what is the e brake trick?

[fd3s_Rx-7]

when ur on a hill and ur at a dead stop, if you dont know where your release point is on the clutch you'll roll back and hit the dude behind you, basically the e-brake will stop the car from rolling back. after that its just getting the car to move forward but remember to release ur e-brake/hand brake when you feel the car trying to pull forward or you'll mess up ur brakes

[phantompc4]

basically the same way u would start in regular stop and go but u got your e brake on. rev your engine up and let the clutch go at that certain point then as u hold that position let the ebrake go and itll instantly go without falling backwards.

[wowzors]

I been praticing stick shift for quite awhile now and today i went out in traffic but i stalled at intersection stop alot, maybe because i get nervous but i dont stall in neighborhood actually since its more clam, and i can drive and turn easily.

I can drive stick pretty ok but i mainly have trouble getin the car moving at first gear, sometimes it jerks or shuts up.

I know im trying to balance the cluch and gas but i still havent gotten it just right during traffic..sighh

my friend told me to look at the rpm and release cluch like the car feel like its gonna die and gas it to 1500-2000rpm
Any advice on getin the car goin smoothly from first gear?

Not to be a complete jerk or anything,
but if you're not good on 1st gear you're not "ok" at driving stick.

Just keep practicing
it takes time and once you're confident on 1st, you'll be confident with driving stick.

[Clix]

Almost anyone can drive a stick while it's moving. Getting it moving is different. The first time I got a stick moving, I got through all 5 gears without a problem but right when I stopped, I couldn't get it moving again.

basically the same way u would start in regular stop and go but u got your e brake on. rev your engine up and let the clutch go at that certain point then as u hold that position let the ebrake go and itll instantly go without falling backwards.

Starting on hills is a pain. Especially with a stock 95 Civic CX that came with it's amazing 68HP. It was like a 5k slow drop with the e-brake. The guy behind me stopped tailgating me.

what you should do as a few alrd mentioned is slowly let off the clutch until you feel the car start moving, when you feel it moving add a little gas and let off the clutch some more until your left foot is off the clutch completely... im still not perfect as i jerk a little from time to time because i dont have a manual car to dd. some cars are harder to start from a dead stop but its basically the same concept for every manual car. funny thing is i found it hard to learn stick in a civic or accord but easier to learn in my friends rx-7

Cause your friend's RX7 has torque compared to a Civic or Accord. I've driven three manual cars to date, stock Civic, stock Prelude, and a GSR swapped Civic. I'm not the greatest at driving stick but by far the GSR could get moving easy because it has torque.

[v8subie]

i usually rev @ 4-4.5k rpms before going anywhere

[lazyvietangel]

I used to have a RSX type S, and it was easy because i tend to guess when to shift gears as i hear some slowing down. haha it was my first car and first manual car. I knew how to learn before, but i wasn't very good at it, yet i still went out and got one. hehe. Anyway, couple of days ago, i went out to drive the 350 Z and little did i know, theres a difference in cars. The Z's clutch was very long and it was alot difficult than driving any other hondas/acuras out there. haha First gear is \ALWAYS a pain in the butt, but youll get used to it eventually. What car do you drive?

For the Z i tend to keep the rpm between 1500 and 2000. as for other cars that I drove i keep it between 2000-2500 rpm. I heard the mileage on your car also depends on how far your rpm should be. I'm not very sure, but you can check on it because i was on the 350 z forum and it stated that you shouldn't go over a certain rpm if the mileage is under 1000 or something. haha

Anyway, as you accelerate to that rpm, remember not to "rev" it too much (i tend to do that all of the time, a bad habit of mine) and you slowly begin to release the clutch. The hard part is not to just "let go" of the clutch as you begin to catch up with the gas. Just slowly release the clutch and accelerate above the rpm you started off with. but keep in mind to not hold onto the clutch for too long or youll burn it out. ahha



I hope that helps. I'm pretty bad at expalingin in words. If i could show you phsycially, iw oudl. haha