[¤W¥RM¤]

I wanted to learn on an older car, but I was never able to pick on up before my daily driver car died, so because I had wanted a manual transmission car, and I liked the tC, I picked out a 5speed. I've been driving various AT cars for the past 12 years and at one point, was driving a manual, so I thought it would come back easily, "like riding a bike". Yeah right.

My old car was an old late-70's RWD V-8 with a huge engine and was converted (badly) from automatic transmission to manual, so it shifted hard and required foot planted down a full halfway on the gas to get the thing not to stall when starting it in gear.

Definitly different than the supersensitive pedals of the tC. Not to mention that my death-grip on the shifter (necessary with the old car) is really not a good idea when trying to shift into 3rd and not first.

Seeming as how the other posts covering "Learning to drive manual trans. on my brand new tC" were kinda old, I hope you all didn't mind that I started a new thread.

(I did do a search and found this thread first: http://www.yoursciontc.com/forums/index.ph...arning+to+drive

I guess I'm more nervous about breaking the car or ruining the transmission or the clutch more than anything else. Stopping is easy, pulling over for impatient drivers is fine too. It's just the hills & getting it out of first without stalling or bucking the car forward that I need more practice on. Luckily there are plenty of empty parking lots near me. I'm pretty frustrated right now, but I'm sure I'll be liking this once I get back into the habit.

Is anyone else learning (or re-learning after a long absence) to drive MT on your new tC?

 

[eddiemoney]

Search anything about shifting/clutching/clutch and you will find at least 4 other thread started about this very topic. There is a plethora of information that is easier to read than recreate.

 

[¤W¥RM¤]

Thanks. I guess I was searching on the wrong topic. Too bad this thing isn't intuitive...Try also: clutch, shifting...

thanks

 

[buderic]

Yea im just learning... took me about a week to get the hang of it.... first gear is by far the hardest gear not to stall in, the best thing i did to learn my car was to not use the gas at all and just play with the friction point. Try that and i think you'll be ok

 

[serith]

As soon as you think you're going to stall, just give it a bit more gas. I'm no pro, but I'm no noob, and that always works. Btw, I've driven 3 other cars with manuals, and this car is by FAR the touchiest of them all. I test drove an xB, and that was the sloppiest, most forgiving manual tranny I've ever driven. I sware to god if you need to learn how to drive a stick, go test drive an xB. Also driven an 86 chevy nova (the old old corolla type), and my dad's 94 tercel. The tercel is kinda tricky, b/c I think the clutch wasn't put on right.. it seems like there are two grab points. Anyway, yes, the tC isn't for noobies. BUT, if you can manage a tC, you can drive anything. But what makes you appreciate it even more is when you drive another manual tranny, then get back in the tC. Makes me fall in love with it all over again.

Also..reguarding hills, this is how I first learned way back when. If you have no clue how to do it, and you're getting frustrated stalling or squeeling your tires and lurching up the hill, think of it like this. The first thing you want to do is stop rolling backwards. Do this by letting up easy on the clutch and giving it a blip of gas. The second the car has stopped rolling backwards, you've found that magical grab point. Now give it a bit more gas, and let off the clutch all the way. Congrats!! Now just practice this, and soon enough you wont roll back at all. It all becomes one motion. But in the mean time, take it in two steps.

 

[iGod]

there is no better transmission to wreck while learning than one under warranty.

 

[buderic]

Anyway, yes, the tC isn't for noobies. BUT, if you can manage a tC, you can drive anything. But what makes you appreciate it even more is when you drive another manual tranny, then get back in the tC. Makes me fall in love with it all over again. smile.gif

What do u mean by this serith? That it is harder than other manual transmitions or that its more fun to drive? Just wondering what you ment.

 

[lo bux racer]

^Surely you jest. The tC is dead simple. Try an HKS triple plate. There's nothing like it for pissing you off and making even a very experienced manual driver look like a noob. The tC is far from difficult, I'd call it as easy as any other OEM set up I've driven, and I've driven a few in the last 39 years of driving manuals.

 

[Zygote55]

I don't have the experience Lance does, but of the half dozen manual cars I've driven the tC is no harder or easier than any of them.

 

[iGod]

i find the clutch on the tC to be very user friendly. easy gear changes, it will almost fall into place with a nudge. but, i come from a past with less than fabulous clutches and rock-crusher gear boxes in old cars.

 

[pharoh]

Definitely. I learned manual on a Fiat 127. This is way easier.

 

[GA tC]

Originally posted by serith@Dec 2 2005, 06:24 PM
Also..reguarding hills, this is how I first learned way back when. If you have no clue how to do it, and you're getting frustrated stalling or squeeling your tires and lurching up the hill, think of it like this. The first thing you want to do is stop rolling backwards. Do this by letting up easy on the clutch and giving it a blip of gas. The second the car has stopped rolling backwards, you've found that magical grab point. Now give it a bit more gas, and let off the clutch all the way. Congrats!! Now just practice this, and soon enough you wont roll back at all. It all becomes one motion. But in the mean time, take it in two steps.

The premier trick to not rolling back, in case no one has posted it (I checked but did not find it), is to use the e-brake. Yank it all the way back so that your car does not roll back. When you need to go, lower it while letting out the clutch and giving it gas.

Ok, so it seems more complex than it really is. But it lets you rest your legs, and you do not have to find the point where the car is balanced on the clutch and gas. I use it fairly often with always good success. OTOH, I learned the clutch on a school bus. Let one out too early and your brain bucket gets a beating. The tC is much easier.

Cheers!

 

[desertsoldier22]

Yeah I noticed that the TC has a stiff clutch, but I like it. My car has a longer throw to the clutch pedal and you have to ride it a bit to engage, its even worse with the new disk. But each manual car has its own personality, that is why I like manuals.

 

[eddiemoney]

QUOTE

inevitablegod Posted on Dec 10 2005, 10:55 AM
  i find the clutch on the tC to be very user friendly. easy gear changes, it will almost fall into place with a nudge. but, i come from a past with less than fabulous clutches and rock-crusher gear boxes in old cars. [/b]

I love those rock-crusher trannies, my pickup had one.

QUOTE

GA tC Posted on Dec 10 2005, 08:06 PM
  QUOTE (serith @ Dec 2 2005, 06:24 PM)
Also..reguarding hills, this is how I first learned way back when. If you have no clue how to do it, and you're getting frustrated stalling or squeeling your tires and lurching up the hill, think of it like this. The first thing you want to do is stop rolling backwards. Do this by letting up easy on the clutch and giving it a blip of gas. The second the car has stopped rolling backwards, you've found that magical grab point. Now give it a bit more gas, and let off the clutch all the way. Congrats!! Now just practice this, and soon enough you wont roll back at all. It all becomes one motion. But in the mean time, take it in two steps. 


The premier trick to not rolling back, in case no one has posted it (I checked but did not find it), is to use the e-brake. Yank it all the way back so that your car does not roll back. When you need to go, lower it while letting out the clutch and giving it gas.

Ok, so it seems more complex than it really is. But it lets you rest your legs, and you do not have to find the point where the car is balanced on the clutch and gas. I use it fairly often with always good success. OTOH, I learned the clutch on a school bus. Let one out too early and your brain bucket gets a beating. The tC is much easier.

Cheers![/b]

I've heard about people doing this, but it seems like a lot of unneccesary wear to me, just learn how to use the clutch and you won't roll back

 

[lo bux racer]

If you have your brake and throttle set up for heel-toe correctly, starting on a hill is just like a good heel-toe downshift. Brake and gas with one foot, clutch with the other, slide foot off brake as clutch engages, and no rolling back at all. I do it on San Francisco hills a lot while waiting at lights.

 

[SpeeedTc]

if it means anything i just learned how to drive a stick. What i did was learned on flat ground first and then once had that down i tried hills. i can't imagine learning to drive a stick on hills. sounds frustrating

 

[donna]

practice.




I don't like the whole e-brake thing, I usually just let the clutch catch on as much as i can before it stalls and quickly gas it

 

[lo bux racer]

Unfortunately, practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you don't have the basics down, all the practice in the world will only make you perfectly perform an imperfect procedure.

 

[donna]

haha, its like the whole "practice makes perfect, but no one's perfect, so why practice?" kinda thing



and yeah, i agree on practicing improper techniques

once you get it down the way you learned it, it's gonna take even more effort to try and fix it :/

 

[alas]

just find the catchpoint on the clutch. easy way to find it is hold the shifter against first gear and slightly press down on the clutch until it releases and lets it fall into first gear. Then you can release the clutch slightly and the car wont roll back as much. You can keep your foot on the clutch at this point and your other foot ont he break and whent he lgihtis green or wahtever you are stopped for just let up on the clutch al ittle and step on the accelerator.