Tip on driving stick (never driven stick before)

GabeTheKid · 06-18-2008, 03:01 AM

hey, i recently bought a new 07' rx8 and I'm picking it up on the 25th (or i should say my dad is picking it up for me). He's planning to teach me how to drive it afterwards, my concern is I have no other car I can learn on except for the rx8, so what tips would you suggest not to ruin the car while I'm in my learning stages? How bad is it if I stall it a few times? thoughts?

GabeTheKid · 06-19-2008, 03:55 PM

anyone??

ooh, i just had an idea just now...what if I rent a car for 1 day that's a stick and learn on that?

Gabe

rjs2005 · 06-19-2008, 04:36 PM

I can't speak for Canada, but down here, good luck finding a rental with a manual transmission. Most rental agencies avoid them like the plague, since many people who rent cars aren't exactly concerned with treating the rental with the same level of care they would with their own car.

Good luck learning to drive a stick. I'm not sure the first car I would want to try that on would be a rotary engined car, but it certainly can be done. Find yourself either a big parking lot or a seldom-traveled back road to practice on. Take it slow and easy. As long as the car is warmed up to normal operating temperature, stalling it shouldn't be a problem. Just remember, clutches aren't cheap, so GO EASY ON IT!!! Once you get the hang of taking off smoothly, then you can progress to more aggressive driving. Again, I cannot over-emphasize SLOW and EASY.

Good luck. Once you get comfortable with the manual transmission, you'll quickly understand why a lot of people are so adamantly against slushboxes!

Mindcore · 06-19-2008, 05:41 PM

Chucks right, you'd be hard pressed to find a rental manual car. In fact I can't recall ever hearing of one, outside the exotic car rentals.

But... don't sweat it, learning is not that hard, and if you haven't got the hang of it after 2 or 3 days, then you better get to some driver training and learn properly.

Keep this in mind, your left foot controls how much power gets to the transmission. The clutch has what's called a friction point. it's the point in it's travel where the the clutch begins to grab and transfer power to the tranny.

When ever I have taught someone to drive, I have them sit in a open space and just let off the clutch a bit till the rpms drop, then push the clutch back in. That will give you the feel of the friction point. Once you've got that figured out, you will need to learn to match the revs of the engine to the release of the clutch.

The car at idle does not have enough power to pull away when you release the clutch, you need to give it some gas and "slip" the clutch until you have got some forward momentum. Too much gas and you'll burn the clutch, too little and you'll stall. It's all about balance...BALANCE!

start with that, and you'll have it in no time. Stay away from hills, they'll freak you out. Rolling backwards will not build your confidence and you'll burn rubber trying to over compensate.. ( every newb does )

So again, find that fricton point, and practice making a quick and smooth transistion from releasing the clutch and rolling on the throttle.

It's a piece o cake

Once you've got that square come back and ask me about heal toeing and rev matching

GabeTheKid · 06-20-2008, 12:38 PM

thanks for the tips guys,
what do you mean by taking it easy on the clutch? I don't really understand that. How can I take it easy on the clutch?

btw, there aren't any rentals I can learn on. It has to be my rx8....

picking it up on Monday!!!!

... feels so far away

Gabe

Alain · 06-20-2008, 04:07 PM

If you were looking forward to work, Monday will come wayyy to soon!

I think they mean, don't ride the clutch, where by having it partly depressed and have the engine revving to high heaven. That will start to burn the clutch. Nice and easy is the ticket.

Even with out experience, you'll know when you're abusing the clutch.

rjs2005 · 06-20-2008, 07:03 PM

Alain got most of what I meant. Also, even though the car lacks the torque necessary to pull the car at idle, neither does it require high revs to get going. Be reasonable with the intial revs, and GENTLY add more gas when releasing the clutch. It's all about developing the touch. Once you figure it out, the rest becomes easy. Again, good luck!

GabeTheKid · 06-21-2008, 01:29 PM

I thought it was good and you are supposed to rev high...I'm confused now.

Also, is it easy to accidentally shift from fifth gear to reverse instead of 6th? Or is there a safety?

Gabe

locorx8 · 06-21-2008, 06:27 PM

Yes, there is a lockout, so you can't shift into reverse.

You're only supposed to rev as high as you need to start the car in motion, and that is not high.

Congrats on the new car!

GabeTheKid · 06-21-2008, 07:49 PM

thanks,

Ok, so give me a number? 3000rpms? and then once I'm switching to second gear, i do it between 4500-5500rpms, and same for 3rd, 4th etc...right?

Gabe

pilsfergus · 06-21-2008, 10:27 PM

get youre dad to take you an empty car park.learn to drive it there.you only need 1000 to 1500 revs to get the car into motion.remember you can rev it all you like but until you raise or depress the clutch youll go nowhere.find the biting point it is where the engine tone changes and the car starts to move bring it up slowly to move foward then down and the car'll stop.repeat this 2 or 3 times then move away and try for 2nd gear.hill starts are freaky at 1st but keep you hand on the handbrake to control from rolling back.once youve learnt that turn the car round and do it so you reverse up the hill using the clutch.because 1 day you may have to reverse park on a hill.good luck

Mindcore · 06-23-2008, 10:35 AM

So today's the big day! try to contain yourself

GabeTheKid · 06-23-2008, 03:01 PM

haha, about 4.5 more hours

pics to follow

Johnny Drama · 06-23-2008, 11:21 PM

If you actually take time off to post pics on your first day, everyone would point and laugh!

I'm jealous enjoy the new machine!

GabeTheKid · 06-23-2008, 11:51 PM

lol, i tried taking the pics but it was too dark outside and they didn't turn out so I'll wait until tomorrow afternoon when it'll be sunny to take them.

On a side note, my dad and I went to the parking lot and drove for about 1.25 hours or so. At first, I didn't know what I was doing, I stalled about 4-5 times total and a bunch of the times it was really jerky. I noticed that you can't rev very high on the first gear and once i reached ~15km/hour at about 2500rpms, i'd switch to second. I was kind of scared (this is my first time driving stick and it's an rx8!) to rev it up too high when switching to 3rd from 2nd. I'd switch at ~3000-4000 RPMS

I gotta say, at first it was REALLY frustrating and I almost wished I hadn't bought the car because I felt hopeless about learning to drive it. But towards the end, I was comfortable starting it (which was the toughest part for me to do smoothly) and getting it going. I was feeling comfortable (but still not confident enough to test it out on the streets) stopping for a stop (complete stop), and starting it, getting it to 1st smoothly, then quickly getting it to 2nd. I kept doing that a lot, then from 2nd I'd either switch to 3rd and then slow down, or switch to neutral (pretend it's a red light or something) and stop. Then do the same thing over and over and by the end felt quite a bit of control.

The key, and the way I would teach a beginner, is to explain that the clutch will push down on your foot. I'd tell my student to put the clutch in completely, then start revving the gas to 3000rpms and leave it there and SLOWLY start letting go of the clutch (SLOWLY!) and once the car starts moving to VERY GENTLY start getting off the clutch, then when you're almost off the clutch, put the clutch in and switch to 2nd gear and sail from there. The rest isn't too difficult. I'm pretty good with going in 3rd gear and switching to neutral, slowing down, and getting it into second gear while making a left or right turn.

So I felt a lot of improvement and like I learned a lot today. I think what I'll do is I'll end up getting a 2 hour lesson with my old instructor for 60 bucks and then I'll really feel confident.

I'm also quite worried about my car's health. Do you think me learning on it, stalling it about 4-5 times, and jerking it a little (as every beginner would I'd imagine) while in motion would hurt my car too bad? Are there long term effects? Because that's what I'm worried about the most. Right now it feels nice and smooth. The only exception is that whenever you get out of the car, it smells like burnt rubber. My dad thinks I need to add oil because I wasted a bunch while learning. Thoughts on that?

But hopefully I can be confident enough to drive in a day or two!

Gabe

Mindcore · 06-24-2008, 12:04 AM

Awesome dude.. don't worry about the learning curve, you'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Unless you keep up that clutch burning, jerking about for another week or two, don't worry, you won't cause any damage.

If you ever get up to Toronto way, let me know, I'll show you what it can do

GabeTheKid · 06-24-2008, 12:18 AM

haha, I'm from London so Toronto isn't too far away

Also, is it true (a friend told me) that when you buy a brand new car, you shouldn't take it on the highway until about 2 thousand km?

Gabe

GabeTheKid · 06-24-2008, 12:21 PM

here are some pics! getting 1.5 hours of lessons at 3:45 today, hopefully I can be confident after to take it out on my own.

The first one is sideways because I'm not sure how to flip it and save it with the program I'm using.
ImageShack - Hosting :: rx8ap0.jpg

ImageShack - Hosting :: 010fu1.jpg

ImageShack - Hosting :: 011gu6.jpg

ImageShack - Hosting :: 012nx2.jpg

06-18-2008, 03:01 AM	#1 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	Tip on driving stick (never driven stick before) hey, i recently bought a new 07' rx8 and I'm picking it up on the 25th (or i should say my dad is picking it up for me). He's planning to teach me how to drive it afterwards, my concern is I have no other car I can learn on except for the rx8, so what tips would you suggest not to ruin the car while I'm in my learning stages? How bad is it if I stall it a few times? thoughts?

06-19-2008, 04:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
rjs2005 Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Homestead, FL Posts: 8	I can't speak for Canada, but down here, good luck finding a rental with a manual transmission. Most rental agencies avoid them like the plague, since many people who rent cars aren't exactly concerned with treating the rental with the same level of care they would with their own car. Good luck learning to drive a stick. I'm not sure the first car I would want to try that on would be a rotary engined car, but it certainly can be done. Find yourself either a big parking lot or a seldom-traveled back road to practice on. Take it slow and easy. As long as the car is warmed up to normal operating temperature, stalling it shouldn't be a problem. Just remember, clutches aren't cheap, so GO EASY ON IT!!! Once you get the hang of taking off smoothly, then you can progress to more aggressive driving. Again, I cannot over-emphasize SLOW and EASY. Good luck. Once you get comfortable with the manual transmission, you'll quickly understand why a lot of people are so adamantly against slushboxes! __________________ Chuck 2004 RX-8 GT 1997 Miata M-Edition

06-19-2008, 05:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
Mindcore Administrator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Look Out!!! Posts: 1,299	Chucks right, you'd be hard pressed to find a rental manual car. In fact I can't recall ever hearing of one, outside the exotic car rentals. But... don't sweat it, learning is not that hard, and if you haven't got the hang of it after 2 or 3 days, then you better get to some driver training and learn properly. Keep this in mind, your left foot controls how much power gets to the transmission. The clutch has what's called a friction point. it's the point in it's travel where the the clutch begins to grab and transfer power to the tranny. When ever I have taught someone to drive, I have them sit in a open space and just let off the clutch a bit till the rpms drop, then push the clutch back in. That will give you the feel of the friction point. Once you've got that figured out, you will need to learn to match the revs of the engine to the release of the clutch. The car at idle does not have enough power to pull away when you release the clutch, you need to give it some gas and "slip" the clutch until you have got some forward momentum. Too much gas and you'll burn the clutch, too little and you'll stall. It's all about balance...BALANCE! start with that, and you'll have it in no time. Stay away from hills, they'll freak you out. Rolling backwards will not build your confidence and you'll burn rubber trying to over compensate.. ( every newb does ) So again, find that fricton point, and practice making a quick and smooth transistion from releasing the clutch and rolling on the throttle. It's a piece o cake Once you've got that square come back and ask me about heal toeing and rev matching __________________ core Mazda Forums .

06-20-2008, 07:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
rjs2005 Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Homestead, FL Posts: 8	Alain got most of what I meant. Also, even though the car lacks the torque necessary to pull the car at idle, neither does it require high revs to get going. Be reasonable with the intial revs, and GENTLY add more gas when releasing the clutch. It's all about developing the touch. Once you figure it out, the rest becomes easy. Again, good luck! __________________ Chuck 2004 RX-8 GT 1997 Miata M-Edition

06-21-2008, 01:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	I thought it was good and you are supposed to rev high...I'm confused now. Also, is it easy to accidentally shift from fifth gear to reverse instead of 6th? Or is there a safety? Gabe Last edited by GabeTheKid : 06-21-2008 at 03:45 PM.

06-19-2008, 03:55 PM	#2 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	anyone?? ooh, i just had an idea just now...what if I rent a car for 1 day that's a stick and learn on that? Gabe

06-20-2008, 12:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	thanks for the tips guys, what do you mean by taking it easy on the clutch? I don't really understand that. How can I take it easy on the clutch? btw, there aren't any rentals I can learn on. It has to be my rx8.... picking it up on Monday!!!! ... feels so far away Gabe

06-20-2008, 04:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
Alain Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 44	If you were looking forward to work, Monday will come wayyy to soon! I think they mean, don't ride the clutch, where by having it partly depressed and have the engine revving to high heaven. That will start to burn the clutch. Nice and easy is the ticket. Even with out experience, you'll know when you're abusing the clutch.

06-21-2008, 06:27 PM	#9 (permalink)
locorx8 Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 87	Yes, there is a lockout, so you can't shift into reverse. You're only supposed to rev as high as you need to start the car in motion, and that is not high. Congrats on the new car!

06-21-2008, 07:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	thanks, Ok, so give me a number? 3000rpms? and then once I'm switching to second gear, i do it between 4500-5500rpms, and same for 3rd, 4th etc...right? Gabe

06-21-2008, 10:27 PM	#11 (permalink)
pilsfergus Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 20	get youre dad to take you an empty car park.learn to drive it there.you only need 1000 to 1500 revs to get the car into motion.remember you can rev it all you like but until you raise or depress the clutch youll go nowhere.find the biting point it is where the engine tone changes and the car starts to move bring it up slowly to move foward then down and the car'll stop.repeat this 2 or 3 times then move away and try for 2nd gear.hill starts are freaky at 1st but keep you hand on the handbrake to control from rolling back.once youve learnt that turn the car round and do it so you reverse up the hill using the clutch.because 1 day you may have to reverse park on a hill.good luck Last edited by pilsfergus : 06-21-2008 at 10:30 PM.

06-23-2008, 10:35 AM	#12 (permalink)
Mindcore Administrator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Look Out!!! Posts: 1,299	So today's the big day! try to contain yourself __________________ core Mazda Forums .

06-23-2008, 03:01 PM	#13 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	haha, about 4.5 more hours pics to follow

06-23-2008, 11:21 PM	#14 (permalink)
Johnny Drama Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 555	If you actually take time off to post pics on your first day, everyone would point and laugh! I'm jealous enjoy the new machine! __________________ MazdaSpeed6

06-23-2008, 11:51 PM	#15 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	lol, i tried taking the pics but it was too dark outside and they didn't turn out so I'll wait until tomorrow afternoon when it'll be sunny to take them. On a side note, my dad and I went to the parking lot and drove for about 1.25 hours or so. At first, I didn't know what I was doing, I stalled about 4-5 times total and a bunch of the times it was really jerky. I noticed that you can't rev very high on the first gear and once i reached ~15km/hour at about 2500rpms, i'd switch to second. I was kind of scared (this is my first time driving stick and it's an rx8!) to rev it up too high when switching to 3rd from 2nd. I'd switch at ~3000-4000 RPMS I gotta say, at first it was REALLY frustrating and I almost wished I hadn't bought the car because I felt hopeless about learning to drive it. But towards the end, I was comfortable starting it (which was the toughest part for me to do smoothly) and getting it going. I was feeling comfortable (but still not confident enough to test it out on the streets) stopping for a stop (complete stop), and starting it, getting it to 1st smoothly, then quickly getting it to 2nd. I kept doing that a lot, then from 2nd I'd either switch to 3rd and then slow down, or switch to neutral (pretend it's a red light or something) and stop. Then do the same thing over and over and by the end felt quite a bit of control. The key, and the way I would teach a beginner, is to explain that the clutch will push down on your foot. I'd tell my student to put the clutch in completely, then start revving the gas to 3000rpms and leave it there and SLOWLY start letting go of the clutch (SLOWLY!) and once the car starts moving to VERY GENTLY start getting off the clutch, then when you're almost off the clutch, put the clutch in and switch to 2nd gear and sail from there. The rest isn't too difficult. I'm pretty good with going in 3rd gear and switching to neutral, slowing down, and getting it into second gear while making a left or right turn. So I felt a lot of improvement and like I learned a lot today. I think what I'll do is I'll end up getting a 2 hour lesson with my old instructor for 60 bucks and then I'll really feel confident. I'm also quite worried about my car's health. Do you think me learning on it, stalling it about 4-5 times, and jerking it a little (as every beginner would I'd imagine) while in motion would hurt my car too bad? Are there long term effects? Because that's what I'm worried about the most. Right now it feels nice and smooth. The only exception is that whenever you get out of the car, it smells like burnt rubber. My dad thinks I need to add oil because I wasted a bunch while learning. Thoughts on that? But hopefully I can be confident enough to drive in a day or two! Gabe

06-24-2008, 12:04 AM	#16 (permalink)
Mindcore Administrator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Look Out!!! Posts: 1,299	Awesome dude.. don't worry about the learning curve, you'll get the hang of it soon enough. Unless you keep up that clutch burning, jerking about for another week or two, don't worry, you won't cause any damage. If you ever get up to Toronto way, let me know, I'll show you what it can do __________________ core Mazda Forums .

06-24-2008, 12:18 AM	#17 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	haha, I'm from London so Toronto isn't too far away Also, is it true (a friend told me) that when you buy a brand new car, you shouldn't take it on the highway until about 2 thousand km? Gabe

06-24-2008, 12:21 PM	#18 (permalink)
GabeTheKid Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 53	here are some pics! getting 1.5 hours of lessons at 3:45 today, hopefully I can be confident after to take it out on my own. The first one is sideways because I'm not sure how to flip it and save it with the program I'm using. ImageShack - Hosting :: rx8ap0.jpg ImageShack - Hosting :: 010fu1.jpg ImageShack - Hosting :: 011gu6.jpg ImageShack - Hosting :: 012nx2.jpg Last edited by GabeTheKid : 06-24-2008 at 02:08 PM.