First manual car!

[Dutchmaster]

Hey guys, I'm Ryan and ive actually been around around here for a while lurking the forums for i think a year before I got a great job and finally felt financially comfortable getting the car ive always wanted- a civic si.

I got a Black 2013 Civic Si Sedan

This is my first manual car, and im noticing that driving stick is not as easy as it looks.
I stalled like 15 times on the way home, 8 of those times being on a huge hill.
I just found the "sweet spot" for the clutch, but the car rattles at that spot and I just dont wanna damage my car by feathering the clutch to get of of a parking spot lets say.

Also, when moving from a red light, do i let the clutch go slowly until engagement point, rev to 1.5K lets say, and let the clutch out slowly? do i have to add more gas as i let go of the clutch?

My shifts are Jerky too but sometimes theyre super smooth. Idk.

Any help is greatly appreciated, ill post a pic later.

 

[squiggy]

Hey guys, I'm Ryan and ive actually been around around here for a while lurking the forums

ill post a pic later.

Then you should know:

Hey guys, I'm Ryan and ive actually been around around here for a while lurking the forums for i think a year before I got a great job and finally felt financially comfortable getting the car ive always wanted- a civic si.

I got a Black 2013 Civic Si Sedan

Congrats!

This is my first manual car, and im noticing that driving stick is not as easy as it looks.
I stalled like 15 times on the way home, 8 of those times being on a huge hill.
I just found the "sweet spot" for the clutch, but the car rattles at that spot and I just dont wanna damage my car by feathering the clutch to get of of a parking spot lets say.

Also, when moving from a red light, do i let the clutch go slowly until engagement point, rev to 1.5K lets say, and let the clutch out slowly? do i have to add more gas as i let go of the clutch?

My shifts are Jerky too but sometimes theyre super smooth. Idk.

Any help is greatly appreciated

Just practice. We can give you all the theoretical advice in the world, but there is no substitute for practice. You already figured out the most important thing...the engagement point.

 

[FB2Chris]

Welcome and congrats Practice makes perfect!

 

[VNPP]

Welcome!! I guess the only advise i could give is when starting from a stop you dont have to dump the clutch or anything. My dad didnt tell me that and i stalled alot more times than you. The more you drive, the more youll expirience how to use the engagement point, just be patient and practice
.. and post some pics up!

 

[Monk]

Welcome......
Use your hand brake(E-Brake) till you get use to starting on a hill..... It'll help with you not worrying about rolling back on tailgaters(when using the E keep the button depressed with your thumb).
Your right about giving it some gas, on or off a hill, but we're not talking about real revving.
What you want to find is the clutches engagement point, to do that, let the clutch out till you feel the car wanting to go or stall, then give it enough gas to make'r move......... I'd practice this in a level parking lot, no need for the E on level, but would be a good practice area before tackling it on a hill...... I'm retired from driving semi's there's a fine point in your car that will work without burning the clutch.

One rule is when using a clutch, is not to push the clutch to the floor when shifting, just enough to disengage it/shift/let it out....... Most manuals say to push to floor, that's to protect the gears if done wrong, same as shifting without a clutch when not knowing how to do it.

The longer the clutch is disengaged the more time the drive train has to get out of sink(that's engine rpm's vs's gears and drive wheels) so the quickest time is the best way.... but that doesn't mean jamming gears, keep a light touch on the shifter and feel it go into the gate of each gear selection.

Practice............. in a parking lot.............

 

[webby]

Practice practice practice. It sounds like you're not giving it enough gas. On the flip side....give too much gas and you'll do a burnout.

 

[KennyGS]

You'll be a pro in no time. Congratulations.

 

[Dutchmaster]

Thanks for the welcome and advice everyone!
I noticed while driving today that Im pressing the clutch to the floor while shifting.
So i guess i can just go right past the engagement point and and shift.
Also, seems like i let my rpms drop to much from 1-2 shift, which makes me want to blip the throttle before i release the clutch when shifting.
I only stalled once today, while getting into the parking garage actually. In my garage, theres an incline to climb and you have to press the button and the the gate opens.
The gate opens, i rolled back, engagement point was later than i anticipated and i freaked out cuz of rolling back and stalled.
i cant do the E-brake trick for some reason, I always stall. i just keep rolling back till i find the sweet spot and add alittle gas for now. But i definitely need to practice the E-brake trick as there are TONS of hills which in my city that im trying by best to avoid

 

[Dutchmaster]

also Heres some pics.

 

[Dutchmaster]

Also, im trying to change views on the back up cam. Does anyone know how? And is it possible to have your parking lights on and fog lights or must we have our lowbeams on to have access to the foglights

 

[KennyGS]

http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/2012-civic-si-independent-fogs-picture-heavy.6121/

 

[webby]

Also, im trying to change views on the back up cam.

http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/adexternals-reverse-backup-camera-diy.6538/page-11#post-231419
onward talks about adjusting the lines

 

[JTan24]

Sexy car dude. I am getting my SI next week. I gotta practice too! I am so shaky behind a manual transmission lol

 

[ZeroTX]

This is the easiest manual car I've ever driven. My wife didn't even stall out on the test drive.

 

[Dutchmaster]

Thanks. the car is actually really easy to learn on because most times, you wont even need to add gas to move, which gives you a really good idea of where the friction point is on the clutch.
right now, I never stall, and my shifts are pretty smooth with the exception of 1st to 2nd, and downshifting 4th to 3rd or 5th to 3rd.

For some reason, 1st to 2nd is always alittle jerky, unless i floor it and shift at 7k, in which case, its smooth.
As for downshifting, i know what im doing wrong- im not matching the revs well enough while downshifting. I think if I rip through all the gears once, ill have a good idea of the RPM range per gear VS speed.

As soon as I start downshifting well, I can start popping VTEC randomly on the highway. Right now, i can only hit it from a stoplight that continues onto a long *** road.

 

[Abdul Khan]

Welcome......
Use your hand brake(E-Brake) till you get use to starting on a hill..... It'll help with you not worrying about rolling back on tailgaters(when using the E keep the button depressed with your thumb).
Your right about giving it some gas, on or off a hill, but we're not talking about real revving.
What you want to find is the clutches engagement point, to do that, let the clutch out till you feel the car wanting to go or stall, then give it enough gas to make'r move......... I'd practice this in a level parking lot, no need for the E on level, but would be a good practice area before tackling it on a hill...... I'm retired from driving semi's there's a fine point in your car that will work without burning the clutch.

One rule is when using a clutch, is not to push the clutch to the floor when shifting, just enough to disengage it/shift/let it out....... Most manuals say to push to floor, that's to protect the gears if done wrong, same as shifting without a clutch when not knowing how to do it.

The longer the clutch is disengaged the more time the drive train has to get out of sink(that's engine rpm's vs's gears and drive wheels) so the quickest time is the best way.... but that doesn't mean jamming gears, keep a light touch on the shifter and feel it go into the gate of each gear selection.

Practice............. in a parking lot.............

Can you please explain more on as to why you shouldn't push the clutch to the floor when shifting?... This is my 1st manual car as well and have been doing this for about 6 months now. I hope I didn't mess anything up in my transmission

 

[Abdul Khan]

Thanks. the car is actually really easy to learn on because most times, you wont even need to add gas to move, which gives you a really good idea of where the friction point is on the clutch.
right now, I never stall, and my shifts are pretty smooth with the exception of 1st to 2nd, and downshifting 4th to 3rd or 5th to 3rd.

For some reason, 1st to 2nd is always alittle jerky, unless i floor it and shift at 7k, in which case, its smooth.
As for downshifting, i know what im doing wrong- im not matching the revs well enough while downshifting. I think if I rip through all the gears once, ill have a good idea of the RPM range per gear VS speed.

As soon as I start downshifting well, I can start popping VTEC randomly on the highway. Right now, i can only hit it from a stoplight that continues onto a long *** road.

This might help with the jerky feeling from 1st to 2nd gear. It makes the most sense. GIve it a try.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5wPlr4elDE

 

[Monk]

Can you please explain more on as to why you shouldn't push the clutch to the floor when shifting?... This is my 1st manual car as well and have been doing this for about 6 months now. I hope I didn't mess anything up in my transmission

1st ... it's not what I'd call hurting the tranny, pushing the clutch in to the floor is what the manufacture recommends to protect it from totally incompetent drivers.... there are many ways to shift gears to make the car go, but there is a basic concept for a smooth transition, and this is not only healthy for the tranny, but is a close as your going to get to a electric shifter(which basically cuts the engine off for a slit muti-sec.)........

So here goes, the least amount of time the drive train is not engaged, is working in your favor(the cars)( a drive train are the moving parts starting with the engine; clutch plate; tranny; drive shaft; power axle to the wheel....... All of these parts are under pressure while accel or decell ..... So to keep them from backing off(coasting/reversing/jerking/etc.) .......... the clutch will help with changing gears, but the least amount of time you leave the clutch in helps keep the other parts from losing "momentum"(and sync) between shifts...... Like a chain on two sprockets if it were to just run at a constant speed with no backing off the three parts would last longer, but every time you slow down or speed up it puts extra strain on the parts.... So with shifting a cars tranny you want to shift so everything is liquid smooth.

If you push the brake pedal so you can feel its pressure but not enough to disengage it, you are getting close to ready to shift, next is to do the same thing with your shifter(pressurize it but don't actually shift yet)......... Once both of these are under pressure and you are ready to shift, it's just a matter of a little more pressure on the clutch and shifter for the to complete the cycle(transition), and everything will almost just fall into place, no pain less strain...... but the longer you leave the clutch in allows time for the engine and tranny's rpms to drift out of sync with each other, thereby getting the notchy recovery.

Cars today have synchronizers between their gears to help the shifting process, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to shift correctly as if they weren't there.

 

[Dutchmaster]

Thanks for the video Abdul. do you guys add alittle gas at friction point when upshifing gears and releasing the clutch on this car? seems smoother, if i shift fast from 3rd to 4th and let the clutch out fast without adding a bit of gas, the car jerks a little.

I'm gonna try to do the method monk is talking about, which if i understand correctly, move the shifter towards gear, clutch in, gear goes in like butter, clutch out, in a fast motion.

Thanks Monk.

 

[sawthetha]

Just curious - is it bad to blip the throttle while the clutch is in to rev match?