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Evicatos
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Cars: 2008 Mazdaspeed 3
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Hi there.

Post by Evicatos »

Just got a new stick car last week after a few years of driving an automatic. This forum has been such an amazingly helpful well of information that I just had to register and say "hi". The only bad thing is that you guys have been making me realize what horribly bad habits I have gotten into from driving manual before, that I've lost a lot of confidence in my ability to do so.

Luckily, there's so much good info here that I'm sure I'll get things sorted out. Right now I'm struggling a lot with braking and downshifting into a turn instead of breaking, taking the turn with the clutch in, and shifting after I've taken it. I've been practicing though, and hopefully I'll have that particularly nasty bad habit broken soon enough.
Hello world.
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jomotopia
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Re: Hi there.

Post by jomotopia »

welcome to the site. :)

practice practice practice! and ask questions if you've got them.
2013 Subaru Impreza WRX in Orange
Evicatos
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 318
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:09 pm
Cars: 2008 Mazdaspeed 3
Location: California

Re: Hi there.

Post by Evicatos »

Thank you!

And yes, I'm trying to get all the practice in I can, especially on weekends when I can concentrate purely on driving for driving's sake. I've found that pretty much all my questions have been answered by the "search" button on this site so far. I've actually been on the brink of posting several times before finding that my exact question has already been answered in detail :D
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jomotopia
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Re: Hi there.

Post by jomotopia »

wow, someone who searches! kudos! :P

you've probably already seen this thread then, but if not, check it out: FAQ 2.0
2013 Subaru Impreza WRX in Orange
Nychold
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Re: Hi there.

Post by Nychold »

Welcome aboard! And don't sweat the bad habits. It might be wrong, but 90% of the time, you'll never notice it. The main reason you don't want to shift while in a turn is because a) it upsets the balance of the car which can get the car out of control quick, b) you could be way off on the RPM or shifting into the wrong gear (2nd instead of 3rd) which could cause the car to lurch into a pedestrian, other car, building, monkey, armored tank, etc., and c) it's more distraction than you need. (There may actually be other reasons, but I can't think of any right now. :D)

In reality though, (a) only really matters at the car's turning limit, so no doing it on a race track, (b) only matters when you're really heavy traffic (pedestrian or other) and you're overconfident in your abilities/car and (c) only matters when you're new, flustered about what to do, or suddenly need two hands on the wheel. So in most cases, I would say it's 'okay' (and I still do it once in a while when I 'm not thinking), but ultimately incorrect with other (safer) options available.

If you haven't already, you might consider looking into heel-toeing your downshifts. It's a racing technique that I use frequently, to put myself in the right gear before I make the turn. Plus it's cool to say you heel-toe. :lol:
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Evicatos
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 318
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:09 pm
Cars: 2008 Mazdaspeed 3
Location: California

Re: Hi there.

Post by Evicatos »

Yeah, I noticed that thread and the other FAQs. Very useful. Right now I'm trying to "restrict my information" a little so I don't get overwhelmed. I want to concentrate on a few things and make sure I get the basics down before I try things like double clutching and heel toe.
Hello world.
Evicatos
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 318
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:09 pm
Cars: 2008 Mazdaspeed 3
Location: California

Re: Hi there.

Post by Evicatos »

Nychold wrote:If you haven't already, you might consider looking into heel-toeing your downshifts. It's a racing technique that I use frequently, to put myself in the right gear before I make the turn. Plus it's cool to say you heel-toe. :lol:
Yeah, I had thought about this, especially since my car's pedals are supposedly set up very well for this. I was concerned though, that I would be trying to "run before I could walk". Do you think that it would be worth while learning to do this right off the bat? I have to admit that braking, downshifting, and (if necessary) braking again, all before the turn seem clumsy to me (and take me a fair bit of time). I usually end up either going too fast, or too slow. Heal toe actually seemed more "intuitive" to me from how I've heard it described, but as it's always mentioned as a more advanced technique, I didn't want to try and do it before I had mastered doing things the other way.
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jomotopia
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Re: Hi there.

Post by jomotopia »

personally i would (and did) get rev matching down first before working on heel-toe.

btw, what kind of car do you have?
2013 Subaru Impreza WRX in Orange
Nychold
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Re: Hi there.

Post by Nychold »

Oh definitely master the single-clutch rev match at least before attempting HTing. But since you implied you knew how to drive a stick in your first post, I guess I assumed you could also rev-match. Not paying attention FTL. :lol:
Watercolor: I'm a grade A bone sucker!
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Evicatos
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 318
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:09 pm
Cars: 2008 Mazdaspeed 3
Location: California

Re: Hi there.

Post by Evicatos »

Yes that makes sense. I should probably work on my downshifts in general before trying something like that, as they are still kind of inconsistent.

I have a Black 2008 Mazdaspeed 3. My previous car was a Toyota Echo (automatic) so this was quite an upgrade for me :lol:

I previously learned how to drive manual on a 1985 civic, and put a fair number of hours in in a 1996 civic. Both cars were very forgiving, and I'm finding that driving my Mazda is a whole new ballgame. Before I got it, I would have said I had a pretty decent knowledge of driving a manual, now I realize I still have a lot to learn.
Hello world.
Leedeth
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Re: Hi there.

Post by Leedeth »

Welcome and I have to say good on your for using the search feature. *thumbs up* Yeah! :D
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AHTOXA
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Re: Hi there.

Post by AHTOXA »

Welcome, Evicatos! Hope you enjoy your stay.
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jomotopia
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Re: Hi there.

Post by jomotopia »

nice car :D
2013 Subaru Impreza WRX in Orange
watkins
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Re: Hi there.

Post by watkins »

We may as well just rename this MazdaShift.com

Nah, I kid. Welcome to loonyville!
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padauk_dust
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Re: Hi there.

Post by padauk_dust »

Awesome! Welcome.

Nice car. Am I the first to request pics? :D
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