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chris52
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed May 19, 2010 9:45 pm
Cars: '94 Mustang GT

Hey

Post by chris52 »

Just got my first stickshift car, a 1994 Mustang GT. It's real torquey and has a SPEC 2+ clutch(probably not the best car to learn in?)

Launching is still kind of bumpy but upshifting is going well. I read in a few places that you should be able to get the car moving by just finding the friction point. That doesn't seem to work on this car, it just kind of stalls unless I'm giving it gas before I release the clutch at all. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
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FDSpirit
Master Standardshifter
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Cars: 2000 Honda Civic Si
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Re: Hey

Post by FDSpirit »

Welcome! One of our members has a Mustang. I don't know if it's the same generation as yours though. Is your clutch a stage 2? They aren't the easiest to learn on from what I've heard. My advice is to find an empty lot to practice your launching a little more. I've only driven a handful of manuals. All with stock clutches, and no-gassing them was the easiest way to get familiar with where the clutch engaged. You may just have to release the clutch a little slower. The other members will chime in and give you tons more advice :)
2000 Honda Civic Si- Slightly faster than your grandmomma's grocery getter......slightly.
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theholycow
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Re: Hey

Post by theholycow »

Welcome.

I don't know about that clutch, but as FDSpirit says, with a normal clutch no-gas launching is a great way to train your foot. Maybe you need to pause when it starts to grab, rather than merely operating the pedal slowly?
1980 Buick LeSabre 4.1L 5MT

Put your car in your sig!

Learn to launch/FAQs/lugging/misused terms: meta-sig
watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
watkins
Master Standardshifter
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Cars: '08 Saab 9-5 Aero wagon
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Re: Hey

Post by watkins »

One of our members? Try 11089127398 of them.

More importantly: Welcome! I am the resident Viggeneer. And since today Im feeling generous, Kevin can share my title
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FDSpirit
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Cars: 2000 Honda Civic Si
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Re: Hey

Post by FDSpirit »

Ahem...active members :lol:
2000 Honda Civic Si- Slightly faster than your grandmomma's grocery getter......slightly.
watkins
Master Standardshifter
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Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:42 am
Cars: '08 Saab 9-5 Aero wagon
Location: Salem, MA

Re: Hey

Post by watkins »

Well that drops the total to at least three
chris52
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed May 19, 2010 9:45 pm
Cars: '94 Mustang GT

Re: Hey

Post by chris52 »

Thanks for the advice, I'll try it again tomorrow. Also, the car doesn't jump forward when it stalls. The engine just shuts off without the wheels turning at all. It seems like right when the clutch makes contact it immediately kills the engine(which idles at about 800rpm.)
eggwich delfiero
Senior Standardshifter
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Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:31 pm
Cars: Mustang GT
Location: San Francisco

Re: Hey

Post by eggwich delfiero »

Resident Viggeneer? Try one of 12 of them. :lol: Okay, only one of two active.

The Mustang has a stiff clutch to begin with. This is due to its engine possessing things known as "torque" and "horsepower." Zing and zang! Eleventy million Mustang buyers can't all be wrong.

Now that I'm done being a dick, yeah, your clutch is stiff, and when it grabs it grabs, no antsy pantsy gentle handshakes, more of a testicular grab and twist. If you no gas launch, you are going to stall everytime unless you clutch in real fast again once you hit the friction point. And I say all of this in regard to a stock clutch. With a Spec II clutch, it's going to be a lot stiffer, and I'm guessing other things were modded to make this clutch necessary. Or maybe the previous owner just really likes stiff clutch pedals and brand names, what do I know.

Just clutch up slow, give er gas, and keep driving it. You'll find what works. We can type a million words on the topic, but driving your car someplace where you can experiment and make mistakes will show you where it grabs and how much juice you have to give it. We have different engines, so my comparisons aren't really valid, and I haven't driven a 5.0 in a while. But my car idles at 750rpm, and I launch at around 1100-1200 rpm I think, and go to second gear around 2200. Burnouts I start at about 2.5-3K and let it out somewhat fast. Choose your own adventure!
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RITmusic2k
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Re: Hey

Post by RITmusic2k »

Hey there! Welcome! Congrats! Woohoo!

I'm the aforementioned co-Viggeneer (thanks Watkins, it feels good). I have a race carbon clutch and a 7.5lb flywheel in my car right now; if I can no-gas launch, I promise you can too.

One thing to consider - your concept of 'slow' might be way off from ours, at least as it pertains to clutchwork. You could think you're doing it slowly, but if you're stalling it means you're probably moving through the friction zone twice as fast as you should be. Again, you can come up to the friction zone as quickly as you want to, but as soon as you're just barely touching it, you need to go into ultraslow gentle mode. With my car I'll let it up until my revs drop about a hundred RPMs or so and hold it there, backing off and starting over as many times as I need to to keep from stalling but still transferring motion into the driveline. The first two to three seconds of a no-gas launch in my car will have the vehicle roll forward mabye six inches... but the more motion you have, the easier it is to keep from stalling, and you can progressively let it up faster and further into the friction zone as it digs in and you start picking up speed.

So the clutch action is almost like an exponential curve. You spend a lot of time doing almost nothing and barely making any progress, then it starts to pick up more quickly, and then you hit the knee of the curve where you've finished the launch and can apply as much throttle as you like.
Jastreb
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Re: Hey

Post by Jastreb »

RITmusic2k wrote: (thanks Watkins, that felt good)
:roll: :(
Please, we don't all need to hear about it...



:mrgreen: Sorry couldn't resist.

To the OP: Welcome to the site. You'll pick up a lot of good tips if you stick around.
2009 Mazda RX-8 R3
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RITmusic2k
Master Standardshifter
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Re: Hey

Post by RITmusic2k »

Oh, I put it in there on purpose*.

* - TWSS
eggwich delfiero
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Cars: Mustang GT
Location: San Francisco

Re: Hey

Post by eggwich delfiero »

RITmusic2k wrote: I have a race carbon clutch and a 7.5lb flywheel in my car right now; if I can no-gas launch, I promise you can too.
Nope, Mustangs have too many torques, too many wild horsepowers! (Lols at self, lols at self's self-loling.)
watkins
Master Standardshifter
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Re: Hey

Post by watkins »

But no torque steer.
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RITmusic2k
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Re: Hey

Post by RITmusic2k »

Too much torque to not stall... I hate that problem.
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ihartmacz
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Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:45 am
Cars: 1998 Ford Mustang Coupe

Re: Hey

Post by ihartmacz »

He's got the five-oh... He automatically wins.

I have the same generation Mustang that you do, only it's a single port 3.8L. My clutch is stock, it grabs more at the top end of the pedal travel and is kinda stiff. I've stalled my Mustang a few times due to those factors, however, once you learn you'll drive it well.

I hope you enjoy your Mustang, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
1998 Ford Mustang
3.8L V6 AKA "Essex"
"Hot Doritos"
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