It's Been Rough
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- Junior Standardshifter
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It's Been Rough
Last week I just got a 2007 Toyota Yaris, the sedan variety with 5-speed. It's brand new but I've already had a long story with this car.
I bought the same model late March with a 4-speed automatic, but that car was total-lost when I was rear-ended by a drunken woman. In the end I came out $1,000 short because of a deductible they put on me because they couldn't yet contact or fine the drunken driver, and because they said I bought some dealer-installed packages for too much. Basically I had to settle with the 5-speed because I couldn't fork out the automatic-transmission money, which now would go to my start-up company's advertising campaign, despite being likely reimbursed in the coming months.
I had very limited experience with stick over the years. I test-drove a 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle at that year, spent an afternoon early this year in a 1995 Honda DelSol, and briefly test-drove a 2007 Toyota Yaris--I had the salesman dig it up from the compound because they only had 2 of these with stick out of some 500 cars. I only managed to not stall in this brief test-drive, but it was jerky and very stressful.
This Monday I took the day off to pick up this car, and spent the whole day pretty much in boot-camp. I drove far into the industrial area at 6PM and in a parking lot practiced stop-and-go and imitated left and right turns at intersections; the ride was still very rough between 1st and 2nd because I don't have a good grasp of the friction point and didn't gas steadily enough between shifts. On the way out of the lot I stalled before turning left, before I knew I wasn't clutching-in far enough for ignition there was already a huge semi honking behind me.
What's been tough for me is crawling in commuter traffic and frequently doing so uphill. Green light, cars move, I choke, I stall, then the drivers behind me curse at my mother. Another hard part is parking near my office, where much of the street parking is tight and also uphill; I used to do this with ease and precision, sometimes even bother going back and forth six times just to slot in. Now I just put the car in, one morning I had the rear slanted about 2 feet out from the curb. What a shame!
Quite a depressing noob-story. But in the end I will stick with it, all the way. I've read in other threads where people have said when you give it a few weeks then you will learn to appreciate it. I also find a lot of helpful pointers around the forums.
Thanks for helping out us newbies.
I bought the same model late March with a 4-speed automatic, but that car was total-lost when I was rear-ended by a drunken woman. In the end I came out $1,000 short because of a deductible they put on me because they couldn't yet contact or fine the drunken driver, and because they said I bought some dealer-installed packages for too much. Basically I had to settle with the 5-speed because I couldn't fork out the automatic-transmission money, which now would go to my start-up company's advertising campaign, despite being likely reimbursed in the coming months.
I had very limited experience with stick over the years. I test-drove a 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle at that year, spent an afternoon early this year in a 1995 Honda DelSol, and briefly test-drove a 2007 Toyota Yaris--I had the salesman dig it up from the compound because they only had 2 of these with stick out of some 500 cars. I only managed to not stall in this brief test-drive, but it was jerky and very stressful.
This Monday I took the day off to pick up this car, and spent the whole day pretty much in boot-camp. I drove far into the industrial area at 6PM and in a parking lot practiced stop-and-go and imitated left and right turns at intersections; the ride was still very rough between 1st and 2nd because I don't have a good grasp of the friction point and didn't gas steadily enough between shifts. On the way out of the lot I stalled before turning left, before I knew I wasn't clutching-in far enough for ignition there was already a huge semi honking behind me.
What's been tough for me is crawling in commuter traffic and frequently doing so uphill. Green light, cars move, I choke, I stall, then the drivers behind me curse at my mother. Another hard part is parking near my office, where much of the street parking is tight and also uphill; I used to do this with ease and precision, sometimes even bother going back and forth six times just to slot in. Now I just put the car in, one morning I had the rear slanted about 2 feet out from the curb. What a shame!
Quite a depressing noob-story. But in the end I will stick with it, all the way. I've read in other threads where people have said when you give it a few weeks then you will learn to appreciate it. I also find a lot of helpful pointers around the forums.
Thanks for helping out us newbies.
2007 Toyota Yaris Sedan
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- Master Standardshifter
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You've come to the right place, ahyum. We'll get ya going.
Good move on buying the stick. You'll save money in reduced fuel costs and less repairs in the long run. The Yaris is also an excellent model to choose.
It sounds like your N-1st and 1st-2nd shift are rough. No worries, this is normal for new standardshift drivers. Best thing to do is keep up what you were doing - practicing.
Take the Yaris to an empty parking lot and practice no-gas starts. Simply clutch in, put the car in 1st, and slowly clutch out. As the car begins to move, slightly pause your clutch release. Once the car is rolling at 3-5 MPH, continue your release until finished.
This exercise will help you learn the dynamics of your clutch and where it engages. As you get comfortable, add a small amount of gas to accelerate starts.
1st-2nd is probably the hardest upshift, yet it can be mastered. The key is timing.
When in 1st at 12 MPH, shifting to 2nd, clutch in, shift 1st-2nd, and clutch out to the friction point. As you hit the friction point, pause your release and add a small amount of gas. Continue your clutch release after that pause and continue to add gas. This shift should take place in about a second's time, and you'll get there as you practice.
Good luck, and welcome to SS.com!
Good move on buying the stick. You'll save money in reduced fuel costs and less repairs in the long run. The Yaris is also an excellent model to choose.
It sounds like your N-1st and 1st-2nd shift are rough. No worries, this is normal for new standardshift drivers. Best thing to do is keep up what you were doing - practicing.
Take the Yaris to an empty parking lot and practice no-gas starts. Simply clutch in, put the car in 1st, and slowly clutch out. As the car begins to move, slightly pause your clutch release. Once the car is rolling at 3-5 MPH, continue your release until finished.
This exercise will help you learn the dynamics of your clutch and where it engages. As you get comfortable, add a small amount of gas to accelerate starts.
1st-2nd is probably the hardest upshift, yet it can be mastered. The key is timing.
When in 1st at 12 MPH, shifting to 2nd, clutch in, shift 1st-2nd, and clutch out to the friction point. As you hit the friction point, pause your release and add a small amount of gas. Continue your clutch release after that pause and continue to add gas. This shift should take place in about a second's time, and you'll get there as you practice.
Good luck, and welcome to SS.com!
Last edited by Johnf514 on Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2007 Mazda3
Mods: 15% tint, Eibach ProKit
2006 Ninja 636
Mods: NOS & sidecar
Mods: 15% tint, Eibach ProKit
2006 Ninja 636
Mods: NOS & sidecar
- jomotopia
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welcome to the site quite a story you've got there, but once you get the hang of manual i bet you will actually be glad you were that $1000 short and had to get the stick. just stuck with it and ask any questions you have here
+1 for no gas starts.
for the 1-2 shift John said to pause at the friction point. i think pause is a bit of a misnomer b/c i don't think you should really stop the pedal release, just slow it down a lot.
+1 for no gas starts.
for the 1-2 shift John said to pause at the friction point. i think pause is a bit of a misnomer b/c i don't think you should really stop the pedal release, just slow it down a lot.
2013 Subaru Impreza WRX in Orange
Welcome to the site! Good to know you're going to 'stick' with it (pun).
Try practicing some late night hill starts and such.
Since you're a noob, you should probably begin by using the e-brake method on hills. It would be strongly recommended by many here.
Meaning: With the car in 1st, keep the e-brake on until you release the clutch enough to reach the FP, then as you add gas, release the e-brake and the clutch. It's all about timing, which you will master in time.
Eventually, you may be able to forgo the e-brake, and just use the FP for a quick hold.
Just relax. Most importantly, have patience with yourself.
Check out the F.A.Q. section for more detailed info.
Try practicing some late night hill starts and such.
Since you're a noob, you should probably begin by using the e-brake method on hills. It would be strongly recommended by many here.
Meaning: With the car in 1st, keep the e-brake on until you release the clutch enough to reach the FP, then as you add gas, release the e-brake and the clutch. It's all about timing, which you will master in time.
Eventually, you may be able to forgo the e-brake, and just use the FP for a quick hold.
Just relax. Most importantly, have patience with yourself.
Check out the F.A.Q. section for more detailed info.
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- Senior Standardshifter
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You've got quite a strong netral here, JohnJohnf514 wrote:Take the Yaris to an empty parking lot and practice no-gas starts. Simply clutch in, put the car in neutral, and slowly clutch out. As the car begins to move, slightly pause your clutch release. Once the car is rolling at 3-5 MPH, continue your release until finished.
John meant 1st, of course.
Considering hill starts, I advocate that there is nothing different between them and regualr starts, conceptually - the only difference is in quantities. That said, after you practice no-gas starts and are comfortable with quick starts on flat terrain, starting on a hill will be a breeze as long as you don't get nervous and believe there is nothing special about it.
'96 Peugeot 306 XSi 2.0L 8v
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