My first time (driving stick, you sick bastards)

[dddan]

Howdy everyone!

So I'm new to this forum and to driving stick. I got a 2004 jetta on thursday and had my first opportunity to drive it this morning (saturday).

A friend took me to a parking lot and I went through what I assume is the usual routine of stalling over and over and slowly realizing where the grab point of the clutch is, etc. Once I was able to launch reliably I took it out on the roads and did pretty well, until I mistakenly turned up a road with a traffic light on a pretty steep hill. Luckily for me it's a two lane road so I put on my hazard lights and waited 'til no one was behind me and then ended up sort of peeling out because I was so anxious on the launch, since I was rolling back quite fast. Later on another hill I tried to do the parking break trick but it was too much for me to handle... the clutch and gas are enough for me right now, a third thing to do all at once is too much !

So that's my story... I just need to practice more and get better at releasing the clutch slowly instead of dropping it as soon as I feel it start to catch.

[jomotopia]

welcome to the site.

i do recommend practicing the hand brake launch for hills. it's really not that complicated, especially once you get the hang of it. you just launch like normal and drop the hand brake and you're off.

[Soulwound]

Hey welcome aboard!

I'm fairly new myself, though, so I don't really have much by way of sage advice like the rest of the members, except for hang in there, it gets a lot more fun in a week or two!

[Leedeth]

Welcome to the forums.

Don't worry too much about squealing/squeaking your tires, I did it plenty on a 95 ft.lbs. Civic, and even did it in front of a cop one time.

[AHTOXA]

Welcome to the forum, fellow dubber.

[dddan]

Thanks for the greetings and kind words everyone.

Went out for a cruise again today... avoided the hills and was a lot more confident launching. Still stalled a few times but I'm getting much better and kinda even starting to enjoy it.

[Johnf514]

Hey there dddan, glad to have you with us.

Sounds like you're starting to get the hang of things - great! We're here when ya need us - feel free to ask any questions you might have. Good luck!

[dddan]

Come to think of it, I do have a question (or two).

So my 04 jetta idles in neutral at around 600 rpm (or so... I didn't check for certain, that's only how I remember it) and redline is at 6500 so are my optimal shift revs around 3500ish?

I use the following method to launch: hold my rpms around 1650 and slowly let out the clutch. But I was reading another thread on the forums here (can't find it now, of course) stating one doesn't need to keep the revs that high to launch, but my first time in the car I kept stalling out and keeping the revs that high worked for me, so that's what I've been doing. Is the rpm necessary to launch dependent on the engine/car? Should I be using fewer rpms when I launch?

Also my launches are still a little bit jittery, could that be caused by my letting the clutch out too quickly? Along those same lines-- once I've launched and I have to shift up I: clutch in, make the shift, and then clutch out pretty quickly. When I'm shifting up should I be letting the clutch out as slowly as I do when launching?

[jomotopia]

optimal shift point depends on what you're trying to do. higher for more power, lower for better fuel economy.

revs required for a launch depends on the car/engine, grade of the road, and how fast you want to start off. for a decent start you probably could go lower than 1650 but that's not ridiculously high or anything.

launch smoothness, could be because you are letting the clutch out before it's fully hooked up.

for upshifts, it's really more important when you release the clutch than how fast. you want to release it when the revs are at the right level for the next gear and the speed you're going. if you release it at exactly the right time you can release it very fast and still be smooth. the further off the revs are, the slower you will need to release it to absorb the difference and remain smooth. basically, just try to let the clutch out as fast as you can while still being smooth, and try to hit the right rpms. you'll get the feel for the timing with practice.

[Johnf514]

It depends on what you consider "optimum." For fuel economy, shift around 2250-2750 RPMs. For moderate acceleration, shift around 3500 RPMs. For emergency merging, run up the tach to near the redline.

For a beginner, revving to 1500 RPMs or so is not too bad. As you learn where the friction point is on your clutch, you will find out how much gas you need to give and when to give it while clutching out. For example, I don't get on the gas until just before I clutch out to the friction point, and I rev to around 1100 RPMs. After I clutch out, the RPMs stay relatively the same, as I roll on the throttle.

Are your launches bucking, or feeling as if they are stalling? If so, you need to make sure you slowly add throttle as you meet the friction point. You shouldn't rev too high before you clutch out, and make sure to add that throttle just after the clutch and flywheel have met up.

Good luck!

[dddan]

for upshifts, it's really more important when you release the clutch than how fast. you want to release it when the revs are at the right level for the next gear and the speed you're going. if you release it at exactly the right time you can release it very fast and still be smooth. the further off the revs are, the slower you will need to release it to absorb the difference and remain smooth. basically, just try to let the clutch out as fast as you can while still being smooth, and try to hit the right rpms. you'll get the feel for the timing with practice.

Ah ha... this make sense to me. A couple times I've shifted 2-3 or 3-4 and ended up matching the revs (almost) exactly and it was thrilling-- I think that's what you're referring to. So do I basically need to get a feel for/memorize what rpms each gear is going to start off at for each speed?

Also if I end up taking a while to do the upshift and my revs drop below where I know they need to be is the correct procedure to keep the clutch in and blip the gas to get the revs up to where they should be for that gear/speed and then clutch out?

[watkins]

It depends on what you consider "optimum." For fuel economy, shift around 2250-2750 RPMs. For moderate acceleration, shift around 3500 RPMs. For emergency merging, run up the tach to near the redline.

Interesting that you say that. I can easily shift at 2k, and I usually do for economy or when nobody is behind me. 3000 gives me a good deal of power for busy acceleration out of the way. By the time im at 3500 I can be flying.

[jomotopia]

So do I basically need to get a feel for/memorize what rpms each gear is going to start off at for each speed?

get a feel for, yes. memorize, no. there's too many variables. just feel the car's response. if it starts to jerk slow down the clutch release.

Also if I end up taking a while to do the upshift and my revs drop below where I know they need to be is the correct procedure to keep the clutch in and blip the gas to get the revs up to where they should be for that gear/speed and then clutch out?

basically yeah. or if your revs always fall faster than you can get the shift done then you can give a little throttle during the shift so that the revs won't fall as fast.

[Johnf514]

I usually shift right at 2K as well - most people just balk when I say it, so I try to give a slightly higher number to lessen the shock.

[comingbackdown]

I usually shift right at 2K as well - most people just balk when I say it, so I try to give a slightly higher number to lessen the shock.

That sounds about right... My 1st is waaaaaaaaay short (methinks) so I usually run it up to about 10 mph (recommended shift speed, or near it) and it's kinda high. Other than that, I shift about 2,000 in town... Basically, here's my average trip on a flat road with a limit at no more than 45.
1. Launch. Shift at 10 mph.
2. Seconds 1,2,3 shift to 3rd.

Same all the way through. I usually hit shifts at 10, 20, 25, and 30 at granny throttle levels. On a road with a limit of 50, my shift points are usually about 10, 20-25, 30-35, 40-45. It takes about five seconds on a small grade for me to go from 45-50 at granny throttle in 5th.

dddan:
Welcome to the forum! Nice to have you here!