StandardShift.com

Hey all! I'm new to these forums here, but have been reading through you guys for a few days now. I love the atmosphere and how well and lighthearted everyone seems to get along.

I don't own a manual vehicle myself, but I am looking to purchase one asap, I have a budget of 3k (Starting) and i am looking for something awd and manual.

My first choices are Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX and Eagle Talon TSi both 95+ (2g). Eventually i want to purchase a 2006 mitsu evo ix (my dream car).

I've driven SRT Focus and a basic civic in standard, but I fail horribly at N>1, 1>rest i'm good.
I have questions but will use the search function before I go ahead and post.

Thanks in advance! and You'll probably be seeing projects from me.

Welcome to the SS!!

Whereabouts in Westchester are you; I'm up in Poughkeepsie (Dutchess County). I was gonna recommend something like a Subaru Forester, Legacy or Impreza but most of those (in normal trim at least) aren't as sporty as what you seem to be considering. 1st gear launch is one of the (if not the) hardest things about driving manual. You could also be referring to having trouble getting the shifter into 1st gear, a common problem on older cars (I got in the habit of shifting into 2nd then 1st in my 94 Civic, a habit that carried over to my later cars which didn't even have this issue). Unfortunately, my current car is a slushomatic, or else I'd be willing to help you out. Feel free to ask any questions on here; unlike on many forums, most people here don't get a kick out of doing things like telling the noobs to search before asking.

Hey! and I'm constantly between exits 5 and 7 on sawmill north. Its just entering westchester (i think) but i know its not the city. I am considering those 2 as first vehicles so that I have a platform that can be heavily modified to begin being a grease monkey.

I was told that a friend of my fathers had an EVO, and he was charged 3k to change brakes (parts n labor) No way i'm paying that. So i would like to start learning now. Many people are telling me that the hills are going to kill my clutch, but I wouldn't be too upset, youtube, and the online community make for good mechanics, luckily I'm good at instructions.

What were you driving previously?

Also a question I wanted to ask my father but since he's no Yoda, I'd rather bring it up now. We were speaking about downshifting for engine braking to slow the vehicle. Would 6>3 be a bad idea? how much gas should I be expecting to be on while doing that to slow my vehicle if any gas at all is being pressed? He told me it wouldn't be a good idea, that I'd have to 6>5>4>3... and etc.

Seems like a lot of work. Not complaining but wow :O

My previous car was a 96 Accord EX sedan, and before that I had a 98 Maxima GXE and before that a 94 Civic EX coupe. Those were my 3 manual cars I had between 2003 and 2011.

I am somewhat familiar with the area you are at, though I haven't spent much time around there other than driving through on the way to the city. I've spent more time in (more) northern Westchester in Tarrytown, Ryebrook (sister used to work at Kraft), White Plains (college friend lived there), Pleasantville (friend went to Pace) and north of there, when I've been in Westchester.

As for the downshifting dilemma, it depends on your rpms in each gear and the road conditions, how many gears you will want to or be able to downshift. Your father might also not have done rev-matched downshifts which are essential for not wearing the clutch when downshifting into a gear out of the normal range of that gear...

Welcome!

Launching was also the most difficult thing for me to learn.

Whether or not to 6->3 depends on speed, desired amount of engine braking, gear ratios, and engine. Rev-matching will reduce clutch wear (which probably needn't be a worry but most of us worry anyway), while not rev-matching will provide engine braking more quickly.

Welcome! Enjoy the stay and good luck deciphering Rope-Pusher!

Welcome. The Talon/Eclipse is a great car to learn on....I owned two of them in the past. They are easy cars to drive with a light clutch pedal and a nice shifting transmission. The only problem you may have is finding an AWD (which comes with turbo) that is not highly modified or just generally beaten to hell.

BTW, both of mine were 5-speeds. I'm not sure if they ever put 6-speed transmissions in those cars in the later generations.

Squint wrote:Welcome! Enjoy the stay and good luck deciphering Rope-Pusher!

I've found he can be rather amusing. The pop culture references are priceless.

Welcome to the club.

I ask plenty of dumb questions and have yet to have things thrown at me.

P.S. Aren't the Eclipse and Talon pretty much the same, mechanically speaking?

tankinbeans wrote:P.S. Aren't the Eclipse and Talon pretty much the same, mechanically speaking?

No, you must be confusing them with the Plymouth Laser.


Hugh sez FWD cars can't do wheelies?

tankinbeans wrote:Welcome to the club.

I ask plenty of dumb questions and have yet to have things thrown at me.

P.S. Aren't the Eclipse and Talon pretty much the same, mechanically speaking?

Yes, virtually identical. The Eclipse, Talon, and Laser are all considered Diamond Star cars. If I remember correctly, the Laser was not available in AWD, but you could still get a FWD Turbo.

welcome. i'm the resident moron.

as per your last question, engine compression (from which engine braking results) is nominal. It serves little purpose for slowing in most race conditions, and even less purpose in daily driving, save for maybe maintaining speed while traveling down a hill, or maybe even managing DFCO. Albeit, if I see traffic ahead is stopped, I might not upshift, and instead let engine compression do my braking, but by no means have I ever selected a lower gear in an attempt to slow the car.

If you need to slow down, use your brakes. They're much cheaper than a clutch, easier and cheaper to replace, and intended solely for that purpose. You can do it, don't get me wrong, just don't mistake it's purpose. If you want to rocket out of a turn, you're going to want the lowest gear you can get no sooner than you can reapply the throttle, and that is why most racers downshift while they're braking, simply to have the power ready when they need it, not the time it takes to make 1 gear shift later than they could've used it.

you seem like you'll catch on quick. i didn't. but i still suck. and if you see ra64t, tell him to slow down, he keeps lapping me.