Standard New Guy Questions

[JakeDG]

Hey guys so im new to driving standard but ive driven dirtbikes all my life so its been a fairly easy transition... I have a few questions that id really like to get some answers to. My first question is what should my revs be at when starting off ? When i try to keep them below 1000 i always seem to almost stall but i can catch it it and go with a little bucking but when i rev at 1500 or so i can pull away perfect which way is right and less wear on the clutch ? Also when im driving and upshifting say from 2nd to 3rd my friend told me to match the clutch and gas cause if i dont its bad for the clutch ? I find that if i take my foot off the clutch all the way then give it gas i can make it smooth as long as i dont take my foot off to fast which way it right or am i matching my clutch and gas wrong ? Also say when im in the parking lot say pulling out of a spot is it ok if i not have the clutch fully depressed cause its hard to speed in a busy parking lot. And last but not least ive been shifting at 2500 to 3000 for each gear is that ok for good gas millage. I know i have a lot of questions but im excited to learn and would greatly appreciate the help

Thanks, Jake

[tankinbeans]

With practice you'll be able to get moving without too much throttle input. Don't worry about being perfect.

I regularly just let off completely when shifting up through the gears. It's more a case of not revving too much with the clutch partially engaged. You'll need to allow it to slip, but not excessively.

It's fine to have the click partially engaged for an entire reversing maneuver. You have more control that way.

2500-3000 seems to be my sweet spot for mileage, but your car may vary.

What do you drive?

Keep asking questions. We've all been there.

[JakeDG]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply! I drive a 2008 Honda civic 4 door 5 speed and i love it... So to make sureim correct, my friend told me if i dont match the clutch when changing gears its bad for my clutch hes wrong right? I can let off the clutch all the way before giving it gas again... is it better to do one way compared to the other ?


Thanks again!

[tankinbeans]

You can definitely let of completely as long as the car isn't bucking. I do it all the time.

[JakeDG]

Alright thank you... If im coming up to a light in 4th and it turns red is downshifting from 4th to 2nd ok (with no break) as long as i dont go over 3000 rpms ? Or am i better off holding on the clutch and using the breaks... Also if i was in the same situation could i go from 2nd after i geared down straight to neutral to break if i know im going to be at the light for more then 45 seconds or so or should i gear down to first using the break and then just hold on the clutch the whole time in 1st?

Thanks, Jake

[tankinbeans]

Depending on how fast you're going in 4th you might end up going above 3000 rpm. Slipping your clutch to get into gear is fine in this case until you want to get into slightly more advanced techniques such as rev-matching.

There's a topic for when you've gotten comfortable. I didn't try it until I'd been driving my manual for about 6 months.

[JakeDG]

Sorry for my lack on knowledge but you saying slipping the clutch means downshifting right? Or changing to neutral from second ? So downshifting like that with no breaks letting the motor do the slowing down does not hurt my car or clutch and i usually dont go over 3000 rpms while downshifting

[monkeyhunk]

Short simple answer there is no reason you HAVE to be on that clutch unless you are changing gears or you are at a complete stop in gear. Normal braking you don't need to be on the clutch. Some people will go down throughi the gears coming to a stop but I usually don't. You can if you like not saying it's right or wrong. That's half the fun of a manual it's your car you can drive it just about any way you want. If I were coming to a stop from 4th I would most likely just brake until I was a little above idle speed and knock it into neutral. If you're not grinding gears sending your tach over red line or generally thrashing about like a mad man you're not necessarily doing anything wrong. You can put three different guys in your drivers seat and you are likely to see three or four different ways of getting from a to b. Just read some threads around here. These guys can have a debate on how to PARK a car.

[tankinbeans]

No problem.

Slipping occurs any time the clutch isn't fully engaged or disengaged. Whenever you start from a stop you slip and if you downshift and use the clutch to smooth it out, it's slipping. The clutch is designed for this, so long as you're not slipping any more than necessary.

I'd say you're doing fine. If you're not smelling anything from the clutch you're likely not slipping it too much. You'll develop good habits with time.

[JakeDG]

Thanks you for the help its really great! I just red an article online that said if i dont rev match when im downshifting im ruining my car... Is this true? When i down shift say im doing 55 kph in 4th at 2000 rpms and want to go to 3rd to slow down a bit i always thought i could just let off the gas switch to 3rd and just not let off the clutch to fast and its smooth and i only rev to about 2700 rpms is this bad am i really ruining my car by not " rev matching" ? And i haven't been over revving to much and haven't smelt anything yet so i cant be doing that bad

[tankinbeans]

No.

Rev-matching is helpful if you're trying to reduce some negligible amount of wear to your clutch. It won't ruin anything even if you never do it.

[JakeDG]

Alright thank you again you guys are great! One more question when im starting off and i dont rev enough and almost stall but catch it and go on is this wearing my clutch ? Or am i better off over revving to 2000 rpms ?

[tankinbeans]

Alright thank you again you guys are great! One more question when im starting off and i dont rev enough and almost stall but catch it and go on is this wearing my clutch ? Or am i better off over revving to 2000 rpms ?

Slightly, but I wouldn't say it's enough to worry about. Everything you do will apply some small amount of wear to the clutch if it's not fully engaged or disengaged.

[JakeDG]

Alright i think thats all my questions thanks for all the help guys!

[tankinbeans]

If you come up with more, come on back. The other, more senior members will have more interesting or technically in depth answers.