"how to drive a stick" question

[sasha055]

It's been almost a year since I got my new baby and I still have a feeling that I'm not driving it right..
Last time I drove a stick was 15 years ago and it was my dad's car and it was 15yo at that time

Do you guys press clutch when braking?
Do you put the car in neutral when going downhill?

It seems that I can never match the speed when shifting in 1st or 2nd from neutral.
It's pretty smooth when I got from one gear to another, but if I put it in neutral when going downhill and the try to shift in lower gear (1,2,3) I always get that pinch.. it's never smooth.

Any tips for "how to drive a stick" ?

Thanks
Sasha

[schnellman]

I hope you're joking about putting the car in neutral when you go downhill and then trying to put it back in gear. Because, you should never, ever, never do that. And, again, if you're not joking, you do not push the clutch every time you brake. Only push the clutch when coming to a complete stop, or when shifting.
My suggestion is to get with someone who drives a stick every day and let them ride with you and give you some instructions.

[sasha055]

I'm not joking.. that's how I was tought to drive a stick back then.. it was the right thing to do for the car I was driving back home..
It feels wrong on boxster... that's why I'm asking.

Thanks
Sasha

PS: It seems that here in US not many people are driving stick... from all the people I know here, I'm the only one that drives a stick.

[schnellman]

Did you learn to drive on a Trabant or a Skoda? Probably the only cars you will find in the US with a manual transmission will be sports cars. And, many of those are going to automatics. When I lived in Germany and bought my first Porsche in 1981 you could not get a 911 with an automatic.

[yelojkt]

Originally Posted by sasha055

I'm not joking.. that's how I was tought to drive a stick back then.. it was the right thing to do for the car I was driving back home..
It feels wrong on boxster... that's why I'm asking.

Thanks
Sasha

PS: It seems that here in US not many people are driving stick... from all the people I know here, I'm the only one that drives a stick.

Stick with it Sasha. It is worth the effort. The joy of driving a manual car is something to behold, most certainly in a Boxster! Both of my boys had to learn to drive in a manual. I would not let them drive an automatic until they were proficient at driving a stick. I wanted it to "stick" with them; to be their first memory of driving. Thomas is learning right now and he is practicing at night when he cannot see his feet. Keeps him from looking down at the pedals. But then I can't see his feet either. He has yet to kill the car when comming to a stop. Last night I figured out why when he told me he was pushing in the clutch everytime he used the brake. He now knows that he only needs to use the clutch when shifting not when braking.

[ekam]

If you're jerking the car (no pun intended) then that means you're not shifting properly.

You need to rev match when downshifting or shift into gear from neutral at speed.

Search on youtube on "double clutching" and "heel and toe".

The only time that you would press both the clutch and brake pedals are when you're doing an emergency stop.

Yeah you're not driving if you have an auto. I learn that when I got this car.

[sasha055]

It wasn't a skoda.. it was a Lada

I love stick.. (that didn't sound right..)
I started driving stick when I was 13.. at 26 I moved to US, and bought a auto (I actually never saw automatic transmission car before moving to US)

I'll look into heel&toe videos.
I tried different styles of driving but it's hard to break old habbits.
Back home it was a rule to put it in neutral when going downhill.. I actually stopped the engine if the hill was longer to save gas. and when braking I always push clutch first.. it's an instinct.

Thanks
Sasha

[clickman]

Originally Posted by yelojkt

Both of my boys had to learn to drive in a manual. I would not let them drive an automatic until they were proficient at driving a stick.

Huh? Teaching a new driver should include giving them as few unnecessary distractions as possible. Fiddling with gas and clutch while trying to deal with traffic, lights, etc is not going to get a newby confident and safe as quickly as possible. Sure, once they're comfortable on the road, if you feel the need to take a chance on damaging your manual car during the learning process, go for it.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by clickman

Huh? Teaching a new driver should include giving them as few unnecessary distractions as possible. Fiddling with gas and clutch while trying to deal with traffic, lights, etc is not going to get a newby confident and safe as quickly as possible. Sure, once they're comfortable on the road, if you feel the need to take a chance on damaging your manual car during the learning process, go for it.

Please tell us how they did this before there is automatic transmission? My god think of the children.

[yelojkt]

Originally Posted by clickman

Huh? Teaching a new driver should include giving them as few unnecessary distractions as possible. Fiddling with gas and clutch while trying to deal with traffic, lights, etc is not going to get a newby confident and safe as quickly as possible. Sure, once they're comfortable on the road, if you feel the need to take a chance on damaging your manual car during the learning process, go for it.

Clickman Please don't take this wrong but...Oh my goodness did you think at all before writing this. You talk like I put my kid in the car in downtown rush hour traffic and said "Go for it kid" They both started in a big empty parking lot learning to be semi-proficient with their start and stoping skills. Than I take them into a commerical area where they can practice on streets with no traffic. This way they are as safe as possible while gaining confidence. And how in the world are they going to damage my car learning to drive it. I drive the piss out of my car and have over 200,000 miles on it. I'm sure all those thousands of hours of driving plus all the autocrossing and track time I have put on my car have been alot more punishing on the mechanicals than the few short weeks it takes my two boys to learn. This whole time I am riding with them ready to give them any advice they may need when they need it. I love spending this time with my kids and it is something I hope they remember just as I remember learning to drive in a 68 beetle as a 14 year old way back in good old 1979. Although my mom was the one teaching because my dad just did not have the patience. Peace dude.

[yelojkt]

Sasha you should just go out and drive when you have nowhere to go or no place to be. Focus your attention on how the car feels, sounds and responds to different things that you try in it. In a manual car you have to think about what the car is doing to determine what gear you need to be in. There is nothing wrong with putting the car in nuetral on a down hill but if you are going 70 mph at the end of the hill than you should put the car back into the appropriate gear. In a boxster five speed that would be fifth gear at 70. You also need to rev-match the engine. As you have been rolling along on the downhill in nuetral your cars engine has slowed to idle speed. So if you go from nuetral to 5th gear at 70 when you release the clutch the engine will not be turning at the same speed as the gears in the transmission thus you would get the "pinch" or jerk you are talking about. But if you bring the engine speed up as you let out on the clutch than the transition will be smooth. Practice makes perfect.

Never try to put the car into to low of a gear without rev-matching the engine to the cars speed. doing so is hard on your car and can in some cases cause a spin.

[J Tinsby]

Originally Posted by sasha055

Do you put the car in neutral when going downhill?

Thanks
Sasha

In Pennsylvania it is against the law to coast with your car in neutral. You don't have it 'under control'. I'm sure that this applies in many other states too.

For our sake in case we meet you coming the other way downhilll... and for the sake of your gearbox don't do it.

Glad you asked the question but sorry you were given bad information on how to handle a manual gearbox.

Cheers

J T

[JTP]

Originally Posted by J Tinsby

and for the sake of your gearbox don't do it.

I know for safety concerns it's not good to coast down hills, but I'm curious, how is it bad for the gearbox?
Thanks.