Hi all, I'm new at driving a stick. I don't know if this is of importance but I drive the 2010 Lancer. Several questions:
1. When driving down a steep hill, would I need to change gears? (shift up) or can I leave it on neutral while my right foot is holding on the brake pedal?
2. When would I know how to down shift gears? At what RPM? Or would I feel it?
3. When shifting gears and my car is still running on the streets, is it necessary to press on the gas pedal after releasing the clutch? Or can you just press the clutch, change gear, and let go of the clutch WITHOUT having to press the gas?
4. When is it necessary to press/hold on the clutch? I mean I know I need to press on the clutch before I change gears.. but I heard something about if you hold on the clutch too long, then it will mess up the engine. Wouldn't I need to hold on the clutch though say.. in times of slowing down at 5 mph before passing bump.
Thanks!Help on driving manual/stick?
1) You want to stay in a lower gear when going uphill. Like 2nd gear (or even stay in first).
2) Anytime before the redline
3) errrrr dont quite get your q. You dont have to floor it or anything.
4) You can push the clutch in whenever you want and hold it (except if youre trying to go up a hill of course)..Help on driving manual/stick?
1. neutral foot off clutch and foot on brake
2. a lot is feel don't lug engine its very bad, i would say downshift somewhere round 2500-2000 rpm
3. you dont have to press the gas, depends on situation
4. the only way you can mess anything up is if you press the gas before the clutch pedal is fully released, and you wouldnt be messing up the engine youd be burning the clutch and having to replace it early. just remember clutch pedal and gas pedal at the same time is bad.Help on driving manual/stick?
1. Downshift to one gear lower (5th to 4th) and use engine braking to keep your speed under control. You may have to downshift two gears (5th to 3rd) on steeper hills. Use brakes as needed. Shifting into neutral leaves you vulnerable to brake failure due to overheating.
2. Experience and listen to engine sound. As a guide: If the engine RPM is below about 1,200 RPM, downshift into a lower gear. If the engine RPM is above 3000 RPM, upshift into a higher gear.
3. You want to apply a little gas to try and match the engine speed to the speed the car is traveling. You are actually trying to match the flywheel speed of the engine with the speed of the clutch plate so that you don't jerk the car when you release the clutch. Again, that comes with experience.
4. Only press the clutch when you want to shift gears or just before you come to a complete stop. You won't hurt the engine or clutch parts, don't worry. You can release the clutch pedal if the transmission is in neutral.
Additional: When you are slowing down, anticipate the stop early. Downshift one gear at at time as you approach your stop. This uses the engine compression as a brake and saves wear and tear on your brake components (shoes and pads and drums and rotors).
Emergency stop? Brake and clutch pedal at the same time. Don't worry about shifting gears.Help on driving manual/stick?
1. You can downshift to a lower gear if you want to avoid using the brakes, or you can keep it in whatever gear you are in, or you can put it in neutral and let gravity pull the car along, and use the brakes to control speed.
2. If you are driving with the engine below roughly 2000rpm (Unless it's a diesel), you should downshift if you need to accelerate or are on a hill. Maintaining a steady speed on flat ground should be fine though. It really just takes experience and familiarity with your car to know when the car is being lugged around or not, and is pretty much all feel and sound.
3. Depends if you are up-shifting or downshifting. If you're downshifting, I would blip the gas a little bit while you have the clutch pedal pushed in, just enough to bring the RPM's up 800-1000 revs, that will make the downshift more smooth. If you're up-shifting, then you shouldn't have to hit the gas at all to change gears, but you don't want to let the revs slip to idle, because that will just make the car lurch when you let the clutch out.
4. You never hold the clutch in for an extended period of time. This will wear out the clutch much faster, which is expensive to replace. If you are slowing down for a speed bump, put it in the gear you will need to be in to drive away from the bump. If you're stopping at a light, put it in neutral and brake. Then put it in first gear when the light turns green to take off. No matter what the situation, never, EVER, hold the clutch pedal down for more than a couple seconds. That can be the difference between a 40,000 mile clutch and a 140,000 mile clutch.Help on driving manual/stick?
1. . Going down a steep hill (depends on how steep and how long the hill is), but NEVER put it into neutral and just coast down a hill. Leaving it in gear with the clutch engaged (out) lets the engine take some of the strain off the brakes.
2. . Down shift (changing to a lower gear) at between 2000 amd 3500 RPM (depending on what engine you have), if you have a tachometer, if not then you will just have to learn the sound of the engine and estimate the RPM.
3. . Yes, you can do that.
4. . No, holding the clutch won't hurt the engine, but it will (eventually) wear the clutch bearings. And yes you could hold the clutch long enough to %26quot;coast%26quot; over a speed bump, but downshifting to 1st gear before you get to the bump would be better.
The only time you need to hold the clutch for longer than it takes to shift is sitting at a stop sign, or a traffic light.
And check your operator's manual for more vehicle specific information.
=================================Help on driving manual/stick?
As a rule you should not coast in neutral or with the clutch depressed. Technically you are not in full control of your vehicle and in an emergency situation you would upset the balance of your car because of the lack of drive. When travelling down hill change down a gear and try not to sit on your brake but let the engine brake for you if you need to slow down use your brake.
When the engine is labouring such as going up a steep hill and the engine revs are dropping. You will feel it as you will start to lose speed and revs. Probably about 2000 revs.
It isn't necessary to use the accelerator when changing gears but it depends on the speed that you are going when you change. If you over rev the gear and then change up then you may not need to accelerate.
When you come to a stop at lights you will have the clutch fully depressed and sitting in first gear ready to take off. What you are talking about may be when you are on a hill and you have the clutch halfway out at the pivot point (where the clutch is in between being engaged and disengaged) this way you can keep your position without the use of the handbrake. This practise is ok to a point excessive acceleration when the clutch is at this point can burn it out because it is slipping causing friction and wear. If you can't go from clutch-in, brake-in to clutch-out, accelerator on without stalling it you should use your handbrake. With practise you can do it without the handbrake but is not essential. Do not sit at the lights in neutral, have it in gear ready to go. Also some people tend to 'ride' the clutch. This is where they don't take their foot fully off the clutch (you should take your foot right off the clutch and put it on the floor). This does not actually damage the clutch per se but can damage bearings. Don't coast over the speed hump but brake as you approach it, change down to second gear and let the car engine drive over it., You may need a little bit of accelerator but usually not. Brake before hitting the speed hump, don't brake going over it.
