well I just recently purchased an 05 gpw s2k and its also my first stick shift car. I've driven her for almost 2 weeks now and I'm getting the hang of it. My shifts are pretty smooth and I'm practicing downshifting. However, I still have a few questions about technique (tried searching, found some info but didn't answer all my questions). Sorry if I sound noobish guys.. bear with me

1. Whats the proper way to reverse out of, say, a driveway? Do I put it in reverse and just hold the clutch at the engagement point and slowly back out or do I do the same as I would going into first gear from a stop?

2. What exactly is "riding the clutch" and burning the clutch? If I'm behind a car at a red light and I put the car in first gear and I use the engagement point of the clutch to inch up a little, is that riding the clutch (and if its not, is it bad for the clutch)?

3. Today was my first day in freeway traffic (omg my left leg was so tired ) But I was wondering what I do when I'm in 2nd gear going about 20mph and I have to slow down to like 10 mph. Do I just brake and keep it in 2nd and slowly get back on the gas(thats what I did today and the car seemed to bog a lot)? Also, what do I do when traffic is moving VERY slowly (basically just rolling forward)?

Thanks in advance guys. Sorry for all the noobish questions but I'm very eager to get better at driving manual. Even after sitting in traffic for the first time in a manual I was still happy to be driving the s.

 

#1-if you can roll out of the drive way do that. if not press in the clutch then put in gear and drive as you would normally do it.

#2-yes burning the clutch is riding it most of the times means your giving it too much gas and not letting out the clutch fast enough

#3-its up to you. driving slowly usually if its more than 15mph ill shift into second

hope that helps you out good luck

 

I also learned stick on the S2000, take a few weeks of practice and you'll learn how to do the questions you asked. Practice makes perfect!

 

double clutching means to push in the clutch and pull the shifter into nuteral then release the clutch, repress it and go into gear. If you go to slow for second you need to double clutch into first but all the other gears your wont have to.

make sure you dont skip gears on upshifts either.

 

Also when I am in slow stop and go traffic. I would just keep it in first and shift at a bit higher rpm than more rather than staying in 2nd gear and bogging the car. Theres a lot of traffic here in during commute hours and the constant 1-2-1 shifts get too tiring for me.

 

http://standardshift.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6


just keep practicing and you'll get it. it's fun!

 

Inside the clutch is a friction disc. This makes contact on both sides between the driveshaft/flywheel on the engine side, and the input shaft on the transmission side.

When you push down on your clutch, you are relieving the spring that pushes both sides together. This is called "slipping". In an automatic transmission, this is done with a "fluid coupling" where liquid transfers energy from one side to the other (that's how you can idle an automatic car and still be in gear).

The wear to the clutch disc is based on how much slippage you do. The material on the friction disc will get very hot and burn off (and potentially glaze your flywheel) if you cause slippage for too long and potentially at too high an RPM difference. You'll be greeted by an unmistakable smell if you start burning material off the friction disc.

Anyway, as you learn, keep this basic knowledge in mind. Slipping the clutch is absolutely necessary to get started from a dead stop, but as soon as there's some motion, you should be off the clutch. That said, use your clutch to avoid lugging (which is not good for the engine).

 

1) If you were to pull the clutch all the way out and actually be in reverse gear, I find that you would be going to fast in reverse for pulling out of the driveway. I suggest, put gear in reverse, engage the clutch partially (not all the way) for a fractional second till you get some movement (1-2 mph), and then disengage the clutch again and coast out of the driveway.

2) riding the clutch is when you are between clutch engagement and disengagement for an unneed long amount of time...any time the clutch is not fully disengaged or engaged, you are wearing out your clutch. The key is the find the perfect length of time between these two extremes to balance less wear VS engine bog/stall/jerky launch.

3) In my MY04 I don't bog the engine till 8mph in 2nd gear...it's just I would want to accelerate VERY slowly from 8mph at 2nd gear (don't floor the accel pedal at this speed in this gear). So I don't see why you would bog at 10mph.....if traffic is moving very slow I'd just keep it in 1st the whole time...it doesn't get too loud until over 4K RPM . The key is to keep the car always moving > 5mph but < 15 mph or so so that you can keep it in 1st the whole time without every shifting or stopping

 

so if i were going like 8 mph and i start to bog in second i would double clutch and put it into first correct? How much would I need to rev match compared to going from 3rd to 2nd?

so if i were going like 5 mph in first would it be ok to...disengage the clutch and let the car move and then reengage and add gas when it started to slow down too much? Is that what u mean by using my clutch to avoid lugging?

yea I tried pulling the clutch all the way being in reverse and I felt like I was shooting out of my driveway So I assume its ok to engage the clutch partially in reverse and let the car move then disengage and then reengage partially again if the car slows down correct?

Thanks for the replies everyone! Back to practicing

 

you don't need to double clutch in any modern car....just downshift as normal and rev-match as usual (you should rev match on any shift...when you upshift you get off the accel and shift so that the revs drop for the correct RPM for the next gear....when you downshift you push the accel and shift so that the revs rise to the correct RPM for the next gear)

yeah you can engage the clutch again, and again, and again...but with practice you should only have to engage once........