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05-26-2015, 01:47 PM | #1 |
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What NOT TO Do (Manual Transmission), and WHY!
Hey Everyone,
I have been reading a lot of manual transmissions since I bought one recently, and I got to be honest - its pretty annoyingly confusing, so I decided I want to get direct and "explained" advice, not for me, but for everyone who has to suffer this vague topic. Please tell us (everyone who wants clear info) what not to do when driving a manual transmission, AND WHY! - ESPECIALLY if it burns out the clutch. We do not need to hear best practice since we hear that all the time, but it doesn't help us understand what not to do and why. Thanks in advance for your time. NOTE: Please refrain from mentioning something someone else already said. |
05-26-2015, 01:54 PM | #2 |
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If you are not starting off or changing gear, keep your left foot completely OFF the clutch pedal.
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05-26-2015, 01:58 PM | #3 |
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Can just touching the pedal actually engage the clutch a little bit? Sometimes I leave my foot hovering over the clutch pedal if I'm in stop and go traffic, so at times it does touch the pedal if I'm not careful or if I get tired.
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05-26-2015, 02:18 PM | #4 | |
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In the MZ4 Coupe, because of the LONG stroke, 6 cylinders, and HIGH compression, when I release the throttle in 1st or 2nd in traffic it's almost like throwing out anchors. 2nd gear is SOOOOOOO damn long I can almost drive home from Orange County during rush hour and never touch the brakes nor the clutch (that's more a testament to how sh*tty traffic is than anything else).
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05-26-2015, 02:45 PM | #5 | |
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05-27-2015, 06:23 AM | #6 |
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okay, 1.. DONT bunnyhop, cos its BAD for your box/clutch/engine....everything..
I dislike driving the z4m in traffic.. try not to slip the clutch <-- as it burns out the clutch.. All cars are different, my buddies Z4M clutch puckup is waaay lower than mine, mine pretty much picks up in the first 0.5 cm off throw, my buddies needs to press at least 2 inches before anything happens. Also mine has much, much more force (does that make sense?) behind the pedal than my buddies z4m. Just try and be as smooth as you can mate ;-)
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05-27-2015, 07:48 AM | #7 |
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Do not rest your hand on the shift knob while driving. You can move the linkage with the gears and cause problems
In stop and go traffic it is ok to not be bumper to bumper with the car in front of you the whole time. Constantly engaging the clutch to start and stop puts a lot of wear on it much faster than normal. It's ok to wait for traffic to move a little further ahead and then slowly let out the clutch without pushing the gas pedal so you roll slowly. If you do it right the idle of the engine will get you rolling at a slow traffic speed. People might be mad you're not 10 feet further ahead of where they want you to be, but you nor they will get to your destination any quicker anyways. If I am relaxed driving around town I try to keep the RPMs around 2k when I am at my cruising speed. This doesn't work at highway speed with our gearing though. If you pay attention to the tachometer on an automatic, you'll notice this is about the rev range those transmissions cruise at. To add on to the above, smooth gas pedal movement is important especially if you have a passenger. I knew a guy a few years ago who for some reason was always one gear lower than he should have been when on the highway and instead of keeping his foot on the gas to keep a constant speed he would tap the gas repeatedly to maintain a speed. As a passenger you would be thrown around because the high RPM he was at from being in the wrong gear and the on and off the throttle would make the car jerk every time he hit the gas. He just didn't know any better. He wasn't going from no throttle to full throttle every time, more like no throttle to 25%, but it was enough to make you bounce back and fourth in the seat.
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05-27-2015, 08:52 AM | #8 | |
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In the very simplest of explanations, when the car is in motion and the clutch is dis-engaged (foot off the pedal for this discussion) the only reason you need to engage the clutch is if you are going to reduce the speed of the vehicle to the point that the engine would be forced below its idle speed. What you are doing (stopping or slowing) determines what is done next with regards to selecting another gear and use of the clutch.. |
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05-27-2015, 09:10 AM | #9 | |
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05-27-2015, 12:49 PM | #10 | |
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I think what they mean is do your gear change and release the clutch before making the turn. Of course you don't slow way down in 4th, make the turn, and stay in that gear. |
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05-27-2015, 01:03 PM | #11 |
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Whatever you do, don't use the clutch to stay stopped on a hill! I had a girlfriend once who owned a manual transmission car, and one day I noticed she had the gas on with the clutch pedal halfway on uphills to keep the car stationary.
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05-27-2015, 01:07 PM | #12 | ||
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essentially you should always be in gear unless stopped or changing. Shift before entering a corner to the gear that you need to be in exiting the corner.
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05-27-2015, 01:36 PM | #13 |
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Yeah, I've been doing it all wrong. I don't engine brake when I come to a stop, but I just realized I do it while turning. Before a turn I downshift 1 gear and slowly let up on the clutch pedal during my turn (instead of rev matching prior to the turn) so I don't have to brake.
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05-27-2015, 02:48 PM | #14 |
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Funny how we all end up with exes with bad manual driving habits! I had a few of those stories as well.
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05-27-2015, 08:34 PM | #15 |
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You'll get the hang of it. I learned to drive on a manual transmission car, and I've never owned anything since (23+ years now). I hate paddles, and I HATE automatics. If manufacturers finally kill manuals one day, I'll never own a new car. It's manual or nothing for me.
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05-27-2015, 08:57 PM | #16 | |
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05-27-2015, 08:58 PM | #17 |
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ALWAYS rev match when downshifting. Never ride the clutch out as an alternatove to rev matching.
Don't slam through gears as quickly as you can. You won't impress anybody, and lightning quick shifts don't increase your performance by much of anything at all. Faster drivers shift smoothly. Learn the ideal upshift speed, as in the amount of time (delay) you allow so that the rpm can fall while changing gears. 7000 rpm in 2nd might be 4500 rpm in 3rd, and if you shift before the rpm has dropped far enough, you will upset the balance of the car. Too fast or slow, and you shock the drivetrain. Obviously your shift speed can change depending on the gear and rpm. A rule of thumb is to give a heartbeat between gears. Any time you have the clutch partially engaged, you are slipping it. The only time it should be partially engaged is when you're transitioning from a stop. Otherwise, it should either be engaged completely or not engaged at all. Treat it like an on/off switch. If going forward from a stop, always start in 1st gear. Other gears require more clutch slippage and bog the engine down. Be easy on the throttle when in high gear and low rpm. Lugging the engine around is very hard on it, and you're under high load without spinning the oil pump quickly enough. A good rule of thumb is not to use heavy throttle below 2000 rpm in 3rd gear or above. If you're cruising over 3000 rpm and not in 6th, you should probably upshift. More rpm means more wear and worse gas mileage. Aim to cruise between 2000-3000 rpm.
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05-27-2015, 09:17 PM | #18 | |
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i now own my first ever automatic jeep, and unless its a sports car, ill never drive manual again..
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05-27-2015, 09:53 PM | #19 |
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Those that know the internals of a transmission, how synchros work, clutch & release bearing function and have rebuilt all of these should know what will make them last and what won't. Rev matching and not jamming gears as quick as you can is the key to the longevity of the synchros. If you're careful, and rev match, you can shift without even pushing in the clutch, but it is hard on the sychros, so don't do it. Downshifting is harder on the syncros without rev matching. Snychros are soft brass and act as brakes to match the collar/gear speed, so the more they're abused the sooner they'll wear out. 2nd gear synchro is usually the one that gets the most wear, so that's the one you should try be the most careful with.
Brakes $, clutch $$$ and synchros $$$$$. So slow down with your brakes, not to say you shouldn't use engine braking, but I've seen people downshift to 4 to 3 to 2 to slow down, never touching the brakes. Changing brakes is much easier & cheaper than changing clutches or synchros. |
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05-28-2015, 12:05 AM | #20 | |
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Guilty of this. I need to stop fondling my knob.
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Getting close to 40 years driving stick. Wouldn't want to sit in traffic any other way.
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05-28-2015, 10:14 AM | #21 | |
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405 between West L.A. and Torrance, driving past the airport daily during rush hour 10 between San Gabriel and Santa Monica, again, daily, during rush hour 101/110 through downtown L.A. daily, during rush hour The infamous Orange Crush, where the 5/405/57/55 all combine to make one of the biggest cluster f**ks in the world, daily, during rush hour. Having driven, for 18 years, through the toughest stretches of traffic, driving nearly nothing but manuals, I think I can chime in on this. It isn't the driving a manual in traffic that sucks. It's the driving in traffic that sucks the life out of you. I recall, when my E46 was in the shop for some work, I took my wife's E46 (mine was a stick, her's an auto) to work for a week, and distinctly remember being just as frustrated and exhausted driving the auto. It makes zero difference. The only time I feel "less" frustrated with traffic, is now when I'm driving my plug-in electric, because I get to use the HOV lanes when I'm by myself, and the traffic "extends" the range so I'm not so freaked out with pulling into the garage with less than 5% charge left and a screaming turtle on my dash. You quickly learn to leave about 1.5-2 car's space in front when you drive manual in heavy traffic. That space allows you to practically never have to switch gears (2nd goes a very long way, from ~10 mph to up to 35-40mph) and anticipate using engine braking so you don't even have to worry about using the brakes. Like I said, I once almost drove all the way through the infamous orange crush without using the brakes nor changing gears. Sure is less stressful than accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake, curse the dish*ts in front, accelerate, brake.
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05-28-2015, 02:47 PM | #22 |
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