New Manual Driver
 

Hey guys,

Hopefully this is the right place to put this thread.

I recently purchased a brand new 2016 370z. My dad who is a very experienced manual driver has been teaching me. Although he's really good at driving my car, he's not a very patient teacher. I was wondering if I could ask you guys some questions and maybe you can tell me if I am doing something wrong.

First of all the dealer told me my clutch is going to be really stiff, which actually makes it difficult for me to get the exact point where the clutch "grabs" the "transmission". (hopefully that made sense) This takes getting started in 1st gear about 5 seconds, because if I try to hurry up the clutch release, I mostly stall the car. Is this just something that'll come with practice or is there a way to always hit your engage point with your clutch?

Secondly, I've been worrying about how much damage i'm causing my brand new car by stalling? I stalled about 10 times on my 1st day, and now i don't stall at all.

Third, sometimes when i switch gears, the transition isn't smooth and threes a jerk. My assumtion is because i'm releasing the clutch too fast. Is that also causing damage to my transmission?

Overall in 2 days i'm driving my car mostly fine, kinda slow at the first gear thing but after that it's easy. I'm afraid that until I can get started in 1st gear in less than 1 second, I won't be able to drive around confortably as I'll always be afraid of rolling back and hitting a car behind me on a hill.

Also, what does it mean to "ride the clutch"? I've been told to avoid that, but I'm not sure what that means.

Thanks,

Vishu

You guys don't have another car for you to practice on?

Congrats on the new 370z by the way!

Don't worry, clutches are tough. You're not going to break it by stalling. Be patient. Learning to drive a clutch takes some time. Just like learning to drive, find a large empty parking lot and practice, practice.

What wears out clutches is when you launch (high revs and then pop the clutch) and half clutching (where you partially engage the clutch and hold it at its engagement point.)

I kinda jumped into it on my new stang 16 years ago; so my advice would be to go somewhere like an empty parking lot and practice till you have the 'feathering' of the clutch down pat. Then get an RJM pedal asap and enjoy the car :D

Basically for max clutch life (and least smell) the name of the game is to engage/dis-engage the clutch as quickly as possible without jerking everything to hell, which just like everything else takes perfect timing, which takes practice which takes time, which you (hopefully) have plenty of :)

riding the clutch means you sound like a CVT when getting off the line. not good (too much clutch slip)

You picked a fun car to learn on. The engagement point is pretty high up so maybe try not pushing it in to the floor and shifting. Also 1-2 shift seems to like higher RPMs so try the shift at about 3500 rpms.

Just happened to go to jalopnik andddd

They tried to make the 370z have a racing shift point (engagement/disengagement), where people adjust their clutches engagement/disengagement) at the top of pedal height. However, normal day to day driving, the clutch engagement/disengagement is usually half way from pedal height (at rest) and the floor.

Wish I learned on a 370Z (Financially). Anyhow, it is all about coordination and balance between your left foot and right foot, you have to find the right balance of gas pedal pressure when you are "feeling the clutch engaging point. It takes practice, and like everyone else says, you picked the wrong clutch system to learn on.

Forgot to mention, speed will come with time as far as shifting. The smoother the shift the better. It is better to use your clutch than rock your motor/tranny mounts. Either one is a pain in the butt to replace, but at least with learning how to shift smooth, you'll learn the right way and fastest way of shifting.

OP - congrats on the car!

I will tell that after having driving so many cars, the Z is not a fun car to learn manual on. It makes even the most talented manual drivers feel like they don't know what they are doing.


Stalling isn't super bad as long as you aren't doing it constantly - it basically means the engine is not getting enough revs and "conks" out.

1st to 2nd gear is smoothest at about 3k RPMS +/- 200 depending on how heavy your foot is.

Just practice smoothly engaging and disengaging the clutch while parked. Get a feel for where the "engagement" point is.

I HIGHLY recommend the RJM clutch pedal as it will make your life ALOT easier. I have it on my car and love it!

As for shifting, 1->2 is going to be the hardest, but after that, around 2.5k or so is normal and should be fairly smooth unless you are "stabbing" the clutch.

Hope this helps!

but i would hint that u want to be around 2000rpm when you engage 1st gear from a standstill. that seems quite high on a normal MT car, but not on the Z.

count ichi, ni, san while you engage. you will need the full 3 seconds, otherwise u will stumble.

and look like a dumbarse fool who cant drive a sports car.. :ugh:

OP - also forgot to mention that one thing no one ever told me when I started to drive stick was that you can be in first, slowly let out the clutch and it will keep moving like an automatic - you don't need to add gas to get it moving in first (as long as you are on a flat surface).

u knowz this is free invitation for bald headed middle aged losers in minivans to smoke the living kakaz out of ur Z with their caravan. :ugh:

@kenchan - you on something bro? :D

no, just my normal self. :ugh:

Like everyone else says go to a parking lot(a flat, level one). If you are having trouble locating the engage point then stop your car. Put it in first and slowly let out on the clutch until the car starts to roll/the revs drop slightly, that is the engage point. Memorize it.

In a lot of other cars you can feel it but in the 370 due to the helper spring in the pedal you can't feel it at all. I have never owned an automatics car and I still have trouble in the Z. It's almost pure memorization unless you get the RJM pedal.

You should honestly just start a roll go maybe 5 mph, stop and repeat. Do this for a couple hours and shifting between gears will seem simple.

Also you asked what riding the clutch is. That is when you have the clutch partially engaged and rev the engine. This makes the flywheel and clutch plate slide against each other and will eat your clutch.

When I teach people I always make sure they understand what exactly the clutch assembly is and what it does. If you aren't 100% on that watch some YouTube videos this one I found real quick seems to give a pretty good explanation: http://youtu.be/pqF-aBtTBnY

1. Do you have sport mode engaged? It helps with the jerkiness going from 1st to 2nd. But like other have said, shifting at higher rpm (~2K) will make the transition between gears smoother.
2. Replace your oem clutch pedal spring with aftermarket. This simple mod greatly helped me to get a better feel of the clutch pedal almost instantly.
3. Find an empty parking lot and spend some time getting comfortable with the engagement point. Put it in 1st and using only your left foot on the clutch, learn to get the car moving and stopping without any throttle inputs. Try not to stall (clutch it to keep from stalling), keep repeating until you get more comfortable with it. If you're stalling, stay calm and keep trying. Don't get frustrated it's a process of learning. We all been there.

Thanks everyone,

Glad to see i'm not the only one who feels the clutch engage/disengage is really high up. I don't think my enthusiast package has sport mode.

I'll keep practicing... im getting better. And when I get frustrated, I just go to 3rd and hit the accelerate all the way, and by the time I stop i have this "holy ****" look on my face.

Thanks again!!

just takes a little practice. My wife learned in my 400hp Z32TT. I had to let her go out and solo to really get the hang of it.

i guess being married to someone who captains a plane with 60Klbf+ per engine, that's a 'calm' car to practice on? :ugh:

It takes patience and practice. Youll get the hang of it by the 2nd or 3rd week. For real you wont feel it after.. i felt the same way you did.. the clutch was a pain the *** but after practice its just as any other manual car.

Just practice like this;... In an empty level lot..Put your car in 1st gear, forget the gas pedal, and slowlllyyy start coming off the clutch until you feel it disengage and the car rolls a little forward. Push it right back in... Do this over and until you can pop it in and out and keep the car moving.... Then your coast in 1st. NO gas pedal.... This will get your muscle memory used to the pressure and point of engagement and release. Think of it like a see saw....
Once you master the engagment, you can start applying gas a going forward

actually, I learned in my Dad's Datsun 210 in our driveway. Roll back with the clutch in and gently let it out to go back up the hill. Rinse and repeat for about a half hour a day for 2-3 days and you are done.

Practice makes perfect. Lots of good advice above. When I got my MT at the end of May I had not driven a stick in over 18 years. 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 was pretty rough and yeah, I stalled it a couple of times. It *will* all come together and very soon you'll be "one" with your car and shifts will be super-smooth :-)

Here ya go , watch this video

Learn How To Drive Stick In Five Minutes

Just bring the revs up to 7500, clutch in, engage first, let go of weird third pedal on far left and hang on.

Don't listen to me.

That hyundai warranty must be gr8 :rolleyes:

you picked an interesting car to learn how to drive stick. By nature the 370z is a PITA to launch. I have been driving stick my whole life (never purchased an AT) and sometimes 1st is a mess lol

speaking from experience i learneded to drive manual on the Z too... i had 2 abilities. stall and rocket launch. it'll take some time (practice on residential roads once you get the basics down)

i still ride the clutch a bit during my hill starts and once in awhile from a standstill for a second or two but practice makes perfect. our clutches are strong but the csc... nvm

don't rush the clutch and you will get smooth shifts. Ken's ichi-ni-san count is a great way to do it if you have the sports mode shifting from 1st to 2nd and so on.

Havent tested it yet. Pesky moon roof switch is sticking. Time to trade the old girl in.

A lot of good advice here and again, be patient. It's not the easiest car to learn on. I learned in a Jeep Wrangler- whole different ballgame.

One thing I haven't noticed in this thread (and I hope this makes sense doesn't cause confusion)- when you're sitting at a stand-still and you're about to start moving forward, right when you are about to start slowly releasing the clutch, try to give it a very small amount of throttle, quickly. Like a tap on the gas peddle before giving it a consistent amount of throttle, taking off. This makes the transition into first gear much smoother and easier to find the engagement point, releasing the clutch.

I'm not suggesting dropping the clutch by any means but just a slight amount of throttle and slowly release the clutch like you've been doing and feeling first gear engage while releasing the clutch may seem easier for you.

huh? :confused: with or without SRM, doenst matter. and im talking about engaging 1st gear from stop.

1. Practice, practice, practice. It will become second nature to you with time.

2. No. Stalling isn't hurting your car.

3. Slow down and be patient with it.

Find an empty parking lot with parking spaces directly across the aisle from each other. Pull into a space and come to a complete stop. Reverse into the space across the aisle and stop. Pull forward into the original space and stop. Do this repeatedly to get a nice feel for the engagement point.

After you get first gear down, then you can practice the first to second shift. The rest are easy :driving:

i use your technique on 1-2 and 2-3 (a fast 1-2-3 count) and found it drastically helped in the jerkiness of the transition.... you've helped me improve my shifting more than you think :tup:

:ugh: i did?


:icon17: ;) jk, good to hear.

San Francisco is an awesome place to learn to drive a manual :)

Got a lot better! I will be using the handbrake technique on hills for now.

Takes me about 1 full second to get moving on first gear, used to be like 5 seconds.

Another question if anyone reads it: When stopping for a stop sign or red light and I'm in 4rth gear, should I bring the transmittion to neutral right away, or at the very end of the stop? As in if it'll take me 6 seconds to stop, should I neutral at the beginning of the 6 seconds or at the end?

Thanks guys, really helping me out here!!

I typically downshift through the gears when coming to a stop, but it isn't necessary just helps with engine braking and saves a little on brakes. If you have a sport and have your synchro rev match on then you should practice this tactic. If not then you do not HAVE to put the car in neutral or press the clutch until your RPMs are low. Say like 1500 or so. If you always take it out of gear or press the clutch when you start to come to a stop then you will use more brakes in the long run. Let the engine help you stop, just don't let the RPMs go below your idle point without pressing the clutch in.