(Manual noob) Had a little trouble starting in 1st gear at test drive

[Vaughanabe13]

I learned manual on a beater Ford Taurus and while I know the basics, I'm definitely still a novice on manual trans (been driving auto since I learned to drive). The only reason I'm learning is because I want my Z to have manual. So after I learned the ropes I went and test drove a manual Z34. I figured it would be much different than the Ford and my suspicions were correct. Overall I didn't have too hard of a time but my biggest problem was first gear starts. Basically, I couldn't start smoothly every time, I was getting bucking/jerking when letting out the clutch. It was particularly hard because my shoes were wet from the rain and my foot was slipping all over the place but really it's just my lack of manual experience and what to do in those situations. I never actually stalled the car but did have a tough time on the first gear starts. I was hoping you guys could give me advice specific to the 370z (or manual cars in general) so that on my next test drive I can fix this issue and not embarrass myself as much. Any help is appreciated!

[Roadster4Us]

Don't sweat it. Even experienced manual drivers sometimes need a bit of time to get the feel of a new clutch as they have different release points and may require different rev points for a smooth start.

What you are experiencing is due to letting out the clutch too quickly and not giving it enough revs while releasing the clutch.

It really just comes down to practicing with the feel of the clutch. Ask the dealer to let you take the car around the back of the dealership where there is some room to practice your starts. Once you have it down, hit the street. Good luck...

[FromG2Z]

I've been driving stick for almost 20 years... I still wasn't smooth when 1st driving my G or the new Z. It just takes some getting used to. Just try to be deliberate and accurate with your shifts and letting up on the clutch. You'll be fine. Practice makes perfect.

[kenchan]

Z likes higher rpm (2k) and a slightly longer slip than most manuals I've driven. Otherwise as mentioned, she bucks like a sick donkey when fully engaged. don't worry about burning the clutch unless you're reving 3k before engagement.

[Vaughanabe13]

Originally Posted by kenchan

Z likes higher rpm (2k) and a slightly longer slip than most manuals I've driven. Otherwise as mentioned, she bucks like a sick donkey when fully engaged. don't worry about burning the clutch unless you're reving 3k before engagement.

Ahh. I know I definitely wasn't getting up to 2k, I was probably closer to 1k or maybe even less, although I wasn't really looking at the tach. My guess is you guys hit the nail on the head that I was releasing too fast and not giving it enough throttle.

Yeah, I knew I wasn't going to be able to drive it perfectly the first time, so I'm not beating myself up over that. I just feel like sometimes I don't have enough knowledge about it to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Like, I probably would have been afraid to rev to 2K if you hadn't mentioned it.

It didn't help that the guy giving me the test drive was basically a douche and offered zero feedback to me (he knew I was a novice manual driver). Oh well.

[Nick911sc]

Hey man don't sweat it. I learned to drive stick on my Z pretty much. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. At first I had to rev around 1.5k 2k to get a smooth start but once you learn properly you can do it with less revs smoothly.

This car isn't easy to drive compared to "normal" cars. I drove my moms wrangler for the first time recently after driving my Z and it felt almost impossible to stall or buck compared to the Z lol

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by Vaughanabe13

Ahh. I know I definitely wasn't getting up to 2k, I was probably closer to 1k or maybe even less, although I wasn't really looking at the tach. My guess is you guys hit the nail on the head that I was releasing too fast and not giving it enough throttle.

Yeah, I knew I wasn't going to be able to drive it perfectly the first time, so I'm not beating myself up over that. I just feel like sometimes I don't have enough knowledge about it to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Like, I probably would have been afraid to rev to 2K if you hadn't mentioned it.

It didn't help that the guy giving me the test drive was basically a douche and offered zero feedback to me (he knew I was a novice manual driver). Oh well.

i can tell you that even between my G and Z the clutch and throttle feels very different so the first 1mile of driving in the Z is like my adjustment period each time.

ive been to a mazadah dealer where the salesbag had no experience with MT and he asked me to pull a car out for another customer while i was waiting for another unrelated car to test drive.

[MightyBobo]

I can honestly say I stalled once on my test drive, and I had a 400WHP Camaro before this. Every clutch is different, and takes getting used to. Dont sweat it.

Oh, best advice? A little more gas and a little slower on the clutch and you should be fine.

[birdmanx1]

Originally Posted by Roadster4Us

Don't sweat it. Even experienced manual drivers sometimes need a bit of time to get the feel of a new clutch as they have different release points and may require different rev points for a smooth start.

Liar liar liar, experienced drivers get the feel of the clutch the moment they touch it, they squeeze it once and they know how to get to the winning spot

As Roadster4Us pointed out, don't sweat it and keep working on the clutch feel. Just relax and try not to be too self conscious about your feet are doing. clutch handling is just like dancing, you don't have to see what your feet are doing, just feel what they are doing and you'll get it.

( Click to show/hide )

Originally Posted by Vaughanabe13

Ahh. I know I definitely wasn't getting up to 2k, I was probably closer to 1k or maybe even less, although I wasn't really looking at the tach. My guess is you guys hit the nail on the head that I was releasing too fast and not giving it enough throttle.

It didn't help that the guy giving me the test drive was basically a douche and offered zero feedback to me (he knew I was a novice manual driver). Oh well.

Careful there, that's not a hard set number, if you are on a 0 degree angle surface with no resistance, 1k or even 1.5k might suffice. If you are going down a hill from a stop, 1st will likely not be needed, you might want to let the car roll then engage in 2nd gear or even 3rd gear based on your speed and surround traffic. If you are going up the hill from a stop, you might need a slightly higher rev. All depends on the situation and how you work the clutch. The salesman job is not to give you feedback on your driving. He won't risk losing a sale because he told you that you probably needed more practice handling manual transmission (If anything I would be glad that the dealership let me test drive a manual transmission car though I was still learning )

[MightyBobo]

Originally Posted by birdmanx1

Liar liar liar, experienced drivers get the feel of the clutch the moment they touch it, they squeeze it once and they know how to get to the winning spot

I'd give you $100 if you didn't stall, and didn't smoke the tires on my buddy's old car the first time you tried to start it.

[birdmanx1]

Originally Posted by MightyBobo

I'd give you $100 if you didn't stall, and didn't smoke the tires on my buddy's old car the first time you tried to start it.

MightyBobo, where do I send in my Western Union info? Disclaimer, I might deliberately smoke the tires on your buddy's old car especially if he has the old American Muscle car

I accept cold cash in the mail too

[Armonster]

2k just to start in first gear? Unless it's uphill or you're trying to get moving quickly, it's not really necessary to go above the 1-1.5k mark.

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by Armonster

2k just to start in first gear? Unless it's uphill or you're trying to get moving quickly, it's not really necessary to go above the 1-1.5k mark.

if you going down hill you dont even need the engine turned on.

[My_third_Z]

Originally Posted by MightyBobo

I'd give you $100 if you didn't stall, and didn't smoke the tires on my buddy's old car the first time you tried to start it.

Challenges like this get me every time. Like calling Marty McFly yellow or chicken.

What kind of old car is it?

[MightyBobo]

Originally Posted by My_third_Z

Challenges like this get me every time. Like calling Marty McFly yellow or chicken.

What kind of old car is it?

2000 Z28.

The clutch was set up so that it grabbed probably...95% as SOON as it left the floor. And I'm not exaggerating. It was kinda ****** up, so it needed adjusting, but he drove it like that for a long time. Care to guess what happened to that clutch in no time? :-p

BTW, the pedal was extremely stiff to boot - probably triple the pressure needed over a normal clutch pedal, so your leg could easily get tired just holding the fucker in at a light lol. It was a pain in the ***.