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Old 09-05-2009, 04:21 PM   #10 (permalink)
cdawg410
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: alexandria, va
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1. Your favorite sneakers or casual shoes
2. RADIO OFF
3. Depress the clutch
4. Lift off the clutch slowly and listen for the change in the idle noise of the car, it's a very small change. If you miss it and stall try again. After you know the sound and can recognize it (you should be able to hear it and it get back on the clutch before the car stalls consistently)
5. You should notice while you are learning to 'hear' the car that the friction point (when the car feels like it wants to move forward with no gas as you're coming off the clutch) and the change in sound happen at approximately the same time.
6. Now it's just a matter of knowing how to 'dance'; when the 'music' changes you move your feet. At the friction point and when the car's idle noise changes is when you depress the gas evenly. Don't baby it, don't jump on it, Make love with it with your foot, you don't jam it in, but you don't want her asking if it's in yet either. As you give the gas your love, you continue to take your love away from the clutch, gently but like you mean it. Understanding the sounds and the feeling together will make for smooth take off's on uphills and flat surfaces alike. Never let a stall be for nothing, learn something from every stall you make, understand why you stalled so you don't repeat your mistake. I stalled in June because I forgot that I had to press the button to turn the car off, sitting in a parking lot, I didn't see any keys and thought I could just jump off the clutch, had a friend in the car, had been showing off on the highway............ little embarrasing.

I think the biggest mistake for people learning to drive a manual is not wearing the proper footwear. The thinner the sole of your shoe the better, you want to feel the pedal. You don't want to be barefoot because you want uniformity and you don't want to be driving with your toes. I live in Alexandria, VA right behind Landmark Mall, if you are still struggling, I'd be happy to help.
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