Quote:
Originally Posted by EazyD
I'm new to manual trans also - just picked my 370Z up over the weekend. For 1st and 2nd gear, I noticed you need to really let the clutch out smoothly and just be gentle with her for those gears. Let's call it foreplay.  The rest of them aren't so sensitive to letting the clutch out a little faster.
My problem is with hill starts. Heart pounds, person behind me is so close to my bumper, lots of things to think about with clutch/brake/gas that I even screw up the handbrake method.
I'm confident it will become second nature eventually, but it really stresses me out for now. I use SRM because I (a) don't want to grind gears, and (b) I like the perfect downshifts as I get used to the clutch. |
Compared to other manual cars I've driven (not many, but mostly crappy econoboxes) the engage point on the Z is a little high and engages quickly in relation to pedal travel. One of the reasons many stall it the first time out. When I drive, my heel is off the floor slightly and I'm pretty much using my whole leg to depress the clutch.
To reduce the "bucking," it helps to shift at a higher rpm from 1st to 2nd.... still engaging the clutch smoothly. Almost like powershifting until you get to 3rd gear.
Hill starts trouble everyone at first. You're still at a point where you might not be confident with where your feet are in relation to the pedals. From personal experience, coming from an AT, your muscle memory still needs to learn the different pedal position. Give it a few weeks (or even months) and you should be able to move your feet to the correct spot without thinking about it. Also, you should practice getting a feel for the "roll back" so it doesn't surprise you when the situtuation arises. I still use the handbrake method every once in a while when d-bags stop a foot behind me while waiting at a light, which happens way too often.
I know SRM makes it easier, but you should learn to drive without it. I don't see why you would grind the gears with it "off". Your shifts will be rough if you don't do it properly, but it shouldn't grind. Grinding happens when you shift without engaging the clutch (something that can still happen with SRM).