Originally Posted by Cmike2780

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).