New to a stick shift.
 

Hello all,

I will be ordering my 370 in two weeks and after mulling it over for days, decided on a manual transmission. I have never driven a manual full time as I have only owned one car previous to this one which was automatic.

Over the past week or so, I have been driving my buddies Eclipse to get back in the hang of a stick and was wondering if you guys had any pointers or tips for a beginner?

Thanks in advance!

well it really boils down to you practicing coz we can tell you what to do but preety much its up to your own to master it

just dont "ride" the clutch :)

ya just drive drive drive you'll get good at it in time. And if you burn the clutch out time for after market. Might as well do a TT while you at it just for fun. lol

Yeah, I have been practicing in his Eclipse, but there are a couple things that I have questions on.

He was telling me that the best way to go from sitting there to moving is to rev the engine to around 1.5k rpm and then slowly let off the clutch, but wouldn't that be bad for the clutch? I found it much easier if I started to let off the clutch slowly until I felt it start to engage and then slowly give it gas.

Also, when coming to a stop and sitting at lights, he says its best to press the clutch/brake to slow the car down and then just sit there with the clutch pressed until the light changes/traffic gets moving again. Wouldn't that harm things as well?

I asked him but he seemed to get offended. =(

the way you start off is better for the clutch. nope on the stopping use the brakes to slow down in traffic. cheaper to replace brakes then a tranny.

Makes sense. Thanks!

My best advice is to find a neighborhood street that has a decent incline and practice starting on hills.

Its been years now since I've driven a stick on a regular basis, but its pretty easy, just practice alot and have someone who has a stick as a DD show you and give you advice on how to shift and you'll pick it up pretty quick.

Congrats on your new car! :tup:

There are many vids on YouTube etc. with pointers on driving an MT.

Don't sit at a light with the clutch pedal pressed in.

You can start slowing down by pressing the brakes, with the car still in gear, and while not pressing the clutch pedal (i think it's safer that way). At some point, either downshift through the gears (usually unnecessary), or just press the clutch in and drop the transmission into neutral. Do this while you're still slowing down with the brakes. When you drop the gear into neutral, let go of the clutch pedal. Come to a stop. Sit at the light with just your brake pedal (i.e. clutch pedal NOT pressed in, the gear in Neutral). Pull away as you described, by putting the car in gear, and slowly letting out the clutch until you feel it engage, at which point you give it gas.

I dont know why people sit at a light with the car in gear and the pedal in. I think that's more of a safety precaution, allowing you pull away faster, should you need, but I believe you're also burning the clutch, unnecessarily as you do that.

Don't pull away from a light by dropping the clutch from 1500rpm. WTF is that?

Also, never ride with your left foot on top of the clutch pedal. Make sure you always put the left food on the dead (foot rest) pedal, in between uses. Make a point of learning and doing this. If you don't, you'll likely be ridding the clutch without even noticing it.

Deja Vu! That's exactly what I did... Practiced on a friend's eclipse! :D

The Z is going to be harder to stall than an eclipse but the eclipse is going to be easier to control for a first time manual driver. Practice driving on hills. Once you master that, you'll be just fine.

This is a very good thread that i started a couple years ago. read through it, it does help:

Official Learn To Drive Manual Cars Thread - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - E90Post.com