Im a noob with manuals and have some questions.....

1. Downshifting.......If I'm crusing in forth gear and i come to a stop sign. I usually push in the clutch put it into neutral then when i stop i put it in first is that ok to do, so should i downshift threw all the gears which seems rougher to do......

2. When stopped what RPM should I go to so the car doesnt stall to get moving?

3. Is holding the clutch to the floor when at a red light bad?

4. When turning I usually slow down put it in second and i usually hold the clutch in until i turn then let it off and give it gas is that bad also.....

5. Whats the best rpm to keep the car at when cruising for the best gas milage I usually try to keep it around 2,000 to 2,500 is that correct?

6. If driving hard what RPM's should i shift it, or should i go to redline in each gear for the best proformance

Any pointers on driving a manual would really help......Thanks

 

Hmmm well you will get different answers on alot of these but I will give my input for some of them.

2) Different for car and driver. Personal preference... something you learn.

3) Kinda

5) Roughly. Lower = better MPG, but too low = bad

6) Peak power is at redline, just try not to hit the fuel cutoff. Bad.

 

1. Downshifting.......If I'm crusing in forth gear and i come to a stop sign. I usually push in the clutch put it into neutral then when i stop i put it in first is that ok to do, so should i downshift threw all the gears which seems rougher to do......
I do this, you can downshift, but it is all personall preference really...on the highway I downshift to 4th when coming to a redlight then right around 30 mph pop it in neutral

2. When stopped what RPM should I go to so the car doesnt stall to get moving?
If you feather the clutch you can get the car moving with no gas. Don't rev it to like 3 k and pop the clutch, but like 1200k usually

3. Is holding the clutch to the floor when at a red light bad?
It will cause premature wear of the clutch over a LONG period of time, and hurt your claf, I don't do it.

4. When turning I usually slow down put it in second and i usually hold the clutch in until i turn then let it off and give it gas is that bad also.....
A lot of people do this, and I dunno how you all do it, but hey that is your preference. I slow down, make it a point to be in a gear to take the turn so if I need to make a throttle adjustment I can

5. Whats the best rpm to keep the car at when cruising for the best gas milage I usually try to keep it around 2,000 to 2,500 is that correct?
Cruising as in going down the highway? Right around 70mph. Shift at around 3k each time to get there.

6. If driving hard what RPM's should i shift it, or should i go to redline in each gear for the best proformance
Redline, sometimes I go up to right before the fuel cuts off...once again your preference

 

1. downshift. You will get used to this with practice, but with revmatching you will be able to downshift without any jerkiness and you will barely have to use your breaks. Obviously don't downshift when you are at ~3k, but when 4th gets down into the <2k area, downshift into 3rd and repeat, but don't downshift into first, there is no reason and it can be damaging if done improperly.

2. The way i learned how to drive stick was to get the car moving without using the throttle at all. It's possible, its all about clutch control. What you rev to before you actually start to engage the clutch is up to you, but keep in mind it's not about revving it while letting out the clutch, its about trying to keep a constant rpm all throughout clutch engagement...if you have the throttle and clutch control to keep the car at 1200rpm's from the start of clutch engagement to finish, your car will drive MUCH smoother than those people that rev up to 3k and just slide out the clutch with no thought, and you will be a better driver over all.

3. It depends. If you are rolling up and you see it changing on the perpendicular light and you know you are only going to be there for 2 seconds its fine, or at a stop sign, but if you are at a long light, just pop it into neutral. It will save you a bit of ware and tare and be easier on your leg.

4. This is bad. always have the car in gear when you're moving, especially when turning. What happens when you slow down to take a turn, you're in say third gear, but you end up slowing down before the turn more than expected... You come around to the apex of the turn and notice a huge semi is coming up behind you from a blind corner so you dump the clutch and floor it to accelerate...stall/bog, crash, death. Easily avoidable if you were in gear for the whole turn. There are other reasons, especially in bad weather, but just make yourself do it now. You will get used to it quickly and it will make you a much better driver in the end.

5. I dont know the powerband of your car very well, but generally between 2-3k is where you wanna be cruising...sometimes a bit lower depending on the vehicle, but yes you are fine there.

6. For the best performance ride it out to redline, but don't go crazy doing this, too much extremely hard driving can blow any drivetrain out of the water, especially with newby drivers.