Driving Manual Tips
12-02-2009, 02:19 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Driving Manual Tips
In this thread I've compiled a bunch of tips for driving a manual transmission car that many people may not be aware of. This thread should also serve as a good resource for people who are new to manual transmissions and are looking to improve. The information herein is by no means comprehensive, so please feel free to give me feedback! Consider this a work in progress.
NOTE: A lot of these tips come from the perspective of an SS/TC driver. I’ve never driven a manual 2.2, 2.4, or SS/SC. Given that my drivetrain and clutch are vastly different from those found in the other Cobalts, some of my tips may vary slightly. Remember folks, all manual cars are different, and that includes different Cobalts. Every new car is a learning experience.
One more point... I'm definitely NOT some kind of know-all expert - I just happen to really enjoy this topic and know a bunch of tricks that others may not. I'm only 22, so I don't doubt that I still have many things to learn, too.
Section 1: Getting Started
A few things before you get going. First of all, and this applies to ANY new manual you get in, depress the clutch and move the shifter through the gates to learn where all the gears are. The last thing you want to be doing is hunting for the right gear and missing it when you’re moving. Take note of how to get in reverse – some cars have pull-up reverse lockouts (Cobalt), some have push-down-on-the-shifter lockouts (VW), and some have none at all.
Section 2: The Basics of Getting Rolling
Lots of people have difficulty getting used to how the clutch works when they’re new to driving manual. To avoid stalling and looking like an ass, here’s a basic run-down of how to speed up the learning curve.
Go into an empty parking lot, or somewhere with LOTS of space and no one to bug you. Put the car in first and SLOWLY let the clutch out until you feel the car start to move ever so slightly. When you get to that point (the clutch's "bite point"), immediately depress it back to the floor. Keep doing this until you get a really good feel for where the clutch grabs.
You're stalling because you're rushing and going through the clutch's bite point too quickly. Here's what you should aim to do once you get experienced:
1) From a stop, you'll be in first and let the clutch out. Eventually, you want to know where the bite point is so well that you can snap the clutch out to this point and momentarily hesitate at the bite point.
2) During this hesitation, you give the car some gas. Ideally you want to give it as little as possible to get the car going smoothly without slipping the clutch too much. "Slipping" the clutch is basically any time where you're applying throttle and the clutch isn't fully engaged or disengaged. This wears it out. You always need SOME clutch slip to get the car rolling (unless it's some torquey V8 monster), but try to minimize it to prolong the life of the clutch.
3) Once the car is going smoothly, you can let the clutch out as quickly as you like the rest of the way.
These three steps, once you're good, should be completed extremely quickly. As I noted, just get used to where the clutch grabs first and foremost, then everything else comes fairly easily.
Section 3: Upshifting and Downshifting – Rev-Matching (a.k.a. doing it properly)
I’ll start with downshifting. Many people don’t downshift, claiming it’s too hard, it wears the clutch, you can’t do it smoothly, etc. Wrong on all counts. Downshifting is the way to go on all levels, including safety, wear-and-tear (clutch/brakes), and fuel costs. For those that don't know, Cobalts have a feature called deceleration fuel cutoff (DFCO). When you're coasting at over 1,500rpm in all Cobalts except the SS/TC (2,250rpm in 1rst-4th, or above 1,250rpm in 5th for the SS/TC), the engine uses NO fuel and shuts off the injectors (Credit to Stamina!). When you downshift, you'll keep the engine spinning above these speeds and thus use much less gas. If you ride the clutch or neutral coast you're killing your fuel economy, and in the case of riding the clutch, killing your throwout bearing. The engine braking effect also reduces the need to use your actual brakes. Running down through the gears also ensures you always have the engine ready to respond should you need to get out of trouble.
So how can you downshift smoothly and eliminate almost all wear on your clutch? You may have tried downshifting before and felt a moderate-to-violent lurch when you let the clutch out into the lower gear. That lurch you feel after downshifting is caused by a difference in speeds between the engine and the transmission.
For example, if you're at 2,000rpm in third gear and you wish to downshift to second, when you depress the clutch the engine's speed drops. The transmission, however, will continue spinning, accelerating to the new speed in second gear. This is called "road speed." For a smooth shift, you want the engine speed to match the road speed when you let the clutch out. This is where rev-matching comes in.
During your downshift, while the clutch is down and you're moving the shifter to the next gate (ex: 3rd to 2nd), you "blip" the throttle to get the engine speed up. In my TC, if I'm going from 2,000rpm in 3rd down to 2nd, I'll give it a blip to about 3,000rpm and drop it into second. This isn't a science, it's all about feel. You'll need to practice. Eventually you'll know just how hard to stab the throttle for perfect rev-matches at almost any speed in any gear.
You'll know you're really good at this when you take someone new and unobservant in your car and they blurt out "this is a manual?!" 20 minutes into the drive
. Not only will this help make your downshifts seamless, it also reduces wear on the clutch, since with a properly rev-matched downshift you can instantly snap the clutch out with no jerk, no lurch, and crucially, no clutch slip.
You can rev-match during upshifts, too. Ever get a jerk when you let the clutch out going from say 2nd to 3rd? The same concept applies here, but in reverse. The engine will often be spinning too fast after the upshift to properly match road speed, causing a little jolt. Say going from 3,000rpm in second up to third, RPM in third gear should be about 2,000rpm or so. Hesitate a moment while you're shifting to let the engine speed drop far enough for a seamless match.
Section 4: Miscellaneous Tips
This section will cover things that don’t fit into the above three sections.
1. Double-Clutching - Yes, double-clutch downshifting is bad-ass, but it’s COMPLETELY unnecessary in modern cars with synchromesh transmissions. If you want to argue “BUT IT SAVES WEAR ON MY SYNCHROS!1!!1!”, I have a question for you – why do you think you have them? Proper rev-matching minimizes the work the synchros have to do, anyway.
If you're stubborn and still want to learn for fun, here's the explanation. It's called double-clutching because you quite literally hit the clutch twice. It's similar to a rev-matched downshift.
Using my example for downshifting (2,000rpm in 3rd down to 2nd), you'll remember that you need a blip to about 3,000rpm. Thing is, this blip only matches road speed to engine speed. There's a third element, the speed of the input shaft, which regular rev-matching doesn't control. This is fine in all modern vehicles since the synchros do this for you. The wear on them is negligible provided you're rev-matching, so this technique is useless unless you're just doing it for fun. Anyway, here's how it's done.
Begin the downshift by pressing in the clutch and putting the car in neutral. You then let the clutch out and blip the throttle to the proper RPM (again, clutch is out and transmission in neutral). After the blip, you press the clutch down again and shift into the next lower gear.
2. Heel-and-Toe - For those of you who, like me, wish to track and autocross their car, basic rev-matching doesn’t cut it. There’s times in these situations where you want to brake AND downshift simultaneously. This is where the heel-and-toe comes in. Heel-and-toe downshifting is rev-matching while you’re under braking. Basically, you rotate your foot sideways while it’s on the brake and blip the throttle with your heel (hence “heel-and-toe”). This is can be pretty tough to pull off depending on your shoe size and/or pedal placement in your car, so it takes a lot of practice.
Here’s a video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JliPGde8jMM
3. Downshifting to 1rst - As a general rule I don't really recommend downshifting into first gear like you would 2, 3, or 4. First gear is touchy as hell and WILL lock you out if you're going too quickly. It's best to a) drop out of second when you're dead slow and then brake to a halt or b) wait until you're going REALLY slowly. You can rev-match a little to smooth shifts into first, but it's not often you'll need to.
4. Hill Starts (Added Dec. 3rd, 2009) - To start on a hill, the same technique for getting rolling applies; you'll simply need to give the car more throttle. One other approach is what I call the "handbrake technique." If you're nervous about rolling too far back, you can use the handbrake to hold the car. Simply make sure you're holding down the button on the lever and be ready to let it down. Hold the handbrake up and prepare to start in 1rst gear like you normally would. As soon as the car wants to roll in first gear, disengage the hand brake. If you time it right, you can get going with less revs and you won't roll back.
I don't personally use this technique, since if you're quick enough, you won't roll back on a hill and won't require much more clutch slip than usual. For new drivers or those nervous about hills, however, this technique is pretty handy.
...So that's it. If anyone has pointers on where I could refine this, I'd appreciate it. If it's not too bad, would it be worth stickying this here, too? I've seen quite a few topics on various aspects of my guide and it always seems to cause flame wars. Maybe if we had one definitive sticky thread on it, it would eliminate a lot of useless topics. Like I said, I'm open to criticism (try and refrain from flaming, folks), so feel free to let me know.
NOTE: A lot of these tips come from the perspective of an SS/TC driver. I’ve never driven a manual 2.2, 2.4, or SS/SC. Given that my drivetrain and clutch are vastly different from those found in the other Cobalts, some of my tips may vary slightly. Remember folks, all manual cars are different, and that includes different Cobalts. Every new car is a learning experience.
One more point... I'm definitely NOT some kind of know-all expert - I just happen to really enjoy this topic and know a bunch of tricks that others may not. I'm only 22, so I don't doubt that I still have many things to learn, too.
Section 1: Getting Started
A few things before you get going. First of all, and this applies to ANY new manual you get in, depress the clutch and move the shifter through the gates to learn where all the gears are. The last thing you want to be doing is hunting for the right gear and missing it when you’re moving. Take note of how to get in reverse – some cars have pull-up reverse lockouts (Cobalt), some have push-down-on-the-shifter lockouts (VW), and some have none at all.
Section 2: The Basics of Getting Rolling
Lots of people have difficulty getting used to how the clutch works when they’re new to driving manual. To avoid stalling and looking like an ass, here’s a basic run-down of how to speed up the learning curve.
Go into an empty parking lot, or somewhere with LOTS of space and no one to bug you. Put the car in first and SLOWLY let the clutch out until you feel the car start to move ever so slightly. When you get to that point (the clutch's "bite point"), immediately depress it back to the floor. Keep doing this until you get a really good feel for where the clutch grabs.
You're stalling because you're rushing and going through the clutch's bite point too quickly. Here's what you should aim to do once you get experienced:
1) From a stop, you'll be in first and let the clutch out. Eventually, you want to know where the bite point is so well that you can snap the clutch out to this point and momentarily hesitate at the bite point.
2) During this hesitation, you give the car some gas. Ideally you want to give it as little as possible to get the car going smoothly without slipping the clutch too much. "Slipping" the clutch is basically any time where you're applying throttle and the clutch isn't fully engaged or disengaged. This wears it out. You always need SOME clutch slip to get the car rolling (unless it's some torquey V8 monster), but try to minimize it to prolong the life of the clutch.
3) Once the car is going smoothly, you can let the clutch out as quickly as you like the rest of the way.
These three steps, once you're good, should be completed extremely quickly. As I noted, just get used to where the clutch grabs first and foremost, then everything else comes fairly easily.
Section 3: Upshifting and Downshifting – Rev-Matching (a.k.a. doing it properly)
I’ll start with downshifting. Many people don’t downshift, claiming it’s too hard, it wears the clutch, you can’t do it smoothly, etc. Wrong on all counts. Downshifting is the way to go on all levels, including safety, wear-and-tear (clutch/brakes), and fuel costs. For those that don't know, Cobalts have a feature called deceleration fuel cutoff (DFCO). When you're coasting at over 1,500rpm in all Cobalts except the SS/TC (2,250rpm in 1rst-4th, or above 1,250rpm in 5th for the SS/TC), the engine uses NO fuel and shuts off the injectors (Credit to Stamina!). When you downshift, you'll keep the engine spinning above these speeds and thus use much less gas. If you ride the clutch or neutral coast you're killing your fuel economy, and in the case of riding the clutch, killing your throwout bearing. The engine braking effect also reduces the need to use your actual brakes. Running down through the gears also ensures you always have the engine ready to respond should you need to get out of trouble.
So how can you downshift smoothly and eliminate almost all wear on your clutch? You may have tried downshifting before and felt a moderate-to-violent lurch when you let the clutch out into the lower gear. That lurch you feel after downshifting is caused by a difference in speeds between the engine and the transmission.
For example, if you're at 2,000rpm in third gear and you wish to downshift to second, when you depress the clutch the engine's speed drops. The transmission, however, will continue spinning, accelerating to the new speed in second gear. This is called "road speed." For a smooth shift, you want the engine speed to match the road speed when you let the clutch out. This is where rev-matching comes in.
During your downshift, while the clutch is down and you're moving the shifter to the next gate (ex: 3rd to 2nd), you "blip" the throttle to get the engine speed up. In my TC, if I'm going from 2,000rpm in 3rd down to 2nd, I'll give it a blip to about 3,000rpm and drop it into second. This isn't a science, it's all about feel. You'll need to practice. Eventually you'll know just how hard to stab the throttle for perfect rev-matches at almost any speed in any gear.
You'll know you're really good at this when you take someone new and unobservant in your car and they blurt out "this is a manual?!" 20 minutes into the drive
. Not only will this help make your downshifts seamless, it also reduces wear on the clutch, since with a properly rev-matched downshift you can instantly snap the clutch out with no jerk, no lurch, and crucially, no clutch slip.You can rev-match during upshifts, too. Ever get a jerk when you let the clutch out going from say 2nd to 3rd? The same concept applies here, but in reverse. The engine will often be spinning too fast after the upshift to properly match road speed, causing a little jolt. Say going from 3,000rpm in second up to third, RPM in third gear should be about 2,000rpm or so. Hesitate a moment while you're shifting to let the engine speed drop far enough for a seamless match.
Section 4: Miscellaneous Tips
This section will cover things that don’t fit into the above three sections.
1. Double-Clutching - Yes, double-clutch downshifting is bad-ass, but it’s COMPLETELY unnecessary in modern cars with synchromesh transmissions. If you want to argue “BUT IT SAVES WEAR ON MY SYNCHROS!1!!1!”, I have a question for you – why do you think you have them? Proper rev-matching minimizes the work the synchros have to do, anyway.
If you're stubborn and still want to learn for fun, here's the explanation. It's called double-clutching because you quite literally hit the clutch twice. It's similar to a rev-matched downshift.
Using my example for downshifting (2,000rpm in 3rd down to 2nd), you'll remember that you need a blip to about 3,000rpm. Thing is, this blip only matches road speed to engine speed. There's a third element, the speed of the input shaft, which regular rev-matching doesn't control. This is fine in all modern vehicles since the synchros do this for you. The wear on them is negligible provided you're rev-matching, so this technique is useless unless you're just doing it for fun. Anyway, here's how it's done.
Begin the downshift by pressing in the clutch and putting the car in neutral. You then let the clutch out and blip the throttle to the proper RPM (again, clutch is out and transmission in neutral). After the blip, you press the clutch down again and shift into the next lower gear.
2. Heel-and-Toe - For those of you who, like me, wish to track and autocross their car, basic rev-matching doesn’t cut it. There’s times in these situations where you want to brake AND downshift simultaneously. This is where the heel-and-toe comes in. Heel-and-toe downshifting is rev-matching while you’re under braking. Basically, you rotate your foot sideways while it’s on the brake and blip the throttle with your heel (hence “heel-and-toe”). This is can be pretty tough to pull off depending on your shoe size and/or pedal placement in your car, so it takes a lot of practice.
Here’s a video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JliPGde8jMM
3. Downshifting to 1rst - As a general rule I don't really recommend downshifting into first gear like you would 2, 3, or 4. First gear is touchy as hell and WILL lock you out if you're going too quickly. It's best to a) drop out of second when you're dead slow and then brake to a halt or b) wait until you're going REALLY slowly. You can rev-match a little to smooth shifts into first, but it's not often you'll need to.
4. Hill Starts (Added Dec. 3rd, 2009) - To start on a hill, the same technique for getting rolling applies; you'll simply need to give the car more throttle. One other approach is what I call the "handbrake technique." If you're nervous about rolling too far back, you can use the handbrake to hold the car. Simply make sure you're holding down the button on the lever and be ready to let it down. Hold the handbrake up and prepare to start in 1rst gear like you normally would. As soon as the car wants to roll in first gear, disengage the hand brake. If you time it right, you can get going with less revs and you won't roll back.
I don't personally use this technique, since if you're quick enough, you won't roll back on a hill and won't require much more clutch slip than usual. For new drivers or those nervous about hills, however, this technique is pretty handy.
...So that's it. If anyone has pointers on where I could refine this, I'd appreciate it. If it's not too bad, would it be worth stickying this here, too? I've seen quite a few topics on various aspects of my guide and it always seems to cause flame wars. Maybe if we had one definitive sticky thread on it, it would eliminate a lot of useless topics. Like I said, I'm open to criticism (try and refrain from flaming, folks), so feel free to let me know.
Last edited by Force; 12-07-2009 at 04:42 PM.
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12-02-2009, 03:25 PM
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12-03-2009, 12:03 AM
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12-03-2009, 12:13 AM
#6
This is what you do in Upstate New York:
Walk out of kitchen and into the garage area and then out the side door where your car sits. Sigh as you glance towards the vehicle and observe the windows frozen over. Unlock car, start car. Turn on heated asscups and front defog.
Reverse the car out of the driveway. Freeze. Sigh repetitively. Break the shifter free from 1st gear and use any means necessary to get it into the 2nd gearing. release clutch when properly rev matched, and etc.
Walk out of kitchen and into the garage area and then out the side door where your car sits. Sigh as you glance towards the vehicle and observe the windows frozen over. Unlock car, start car. Turn on heated asscups and front defog.
Reverse the car out of the driveway. Freeze. Sigh repetitively. Break the shifter free from 1st gear and use any means necessary to get it into the 2nd gearing. release clutch when properly rev matched, and etc.
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Zo6balt (04-09-2020)
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Zo6balt (04-09-2020)
12-03-2009, 04:30 AM
#8
care to explain double clutching for me? and speed shifting/shifting without the clutch (how the **** would you do that?)
I've only been driving stick for a few weeks..and im more curious how you do these than anything, despite the fact i will never use them myself.
I've only been driving stick for a few weeks..and im more curious how you do these than anything, despite the fact i will never use them myself.
12-03-2009, 09:07 AM
#9
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Thread Starter
care to explain double clutching for me? and speed shifting/shifting without the clutch (how the **** would you do that?)
I've only been driving stick for a few weeks..and im more curious how you do these than anything, despite the fact i will never use them myself.
I've only been driving stick for a few weeks..and im more curious how you do these than anything, despite the fact i will never use them myself.
Double-clutching is a technique that was required for smooth shifts in vehicles before synchros came about. It's called double-clutching because you quite literally hit the clutch twice. It's similar to a rev-matched downshift.
Using my example for downshifting (2,000rpm in 3rd down to 2nd), you'll remember that you need a blip to about 3,000rpm. Thing is, this blip only matches road speed to engine speed. There's a third element, the speed of the input shaft, which regular rev-matching doesn't control. This is fine in all modern vehicles since the synchros do this for you. The wear on them is negligible provided you're rev-matching, so this technique is useless unless you're just doing it for fun. Anyway, here's how it's done.
Begin the downshift by pressing in the clutch and putting the car in neutral. You then let the clutch out and blip the throttle to the proper RPM (again, clutch is out and transmission in neutral). After the blip, you press the clutch down again and shift into the next lower gear.
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12-03-2009, 02:34 PM
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1) From a stop, you'll be in first and let the clutch out. Eventually, you want to know where the bite point is so well that you can snap the clutch out to this point and momentarily hesitate at the bite point.
2) During this hesitation, you give the car some gas. Ideally you want to give it as little as possible to get the car going smoothly without slipping the clutch too much. "Slipping" the clutch is basically any time where you're applying throttle and the clutch isn't fully engaged or disengaged. This wears it out. You always need SOME clutch slip to get the car rolling (unless it's some torquey V8 monster EDIT: OR A 4cyl TC or SC), but try to minimize it to prolong the life of the clutch.
2) During this hesitation, you give the car some gas. Ideally you want to give it as little as possible to get the car going smoothly without slipping the clutch too much. "Slipping" the clutch is basically any time where you're applying throttle and the clutch isn't fully engaged or disengaged. This wears it out. You always need SOME clutch slip to get the car rolling (unless it's some torquey V8 monster EDIT: OR A 4cyl TC or SC), but try to minimize it to prolong the life of the clutch.
Last edited by SuperchargedSS; 12-03-2009 at 02:59 PM.
12-03-2009, 02:59 PM
#13
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Thread Starter
While I agree with this, I don't find they have enough torque to make this practical. I mean, yes, you can do it, but it makes for a REALLY slow start.
12-03-2009, 03:22 PM
#16
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Thread Starter
This being said, I'm still hesitant to specify this in my write-up. It is, after all, intended for new drivers. I don't want someone to get rolling only to stall when someone is following them close behind.
12-03-2009, 03:25 PM
#17
Great write-up!
I saw one error though... or maybe it's not even an error if what you said is true for the other versions... but the DFCO for the SS/TC kicks on at >2,250 RPM in up to 4th gear. Once you go below 2,250 RPM, it'll start fuel flow again. In 5th gear you can ride it all the way down to around 1,250 RPM before it resumes fueling.
For those with the RPD, this is easily demonstrated. You will notice that the wideband will go to "18" and fuel pressure will slowly rise until fueling resumes, and then the wideband will start registering reasonable values again and the fuel pressure will decline or resume at the pressure level needed.
I saw one error though... or maybe it's not even an error if what you said is true for the other versions... but the DFCO for the SS/TC kicks on at >2,250 RPM in up to 4th gear. Once you go below 2,250 RPM, it'll start fuel flow again. In 5th gear you can ride it all the way down to around 1,250 RPM before it resumes fueling.
For those with the RPD, this is easily demonstrated. You will notice that the wideband will go to "18" and fuel pressure will slowly rise until fueling resumes, and then the wideband will start registering reasonable values again and the fuel pressure will decline or resume at the pressure level needed.
12-03-2009, 03:30 PM
#19
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Thread Starter
Great write-up!
I saw one error though... or maybe it's not even an error if what you said is true for the other versions... but the DFCO for the SS/TC kicks on at >2,250 RPM in up to 4th gear. Once you go below 2,250 RPM, it'll start fuel flow again. In 5th gear you can ride it all the way down to around 1,250 RPM before it resumes fueling.
For those with the RPD, this is easily demonstrated. You will notice that the wideband will go to "18" and fuel pressure will slowly rise until fueling resumes, and then the wideband will start registering reasonable values again and the fuel pressure will decline or resume at the pressure level needed.
I saw one error though... or maybe it's not even an error if what you said is true for the other versions... but the DFCO for the SS/TC kicks on at >2,250 RPM in up to 4th gear. Once you go below 2,250 RPM, it'll start fuel flow again. In 5th gear you can ride it all the way down to around 1,250 RPM before it resumes fueling.
For those with the RPD, this is easily demonstrated. You will notice that the wideband will go to "18" and fuel pressure will slowly rise until fueling resumes, and then the wideband will start registering reasonable values again and the fuel pressure will decline or resume at the pressure level needed.
Thanks, this is exactly the kind of feedback I wanted.
12-03-2009, 03:33 PM
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12-03-2009, 03:42 PM
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You could also mention the "cheater" way to do it too.
I sometimes have to use one of the cheater methods when I've got somebody right up on me and can't afford any roll-back.
I sometimes have to use one of the cheater methods when I've got somebody right up on me and can't afford any roll-back.
12-03-2009, 03:44 PM
#23
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. See my original post.
