How is the driving in the SS/SC
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From: Edmonton
How is the driving in the SS/SC
Next week is when i pick up my SS/SC. Only problem is i've never drivin a manual except for 30 minutes today when my buddy let me drive his jetta. So yea, I stalled 
many a time. I need to learn how to drive manual, it would look pretty bad if i cant get the car out of the dealership. And if i manage to do that, then i have to worry about the road...
How easy is it to shift and how hard do you have to press on the clutch? what is the clutch like, is it one you have to push in very far? is it easy to stall out. Also at what speeds(KM) do i switch gears and how many numbers are on the shifter? Also lets say im going 100km/hour on the highway and need to slow down, do i downshift or just put it in nuetral(btw is nuetral just leaving the clutch in the middle like on my buddys car) and use the brake? but then, lets say i have to slow down to 10km/h do i need to hold the clutch down or if i dont the car will stall. at what km/h will the car stall. and how easy is it to start driving from a stopped position. by that i mean you have to put it in 1st gear, then slowly start letting your foot off the clutch as you accerate, and by doing that, how easily can the car stall. thats my biggest problem from that 30 minutes of driving manual lol. for the last 6 years, since i was 16 i have been driving auto's so its definatly going to be a little scary at first. maybe i should just let someone else drive my car for a day so i can watch lol.
many a time. I need to learn how to drive manual, it would look pretty bad if i cant get the car out of the dealership. And if i manage to do that, then i have to worry about the road...How easy is it to shift and how hard do you have to press on the clutch? what is the clutch like, is it one you have to push in very far? is it easy to stall out. Also at what speeds(KM) do i switch gears and how many numbers are on the shifter? Also lets say im going 100km/hour on the highway and need to slow down, do i downshift or just put it in nuetral(btw is nuetral just leaving the clutch in the middle like on my buddys car) and use the brake? but then, lets say i have to slow down to 10km/h do i need to hold the clutch down or if i dont the car will stall. at what km/h will the car stall. and how easy is it to start driving from a stopped position. by that i mean you have to put it in 1st gear, then slowly start letting your foot off the clutch as you accerate, and by doing that, how easily can the car stall. thats my biggest problem from that 30 minutes of driving manual lol. for the last 6 years, since i was 16 i have been driving auto's so its definatly going to be a little scary at first. maybe i should just let someone else drive my car for a day so i can watch lol.
LSX RWD S/C conversion
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From: Maple Ridge, BC, Canada
My suggestion, stael your buddies Jetta for the next week and practive, practice, practice.
The clutch will take time on the SS\SC. It's a bit touchy at first. As for the speed to shift I never pay attention, driving a manual to long. Just change gears around 3,000rpms and you will be safe. Also at first, in traffic, just push in the clutch and use brakes to slow\stop. Go to paring lots at nights and paly and practice everything else until it is just second nature. Good luck.
The clutch will take time on the SS\SC. It's a bit touchy at first. As for the speed to shift I never pay attention, driving a manual to long. Just change gears around 3,000rpms and you will be safe. Also at first, in traffic, just push in the clutch and use brakes to slow\stop. Go to paring lots at nights and paly and practice everything else until it is just second nature. Good luck.
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From: NJ
I think you really need to learn to drive a manual first before hopping in a brand new one and trying to learn in a dealership parking lot.
30 minutes won't really cut it, try doing 2 hours or more in a day...You'll get it like second nature in no time, I did, even though I currently drive an automatic.
Shifting is easy, like I said, it comes with time. Practice, practice, practice. You may find it fun like 99% of us do. As for how hard you need to press, whatever it takes to get it down. It isn't going to be a sweat-filled workout. Stalling out is all up to you, drive her right and she will behave right. Push the clutch all the way down, and don't ride it.
I'll let the rest of you every-day manual drivers get the rest, the inexperienced auto driver will mess up somewhere...
As said above, go steal the Jetta. Abuse his clutch.
30 minutes won't really cut it, try doing 2 hours or more in a day...You'll get it like second nature in no time, I did, even though I currently drive an automatic.
Shifting is easy, like I said, it comes with time. Practice, practice, practice. You may find it fun like 99% of us do. As for how hard you need to press, whatever it takes to get it down. It isn't going to be a sweat-filled workout. Stalling out is all up to you, drive her right and she will behave right. Push the clutch all the way down, and don't ride it.
I'll let the rest of you every-day manual drivers get the rest, the inexperienced auto driver will mess up somewhere...
As said above, go steal the Jetta. Abuse his clutch.
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From: long island, ny
ive bought my ss/sc not having drove a stick. the only practice ive had with manual trans was on my ex gf's mom CRV. i beat that thing up a lil bit (without them knowing 
) and i was still shady with the whole manual trans thing. id say when i got my car, within 500 miles i got really good with it and now im like a pro. its not hard to learn and its very fun. i also think it keeps u more alert on the road because of looking ahead to see what traffic is doing so u can prepare ur shifts and crap. good luck with the car and congrats!
) and i was still shady with the whole manual trans thing. id say when i got my car, within 500 miles i got really good with it and now im like a pro. its not hard to learn and its very fun. i also think it keeps u more alert on the road because of looking ahead to see what traffic is doing so u can prepare ur shifts and crap. good luck with the car and congrats!
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From: Long Island, NY
yeah the clutch on the SS/SC is extremely grabby. much more than your used to.
the best thing to do when u first learn is tap the gas a few times as your letting the clutch out, instead of holding a consistant RPM's like most beginners do, this makes it much easier for smooth take-offs
the best thing to do when u first learn is tap the gas a few times as your letting the clutch out, instead of holding a consistant RPM's like most beginners do, this makes it much easier for smooth take-offs
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Good to know. Well at least i know a little bit more, thank you. Sounds like its the same as the jetta, except his has 1-5 in speeds. Is that the same as the SS/SC? Lastly, when i said if im doing 100km/h and need to slow down, someone mentioned i should downshift, by that, do i have to do each gear 1by1 because i asked my buddy the same question and he said if im doing 100 and shift from 5-2 the engine would blow up lol or something Really bad would happen, is that true.
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From: Arlington, Texas
yea... its probably not a good idea to shift from 5-2... 1by1 is probably best.. i dont think just putting it in neutral and slowing down would hurt anything either though but plz tell me if i am wrong lol
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From: Long Island, NY
Originally Posted by Zoomyjs
Good to know. Well at least i know a little bit more, thank you. Sounds like its the same as the jetta, except his has 1-5 in speeds. Is that the same as the SS/SC? Lastly, when i said if im doing 100km/h and need to slow down, someone mentioned i should downshift, by that, do i have to do each gear 1by1 because i asked my buddy the same question and he said if im doing 100 and shift from 5-2 the engine would blow up lol or something Really bad would happen, is that true.
BTW it is a 5 speed as well
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From: eh
Watch for reverse as well. There is a little ring at the top of the handle by the knob. It has to be pulled up with your index and middle fingers to engage reverse.
This tranny is very smooth and shifting gears is very easy. Avoid hills as much as possible and when making left turns make sure you are in first and not third cause you will stall, leaving you sitting in the middle of oncoming traffic.
Head to an empty parking lot with your buddies car. And that burning rubber smell....it is his clutch.
This tranny is very smooth and shifting gears is very easy. Avoid hills as much as possible and when making left turns make sure you are in first and not third cause you will stall, leaving you sitting in the middle of oncoming traffic.
Head to an empty parking lot with your buddies car. And that burning rubber smell....it is his clutch.
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From: Calgary
Well i got a Pursuit GT 2.4VVT blah blah, and i got my dad to drive my car home and the next day i learned standard, i had it down pat within 2 days to get myself around the city etc. and now after a week ive gotten her down really well
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From: Fort Collins, CO
Driving the SS/SC is very simple, it shifts easy, the RPM's don't drop very fast, and its a light car. Now its easy to shift but hard to get a nice smooth shift and making it look like you know what you are doing. I would say get as much practice as possible. I learned in one day and got it down and have never had a problem since. All you have to do is release the clutch slowly until you feel the friction point, then give it some gas and release the clutch the rest of the way at a slow even pace.
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Originally Posted by Matty
Head to an empty parking lot with your buddies car. And that burning rubber smell....it is his clutch.
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^^^ it puts less wear and tear on your brakes if you downshift, i always downshift
it does put a little more wear on your clutch but its not a big deal, plus if you are autocrossing or in a road race its better to stay in gear and slow down then heat your brakes up and loos some of the responce when you need them.
it does put a little more wear on your clutch but its not a big deal, plus if you are autocrossing or in a road race its better to stay in gear and slow down then heat your brakes up and loos some of the responce when you need them.
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From: eh
Originally Posted by Chevypowered
^^^ it puts less wear and tear on your brakes if you downshift, i always downshift
it does put a little more wear on your clutch but its not a big deal, plus if you are autocrossing or in a road race its better to stay in gear and slow down then heat your brakes up and loos some of the responce when you need them.
it does put a little more wear on your clutch but its not a big deal, plus if you are autocrossing or in a road race its better to stay in gear and slow down then heat your brakes up and loos some of the responce when you need them.
True, but it puts more wear on your transmission downshifting.
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From: Fort Collins, CO
Originally Posted by Matty
True, but it puts more wear on your transmission downshifting.
It won't put any noticable wear on the tranny unless you grind gears but then you've got more problems than just that. The only thing that would wear is the clutch/flywheel but if your usually easy on your clutch this will not make a difference and it help your brakes last longer. My dad had a Z3 and we always downshifted when driving, we put 60K miles on it and never had a problem.
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From: eh
Originally Posted by Chevypowered
It won't put any noticable wear on the tranny unless you grind gears but then you've got more problems than just that. The only thing that would wear is the clutch/flywheel but if your usually easy on your clutch this will not make a difference and it help your brakes last longer. My dad had a Z3 and we always downshifted when driving, we put 60K miles on it and never had a problem.
This is true but most people when downshifting tend to drop the gears quickly. I don't mean to say that the tranny is going to fail, just that the life is shortened...obviously. I would rather wear the brakes out, instead of the transmission.
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From: Toronto
Originally Posted by DanJHartman
yeah the clutch on the SS/SC is extremely grabby. much more than your used to.
the best thing to do when u first learn is tap the gas a few times as your letting the clutch out, instead of holding a consistant RPM's like most beginners do, this makes it much easier for smooth take-offs
the best thing to do when u first learn is tap the gas a few times as your letting the clutch out, instead of holding a consistant RPM's like most beginners do, this makes it much easier for smooth take-offs
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From: Niceville, FL
Game is nothing like driving bro. The SS's clutch takes some finesse (<spelling?). There is the jerky stage at first, then things will smooth out. Hell, I'm so used to driving it, I can even do it with my foot almost broken at the moment!
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You should always downshift in a manual transmission car. It does not cause abnormal clutch or transmission wear if doen in a heel-toe downshift (see quote below). This allows you to keep the car in gear, so you are able to react to emergency situations (ex. about to get rear-ended). If you drive in the winter, it allows you to efficiently slow the car down without the fear of sliding by hitting your brakes. Second, it also reduces brake wear. Your brakes will likely be the first major mechanical component you will cange if you drive your car properly, so why abuse them any more than neccesary? A properly executed heel-toe downshift causes the least wear on the clutch and transmission. If you autocross, this will shave seconds off your lap times, and save your drivetrain!
Also, I would not drive your SS/SC until you are very good at a manual transmission. If you can, spend as much time learning before you get your car. Also, if you are not ready, get someone else to pick it up for you! Once you are comfortable driving a manual, try the SS/SC, but have someone who knows what they are doing come along. It always helps. They can offer tips, or correct anything you are doing wrong.
Good-Luck! Take care of the car!
Heel-and-Toe Downshifting
A performance-oriented technique of down-shifting while braking that requires the driver to use all three pedals of a manual-transmission car simultaneously. To perform a heel-and-toe downshift, the driver brakes with the toe of his right foot and: while continuing to brake: uses the heel or the side of the same foot to blip the throttle and raise engine rpm as he downshifts. The left foot operates the clutch pedal in the normal fashion. The sequence is as follows: brake with the right toe; depress the clutch with the left foot; shift to neutral; while continuing to brake, blip the throttle with the side or the heel of the right foot to raise rpm; shift to a lower gear; let the clutch out; release the brakes. The technique is difficult to master, but after practice it can be performed in less than a second. This process is best for smooth power flow and long transmission life.
Excerpt from: caranddriver.com
A performance-oriented technique of down-shifting while braking that requires the driver to use all three pedals of a manual-transmission car simultaneously. To perform a heel-and-toe downshift, the driver brakes with the toe of his right foot and: while continuing to brake: uses the heel or the side of the same foot to blip the throttle and raise engine rpm as he downshifts. The left foot operates the clutch pedal in the normal fashion. The sequence is as follows: brake with the right toe; depress the clutch with the left foot; shift to neutral; while continuing to brake, blip the throttle with the side or the heel of the right foot to raise rpm; shift to a lower gear; let the clutch out; release the brakes. The technique is difficult to master, but after practice it can be performed in less than a second. This process is best for smooth power flow and long transmission life.
Excerpt from: caranddriver.com
Good-Luck! Take care of the car!
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