FiscalFizz

Hey all.. I guess this is the right spot for this post.

Ok.. so my 09 SS coupe just came in today... picking it up tomorrow. I got to drive it today for 15 minutes or so behind the dealership on an airport service road which was nice.

Before I stepped into my 09 SS today.. I had never had ANY experience using a manual trans.

I was fine once I got it backed up out of reverse. But I have a few newb questions.

First- when trying to get our of reverse... I noticed that I couldn't really do it without stalling the car if I tried letting the clutch out all the way. I was pussying it but still.

When in Reverse.... do you only let the clutch out partially? I mean.. your only backing up a few feet before you have to push in the clutch pedal to shift into 1st? Is this partial let out good or bad?

2nd- When I was shifting from first to 2nd..3rd to 4th... everytime I shifted while moving of course.. I heard a clinking sound. Not an alarming sound.. but it was almost like some "linkage" noises if that makes since.(remember.. im newb to manuals). Is this normal?

Like when I went from 2nd to 3rd.. as I put it into 3rd.. then let the clutch out swiftly ( normal driving).. as soon as it hit the engagement point.. it made a short "clink" Think of dragging a metal pipe along a chain link fence. Sorry if this is vauge, hopefully someone knows what this is.

Thanks for help everyone.

Any other tips would be welcomed.

DC52NV

takes guts to purchase a brand new 5-spd w/out ever having any experience driving stick. i commend you for that.

1.) when reversing i let off the clutch slowly until i feel it pulling a little then i give it some gas.

2.) i've only driving a 5-spd cobalt a few times but never heard any noises while shifting.

practice makes perfect. i remember learning to drive stick in san francisco. not exactly the best place for a n00b driving stick since all their roads are hills.

FiscalFizz

The noise was like metal on metal. Think of if you softly taped two metal baseball bats together very soflty.. it sounded like taht.

Thanks for response.... just wondering if the partial engagement can eventually mess stuff up when reversing. I don't see how I let the clutch all the way out...hrmm.. I guess I will know more when I play around with it tomorrow.. ALL DAY

Got a huge section of my subdivision that has been paved for last 2 years... but no houses built yet.. just empty lots.. Going to spend a few back there. Plus.. I live in the country/boonies kinda.... so I have a lot of empty back roads to practice on.

Jesus.. I couldn't imagine learning this in a metropolitan city.

DC52NV

after a few hours you should pretty much get the hang of it. i would suggest practicing on hills as well if you have them and practice going from a stop. you might have to use your e-brake in the beginning but you'll eventually not need it. even on steep hwy off ramps you'll need to practice on.

fballman1987

i know on the ss/sc's theres a button that clicks when the clutch is pressed down, one night i heard it and i was like great my car is screwed up, here its just a button that clicks when the clutch pedal is pressed down, im sure its for something, just dunno what.

rnjmur

1. I typicaly just let the clutch out till it grabs then give a little gas then put the clutch back in. If you let the clutch out all the way you will either stall the car or take off like a bat out of hell (which would be bad).

2. The only thing I can think of is that the noise is probably just the clutch switch and cable.

FiscalFizz

thank your for confirmation on #1.. reversing... what happened to me

I got in... tried to reverse out of the spot 4 times.. stalled all 4 times hardcore because I tried to let the clutch all the way out. thanks!

man.... I am waking up to get the car in like... 8 or 9 hours!

Im stressing out for pix for the forum here.... i don't have a digi cam.

DC52NV

simply post them when you get one. i think everyone knows what a stock cobalt looks like.

FiscalFizz

Yeah... I wanted to show off my Yellow one though.. because I know its not a popular color.. But boy do I like it. ok guys.. see ya tomorrow with crappy cell pix.

Rambotk3

The clicking is normal, i think! My car does the same thing when you press the clutch. Like the other guy said i just don't know what it is for.

FiscalFizz

good.. I didn't hear it ( I think.. was only in the car today for like 15 20 minutes...) when I just pressed clutch pedal in.

Only heard it when I went to shift while moving.

Rambotk3

I don't know, mine does it all the time. I just got use to it and don't pay and attention to it anymore

FiscalFizz

i like this idea.. my style... im not doing any modding so... Warranty hopefully FTW if ever needed.. hopefully never needed.

Rambotk3

Ya they are great cars if they are not abused, if you don't do much modding then you should be good!

liolixli

I'm a little tired here so maybe I'm not reading right. You said it stalls if you let out the clutch in reverse? Are you on an incline or something? Mine doesn't need any gas, it just goes when I let out the clutch... then, it will continue to go with no gas until I hit a fairly large incline in fwd or rev.

You will want to get momentum sometimes for maneuvering. You want to quickly let it out and back in judging how much momentum you will gain from that short engagement. The key is to never hang with it partially engaged... you just want to quickly engage and remove it. It take a little finesse. Getting started is the best part, you will love it. It is addicting to have a manual. I can't even stand to drive auto since I started driving them. It is a lot of fun learning the little nuances of the clutch and shifting as you go.

The noises are normal. You will know if something is wrong. Also, don't buy into all the negative talk here about this and that doesn't work right. You will see a lot about stock clutch sucks etc, but many of us have no issues at all.

Other tips. When shifting down don't let off the gas, but also don't adjust the throttle percent much. Just give it a slight bit more and it will be smooth. You will get jerk if you try to let it auto adjust. Get an idea for the Idle RPM to gear RPM for each gear. It will help you more with clean shifts while driving or other circumstances you will encounter.

When starting on a large hill. Let it out until you feel a slight vibration. Get a good feel for where this is on your car. At first, you might want to let it out ahead of time until you get just to that point. That is where it is starting to catch. Leave it just below that point. When you decide to go, let it just up past that point and you won't drift back or stall. Don't leave it there too long ever, but it can sit there a second to hold you in the place. Quickly give it a modest bit of gas and let the clutch up smoothly. It helps to cheat that way when you start out. A lot of people start out and spin tires trying to let out too quick or drifting a good bit. If you get comfortable with the catch point and understand that you aren't going anywhere, it makes it much easier.

The speed you are giving it throttle should always relate to the speed you let out the clutch. It sounds simple enough, but a lot of people miss this point when they try to drive more aggressive. If you barely are using the gas, it is fine to be slow on the clutch. If you want to rev higher, you need to be able to engage it more quickly while still keeping it firm and smooth. Most beyond that is just knowing your car, when will the tires spin or catch... how well to your current mounts and stabilization will work under different strains.

NS06G5

the noises your hearing while shifting is the shift linkage, perfectly normal. As far as the clutch goes, like said above, as long as you don't burn the **** out of it you'll be fine.
BUT if you are planning to do some track runs(any amount) or find that your driving it hard, an upgraded clutch might not be a bad upgrade idea.

I've had my 06 for a little more then a year now(I'm the 2nd owner), I definately don't baby my G5, but I don't burn the **** out of her either, it's on the highway 100-300km's per day. So look after it and she will treat you good.

FiscalFizz

thank you.. For some reason.. I was guessing it was the shift linkage... even though I have no idea what that is lol. It just sounded like "Linkage" hahah.. sorry...

Thanks guys/gals

FiscalFizz

update: drove my car all day. was a blast. got a quick question. does stalling the car trying to leave from a dead stop in 1st gear hurt the car? cuz i am just learnin how to do it. stalled it a few times today. sounds horible. just wonderin if its bad

Acey

iTrader: (3)

It's not horrible for the car, but try not to do it. I heard it's best to try starting without gas at first so you can learn where the friction point is of your clutch... you should be able to get the car moving without any throttle. Then to launch more quickly, add gas.

FiscalFizz

ok. i pretty much have it down and even started practicing on inclines. trying to get my heel-toe down.

Snakes709

Best place to learn IMO, learn on the worst conditions possible that way when its good conditions it will be easy as hell. I learned how to drive stick in the winter during a storm, not only stick, learn how to drive period...lol


this is very true when learning how to drive stick. I learned how to drive a motorbike before a manual car and for the first day on the course for bikes they got us driving around using the "friction zone" or some people call it "sweet spot" which is basically when u feel the clutch disengage and the car/bike will creep forward, that and u can watch your RPM's the needle will twich when u r in the spot. Thats the FIRST! thing u should do when learning how to drive standard...go to a empty parking lot and just go around using nothing but the clutch, no gas, just clutch. It will basically train your mind/feet to know where the sweet spot is.

Why u need to know this is because if u are say stopped at a stop sign or a red light. While waiting get in the sweet spot and then when u let go of the brake u start moving then touch the gas a little and u can let off the clutch and boom, u r moving.

As for hills, just give it abit more gas. Dont just let go of the clutch tho, let it out slowly. Otherwise u will spin your wheels. When i was new to my cobalt i went up a steep hill and a women was behind me like less then a foot from me. So i hammard on the gas and dropped the clutch and did a burnout for about 3secs with the cops next to me...he just shook his head and didnt bother with me...lol.