I am proud to say after much hard work and dedication I've finally been able to get me an ss s/c=)! Well now i just need to get used to the whole "taking off in stick" thing. I've got it down for the most part but many times i'll try and start but i'll feel like i'm starting right and when i let off the clutch the rpm slows down around idol and stalls or comes close if i am lucky enough to save it. If anyone could please help that'd be awesome!! once again i am so glad to now be a member of the ss community!

No trolls please

 

mmmore gas.

It's totally a feel thing. Every car feels different. Use the seat of your pants and your ears. If it's going to stall give it a little gas.

 

Push the clutch down and put it in first then slowly let out the clutch till you feel the car move then push the clutch back down this will get muscle memory for when the clutch engages get that down after awhile start adding a little bit of gas while you let out and youll figure it out from there. Sorry best i can do if you need more help lmk try my best

 

no need to apologize man, you're helping the best you can and not being an a-hole about it and thats all i ask. Thanks

 

Ya just try doing that for awhile get the engagement point down then once you do that add the gas into it. Go out to a open parking lot or something and try it how i learned to do it

 

You will stall it a lot. Accept it, and don't be embarrassed when it happens. Everyone does that when they are learning. It's part of the process.

 

There is a sticky on this subject, so it'll probably help you. https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/gene...l-tips-197545/
I know when I first drove manual, I always forgot to put the clutch in when coming to a stop.

 

Just don't be scared and embarrassed to stall when you're first starting out. Just think, I work on big crews driving tractor trailers all the time and I know Greenhands that have stalled tractors without trailers when they're first starting and that's friggin' impossible.

 

I dunno about other people, but this was my first stick too. It's all about learning where your friction point is. The way I learned was putting it in first and VERY VERY slowly letting out the clutch. If you do it slow enough, you can actually get the car to start rolling and fully disengage the clutch without giving it any gas. That way you know the absolute minimum gas to clutch ratio if you will haha. Then to make releasing the clutch faster, you just add more gas. It's really simple once you get used to where the clutch engages. Just don't rush it.

 

like everyone else said its a do and learn type of thing, my ss/tc is my first manual and ive had it for almost 2 months and pretty much use to it. Except i have stalled it on occaision and its one of those look around and see if anyone saw you lol

also, if you can, find a hill that doesnt have traffic and practice taking off on an incline. That was my biggest obstacle at first.

 

sounds to me like you aren't using enough/any gas when letting the clutch out, you gotta work both pedals. Go into an empty parking lot and practice finding the point where the clutch starts to engage over and over again until you can hit that exact spot without thinking. After a while I have hit a point where I can dump my foot out to exactly that spot then let the clutch out at a normal rate without any stalling or jerking. You'll get used to it after a while it just takes practice. My balt was my first stick too.

 

wow, didnt expect so much feedback! thanks so much to everyone

 

Seriously, don't freak out when (not if, but when) you stall it in public.

Heck, I did it tonight, at the drag strip, getting my time slip. The dude handing them out said something like "Hey now, you don't do that." and laughed, and I just laughed with him and went on my way. Whatevs.

 

+1 I found that very helpful when I was learning.

 

lol ya this is my first standard car to, but I've owned it for 2 years now and have got the hang of it, even on stupidly steep hill starts lol.

I dont really wait for the friction point, I just blip the gas and let the clutch down and roll out

I've come close to stalling here and there for whatever reason, but I usually kick the clutch in quick enough to abort the stalling haha!

but yeah, Manual FTW most fun to drive cars ever

 

You'll get it. Learn the engagement point and go from there. Just practice, practice, PRACTICE. I bought my car not knowing how to drive it and with no one to teach me. Nothing motivates more than plunking down a big chunk of change on something that you have no clue how to operate. You WILL stall it for a while. It took me 2 weeks before I felt confident, but big hills would still scare me so I used to ebrake as a crutch. Everyone still stalls from time to time, but after a while it'll just become 2nd nature to you.

 

Just like everybody said here - All cars are different, and your left foot will eventually get the muscle memory of how much you let off the clutch from a dead stop in conjunction with your right giving enough throttle to get rolling without a high rev.

If anything, steep hill starts is still what scares me. It requires faster footwork, if not using the ebrake, and basically more throttle/slipping of the clutch. Most people won't know you're gonna roll backwards a bit, and will creep up on you.

 

few things come to mind...
a) just practice in a parking lot with just using the clutch no gas. that way you know the engaging point.
b) reverse sucks

 

step 1. engage clutch
step 2. rev to 6K
step 3. Dump clutch

that should get ya going!

JK JK don't do it!

 

bugs the heck out of me

 

Haha, yeah. What if you did happen to roll backwards and hit someone, because they crept creeping up on you?

 

what? thats crazy im sorta surprised it was ur first manual.

 

What everyone else said basically lol. I picked mine up in VA and drove it to PA without knowing stick for but an hour or so. Just have someone take you out to some backroads or something then switch seats. I got pissed for about 15mins before I finally realized what was happening and what needed to happen. Just start out on some flat roads, let out the clutch slow and feel where it grabs, do that multiple times. Then after a few times let it out where it grabs and give it a little gas. This will take plenty of time to get smooth trust me. When you're comfortable with that, try to find some hills and such as this is completely different than flat ground. Hell I still avoid large hills if I can cause I drive my automatic work vehicle 99% of the time and don't want to be off guard and stall it on a hill ^_^. I stalled out plenty of times before I got it right so don't be embarrassed, freak out, or get flustered.

 

Yep, I had about 4 hours of practice the day before I picked it up in a manual Sonoma I borrowed from our dealership, then picked the car up the next day. Proud to say I only stalled it 3 times in the 2 years that I owned it.

 

lol **** i think ive stalled more then that and its my 3rd manual but then again only 2 years