I drove my balt for the first time and in first gear sometimes it wants to jerk. Sometimes it does it and sometimes it doesnt do it. I tried taking off a little faster then a little slower and it didnt make a difference. Just want to know what im doin wrong.

 

you have to be VERY steady with the gas pedal. that's what's happening. most likely

 

All manual vehicles do that at certain points. Its because its your first time. Try not to stay in first for long.

 

roffles

 

Happens to me every once in a while too. once it starts jerkin to stop it u either have to let off the gas or floor it.

 

hahahhah, this happens to pretty much all first gear manuals. there is so much tq in such a short gear that the slightest touch jerks your car

 

That's normal. Tread softly on the gas.

 

uhhh if im understanding correctly... maybe you guys have to just practice more at it.. easier on the clutch fellas and maybe a bit more gas...???

 

start in 1st and then go right to 3rd...helps keep the car from jerking.

 

More clutch, less gas when you start out.

 

they are referring to when its already fully in gear

 

It def. makes it worse if you give it more gas. Im goin pretty slow and smooth starting in first. I almost have to stop in order to make it sop jerking.

 

a little more gas... wait until your clutch grabs and then ease off ...should do the trick to eliminate that and if your jerking .....and don't feelin like gunnin it or letting off the gas then just shift into second

 

he is already in gear. he knows how to launch his car. he is talking about already in gear!

 

so just give it a little more gas when shifting into first

 

Maybe I should have re-worded that. After all, its not a Lounge thread.

 

Crap...I always jerk in first gear....sometimes I jerk in third gear just to see if I can. I haven't tried to jerk in 5th gear yet - I like to have both hands on the wheel when I am goin' that fast...

 

Its actually starting out from stop and starting to role

If first goes good the rest is good.

 

Hopefully that is not a response to my smart assed comment above (Read it closely...it has nothing to do with the car jerking :P ).

But..to be productive - it is normal. If you dont be VERY smooth with the throttle the car will buck a bit. just use first to get rolling and throw it in second asap.

 

no it wasnt. but thanks ill try it

 

all kidding aside, this forum is fun. IN your new cobalt remember that if you hammer the gas too hard and get into power hop you will break it. Here is some information to help you enjoyyour hot rod

Starting off requires a driver to engage first gear and bring the clutch pedal up to the point of take-off. Hesitate slightly as the pedal reaches clutch engagement, give it a little gas, and bring the foot promptly off the clutch pedal and onto the dead pedal on the firewall. Don’t slip the clutch. Most clutches are tough and strong and will last almost forever, provided it isn’t slipped. Slipping the clutch or riding the clutch - leaving your foot resting on the clutch pedal while driving - ruins the clutch release bearing and creates heat which kills clutch linings.

Some cars are easier to launch than others. Easy cars to launch smoothly are generally due to two things: a progressive throttle linkage ratio and a well chosen first gear ratio for the mass of the car and torque of the engine.

A progressive linkage opens the throttle slowly at first then faster, the more the gas pedal is pressed to the floor. That makes it easier to start off smoothly. More cars are made these days with “drive by wire”; no physical linkage to the throttle body – it is all done by a variable control through the computer from the gas pedal. So if the computer folks have done their programming job well, the “wireless linkage” should be progressive.

The other thing that affects smooth launch is the gear ratio in first and then second gear. Very low ratios can make the first to second shift hard to produce smoothly because of the large rev split from first to second, and very high first gear ratios require “slipping” the clutch to avoid stalling the engine. In a Cobalt, pause in neutral on the way from first to second dont rush the shift. Rush it you break it.

DECLUTCHING…
The left foot disengages the clutch as the right foot comes off the gas pedal, when changing gears or just as you come to a stop. Actually, the gas pedal is released a fraction of a second before the clutch is disengaged. This slight decelerating load assists the hand in taking the gears out of mesh. The clutch stays disengaged while the hand moves the gearshift lever. BTW on slippery roads and in skid control, declutching helps take away the disturbing forces at the drive wheels. That helps ABS control and can actually stop a spin as the car rotates so quickly when a driver gets caught out driving on ice or snow.

Hope this helps downshifting is a whole other story

 

Did it to me when i first got the car, you just got to feather the gas pedal in first, cause first is so damn torqey.

 

Whats torque got to do with it?Your talking like your driving a diesal truck that makes like 300 ft/lb of torque from idle.And when your taking off in first gear,theres really no load on it so your not making much torque.My car does the same ****,and its def not normal.Maybe for our cars it is,but not for others.I have driven many manual cars,and i have never driven one as bad as our cars.If im driving through a parking lot at like 5mph nice and smoothly and slow down for some reason,when i give it gas again the whole car starts bucking and jerking back and forth.It gets to the point where its so bad,it looks like your just learing how to drive stick.Sometimes im too embarassed to even drive through a parking lot.It doesnt happen all the time,but when it does happen,its very annoying.Im starting to think its coming from the motor/trans mounts.Id be on the highway and if i let off the gas and give it gas quickly,it feels like the motor is rocking back and forth.I only have like 25,000 miles on the car and i never beat on it,so i know its not from abuse.Im gonna look into some new mounts and see if that takes care of the problem.Its either that,or maybe a programing issue with the drive by wire.

 

It's a combination of a short first gear , gear lash , fly by wire gas pedal , and motor mounts lol.

 

Then you need to learn how to drive your damn car.