[rdsport323]

ok just got my car today.. and have a few questions...

1) while driving in traffic on the freeway, is it better to just use 1st - 3rd gear? since speeds rarely go higher than 25-30 ? I was driving home and I figured I would stay in 5th or 6th even while driving at 30mph, is that bad?

2) when pulling into a garage at home, whats the proper way of moving the car 1 foot at a time... or just a small distance?

[BK]

Originally Posted by rdsport323

ok just got my car today.. and have a few questions...

1) while driving in traffic on the freeway, is it better to just use 1st - 3rd gear? since speeds rarely go higher than 25-30 ? I was driving home and I figured I would stay in 5th or 6th even while driving at 30mph, is that bad?

2) when pulling into a garage at home, whats the proper way of moving the car 1 foot at a time... or just a small distance?

1 - 2nd and 3rd
2 - let out the clutch just enough to get moving then push it back in

[rdsport323]

Originally Posted by BK

1 - 2nd and 3rd
2 - let out the clutch just enough to get moving then push it back in

thanks..

i think i am picking up a bad habit... for some reason, anytime I am braking, I find myself pushing the clutch down as well... whether it be from 40mph to 25mph, or 85mph to 40mph, I always push the clutch down, shift to neutral and wait til I am at the appropriate speed then deciding what gear to put it in after I am done braking...

that's wrong I'm guessing?

[STE92VE]

Originally Posted by rdsport323

thanks..

i think i am picking up a bad habit... for some reason, anytime I am braking, I find myself pushing the clutch down as well... whether it be from 40mph to 25mph, or 85mph to 40mph, I always push the clutch down, shift to neutral and wait til I am at the appropriate speed then deciding what gear to put it in after I am done braking...

that's wrong I'm guessing?

Yup, bad habit and you need to focus on what you're doing. Eventually you won't have to think about it. According to most, you shouldn't be in neutral unless you are stopped. When braking, I usually downshift when the RPMs drop below 1000.

[BK]

Originally Posted by rdsport323

for some reason, anytime I am braking, I find myself pushing the clutch down as well...

STE92VE is right. This is a bad habit you'll have to break, no pun intended. But don't worry, what you're doing is a common mistake for MT newbies. You'll get the hang of it.

[magillagorilla]

Picked up my new MT 335i today. Still new to MT and hadn't driven one in a couple of months.

Had two stalls on fairly steep hills around my house downtown Seattle. Still having problems getting the feel right on hills between giving it enough gas not to stall but not too much at the time I'm letting out the clutch.

Had one incident where I probably rev'd a bit too high at the time I was letting the clutch out. Resulted in a stall. A little worried due to a bit of a burning clutch smell when I parked it on the garage. Crossing my fingers that I made the right choice to go MT and that I'm not going to be on the hook for a new clutch a few months from now.

[BK]

Originally Posted by magillagorilla

A little worried due to a bit of a burning clutch smell when I parked it on the garage. Crossing my fingers that I made the right choice to go MT and that I'm not going to be on the hook for a new clutch a few months from now.

You'll be all right. You may have worn your clutch a bit, but it isn't a big deal. Just don't do it all the time.

[magillagorilla]

Originally Posted by BK

You'll be all right. You may have worn your clutch a bit, but it isn't a big deal. Just don't do it all the time.

Thanks. A bit of reassurance was exactly what I needed.

[TSM330i]

Just a tip for longevity. Do not rest your foot on the clutch when you are driving around, use the dead pedal. Any pressure on the pedal could cause a slight bit of disengagement and you won't even know it, until the clutch wears out a little quicker than it should have.
I have a 2000 VW Golf since new and it has over 152K miles with the original clutch. I don't baby this car at all either.
I also use the brakes to stop the car without downshifting when coming to a complete stop. This will help save the clutch in the long run. Oh, I got 99K miles out of my front brakes (the pads are REALLY thick on this car).

[Calgary Agent]

Originally Posted by magillagorilla

Had one incident where I probably rev'd a bit too high at the time I was letting the clutch out. Resulted in a stall. A little worried due to a bit of a burning clutch smell when I parked it on the garage. Crossing my fingers that I made the right choice to go MT and that I'm not going to be on the hook for a new clutch a few months from now.

Believe it or not it takes a couple of days to become accustomed to the clutch (engagement) of a new car *even for experienced MT drivers*. Obviously if you've not driven a MT for a while (or never), the learning curve is even steeper.

A couple of suggestions:

• Turn music off and listen to the engine
• Adjust your seat *distance forward / backward* so you naturally can push the clutch pedal far enough towards the floor for complete dis-engagement (note - this isn't always quite to the floor ... every car is different)
• Try taking your shoe off your left foot when driving. You'll get a far better feel for when the clutch begins to bite when releasing the pedal
• Practice makes perfect

[rdsport323]

hmm, the shoe idea is something I should try...

sometimes while driving I get this feeling that my clutch is stuck on something, like when I press down on the clutch, when letting go slowly, my foot or shoe or something prevents it from letting go smoothly.. it like skips. It's hard to explain with words... but.. yeah.

[magillagorilla]

Originally Posted by Calgary Agent

[*]Try taking your shoe off your left foot when driving. You'll get a far better feel for when the clutch begins to bite when releasing the pedal[*]Practice makes perfect[/LIST]

Funny you should mention the shoe thing. Actually did this tonight and it helped a ton. Just got discouraged by the burning clutch smell. The flats are easy. Just can't seem to get it down yet on the hills.

[STE92VE]

Originally Posted by magillagorilla

Crossing my fingers that I made the right choice to go MT and that I'm not going to be on the hook for a new clutch a few months from now.

You'll adjust to the clutch feel and don't worry about replacement.....if needed, it's covered under warranty.

Originally Posted by Calgary Agent

A couple of suggestions:

• Turn music off and listen to the engine

FWIW, from the first days that I took delivery, I rarely listen to the radio unless I have a long highway trip. Because it's easy to drive above the posted speed limit with this car, I'm so focused on my driving that I don't want any distractions.

[magillagorilla]

Originally Posted by STE92VE

You'll adjust to the clutch feel and don't worry about replacement.....if needed, it's covered under warranty.

Really? I had always assumed that it was a wear item not covered by the warranty. Would certainly ease my mind a bit if I'm wrong about this.

[BK]

Originally Posted by rdsport323

sometimes while driving I get this feeling that my clutch is stuck on something, like when I press down on the clutch, when letting go slowly, my foot or shoe or something prevents it from letting go smoothly.. it like skips. It's hard to explain with words... but.. yeah.

Check your floor mat.

[!Xoible]

Have U Tried Driving With No Shoes At All? It's Simple, 6mt Driving Is All About Feeling What The Car Is Doing, If You Cant Feel Them Coz Of Shoes You Cannot Be Smooth. Simple As That.

[rdsport323]

Originally Posted by BK

Check your floor mat.

No joke but, seriously when I tried driving without a shoe... that's when I realized it was the damn floor mat getting in the way!! couldn't figure out what the hell it was for the longest time.... you wouldn't believe how annoying it was.

thanks for the heads up though.. was funny when I read this.

[adrock]

Dont know if these have been posted yet but they helped me out a lot when I was learning:

Seating Position:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...62568273244117

Moderate Launch:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...76455853988259

Aggressive Launch:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...36127155256351

Upshifting Part 1:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...31034612978316

Upshifting Part 2:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...06501945006362

Single Clutch Down Shift:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...54456325722769

Double Clutching:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...88575741675515

Heel Toe 1:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...73124257173554

Heel Toe 2:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...08576780656591

Also there are forums just devoted to shifting (Nerd alert):
http://www.standardshift.com/forum/

[BK]

Originally Posted by adrock

Also there are forums just devoted to shifting (Nerd alert):
http://www.standardshift.com/forum/

Too cool! And excellent post all around, adrock!

[rdsport323]

great info...

one thing I hate the most is when pulling up to my driveway or driving around a crowded shopping parking lot, I tend to stay in 1st and cruise along with the clutch halfway down... I guess "feathering" my clutch. And when I can't find a parking space for a long period of time, it starts to get real annoying. is it bad to feather your clutch for so long?

[BK]

Originally Posted by rdsport323

is it bad to feather your clutch for so long?

Yes. You can move very sloooowly in 1st gear with no gas, as you're probably aware. If you have to inch along even slower, it is far better for your clutch to pull up the clutch enough to move forward, then push it back in all the way, rather than half-clutching the whole way.

[.:bHd:.]

What RPMS do you guys usually take off in during regular driving? Most of the time i go up to 1500 then drop down to like 1200 and at this point the clutch is fully engaged.