T_ypEr

I have a 2000 Civic EX coupe 5-speed stick and have only been driving stick for about 2.5 months. It doesn't sound like a lot, but I drive everyday, so I get a good amount of practice (being a college student and having a wonderful father who is a great teacher). I've already gotten over the fact that my clutch starts to hook up a little past halfway towards the top of the pedal stroke. Fine. I'm still getting a feel for where that point exactly initiates, but what I want to know is when exactly do I start to feed in the throttle? I've been trying to memorize where the hook up point starts and then start feeding in the throttle slowly from there. I want to make sure I'm doing it exactly right so I don't have to go through the not-so-fun process of correcting bad muscle memory habits.

On a side note, I want to make sure I'm doing my launches from a stop correctly. It's difficult for me to find the right balance rate for letting up the clutch and adding throttle. So far, what I've been doing is revving to 2k rpm and slowly letting out the clutch at the same time. When I feel the clutch starting to hook up, I slow down the clutch up-letting and let the clutch catch up to the flywheel. But I feel like every time I do this I'm burning the clutch a little bit. I've always heard and read that the throttle and clutch should be pressed and released, respectively, at an even rate. Now, I'm not sure anymore because every time I try to do this my engine bogs down and I end up feathering the clutch a little to get the car rolling enough (a little technique I carried over from riding motorcycles).

jdmadam

iTrader: (2)

practice and

Hellastock

I would have to agree with this post. You have to continue practicing and driving your car will become second nature to you.

98EJ7Y8

when i bought my car back in 2010 i didnt know how to drive 5speed for the life of me .. yes i had an IDEA of what to do but no real knowledge of what to do ,.. i finished paying off my car and the day i went to go get it i didnt take anyone with me to get it ,, and to say the least i was a bit nervous but i figured its now or never and i drove for probably almost a half mile in 1st gear .. turned off to a side street and said well here goes .. threw it into 2nd and ever since its seen smooth sailing .. its not about where they catch its about how even ur motions are .. technically it is where it catches but leave it in ur head that u thought urself to drive and the only person gonna get u better is urself .. imo driving cant be taught .. it comes natural .. if ur shifting and getting along then u have nothing to worry about

Kohen

practice, practice, practice.
practice makes perfect.
do it slow and find that sweet spot.
try letting the clutch out faster/slower
and try giving it more/less gas
play around with it

Dontoh

pracctticee. every car is different, so its much easier for you to go out there and practice than to take advice.. practice smooth launches, instead of revving to 2k, try revving less and still start off smooth. same with shifting.. you're a new driver when it comes to stick, so dont worry about burning out that clutch if it means you're learning.. it'll happen one way or another

T_ypEr

Ok, I'll keep at it. I've been playing around with giving less gas and letting the clutch out for launches. I get what you guys mean be making it second nature. I catch myself sometimes thinking about shifting and clutch and stuff, and then my shifting suffers. One problem I have is getting into 5th: it's not as smooth as when I go from 2 to 3. It's like I have to manhandle the shifter to get up there. Maybe it's my grip on the **** or how I'm pushing it?

98EJ7Y8

i almost missed 5th gear to be honest .. it was kinda hard to find .. but i got the hang of it after that cause i cant afford a new trans ..

T_ypEr

I've missed 5th too, but I didn't grind the gears... What I do when I shift from 2-3 or 4-5 is, with the heel of my palm, push up and right diagonally and then straight up into the higher gear.

williamZ

You'll get the hang of it. It will become natural.

98EJ7Y8

i try not to push it into gear unless its like a straight shot , i try to keep the chances of messing something up to a minimum.. if you can start off on a hill and not roll backwards at all while trying to go forward then you got nothing to worry about .. just remember even pedal movement then figure out the fine adjustments later

Kohen

5th gear is a little funky to get into. 2-3 is definitely different from 4-5. i just push it straight forward to neutral towards 3rd then push it all the way to the right and up into 5th. doesn't glide right into 5th exactly.

phat00civic

In terms of regular driving you should be able to shift gears with no one feeling it, or getting whiplash. Just watch your RPMs and match them as you shift. In terms of racing, 1/4 mile, a lot of that has to do with the launch and making sure the wheels stick and do not spin. This takes years of practice, and even the best make a mistake here and there. GL

98EJ7Y8

Agreed .. but not in so many words ur ur own teacher .. you grade urself ..

Fresh209

In my opinion, it's because the natural state of the shifter is to be in neutral, in between 3-4. it's like putting the car in 1st gear, you have to crank it over to the left a little, then up. it goes so smoothly in to 3, from 2, because it's forcing itself (along with you) in that direction to get back to its normal stance (neutral in between gears 3-4)

That's what I've noticed anyways, could be COMPLETELY off base LOL

T_ypEr

Hmm... I think Fresh209 is right that the shifter does naturally want to pop to neutral. I kind of use that some times to make getting out of a gear and into the next one easier. I'm just trying to make my shift throws smooth, quick, and not harsh, but it's pretty tricky to find that specific middle ground where you just feel that "snick-snick" and the shift is smooth and crisp.