creation25

Hi, I'm first time manual driver here and I'm very nervous. I've gone twice to the gas station that is 3 minutes away from my crib back and forth. I stall twice coming back. Both was on uphill road. This morning I practice going first gear on uphill and I kind of got the hang of it. Technically I only have that one second and a half before the car roll back. Pretty scary stuff. Anyway, my question is, if I'm on second gear and there's a car in front of me stopping. I am coming to a slow down here. Do I need to step clutch and break at the same time when I am slowing down? I don't know, but every time I come to a stop sign in my neighborhood, I don't stop at all, I just keep driving, the car is already going fast. Can somebody tell me the proper way to slow down? This also apply when I'm out in the road and there's a car in front of me. I am currently on second gear or third gear and need to stop. What do I do? Is it safe to just pull down to neutral even when my speed meter is at 30? I thought you only put to neutral when it almost reaches 0..maybe like 10? Hmm I'm confused.

Normally I step clutch and break at the same time and just pull down to neutral. Is this wrong?

Sometimes when I slow down, I always subconsciously stepping on clutch with my break at the same time even though I don't downshift at all. Is this wrong? Is stepping on clutch necessary or should I just use break? I keep thinking that if I don't use clutch with the break somehow the car will stall or something.

padillamia

Some people downshift, others don't. Pretty sure sownshifting just helps keep stress off of your brakes. But yes you can just press clutch in, brake and then just put in neutral when you're going about 30

creation25

Oh ok good. What if after I did that and the car in front of me proceed immediately? Do I still have to go to gear 1 all over again? And is it safe? At 30?

creation25

Another problem I been having is that when I go down hill even just a tiny bit and there is a stop sign right in front of it, the car just rolling. I step brake as hard as i can and it still won't stop unless I really force it. This happen when I'm in 2nd gear. Do I have to downshift 1st? Maybe that is the problem?

creation25

Razz

Haha I'm gonna have this problem when I get my manual 90 teg. I drive an auto right now

accorse07

Sounds like you have bad brakes! If you are in 2nd gear and need to slow down...going back into first would be called engine breaking(not recommended between 2nd and 1st gear). Any others going down a gear is fine but do it while your breaking.

So to answer your initial question about slowing down from 2nd gear...you put your foot on the clutch, put the car in neutral and apply your brakes. Once your at the stop sign and completely stopped...you will have to start out in 1st gear again(obviously).

doood

iTrader: (1)

No. Put it in 2nd or 3rd depending on the speed. You have to get a feel for what rpm the engine likes to be at for a certain gear at whatever speed.

creation25

When my car is rolling back from an uphill the brakes are fine, it stops completely. When I'm going downhill it doesn't want to stop. Weird. And I think my speed was like at 10 or maybe 15. Maybe I'm going to fast.

Ok, what if the car in front of me just proceed again right after I pull down to neutral? And remember now I'm in neutral. I haven't make complete stop yet. I understand that if I come to a complete stop, yes, I will need to go back to 1 all over again. But I'm confused when there's a lot of cars in front of me and they kept stop and go stop and go. I guess if traffic is slow I just stay on 1st? Maybe 2nd at most. Ok, now since I'm in 2nd and if the car in front of me stop, I know I have to slow down. But I will know I can't slow down enough too, because I know the car will shake. So I am guessing I just pull down to neutral then.

creation25

So are you saying I have to downshift? If I'm going 2nd need to slow down because cars are stopping ahead, I know I can just go to neutral. What If I'm like at 4th or 5th? Still neutral?

accorse07

you asked and answered your own question here...

creation25

Ok I know it's neutral because It was just 2nd gear. What if I was going in a highway at high speed and needed to exit. Now what?

Razz

Now I want to get an auto! Manual sounds like a pain

fcm

Google is your friend... http://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=...w=1024&bih=536

http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid...ansmission+car 94

doood

iTrader: (1)

i rev match downshift and heel toe downshift when coming to a stop. i would NOT recommend a beginner like you to try these techniques on the streets.

just put it in neutral and use your brakes

creation25

When coming to a stop from 3rd or 4th gear do I drop the speed (let off gas pedal) until it my speedometer gets low and then step clutch then pull down to neutral or when do I put on neutral?

doood

iTrader: (1)

Whenever you feel like it

creation25

ok kool. I drove to the mechanic shop and came back safely. I got the hang of it. The part that makes me nervous is you gotta be quick when the light turn green. What I did was when I came to a completely stop, I just put on neutral and then when I think the light about to turn green I already shift to 1st gear a few seconds earlier just to give it enough time to prepare.

Ok another question. Is it ok to stay on 1st gear if there are traffic in front of you. Like if there's car going and stopping and going and stopping. Cuz that happen earlier when I got back from the mechanic shop and I stay on 1st gear all the time while on traffic, I feel like the car is shaking too much about to die or something. Am I doing it correctly? Thanks for answering.

fcm

You should not be driving in 1st gear, 1st is really only there to get moving most of your "slow" driving will be done in 2nd gear or 3rd gear.

Recomended gear/speeds/shifting for a 5 speed Integra are...
Normal acceleration
1st-2nd 14MPH
2nd-3rd 25MPH
3rd-4th 40MPH
4th-5th 49MPH

Cruise from acceleration
1st-2nd 7MPH
2nd-3rd 23MPH
3rd-4th 33MPH
4th-5th 45MPH

Max speeds are, [LS/RS]...
1st- 33MPH- GS-R 38MPH
2nd- 56MPH- GS-R 65MPH
3rd- 84MPH- GS-R 90MPH
4th- 110MPH- GS-R119MPH
5th- as fast as car will go.

Out of 94 Integra owners guide. 94

creation25

hmm ok.

creation25

Another questions guys pls. If I'm going 3rd or 4th and need to do a sharp turn almost as identical as a U-turn, what do I need to do? Last night I was on 4th gear and as I was coming to a sharp turn I slow down and then I make that sharp turn, and after that sharp turn I added more gas to it but the car didn't go much. Hmm.. Did I slow down too much before that turn? What am I doing wrong? Downshift maybe? Also How do you apply to a right or left turn in this situation?

fcm

You need to down-shift, anytime you slow down you will need to down-shift, the list of speeds/gears I posted should be a guide to what gear you should be in at any given speed.
Lets assume you are in 4th gear, driving at, [or about] 40MPH and to make the turn you have to slow down to about 25MPH, [or anything below 33MPH] you would need to down-shift to 3rd gear, if you had to slow down below 23MPH you would have to down-shift to 2nd gear.

If I was you, I would find a big empty parking lot and practice shifting up as you accelerate and shifting down when slowing down, either to stop or just to make sharp turns.

The trick is to keep the RPM up, if the RPM drop too low, you will not have any power, "but the car didn't go much", where the RPMs are will depend on if you want the most efficient, [fuel economy] driving or most power, [acceleration] driving, that applies to slowing down also, it needs to be "smooth", although it is possible to shift from 5th to 2nd, [even 1st] when doing 90 MPH it would not be "smooth", more like abrupt.

Down-shifting is done pretty much the same as up-shifting, and at pretty much the same speeds as indicated. 94

stayontrack

you have to push in the clutch or give it more gas because the rpm is getting to low.


also, when you push in the clutch it is basically neutral.

creation25

Ok. So if I'm at 4th or 5th gear and there's cars in front of me stopping and I am slowing down then I need to down shift. I see. But wouldn't down shift make it go much FASTER? I thought I've tried that a few times and the car pick up really fast. Hmmm. Maybe I added too much gas when downshift? I don't remember. Also the problem is when I'm at 4th or 5th and I slow down to stop, I didn't downshift at all. I put it right down to neutral and then wow the car in front of me already proceed ahead, I was like aw man!!!! What should I do now??? So then I quickly shift to 1st gear again. That's wrong right? So if I'm slowing down coming from 4th or 5th because a car is stopping in front of me, I have to downshift to the a lower gear, but what if my car is not completely stop yet while downshift, and the car in front go? Now what to do? Just add gas? I'm scared it might not have power or something terrible like that happening.

fcm

Forget about a car in front of you or not, anytime you slow down, for whatever reason, you need to downshift so you are in the proper gear for the speed you are going, if you are speeding up when you downshift, you are on the gas too much, take your foot off the gas step on the clutch and shift down, if your slowing down to stop your other foot should be on the brake, if you shift down and do not step on the gas, or the brake, the car will slow down anyway, to a point.

As I mentioned, you really need to find an empty parking lot so you can practice, bring along some big cardboard boxes and set them up to drive towards and around and back up to, you can't hurt anything if you hit a cardboard box. 94