I just realized I have been living in Hell

[kayubassist]

Hello

I have been lurking for a while and just decided to partake in some of the discussions here on this forum.
Drastic title for my first thread, but that is how I feel right now.

I bought my first brand new manual car 20 days ago and been driving 50km everyday.

Just when I thought I got to the point of 'getting used to daily driving' a new problem emerged.

SCHOOLS STARTED!

Ok

I live on a mountain so I have to drive up an incline average about 20~30 degrees for about 5km to get to my house.
When I first started driving manual, coming home was the scariest thing in the world.
Now, I can drive up the hill with lots of traffic without stalling but still burning clutch here and there when I launch awkwardly or shift up on a funny slope (uphill and then a sudden short downhill and uphill again).

The thing is, right in front of my townhouse complex, there is a middle school, and then an elementary school just 200m away, and then a high school about 2km away.

The road is a 2 lane road (so basically one lane going each way) with lights and stop signs every 50m (feels like there are that many)

What I need to deal with everyday is

1. stop-and-go traffic on a hill (parents cars lined up to pick up their children)
2. lights and stop signs (vehicles all lined up)
3. kids j-walking

This is HELL for me!
I just started driving a manual car 20 days ago!

So would you please, manual transmission veterans and enthusiasts, give me any kind of tips and warnings so that I can drive through this every morning and afternoon.

My main concerns are:

1. how do I not burn up my clutch in heavy traffic on a hill?
2. when upshift/downshift happens awkwardly, I hear clunking/clicking underneath my car, am I hurting anything?

In my personal opinion, the worst enemy to a manual newbie is the paranoia about damaging the clutch and car components,

stalling about 30 times, occasional clunks, violent vibration once in a while, car shaking when launching, are they all harmful to the car to the point I need to worry about replacing any parts in near future?
This is driving me insane.
People tell me don't think about it and just drive.
I really really want to do that, but before I can do that I need some assuarance that I haven't/am not doing a major damage to my car.

[AHTOXA]

On the hills, try launching using the handbrake method or the brief clutch hold method. Handbrake may be slightly easier before you are used to the clutch.

Handbrake. When stopped on a hill, engage handbrake just prior to take off. Hold your finger on the release button so it doesn't lock. When ready to go, release clutch and add gas. You want a bit more gas than usual, flat land launch. When you feel the car wanting to move, release brake and drive away as usual.

Clutch hold. Just a few seconds before you have to move when on hi, bring up clutch to where it starts to grab. Keep holding the brake. When ready to move, move from brake to gas and roll off.

No, stalls won hurt your car much. A little bit of bucking and clunking when near stall or stalling is quite normal. I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Try to think less and just drive more but I understand that it's easier said than done. I remember myself while learning.

Also read the FAQ. Should help a bit as well.

[AHTOXA]

One more thing - welcome.

[Shadow]

Don't lose too much sleep over this.... Sure, learning can be somewhat hard on the car, but you'd be surprised just how much abuse the typical manual trans/clutch can endure without suffering any ill effects. The drivetrain isn't nearly as fragile as you might think. I learned on a V8 Mustang and I drove (and abused the hell out of) that car for more than three years before I sold it. Never once did it need any repairs to the drivetrain.

[Squint]

Welcome!

One, what do you drive?

Two, think of it this way: lurching is just the car telling you that you need to practice more because your timing isn't quite right. It's not the car falling apart, it's not your transmission falling out. Just go practice driving on that hill when traffic is lighter (if there is a time like that) to get comfortable. Once you're comfortable on the hill, just realize that you've done it a ton of times and there's no reason to worry about traffic being there.

Three, as a great book states, "Don't panic."

[kayubassist]

Thank you for your tips!
It is good to know that I am not doing terrible damage to my car.

I drive an Audi A3.
My friend tells me it is so easy to learn how to drive manual on after he drove my car for 10 minutes. I agree, but what do I know, this is my first manual car.

On flat surfaces, I am pretty confident that I launch relatively smoothly and shift well enough so that my passengers aren't head banging.
However, I still need to improve on launching and shifting in general so that I become unaware of what I am doing. Also, there is downshifting and lots of other techniques that I need to get used to.

The hill....
Everytime I go up that hill, I feel like my manual driving memory/techniques are reset. In the morning, I feel good because it feels like I get better and better day by day. But in the afternoon, I do so bad on uphill I feel like all my memory is reset.

I guess I just need to practice and practice and practice.

One more question to ask you guys,

Is it normal if I feel very slight vibration on the clutch pedal (not the car) when it starts to grab?

Thanks!

[Shadow]

Is it normal if I feel very slight vibration on the clutch pedal (not the car) when it starts to grab?

Thanks!

That might be clutch chatter. It should feel completely smooth without any vibration. Does it do it all the time, or does it come and go?

[kayubassist]

Is it normal if I feel very slight vibration on the clutch pedal (not the car) when it starts to grab?

Thanks!

That might be clutch chatter. It should feel completely smooth without any vibration. Does it do it all the time, or does it come and go?

When I feather the clutch in stop-and-go traffic (when I crawl) it doesn't do that. (is this called slipping the clutch?)

Sometimes when I launch, I get that vibration. So what do I need to do?
let out the clutch more slowly or give more gas? I guess little bit of both?

[tankinbeans]

People tell me don't think about it and just drive.

Don't think about it, just drive. Oh, and if the cow tells you something, he's usually pretty spot on, especially when it comes to n00b fears.

There I told you what I was told when I was overthinking things. I'm still new, but I've come to the point where I'm going to botch a start, I'm going to stall on a hill, I'm going to botch a shit. In the end the car can take the abuse and is more forgiving of the n00b, such as me and you, than you give it credit for.

My brother has a car with about 230k on it, and I'm guessing the clutch is original. He's not particularly kind to his clutch and it's still soldiering on.

[tankinbeans]

Three, as a great book states, "Don't panic."

YES. Wasn't earth, "A nice place." or something similar? I've read the entire series, but it's been 6 years.

[theholycow]

Oh, and if the cow tells you something, he's usually pretty spot on, especially when it comes to n00b fears.

I haven't had to post here, I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said.

Three, as a great book states, "Don't panic."

YES. Wasn't earth, "A nice place." or something similar? I've read the entire series, but it's been 6 years.

Mostly harmless.

[Rope-Pusher]

Also, anticipate what is coming up and drive accordianly. Leave more room between you and the car in front of you, get off the gas earlier and coast for a while before you need to apply the brake. If there is a line of cars stopped ahead, don't be in a hurry to pull up behind them and wait. Maybe if you slow down sooner, the light will turn green before you get so close you need to stop.

[theholycow]

^Good advice for reducing your stress...also good advice for reducing your fuel consumption. That strategy saves fuel, time, and wear on the car. I recommend it to everyone.

[tankinbeans]

Oh, and if the cow tells you something, he's usually pretty spot on, especially when it comes to n00b fears.

I haven't had to post here, I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said.

Three, as a great book states, "Don't panic."

YES. Wasn't earth, "A nice place." or something similar? I've read the entire series, but it's been 6 years.

Mostly harmless.

I seriously need to get my geek on and read that series again. In the time it took a friend to read half of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", the first in the series, I had finished the entire thing. So much great stuff in there, especially the consistently morose robot, Martin - I want to say, and, of course, Ford Prefect - the dippy "alien".

Don't lose your towel.

[scionkid]

I have to emphasize that adding a lot of gas does not mean reving the engine 1/2 way to the redline. You should have the clutch at the friction point, ready to ease off the clutch (not all the way, but enough to keep your rev low) as soon as the engine begins to rev. No more than 1500 rpm for the steepest hill. Using high rev to fling your car uphill is a good way to cook your clutch.