Improvements - open to suggestions

[Shadow]

Seriously, what's up with people that cannot wait like what 5 seconds in traffic and start honking.
If people are being douches you give them the opposite, be nice to them.

When I stalled my car a few times in traffic, people behind me missed the green light and sometimes missed the light twice. (ie, lost their chance to cross the intersection because by the time I started my car up the light changed back to yellow and red). They would change the lane and stop beside me and give me the look.
I rolled down my window and wave to everyone around me while smiling, and say I'm sorry I'm learning how to drive manual.
Then the very same people who were honking behind me suddenly smile and wave back at me or give me thumbs up.

I used to rip through traffic when I had a GTI with DSG transmission, but now I just cruise slowly in the far right lane and enjoy driving. It gives me time to practice my driving skills.

Take it easy. People can wait (unless they have a pregnant woman about to give birth in their cars).

Okay...but I gotta ask-- how long did it take you to restart the car and get moving again? Unless it was an extremely short red light, I can't imagine people right behind you getting stuck at the light again.

[tankinbeans]

Seriously, what's up with people that cannot wait like what 5 seconds in traffic and start honking.
If people are being douches you give them the opposite, be nice to them.

When I stalled my car a few times in traffic, people behind me missed the green light and sometimes missed the light twice. (ie, lost their chance to cross the intersection because by the time I started my car up the light changed back to yellow and red). They would change the lane and stop beside me and give me the look.
I rolled down my window and wave to everyone around me while smiling, and say I'm sorry I'm learning how to drive manual.
Then the very same people who were honking behind me suddenly smile and wave back at me or give me thumbs up.

I used to rip through traffic when I had a GTI with DSG transmission, but now I just cruise slowly in the far right lane and enjoy driving. It gives me time to practice my driving skills.

Take it easy. People can wait (unless they have a pregnant woman about to give birth in their cars).

Okay...but I gotta ask-- how long did it take you to restart the car and get moving again? Unless it was an extremely short red light, I can't imagine people right behind you getting stuck at the light again.

Had it been my misfortune, I'd have probably been pushed through. Minnesota nice does NOT apply to our streets, apparently - according to some survey - we're the third rudest drivers in the country.

[krimsonidol]

The only time rev-matched downshifting is useful (from what I can gather) is really for downshifting for power such as to pass someone on the interstate - you want to rev-match because you want to maintain speed rather than slow down, so you don't really want to ease gently off the clutch as you apply gas since you'd lose speed. If you rev-match you can come off the clutch much faster and won't have any lag from the revs having to climb up where they need to be.

Unless you're very careful letting the clutch out smoothly, not rev-matching can send you into a skid when it is wet outside.

I'm a touch skeptical on this. I mean, my downshifts are nothing but smooth - no jerks or anything? I'm applying gas as I'm easing off the clutch. Which is what both my instructors (father and father-in-law) advised as neither of them have heard of rev-matching.
But maybe I am just letting the clutch out really smoothly?

[kayubassist]

Seriously, what's up with people that cannot wait like what 5 seconds in traffic and start honking.
If people are being douches you give them the opposite, be nice to them.

When I stalled my car a few times in traffic, people behind me missed the green light and sometimes missed the light twice. (ie, lost their chance to cross the intersection because by the time I started my car up the light changed back to yellow and red). They would change the lane and stop beside me and give me the look.
I rolled down my window and wave to everyone around me while smiling, and say I'm sorry I'm learning how to drive manual.
Then the very same people who were honking behind me suddenly smile and wave back at me or give me thumbs up.

I used to rip through traffic when I had a GTI with DSG transmission, but now I just cruise slowly in the far right lane and enjoy driving. It gives me time to practice my driving skills.

Take it easy. People can wait (unless they have a pregnant woman about to give birth in their cars).

Okay...but I gotta ask-- how long did it take you to restart the car and get moving again? Unless it was an extremely short red light, I can't imagine people right behind you getting stuck at the light again.

yea I started it right up but the problem was I was so nervous I continously stalled it a couple more times
it was like the second day of manual driving lol

[Maggiolone]

Okay...but I gotta ask-- how long did it take you to restart the car and get moving again? Unless it was an extremely short red light, I can't imagine people right behind you getting stuck at the light again.

Had it been my misfortune, I'd have probably been pushed through. Minnesota nice does NOT apply to our streets, apparently - according to some survey - we're the third rudest drivers in the country.[/quote]

I heard MN drivers were bad, but wow. Chicago is just impatient, especially in the lakeside neighborhoods where it takes 20 minutes to drive a mile, M-S, 7 am though 4 am (not exaggerating, I rarely drive in those areas anymore, manual or automatic).

Wait till winter comes when all the donks on rubberband tires cause accidents on highways. That's when my old Jetta will go in the garage to hibernate

[Charles421]

The only time rev-matched downshifting is useful (from what I can gather) is really for downshifting for power such as to pass someone on the interstate - you want to rev-match because you want to maintain speed rather than slow down, so you don't really want to ease gently off the clutch as you apply gas since you'd lose speed. If you rev-match you can come off the clutch much faster and won't have any lag from the revs having to climb up where they need to be.
On the other hand, I didn't need to downshift in order to pass anyone on the interstate this past weekend and it's not like my dinky Cabrio has great acceleration or anything. I just sped up and that worked fine...
Like seriously, how many people do rev-matched downshifts (other than double-clutching Mack truck drivers) on a daily basis? Sometimes the intensity of people on the internet can misrepresent the situation out in the general populace.

Downshifting to me implicitly means rev-matching. I double-clutch my car, it's far from necessary in a modern car w/ synchros but I enjoy doing it. And gears go in noticeably easier when double-clutching.

I find downshifting especially useful for making 90* turns. I might be approaching such a turn at 40MPH in 4th gear, which is not sufficient to get me moving from the 10-15MPH or less I'll slow down to in order to take the turn. So I rev-match @40MPH and get into 2nd (~3800RPM or so) and take the turn, acclerating halfway through. I am in gear the entire turn.
Now I could wait until I'm in the turn and at 10-15MPH, then just put the transmission in second and let the clutch out, and it would be smooth due to such a small difference in RPM at that speed. However I don't like changing gears in a turn.

More or less, everyone develops their own driving style. We're not robots like those automatic drivers.

[theholycow]

We're not robots like those automatic drivers.

[Tups]

I usually beep after two or three seconds if I see nothing happening - you are supposed to pay attention to the traffic. If the car in front of me tries to get moving and stalls, that's fine.

On the other hand being stuck behind someone who's having his second driving lesson is kind of annoying, especially if you are in a hurry.

[Maggiolone]

I've been following the advice posted in this thread carefully.

last night I drove about 15 miles in the standard shift car, in mainly city driving. I kept a good-enough distance between me and the cars ahead of me when coming to a stop at a light, allowing more distance for my slow launches.

I've managed to finally find the clutch point to allow for a smooth shift, but I'm so used to a rough shift from neutral to first that I find that I'll second guess myself and think something is wrong with the clutch again.

I drove a friend for a few blocks, and I did stall it while making a right turn onto a busy street. I feel I become more nervous with passengers (he also hasn't driven a manual in 10 years and kept bugging me to try it. I told him only if he had money for a new clutch).

I also noticed this car was ergonomic for 1984, but not in 2011. I pretty much find myself using my whole body and lean right to shift into 5th. In the process my right foot at one point slipped off the clutch too fast. I admire newer cars with shifters placed higher where your arm only moves back and forth, instead of far down and over.

[theholycow]

Congratulations! That's all pretty normal.

Can you clarify "[rough] shift from neutral to first"? Do you mean moving the shift lever, or do you mean the entire process of launching from a stop? From context I suspect you mean the latter; if so, it sounds like you're doing great.

It is totally normal to be nervous with passengers. It is also normal to be paranoid and think that they're feeling a horribly jerky ride when you see their heads bob a little, but chances are they don't notice. Of course, once you get paranoid and start overthinking it, your performance suffers...it really works better when you're not thinking or worrying about it too much.

You might want to move your seat forward a bit. That will help with the ergonomic issue and is usually recommended for driving with a manual transmission even if the car is designed better.

My 2008 VW's shifter was placed very comfortably exactly where my hand naturally goes and did not have long throws, but I often noticed that my whole body got involved when I shifted to 5th. That may be normal too.

[Squint]

A late-to-the-party welcome! And it took me a couple of months of driving a manual until I wasn't nervous with my wife in the car, much less anyone else. It never made a huge difference, but it always seemed to make my shifts just a bit rougher to where is was noticeable rather than being normal (hint: most people don't notice normal shifts, even with some wiggling and roughness. Seriously, pay attention next time you ride in an automatic. Even autos don't have completely smooth shifts... with exceptions for some nicer vehicles, and some newer transmissions).

[Maggiolone]

Congratulations! That's all pretty normal.

Can you clarify "[rough] shift from neutral to first"? Do you mean moving the shift lever, or do you mean the entire process of launching from a stop? From context I suspect you mean the latter; if so, it sounds like you're doing great.

It is totally normal to be nervous with passengers. It is also normal to be paranoid and think that they're feeling a horribly jerky ride when you see their heads bob a little, but chances are they don't notice. Of course, once you get paranoid and start overthinking it, your performance suffers...it really works better when you're not thinking or worrying about it too much.

You might want to move your seat forward a bit. That will help with the ergonomic issue and is usually recommended for driving with a manual transmission even if the car is designed better.

My 2008 VW's shifter was placed very comfortably exactly where my hand naturally goes and did not have long throws, but I often noticed that my whole body got involved when I shifted to 5th. That may be normal too.

Neutral to first can still be rough for me because, as I mentioned before, I'm still getting used to actually holding the clutch in for that right amount of time to engage first gear smoothly. I have (and still do) released the clutch too early, car starts to jerk, and I'll tap the clutch in again to get a smooth acceleration.

Now I'm starting to do it without jerking, and I'll start to get nervous, thinking I'm damaging the clutch.
I guess the day the clutch went out on me on a busy street right after I managed to get the car in gear really scarred me. I was up-shifting, and didn't feel anything, but the car kept moving under its own momentum. Reverse gear still worked perfectly that day, though. Although I had the car towed, the wonderfully obsolete clutch cable was adjusted so I could drive it (with a lot of slippage) to a nearby mechanic.

The car has a shifter that would be considered "short throw" back in the '80s, but it's just awkward today due to the outdated seating position and seat height. Your right shoulder is already slumped down almost to the point of strain on 1st and 2nd gears, and 3rd requires some extra movement, and on 5th your whole torso goes with the shift. That's how my foot accidentally slipped off the clutch once while shifting; not pleasant.

[tankinbeans]

yea I started it right up but the problem was I was so nervous I continously stalled it a couple more times
it was like the second day of manual driving lol

I know exactly how that feels. One time, maybe three weeks after I got my car, I was in the drive-thru at McDung's and had just picked up my "food". It took me what seemed like 3 minutes to get going so that I could hi-tail it outta there. I was getting so frustrated by the end, but that was when I learned that soft-soled shoes are not my friend, while driving anyway. I killed it 10 times at least, each time moving maybe 2 inches.

I'm glad I've gotten over that. Now, I still kill it, but it's not nearly as common an event as before. I still have some bad starts and wonky shifts, but I know this is to be expected for awhile. I know that I'm getting better, and you will too.

[Shadow]

... I learned that soft-soled shoes are not my friend, while driving anyway. I killed it 10 times at least, each time moving maybe 2 inches.
.

I have a friend who has owned a G35 coupe since it was new in 2003 (I think) and he always tries to tell me that he has a hard time driving when he's wearing different shoes. In other words, if he wears different shoes from one day to the next day, it messes up his driving because of the way the clutch pedal feels different to him.

Does that happen to anyone else? I can go from sneakers to work boots to dress shoes and it doesn't mess me up at all. I don't even really feel much of a difference at all from my various shoes.

[Squint]

After the first 5 minutes with a new pair of shoes, I am fine. I will say there is a little bit of a curve because shoes are shaped differently, etc... that can cause them to feel different on the clutch pedal. I never stall or anything, it just makes my shifts a little rougher.