I've had tips from friends and family. They have driven with me afterwards and never said that I was doing anything wrong. My date (wife) hates driving in the P car and always prefers the Merc. Probably because I terrified her to death when she first got in it and I could barely get the car moving. Got stuck at every red light, hill, stop sign. People honking behind me while I restart my car. Every single shift was hard. Yeah thats probably why she hates the P car.

Well I am far better now. I never stall the car any more. No problems on hills. I just had a few questions that I was unsure about and were already answered by PTParks.

As stubborn as I am you guys have convinced me to get some lessons. Or possibly even a new car with PDK which I was already thinking about.

 

This is seriously concerning...with questions like these and 5K on the car. If you have ANY friend or acquantance who knows how to drive a stick shift, please do not hesitate to ask them to cruise along with you on side streets, busy Blvds., the freeway, etc. for their input.

Let me know if you want me to suggest someone in the East Bay, like around the Martinez/Fairfield area to help you.

 

When I learned driving stick, I always stalled because I "dumped the clutch" usually from me being so surprised the cars moving, and in a moment of excitement I let the clutch go thinking the deed was done.

You can try letting the clutch to the "sweet spot" and hold it there, until the car crawls forward, give it a little gas and don't move the clutch from the sweet spot. After about 0.5 seconds you will hear your car "engage" and then its safe to ease the foot off the clutch while applying more gas. This is a easier way to learn rather than letting the clutch go while simultaneously giving it gas. I too didnt like driving stick until I finally got pressured into doing it. Just the thought of stalling in public, is mortifying. That would never happen at all with a auto, why risk such embarrassment? I guess some people like the "feel" of the car in manual. I dont regret learning, but I still prefer auto...

 

Which question in particular is concerning? I feel like you guys are being too dramatic about this situation. I was just informed that a new clutch costs about $1800. There is a better chance of someone scratching my bumper in NYC parking than me wearing out my clutch. The cost to repair would be about the same. So lets not be total drama queens about a stupid $1800 clutch. You all took professional lessons to drive manual?

FYI I never dump the clutch. In first gear I rev to about 1200 rpm and I let of of the clutch as soon as I feel the car moving. My seat is adjusted properly so that my left leg is always bent even when the clutch is pressed all the way down. I ALWAYS press the clutch all the way in, switch gear and let go slowly. By slowly I mean about 1 second. When I downshift I blip the throttle about 1k RPM higher and shift quickly then let go of the clutch slowly (1 sec). All of this feels smooth to me and the passenger except 1-2nd gear. That is because in those gears the RPM drops off too fast to make a smooth shift. So I found that when shifting from 1-2 it is smoothest when I don't take my foot of the gas completely. This happens to keep the RPM at the perfect spot for the next gear to engage.

I know the sound the engine makes when the clutch is slipping because when I first started driving i over revved it a couple of times when starting from stand still. I never hear that sound any more.

The only time that I am sure I am putting some wear on my clutch is when getting in and out of my garage/driveway. That is because I have to use the friction point to get the car moving slowly but not to fast. I touch the friction point to inch up and I push the clutch back down to prevent moving too fast.

My questions perhaps poorly written were supposed to confirm that what I was doing (as stated above) is right. I am now 99% sure that I know what I am doing and all I need is more time on the wheel to practice. If I do burn out my clutch before I get rid of the car then it would have been worth it because that means I drove it like I stole it.

P.S I just killed all of my chances of ever selling my car on this forum.

 

Of course I have no idea how competent you are with a MT; until I read what you had to say. It sounded like you are extremely unsure of yourself and whether you are driving it correctly.

Glad to hear from you now that your self-rating has improved and that you have it all under control.

I don't want to pay $1,800 (or more) for any repair, so very good news from you toward the end here.

No professional lessons here, just old and learned FIRST on a MT. This was the kind of thing that is difficult to describe in writing anyway, but kudos to you for trying!

 

just curious.. is that $1800 for clutch only ? or including labor ? t.i.a.

 

In the UK (where I was taught to drive) if you don't take your drivers test in a manual car, you will not be allowed to drive one if/when you pass the test; you will be confined to an auto. If you take the test in a manual, you are allowed to do both. I really do see the merit in this system, that and the fact that the test actually requires you to drive well, not just park your car in an off road test track like here in FL. I'd rather not get into the embarassment they call a driving test here though, it literally is a complete joke. One day people will understand that driving is a priveledge not a right.....

As for the clutch cost, $1800 won't be including labor. That's about the labor bill on its own right there!

 

My clutch was replaced, with PCA discount of 20% on parts, for $1800 including labor.

 

Clutch kit from Suncoast costs $679: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...608001AND.html

The disk alone is about $250 according to this thread: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index...h-replacement/

The rest of the cost goes towards labor.

$1800 is a lot of money and I would hate to have to pay it. But I was under the impression that a clutch repair would cost 5k and up which does not seem to be the case. When you consider how much these cars depreciate each year, $1800 is the least of my worries.

 

I'm old as well (58), and though I've spent many years with manual transmissions here in San Francisco, and became quite comfortable with them, I've been slow to become real proficient with the DB9. Unable to have the clutch adjusted to engage sooner and lack of sensory feedback from the electronic accelerator which seems to have some delay and lacks the immediate control I'd been used to. I've had no choice so far but to chirp the tires when I'm on an incline (and some other car is close behind me). A bit embarrassing but if I can figure out a solution for a more responsive throttle I'll be able to drive a bit more respectably. Imagine if you will, backing up a curved San Francisco driveway with your rather large Aston Martin with nominal visibility, hoping to avoid damaging those expensive shrubs (and decorative rocks) which have been nurtured and cared for with great affection. So...I often feel (and look) like a rank novice with this mt as well! But...it's definitely my preference outside the city!

 

hella buggin.....where in SF did u get the clutch done
I don't need a clutch yet but I asked my indy and he was at $4400
for all Porsche parts and a flywheel which is a $1000 by itself,,sounds really high to me

 

Driving a stick is considered an "Art" by many on this forum and "doing it wrong" is punishable by slow death. OP, I agree some here are taking it too seriously. I became smoother with practice. Like you my wife was my smoothness gauge.. ("that was a good one", "oy, that one hurt my neck" )

Take your time, practice, you will get it when the car does what you want it to do and both you and the machine are happy.

That said, I am now driving a PDK.

 

Try to get the car moving without having to rev all the way to 1200 RPM. I can usually get the car moving out of 1st gear at around 800-900 RPM with very minimal clutch slipping but it took practice and driving time to find that sweet spot on the clutch.

 

Learning to drive a stick in a porsche....... Like a Boss!!!!

Hey, if i was as rich as you are...... i would totally have learned how to drive a stick in a P-Car.
However all my manual transmission experience went down the $hitter when i started driving the 911. So Different from Hondas and nissans etc.

 

Thanks for reviving an old thread. I have since done a few mods to my car. Painted blue, installed a hard top and turbo spoiler, DFI Engine with Twin Turbo, and a PDK transmission, natural leather interior and a few other things. The car has 500 horsepower now and I no longer have to worry about shifting gears. The only thing I have to worry about is finding an open road where I can test 0-60 in under 3 seconds.