Previously, every car I ever owned was a manual without any problems. My most recent car was a BMW 335i auto due to heavy DD traffic. I've owned my 996 TTS/6spd for about a month. Did I forget how to drive a manual in the last 2 years of BMW heaven?

Launching in first I feel like I have to take it reeeally carefully, slow out on clutch and very slow on accelerator for a smooth start. A bit heavier on the accelerator and all of a sudden I'm at 3000 rpm and feel like people are looking at me. It is literally a 0.5 cm difference. Without that heavier pedal, or a 1-2 second transition period, the car hiccups and wants to stop.

2nd gear launching seems like it would be ideal with so much torque, but it takes even more babying of the clutch and accelerator to keep rpms viable and not have to do the restart of shame without revving to 4k and also sounding like a fool.

I've had 200hp cars that started just fine in 2nd. Am I retarded? Is the pedal really just that responsive and I just need some more practice to not rev up to 3k on every start?

Finally, if I were being competitive at a light, it seems that I need to hit 3.5-4k rpms and can safely (not for car, just in terms of not stalling) release the clutch and hit the accelerator.

 

It is normal. Clutch is grabby cause it need to handle your Hp. Same foot travel as your 200hp but now it has 0-430hp range. So it would escalate fast. You will get used to it and have fun with it.

 

on the street i launch at 3k sometimes higher, depending on how warm the ground is.

as far as starting out in 2nd gear, i find that anything under 8-9mph - i have to go back into 1st.

 

2nd gear is fairly tall in these cars, it's hard to get the car moving without using a good amount of clutch.

The factory throttle mapping can also make it relatively difficult to take off from a standstill, one of the benefits of an ECU flash is smoothing that out.

 

The light pedal feel, the 1/4 in of actuation and the overall feel of the clutch makes these cars all but impossible to launch consistantly and successfully. I'm sure starting in 2nd will KILL your clutch, especially revving it up for a quick start. 1st is too tall and 2nd isn't tall enough to start...It just takes practice. If I don't drive my car for a week or 2, I have to almost relearn how to drive it for a second...

 

GT2 SLAVE CONVERSION!!! = pure launching bliss

 

It's too difficult to lunch a 996tt because to do it kind of right you have to hurt the clutch,thats why i always try to run a roll.

 

They get mad at our local dragstrip when you go from a roll...

 

I know in a dragstrip no way to roll...but you should ask them to permit you only

 

My method is simple... Take it to the rev limiter and dump the clutch and win!

Nah I slip the clutch out of the whole aggressively at about 5k or so. Keep in mind I have a Tilton Triple Disk and 16" 27.5" MT Drag Radial II tires so I can come out pretty hard.

 

I'm happy to see that I'm not, in fact, retarded after all. I'll just rev it a little higher and not worry about it.

 

Hey big fella...don't sell yourself short..you're plenty retarded...

 

Wife hated my 996TT for this reason - clutch much heavier feel than the 997. She's really good at backing it to the edge of the driveway and then back into the garage. She loves those Sunday afternoon drives to the mailbox!

 

 

gee i never look at my tac on take off i do however listen to my motor revs...after my stroke i did slip off my clutch once all this smoke came outa my tyres (burning oil?)na i don't put oil on my tyres just air maybe they caught fire whata think????