I can drive stick but not at an excellent skill level. (2008 c4s)

1. When in 2nd gear... and slowing down to 1000 rpms... do I stay in 2nd... OR shift into 1st?

2. When in 2nd.. and slowing down to almost 500 rpms.. and then traffic speeds up... (NO complete stop) ... What do I do --- without killing the car/making the car sound really bad

 

Downshift is your friend 😋

Don't lug the engine....your 911 loves higher revs! Either of the two questions will lug the engine. 500 rpm is below idle....downshift!

 

SOOOOO when the rpms are going down (<1000 rpms).... (and I am in 2nd)... shift down into 1st?

What's lug?

 

Yes if you are under 1000rpm downshift to first.

Lugging the engine is basically giving the engine gas when the gear you're in doesn't allow the engine to spin up quickly (higher rpm). This is potentially damaging to the engine by the way.

 

Ever find that you can't 'slip' into 1st gear easily? (even when clutch is depressed)?

Thanks for info.. that's actually want i have been doing.. but wasn't sure if it was correct

 

Some people on this and the Rennlist forum have mention difficulty getting into first from a stop or slow speed. Do a search and there probably is good info on what might be wrong....if anything.

 

Another way of stating it is the gear ratio selected requires more power than the engine is producing for cruising or acceleration and therefore the engine starts to "lug" or stutter, jerk, or even stall. You can think of it as coughing. It isn't good for the engine. Never lug it.

 

Hang in there, Gusto. After a week, you'll be driving like you were born with a stick in your hand. I hadn't had a manual transmission for 20 years until I got my 997, and it was embarrassing at first. Now it's second nature. Just listen to the engine, don't try to jam it into gears where it doesn't want to go. I don't find the 6speed particularly easy to begin with, which is one of the reasons I got it. Neither of my kids can drive a stick.

Am I abdicating my fatherly responsibility? Too bad. They ain't gonna learn on MY car!

 

Personally, unless approaching a steep incline I would not suggest shifting into first unless you are a full stop. This minimizes stress on the synchros in the transmission. The engine is quite capable of sustaining strong gradual acceleration from a slow roll in second gear. Don't floor it under 3000 or so.


When at a stop you have problem going into first shift back into neutral, let the clutch up, depress it again, and shift into first. Never force it. Mostly an issue when car is not warmed up.

 

I recommend never getting below 1500 RPM's in any gear other than first.
The Idle is 900 RPM and you should never ever dip below that.
I try and keep things above 2K RPM's.
To downshift into 1st, you often need to rev match.
When in Second, Depress the clutch, blip the throttle and it will
slide right in. Don't force it, but you'll feel it slot in. Then, depending on how long this
takes you, you may need to blip it again and ease out the clutch.

Join your local PCA and ask for a ride along with an instructor to give you some guidance on better technique. I did this when I got my car and found it invaluable.

Learn to rev match every downshift. It reduces wear on the clutch and makes for less unsettling of the weight of the car.

Also, never use the clutch and gears to slow the car. A Clutch and gearbox are expensive brakes.

 

Fully agree. "Lugging" it a few feet in 2nd gear is not harmful in any way. Usually downshifting from 1st to 2nd when already rolling will just buck the car ...more so in sport mode. I run into this situation frequently when leaving a parking lot with a deeper ditch than normal. If I push in the clutch to slow over it then release the clutch in 1st it is not smooth. I typically just shift to 2nd and finesse out of it. 1st gear is so short.

 

Agreed, I live in a very hilly area and so it's necessary to go down into first.
I have one corner on my way home that has a right hand turn with a yield sign.
I go down to first there because there is a series of surface blemishes followed my a very steep incline. Rather than milking it though the bumpy tuen and then all the way up the hill to my house, I go into first and just put up the hill.

I didn't mean to imply that slowly pulling out of a parking lot would be applicable.

 

I think we're all on the same page. Just different ways of explaining. When my 16 yo son drives my 997 he's always trying to downshift to 1st vs just rolling a slow corner in 2nd. It really upsets the car when he does it. And I do it too, if a line of cars are pulling out and then they start slowing or stopping short. If I push in the clutch in 1st rolling at 10 mph and then decide the traffic is moving and try to finesse it back into 1st it's a mess. I typically just short shift to 2nd and pull away smooth. But for sure making a habit of lugging away from near stops in 3rd is bad practice. :-D