More Shifting Questions - Answered!

"scoob" (scoobsti)
08/15/2014 at 00:14 • Filed to: None

As some of you know, I'm still 17, car-less, and license-less, so forgive me. I've never ever driven a stick in real life, but I think I know how to do it, thanks to racing games. Now I have a few random questions.

1) Let's say you're at a standstill, and for the sake of this question, you're in 6th gear. If you want to reverse, do you go from 6-5-4-3-2-1-R or can you just go straight (left) all the way to reverse?

2) How do you know what RPM's match the speed of the wheels? How do you know 35 MPH = 4,650 RPM for instance. (Totally incorrect numbers, just random!)

3) If you're at a standstill in 1st gear with the clutch pedal depressed, is lifting and dropping your foot slightly and quickly going to cause the car to inch forwards? This seems to happen in the racing simulator I play.

Sorry for the n00b questions! I really want to learn how to drive Manuel, but my dad's auto is the only thing I've got.

DISCUSSION (34)

Birddog > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:18

Have you ever been on a quad or dirt bike?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:19

1. Straight to reverse.

2. If it doesn't have a tach, you basically play it by ear. Also, if you have a smart phone, download a gps app. Most have a speedometer.

3. Depending on the torque of the vehicle, it can, but not on every car.

Trunk Impaired 318 > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:20

1. All the way to reverse, no need for the in-between stuff

2. You just have to pay attention and learn really

3. If you let off the clutch and ride the pressure point you'll inch forward BUT this isn't good for the clutch long term if you're constantly doing it

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:20

I don't have a driving licence yet, but for your first question, I know you can just move it all the way to reverse.

scoob > Birddog
08/15/2014 at 00:21

What are those?

I kid, I kid. Never, I've only been on trains, planes and in autoboxes.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/15/2014 at 00:22

diesels are known for point #3, creeping them in with the clutch feels like having a torque converter of sorts.

scoob > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
08/15/2014 at 00:23

Thanks!

scoob > Trunk Impaired 318
08/15/2014 at 00:23

I see, thank you!

scoob > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/15/2014 at 00:24

Got it, thanks very much!

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
08/15/2014 at 00:25

At least with the old ones, the Cummins power Ram's would take off in first gear with no throttle at all.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:27

If you learn to drive with something without a tach, it's pretty easy to learn the engines rhythms.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:29

1. You're at a stop in 6th? You've already stalled. If you're at a stop you should be in neutral

2. You really just have to get a feel for it.

3. I'm not sure how to answer this.

The basic thing to know is the less you're on the clutch the better. Holding your foot on the clutch at a stop is not very good for your clutch/transmission.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/15/2014 at 00:30

a VW with the 1.9 TDI can do it fairly easily as well, my brother's MKIV Jetta is surreal when it happens

Birddog > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:33

You'll learn to feel the clutch and when to shift (without a tach) pretty quick.

It's best to use someone else's car.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
08/15/2014 at 00:34

I think he meant to ask if you have to go through all the gears to get to reverse or just get to reverse from neutral or what ever.

scoob > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
08/15/2014 at 00:35

Oh yeah, for #1 I meant stationary at 6th with the clutch depressed, but it was answered.

And thanks for that last bit! Didn't know that either.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:38

1. All the way to reverse, no stops.

2. Practice.

3.If you are in first, and you let off the clutch (quickly or slowly) without pressing the gas, the car will stall)

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/15/2014 at 00:40

I'm not so sure. He said,"...at a standstill...". However, if you are coming to a stop leave it in the current gear and then shift to neutral before stall. If you want to down shift while coming to a stop you can as well. But when at a stop you should be in neutral until you are ready to go again (whether it be forward or reverse).

scoob > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/15/2014 at 00:41

Thank you!

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
08/15/2014 at 00:42

He had mentioned something about going through all the gears so that's kind of what I was trying to get at,

Nibbles > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:44

At a standstill, as long as the clutch is depressed, you can choose any gear you want.

If you have a tach, you can easily learn what Rs match wheel speed. Otherwise it is a bit of a guessing game. Once you have a solid relationship with your car, rev-matching can become second nature.

Think of the clutch as a manually actuated torque converter. If you release to the friction point (the point where the clutch plate starts to meet with the flywheel) you can move the vehicle forward without throttle. This is a good skill to have; it makes hill starts a breeze

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:45

I drove for years and didn't know that lol. My first car...a vw golf...had it's original clutch in it at 190,000 miles. The clutch was in good shape until I "learned" to drive on it lol. Since then I've put 60,000 miles on manual cars alone. I have learned a lot that I wish I knew when I started. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > scoob
08/15/2014 at 00:50

However, if you're talking about moving from the highest gear to reverse, some cars won't allow you to, for example cars with 5 speed 'boxes. Our old Freelander had 5 speeds and because Reverse was situated under 5th, you couldn't shift straight down from 5th to Reverse, in case you damage some drivetrain components while the car is still moving. So you'll have to move to neutral before popping into reverse.

scoob > Nibbles
08/15/2014 at 00:53

Thanks!

I guess the next subject I must learn is how the hell cars work. :P

I do understand the 4 strokes spinning the crankshaft stuff, so that's a start!

TheJWT > scoob
08/15/2014 at 01:13

I too am curious as to what causes question #3 in real life. In my car, If I'm stopped in reverse and I lift off of the clutch slightly, my car will go backwards, even if I'm not on the gas. I'm guessing it has to do with the gear ratios (Reverse is typically very short) and the clutch/flywheel (I have a competition clutch/lightweight flywheel)

scoob > TheJWT
08/15/2014 at 01:15

I too wish I knew, and I also wish I knew how gearboxes work! :P

TheJWT > scoob
08/15/2014 at 01:19

Fuckin' gearboxes, how do they work?

scoob > TheJWT
08/15/2014 at 01:21

Sorcery?

Brian Silvestro > scoob
08/15/2014 at 07:06

What you need to do is get an STi and prove your username wrong.

scoob > Brian Silvestro
08/15/2014 at 11:44

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2012120618…

Brian Silvestro > scoob
08/15/2014 at 11:48

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/i…

BrownStickWagon > scoob
08/15/2014 at 16:30

Taught both my daughter and son (and 10 other young folks) to drive a clutch.

Find an empty parking lot with no traffic, parked cars, concrete abutments, etc, but WITH a slight upgrade. Pull up to the low end of the upgrade.

Put the car in 3rd, slowly let up on the clutch pedal to learn where the clutch begins to 'grab", do this several times to get the muscle memory into your left leg (I'm assuming you are in 'Murrica). The upgrade provides resistance to rolling forward.

Back away from the upgrade, put the car into 1st, use what you learned on the upgrade just to get the car moving, as soon as it creeps forwards say 10 feet, put the clutch pedal to the floor and let the car roll to a stop. Repeat, and repeat until you have a feel for the 'grab".

Now focus on your right leg. As you feel for the 'grab" on the left, feed in some gentle power with your right. Repeat until you can do this smoothly.

Better yet, find someone with a Ford Model A. Grizzled veteran handles the gas with the throttle rod on the right of the steering wheel, greenhorn learns the 'grab" with the left leg.

There's never a dumb question: yes, you can skip gears upon acceleration (1,3,5), it won't hurt the car, and it saves you a lot of time. No, never put the car in Reverse while it is moving forward-bad things will happen (automatics also). Clutch pedal should be all the way down or all the way up as much as possible-fanning a clutch is nice for crotch rockets, but not for reliable transportation.

Once you get good with this, you can move on to double clutch (DC) and double de-clutch (DDC).

scoob > BrownStickWagon
08/15/2014 at 16:34

Thanks for the advice!

smrtypants44 > TheJWT
08/19/2014 at 08:00

This is called "creep". You should be able to drive along at parking lot speeds in first and reverse without using the accelerator.