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Getting started in 1st gear

Joined
19 November 2002
Messages
699
Location
Redmond, WA, USA
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I learned how to drive a stick on my way back from getting my 1995 NSX last week. I'm doing all right from 2nd on up but I still feel like I totally suck starting up in 1st gear. I've stopped stalling the darn thing and can do the parking-brake-on-a-hill trick, but I'm not happy with the actual transition to moving from stopped.

I can get off to a start in one of two ways, neither seeming appropriate. Both assume I have some revs (like 1500-2000, I think) when I reach the friction point and then add more on when I move toward full engagement.

1) Let the clutch engage fairly quickly, slowed only enough to avoid a total lurch. This does, however, still make the tires go "erk" and doesn't seem like a great idea for tire life. I could also spit small rocks out at the car behind me, which wouldn't be nice. It also reportedly stresses my passenger.
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2) Let the clutch engage much more slowly (feather it, I think you call it) over maybe half of a second to a full second to gently get the car rolling, while I'm gently adding revs. This doesn't seem like a good idea for clutch life, but if I do this any faster I get a sort of double-shudder (accompanied by a couple of blinks of the TCS light) before I get smoother movement.

I guess the question is: Am I still doing something wrong, or is this really what I'm limited to? Seems like any attempt to optimize either method results in more shuddering and/or lurching. I'd twiddled with the amount of gas I'm giving at the friction point, how much gas I add as I hit the point and move past it, how fast I move from friction to full engagement, etc.

Any ideas?

PS: I must admit, aside from the above, manual shifting can be a lot of fun.
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Practice practice practice.

I usually end up doing a thing where I modulate the clutch pedal to kinda bounce off the grab point. Just seems easier on the clutch to me, although I really have no idea whether it actually is.

-Mike
 
Your method #2 seems like the trick to me; I also learned to drive a stick on an NSX. As practice, I can mention what worked well for me - take the NSX out to a flat parking lot, and practice going from a dead stop to 1st gear speeds without using the accelerator at all (just idle).

You will get a good feel for how hard the clutch is, how much torque the car has, even at low RPMs, and I think a good feeling for how to feather the clutch. After a couple of tries I was able to reliably get the car moving without using the accelerator at all.

This has worked pretty well for me; when I bought the car it had around 60k miles and the seller warned me it would need a new clutch soon; right now I am at 115k miles and the clutch is still going strong.

I have noticed a lot of NSX drivers that I have seen tend to take the revs very high while letting out the clutch - I find that I never really need to get over 1200rpms on a normal launch; on some hills I will go higher, though, if they are bad enough I still use the e-brake. =)

The NSX is a great car to learn on, relatively easy and very forgiving, IMO. Welcome to the club!

[This message has been edited by burbel (edited 05 January 2003).]
 
Shifts are significantly smoother if you engage the clutch as engine revs fall.

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--akira3D
'00 Acura NSX-T (red/black), '97 Honda Civic HX (black), '01 Lexus IS300 (black/black)
"Reality is better than the dream..."

akira3d.com/nsx
 
Basically, method 2 is better.

Think of it this way. When you're first getting the car moving from a stop - say, from 0 to 5 mph - you are controlling the car's speed by varying the clutch, not the throttle. Once the car is rolling, you can let the clutch out and use the throttle to control the speed.

akira3d is also correct, but if you're just learning, I would concentrate on how your clutch is acting as you vary the clutch pedal (while given the engine enough revs to keep it from stalling).
 
Wow! learning to drive a stick in a NSX is a task I would not want to take on. If you can get some practice in a truck or something, anything.

"A clutch is a terrible thing to waste".

Best of luck, but remember clutch work on a 1996 Ford Ranger $400.00, clutch work on any NSX $1200.00. Heck for the price of the clutch you mught be able to find a Ranger to learn on then sell. Then by a header.
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Originally posted by akira3d:
Shifts are significantly smoother if you engage the clutch as engine revs fall.


I'm getting the hang of driving a stick myself after years of automatic trannys and I don't get this statement.

Does it mean:

1. Blip the throttle and while the revs are descending, start taking your foot off the clutch (engaging)? Isn't this bad for the clutch because of the risk of burning it?

2. Blip the throttle and while the revs are descending, quickly disengage the clutch (press down), shift into first gear, engage the clutch (letting up) and give it a little throttle? I tried this and there's not enough time and before you know it, the revs are down to zero.

3. Or am I just misinterpreting it completely?!

What I do from a stop: I engage the clutch until it starts to slightly move and then gently press the throttle. Sometimes I get jerked around, sometimes I don't.

Sorry for the ignorance.
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No one should feel any serious ? is too inane or insignificant.With the car in 1st and clutch depressed blip throttle ie 1500-2500 rpm and as the tach falls let out clutch and engage, give gas as needed to smooth it out and away!This won't stress the clutch,but I do agree that there are similarities in manual technique that are the same regardless of vehicle so if you can gain experience on something else...do it.I learned on an old vw beetle in St.Thomas, left side of the road, at 15 what a thrill.
 
Actually, I found that the clutch in the NSX is one of the more difficult and touchy I have driven. As the other responses suggest, practice is the best answer. One technique that you can use to get more familiar with your car is to start from a dead stop without touching the go pedal at all until you have fully engaged the clutch in first gear. It takes patience and smooth footwork, but after a while you will have a good feel for where it starts to engage and how much power you will need to apply as you release the pedal. Don't practice this in traffic though.
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T'S SR71
95 Midnight Pearl
 
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