Driving a manual

[badlionsfan]

I don't remember what was taught in drivers ed, been too many years and bumps to the head ago. I do remember what I was told in both cdl training and motorcycle safety training. When at a stop light, sign, etc, clutch in and trans in first gear.

[GArBa]

a (properly maintained and stock) beetle is much more forgiving than pretty much any other manual car. the engine wants to rev and torque is available at very low rpm, so it's a good beginners' car (by carefully applying clutch and accelerator you actually can have it moving form still in any gear - not that you have to do so... ).
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cars:
'97 type 1 1600i
'14 type AA Seat Mii (sadly dead after 270.000 km)
'22 type C1 T-Cross
'23 type AC3 Hyundai I10 (VW no longer makes small cars!)
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moped:
'82 Benelli Magnum 3v

[Juanito84]

[Busdriver79]

When driving down the road, keep your foot on the floor...not on the clutch pedal...the clutch pedal is NOT a foot rest.

[Hyperspace]

That ^^^^^
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If you can't fix it with a hammer, it is an electrical fault.

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[brendo907]

rev it up an dump the clutch, lol no dont do that...smooth is good

[jlex]

If anyone who drives a clutch car smoothly takes the time to analyze what they're doing, they'll agree with this advice: When starting out of a stopped position and engaged in first gear, the movement on the clutch is not supposed to be a fluid movement as if you are pressing the accelerator. It is actually a 2 part movement. First part is gently releasing the clutch pedal just enough until you feel it engage.... at that point, STOP lifting your foot from the clutch; once the car is rolling, then follow through by gently releasing the pedal the rest of the way. The sooner you realize that going into 1st gear is a two-step process, the quicker you'll master an easy non-jerky start. The biggest mistake novices make is they assume the clutch pedal is supposed to be let out in one fell swoop... they will either stall the car or cause excessive grabbing. It is really a two stage process with a slight pause between stages.
You do not need to engage the clutch in a two step process for all the other gears... as you are now moving, just let it out smoothly to fully engage the next gear.
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jlex.
'70 std. "Elsie"
'88 Carrera

[SBD]

Wow! Is it really that difficult? I don't remember anybody ever really showing me or telling me how to do it. My Mom & Dad both drove manual trans cars. I grew up watching them. When the time came for me to drive a manual trans (the first car I bought was a V8 4 speed Barracuda) I got in the car & did it. Sure, I stalled it a few times. Had to figure out how to back uphill out of a parking spot, etc. Heel & toe to start out from a stoplight on a hill. And I have to say that a VW Beetle is probably one of the easiest cars to learn on. Geared so low it's almost impossible to stall one.

[KaferMike74]

[79SuperVert]

I learned to drive stick in a Squareback, and after that all other clutches seemed so easy...except one: a TR6, which I swore had all of 1/8" of clutch travel before it engaged fully, but that could have been due to maladjustment.

I think if you learn to drive stick in an aircooled VW, you can drive anything else.
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Central Jersey VW Society

Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt.

[Juanito84]

[Zylinderkopf]

This is sort of a related issue:
My wife and I have an ongoing disagreement about the best way to slow down (for example when coming up to a stop sign). She was taught in driving school - many years ago in Germany - to downshift through the gears. But I think it's easier on the car and the driver to put it in neutral and use the brakes. Opinions?
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1963 Beetle
1966 Beetle 1300
1970 Karmann Ghia Coupe
1971 Super Beetle
1974 Thing


"A lot of people never use their initiative because no one told them to."

[jlex]

I recommend neither...
Downshifting puts a strain on the transmission and clutch.
Putting it in neutral doesn't allow the engine to slow the car and it's hard on the brakes.
Best practice is to take your foot off the accelerator and leave it in whatever gear it's in, push the brake pedal, then allow the slowing engine to slow the whole car. Before it starts to lug or stall, then press in the clutch pedal and continue to apply the brake until it stops.
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jlex.
'70 std. "Elsie"
'88 Carrera

[jlex]

[Juanito84]

[GArBa]

[wbrown45]

When the clutch is engaged during a traffic stop there is added pressure on the flywheel which forces it to push against the thrust bearing. This of course causes the bearing to wear much faster.
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OK Thang

[oldPSUguy]

I have driven VW bugs since 1968. I always put the transmission in neutral, when it is going to take more than a few seconds to get a green light. It is much easier on my left leg and knee. When using reverse, often you are on level ground. Once I get the car rolling, I usually depress the clutch pedal to avoid backing more rapidly, than would be safe. With three pedals, and two feet, one needs to be a bit nimble, to maintain control of the vehicle. The clutch pedal is definitely not a foot rest. I think timing the shifting up and down, to accelerate or slow down, is quite important too. Lugging the engine is extremely harmful, so learning how to shift down smoothly must be mastered, and shifting to a higher gear should be done properly, to avoid over reving the engine. The little bars on the speedometer, denoting shifting points, are of some help.
Double clutching may be useful when slowing the vehicle, when you have plenty of time to anticipate a stop. I usually avoid shifting into first gear, when coming to a stop. It is better to rely on your brakes.

[Volks Wagen]

Jeeeeeeeeeezus. You put your left leg in, your left leg out, do the hokey cokey and you shake it all about.. la laaa la la laa .. turn around and that's what it's all about. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH hokey hokey cokey! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH hokey cokey cokey! And that's what it's all about!
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1973 1303 with AB-motor - sporadic
reconstruction as time permits, 1986 ex-Bundeswehr Doka - on the road again.

I'm definitely, probably, the worlds greatest lover.

Aithníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile.

[sb001]

My other car is a Kia 6 speed manual, I learned to drive stick on Hondas and loved the way the engine/tranny slowed the car when downshifting in those, it did wonders for driving those twisty Ozark highways and was loads of fun. But in this Kia even if you downshift from say 5th to 3rd it hardly slows the car down at all and I always end up having to hit the brakes anyway- not sure how it was engineered but it drives me up the wall it's almost like something counteracts the downshifting "grab."
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I'm the humblest guy on this board.

1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
1600 SP engine
Solex 30 PICT 3 carburetor
Bosch 113905205AE autostick distributor