driving a manual - what and what not to do

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Originally Posted by corn_flakes

yi'm talking about making a left turn when u don't have to give way to anyway...

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You only have to give way to pedestrians, no matter how silly that particular one is crossing without checking for traffic. :) Once you knock him down, you are in the wrong, even if he wanted to commit suicide and ran in front of your car when you are in the surburban areas. http://www.acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/ugh.gif

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Originally Posted by corn_flakes

the only weird thing i have is on approach to the corner (while still in 2nd gear coz i'm going slow), i sometimes depress the clutch a little bit to avoid that 'engine braking' on approach to the corner....and to avoid the 'engine shudder' on exit of the turn....

i've always driven like this and see it as the most practical thing to do...just wondering what others do that's all

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Depressing the clutch a little bit means you are slipping the clutch. Well, it's fine as the clutch is a consumable item that is meant to wear down as you use it. But I prefer to use throttle control to avoid engine braking rather than 1/2 press the clutch. http://www.acurazine.com/forums/imag...es/biggrin.gif Plus, if you ever upgrade to a button clutch (assuming you start driving race cars), then you can't do the 1/2 clutch trick.

Now here's my own driving a manual question. When you press and release the clutch to change gears, do you let your heel rest on the mat or do you lift your entire foot above the floor?

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But I prefer to use throttle control to avoid engine braking rather than 1/2 press the clutch.

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what do u mean by throttle control? i depress it half way coz i don't want to change to 3rd gear, coz i'll just have to change it back again as soon as i do it...but if clutching it 1/2 way is bad, i'd like to find another way...i'd like to turn a corner without touching the clutch throughout the turn (besides for downshifting)

and me, i lift my whole foot off to depress the clutch...although sometimes when i'm wearing boots, the footrest sometimes gets in the way....


oh, and one more question, what is the 'thrust bearing'? :confused:

Basically, with throttle control you have 3 situations at a particular speed.
1) Zero or too little throttle: Engine braking
2) Just the right amount of throttle: Maintains speed
3) Too much throttle: Acceleration.

So with practice, you can be in 2nd gear, brake as you approach the corner (your foot is off the throttle, so there is engine braking now), enter the turn with your foot on the throttle with just the right amount (zero engine braking, zero acceleration) so that you don't slow down anymore, and once you are at the exit of the corner, accelerate again. Of course, your throttle doesn't have to be "perfect". Just roughly in the region that maintains speed with little to no engine braking.

It makes your right foot more sensitive to the amount of throttle you can give and eventually you can even coast around at 15km/h in 1st gear without being jerky! (Euro's electronic throttle is jerky in this situation).

Thrust bearing allows the clutch to be pressed in, while keeping the transmission spinning. It works like a ball bearing that lets you apply force from the axis to disengage the clutch.

cheers aaron, exactly what i wanted to know!

but yeh, my last car was an auto, so it's just a scary step trying to use engine braking through the turn, rather than stepping on ur brakes....

that's why i depress the clutch half way coz i'm not used to the feeling of engine braking.....and i don't use the throttle, but instead clutch it so the car doesn't travel too slow from engine braking.... :o

will try that when i drive home from work later...i finish at midnight tonight... :confused:

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Originally Posted by aaronng

Now here's my own driving a manual question. When you press and release the clutch to change gears, do you let your heel rest on the mat or do you lift your entire foot above the floor?

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depends on the driving situation. if was slow and relaxed i'd prolly have my heel on the floor (depends on which car too)

however if i was having some fun (on a track or private property ;)) then i may just have my whole foot up.... however i can't say i've ever thought about it before :confused:

meh, clutches are for grannies, if u drive like skaife u dont need to use the clutch.












just kidding.

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Originally Posted by aaronng

Now here's my own driving a manual question. When you press and release the clutch to change gears, do you let your heel rest on the mat or do you lift your entire foot above the floor?

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My foot is on the foot rest until it comes time to press the clutch, then my foot doesn't touch the carpet until fully released.
I actually have trained myself to heel-toe a few years ago and now it's just second nature and allows much better control when driving quickly but can get a little tiresome in some vehicles. For example I drive a van during working hours and naturally heel-toe in it too, but when I'm tired it's not a perfect seating position to excecute this technique. I find when I drive an auto approaching an intersection I catch myself about to heel-toe but can't find a clutch for my left foot! :p

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Originally Posted by FR33K

you shouldnt really drive the car in neutral let alone turn corners..
that includes rolling down hills..
it can be dangerous

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thats tru,, there is no traction in the wheelss... and kud b a bit sticky... has happened 2 me wen i was n00b

Depending on how im driving i do a few differnt things regarding my foot its position when changing gears.

If im just cruising along ill keep my heel on the mat most of the time, maybe coming up a lil bit just before engaging the clutch then back down so i can rock the heel as im coming off the clutch.

When im doing a bit of legal spirited driving ill have my foot off the mat for most of the gear change.

Heel-toe braking i very rarely use while im just driving normally, ill only use it when i come to a sharpish corner or give way sign or what not if im travelling at high speed. Other than that i use it all the time when im doing a bit of spirited driving.

mmm another note i got told, that i found quit good info.
dont rest ur foot on the clutch pedal... burns the clutch
isntead, rest ur foot on the foot rest.. :d

either way your gonna wear out the clutch,,,, how ever you wont need to change it till 40-80kms, depending on how aggressive you are with the clutch. the main things that wear out a clutch are fast take offs you can rest your foot on the clutch pedle but that just wears out your thrust bearing., really depends on how much you abuse your car in terms of shifting.

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dont rest ur foot on the clutch pedal... burns the clutch
isntead, rest ur foot on the foot rest.. :d

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that only happens when the clutch slips, again if anything will wear out the bearing and maybe the teeth of the pressure plate...