Never had a standard before so just a couple questions about everyday driving. Going into first you have to give it a bit of gas so you don't stall, how much RPM would be considered "slipping in clutch"? 1300rpm? 1500rpm? 2000rpm? And do you usually give it a bit of gas to get into second too, to prevent the slight jerk in the car from shifting? Stupid questions i know but thought i'd ask. Also, if i feel like going hard one day off a set of lights, what rpm is too much to pop the clutch at? what RPM's do you usually let it out when doing a launch. Thanks.

 

um running about 1500 rpm on takeoff is good for jsut driving around.... id go with about 3500 to 4000 on takeoff with a burn out and i wouldnt go.. on a 1-8 thousand rpmzzz i woudlnt go above 6k rpm while racing or pushing it hard

 

if i'm going from like a stop light, ican start off from about 900-1000rpm, and go from there, anything more then 1500 and your just sounding like your reving your car which some cops will pull you for.

to make a smooth shift when driving these stangs, like lets say your going to shift from 2nd to 3rd. I usually shift at like 2500rpm. So hit 2500rpm, push clutch in, then you basically want to rev the engine some and let off clutch kind of slowly, and it will transition very smoothly (for a stick).

It just takes time to basically match the rpms when you change gears. I'm to the point now to where when i shift u cant feel like any jerk at all. It's all just about timing and learning your car.

BTW, if your wanting to race, i wouldn't launch past prob 3k or your gonna spin tires, and go noplace, and please don't rev to 6K and dump the clutch or stuff will be snapping.

When racing i usually shift very close to 6000 rpm, and don't worry even stock 5 speeds have a rev limiter built it so you can't go past 6000rpm, and blow your engine, however i don't suggest you hold it at 6000rpm or anything like that.

 

 

When I had my intake/tune and 3.55 gears, my idle was around 900 rpm's. I would move forward letting off the clutch without the gas without stalling. Kinda nice in the Dunkin Donuts drive though and creeping traffic.

 

Use the minimum amount of throttle as possible. Start releasing the clutch and giving a little gas at the same time. I never look at the tach, you listen and feel for the right speed. The less throttle you use, the longer your clutch will last.

 

You will get the hang of it real fast. I did, and now there is no going back for me. I absolutely LOVE my car and wouldnt change anything about it. One thing that helps me is to let the clutch out slowly while i just feather the gas and it works really well.

 

^ +1

The clutch in the Stang is a little tough to get used to but you will get used to it. Depending on the situation, you may be able to slowly let the clutch out til she catches and you just begin to roll as you give it some gas or you may rev slightly as you release. After awhile it'll become automatic (no pun intended). Just drive it, pay attention and you'll decide what works for you. Although I've driven manuals off and on for over 30 years, I still embarass myself with the Stang on occasion. Especially since she's not my DD and may not get behind the wheel 1-2 weeks at a time.

 

all the above advice is good - i'll only add that when i was learning how to drive stick, it didn't take too long (1-2 days) for me to understand the mechanics of how to drive manual, but honestly it took 2-3 months before i really, really felt comfotable driving in all conditions. so, be patient, practice, and know that learning how to drive stick well isn't an overnight thing.

 

900 is too fast for an idle rpm unless you have a really loping cam. The 3.55 gears helped you some in getting rolling though.