Question about manual transmission
09-25-2006, 12:32 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 27
Question about manual transmission
My new Mustang which I just picked up on Saturday is a 5 speed manual.
It's my first manual and there's been a few bumps along the way, but other than that, it's coming quickly.
1st gear is still giving me trouble, but other than that I'm fine.
I did have a question though. Yesterday I had to hit the brakes pretty hard (stupid driver in front of me decided to skid to a stop at an orange light, rather than go through it) while in 3rd gear. After ending up at a complete stop, I downshifted from 3rd to 1st, without ever going into 2nd.
Is that hard on the car? I just didn't see any other way to do it. To me, that seemed like the normal way to shift in a situation like that. I could have put it into second gear, but it's not like I would have been able to take my foot off the clutch anyway (I was stopped) so it seemed pointless.
Am I wrong here?
Any suggestions for 1st gear?
The way I've been doing it is holding clutch in, revving to about 1500 rpm and slowly letting the clutch out. I'm worried I'm holding the clutch in too long though. It sometimes takes a couple seconds with the clutch in before I fully release it. Am I hurting it by doing that at such slow speeds?
It's my first manual and there's been a few bumps along the way, but other than that, it's coming quickly.
1st gear is still giving me trouble, but other than that I'm fine.
I did have a question though. Yesterday I had to hit the brakes pretty hard (stupid driver in front of me decided to skid to a stop at an orange light, rather than go through it) while in 3rd gear. After ending up at a complete stop, I downshifted from 3rd to 1st, without ever going into 2nd.
Is that hard on the car? I just didn't see any other way to do it. To me, that seemed like the normal way to shift in a situation like that. I could have put it into second gear, but it's not like I would have been able to take my foot off the clutch anyway (I was stopped) so it seemed pointless.
Am I wrong here?
Any suggestions for 1st gear?
The way I've been doing it is holding clutch in, revving to about 1500 rpm and slowly letting the clutch out. I'm worried I'm holding the clutch in too long though. It sometimes takes a couple seconds with the clutch in before I fully release it. Am I hurting it by doing that at such slow speeds?
09-25-2006, 01:53 PM
#2
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location:
Posts: 2,028
RE: Question about manual transmission
Go to a level,deserted,parking lot and get a feel for the point in the pedal's travel that it starts to engage.You can take off without ever raising the engine speed above "idle" if you let out the clutch smoothly enough.
As far as the transmission,you can go from 5th gear to 1st without going through any other gear without damage.Don't do this at highway speed or you might lose control of the car due to the rear wheels sliding.
It takes awhile to get used to driving a manual transmission car.I hadn't driven one for 28 years when I bought my 04 GT and I picked it up.If I can do it,anybody can!!!
Just make sure to set the parking brake tight enough,I had mine set with the number of clicks and the cable stretched so that two clicks would hold it long enough for me to get in the house.Later that night I looked out to see if the neighborhood was still safe and wondered what idiot was setting int he middle of the street.When I went to investigate I saw it was me.
As far as the transmission,you can go from 5th gear to 1st without going through any other gear without damage.Don't do this at highway speed or you might lose control of the car due to the rear wheels sliding.
It takes awhile to get used to driving a manual transmission car.I hadn't driven one for 28 years when I bought my 04 GT and I picked it up.If I can do it,anybody can!!!
Just make sure to set the parking brake tight enough,I had mine set with the number of clicks and the cable stretched so that two clicks would hold it long enough for me to get in the house.Later that night I looked out to see if the neighborhood was still safe and wondered what idiot was setting int he middle of the street.When I went to investigate I saw it was me.
09-25-2006, 02:02 PM
#3
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location:
Posts: 3,062
RE: Question about manual transmission
Yup, practice practice then more practice and, before you know it you'll forget there was ever a time when you didn't know how to drive a stick 
+1 to everything Chopper said
And you can hold the clutch down for an entire red light with the tranny in gear, no problem. My preference though is, if I come up to a fresh red light I will put the tranny in neutral & release the clutch while I'm waiting for the green, but you don't really have to do that.
+1 to everything Chopper said
And you can hold the clutch down for an entire red light with the tranny in gear, no problem. My preference though is, if I come up to a fresh red light I will put the tranny in neutral & release the clutch while I'm waiting for the green, but you don't really have to do that.
09-26-2006, 11:16 PM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: smokelahoma city, ok
Posts: 1,099
RE: Question about manual transmission
anytime i have to hit the breaks hard or come to a stop i just put it in nuetral....hit the breaks....then when im ready to go again i just put it i gear and go.....of course you can downshift thru gears to stop or slow down....but isnt it easier just to push in the clutch...give the shifter a nudge into nuetral and then do your thing? i think it is! =]
09-26-2006, 11:22 PM
#5
2010 Blue Ball Award Recipient
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Eskimo Village, Indiana *No Igloo*
Posts: 7,907
RE: Question about manual transmission
you wont hurt anythign skipping gears
(just dont have it too fast and attempt to downshift more than 1 gear, ..in other words, the less downshifting the better)
and like they said, practice makes perfect, i used to not be able to start smoothly in 1st w/o the radio off so i could hear the revs and such
now, its done w/o thinking,,
just give it time
(just dont have it too fast and attempt to downshift more than 1 gear, ..in other words, the less downshifting the better)
and like they said, practice makes perfect, i used to not be able to start smoothly in 1st w/o the radio off so i could hear the revs and such
now, its done w/o thinking,,
just give it time
09-26-2006, 11:52 PM
#6
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location:
Posts: 2,596
RE: Question about manual transmission
Listen to what has been already said, good advice. When you drive it long enough, you will learn what gear you can downshift to from what rpm. Like making a turn, most of the time, you will be able to shift into 2nd, and make the turn with no problems, but you will have to learn your car. I always downshift when slowing to make a turn or stop light, unless I dont have time, I like to hear the exhaust!
09-30-2006, 11:33 AM
#7
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 333
RE: Question about manual transmission
ORIGINAL: TwotoneVert
Listen to what has been already said, good advice. When you drive it long enough, you will learn what gear you can downshift to from what rpm. Like making a turn, most of the time, you will be able to shift into 2nd, and make the turn with no problems, but you will have to learn your car. I always downshift when slowing to make a turn or stop light, unless I dont have time, I like to hear the exhaust!
Listen to what has been already said, good advice. When you drive it long enough, you will learn what gear you can downshift to from what rpm. Like making a turn, most of the time, you will be able to shift into 2nd, and make the turn with no problems, but you will have to learn your car. I always downshift when slowing to make a turn or stop light, unless I dont have time, I like to hear the exhaust!
