KyleCR

Hello,
I have had a Manual 07 GT for about 3 months now and while I was driving with my dad (whos a big car guy) He mentioned while I was driving that he thinks I was "slipping the clutch" So I googled it and couldnt really find anything relevent to what I was doing.. So Im all stressing out about how I drive now..
The only thing I think I may do wrong is when I take off I keep the car revved to about 2k RPM and slowly left off the clutch so I dont stall.. and when I shift to another gear once I am going I dont put the clutch down all the way and sort of accelerate out so it feels smooth instead of me letting go of the gas completely? Am I doing something wrong? Thanks for any help You can give me I hope I am not a complete idiot about this...

S197GT07

Ok, well fist off I would say that keeping it at 2k and then letting out isnt the best way to go from a stop.

I'm also confused about the second part of the statement, when going to a different gear. When you say "so it feels smooth instead of me letting go of the gas completely" do you mean clutch there instead of the gas petal?

Fobra

Its just because your new at it, once you get good you should be able to come to a comeplete stop at a stop sign, (although very breifly) and then ease in the gas without touching the clutch at all. The GT makes enough power for you to engage first without giving it any gas, right now your usuing much more clutch than is needed. Just practice going from a dead stop stop into a 1st gear (rolling to about 5 mph) without touching the gas at all.

KyleCR

What I meant is I try to rev the engine up and keep it at the same RPM When I shift So it doesnt lower because If i let my foot off the gas completely and shift the car sorta knocks back for a split second and doesnt feel very smooth.

And When I try to take off without alot of gas peddle the car just sounds so horrible to me.. everyone says the sputtering engine is normal but It sounds like Im breaking the car

Stepman

By reving the motor that much and letting the clutch out slowly, you are indeed slipping the clutch. I'm surprised that you don't smell it once in a while. What you should do is take your car to an empty parking lot and practice. You don't need a lot of room but don't want other cars around. As you sit there, let the clutch out slowly but, only to the point that you can feel it start to grab, then push it back in. (Don't use any gas for this.) Do that like a hundred times or so. Once you are comfortable with this point...this is the spot that you are wanting to start giving it gas. From this point, it's all timing and feel to gas it while letting the clutch out.

The idea is to work both pedals at about the same rate. Let the clutch out too fast and it jerks, let it out too slow, and the motor revs. (clutch slips) You don't want to slip it too much, you will end up replacing it often.

mudvayne1

You gotta let off the gas when you are shifting unless you're racing. You rev too high when going from a stop. You don't have to press the clutch to the floor just far enough that you know it engages. You can figure it out on your own by trial and error.

Everyone here trying to explain is just making it sound more complicated. It's not something you can read about then do it. Watch your old man drive and get him to show you what you need to do. If you continue to do what you're doing you'll burn that clutch out.

67mustang302

You have to slip it a little bit when leaving from a dead stop, but you don't need 2,000rpm worth of power to leave a stop. My 302 isn't exactly a bottom end monster or anything, but I rarely am over 1,500rpm when leaving in traffic normally.

As far as shifting from gear to gear, remember the next gear up will make the engine rpm drop, that's what gear ratios do. In normal traffic I just let out of the gas as I disengage the clutch, all the way out of the gas then shift, and then start getting back in the gas as I let out of the clutch. It just takes practice, but should occur in less than a second, and every car is a bit different.

As far as all out, practice by letting all the way off the gas first, then clutch-shift-clutch and back into the gas. Do it a tad quickly but work on the technique first, once you have it down and go gas-clutch-shift-clutch-gas the whole shifting effort will take a fraction of a second(if your reflexes are good) and you almost won't feel the car change gears, no lurching or "hammering" of the drivetrain. That's very easy on parts as well.

Manuals just take practice and a feel for the vehicle you're in.

KyleCR

Thanks for the help everyone! I will try to be more careful about how I shift from now on.