learning stick! i need u guys help

[113]

I need to find a good animated diagram of how a clutch based manual transmission works. I know the inner workings of the manual transmission completely and I believe understanding how it works is much more beneficial than "what do I do in this scenario".

No offense meant to anyone here, or the OP, I just think a mechanical understanding of how a manual transmission works is a huge help. If I find it I'll link it.

I'm sure you can find a video from Engineering Explained on Youtube about the specifics of how clutch and manuals work in general. He does an excellent job of explaining specific car mechanics.

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[futbol90x]

When you sense (feel, hear) the engine begin to lug (strain, slow, stall), push on the clutch pedal. Coast until you have enough space in front of you to release the clutch pedal again. Do so slowly, but not so slow that your foot is resting on the clutch pedal - that will accelerate excess wear on the clutch. Personally, if I'm at a dead stop, I put her back into 1st and let the clutch out. However, the Stang has so much torque that you can easily do so in second as well.

Once you do it a couple times, it will become perfectly natural.

will this work going up hill in traffic? with same scenario

 

[73MachI]

will this work going up hill in traffic? with same scenario

In short, yes.

Note that by default, the Mustang has "Hill Assist" which applies the brakes to prevent the car from rolling backwards on a hill until you get the clutch engaged. Personally, I disabled that to minimize wear and tear on brakes. Once you become comfortable with the standard, you might want to consider doing the same. Until then, Hill Assist would be pretty handy for you. As I said however, there is so much torque available with the Mustang that it's a very easy car to drive/learn to drive with a standard.

Get out and practice on a flat parking lot for a bit, then find one with a slope. Work on the feel of the clutch and the feel of the engine to know when to engage/disengage the clutch. Be warned - the spring that Ford installed in the clutch pedal of the Mustangs might make this a little more sloppy. I haven't removed mine yet, not sure if I will, I'm happy enough with the feel of the stock clutch pedal. You have to reach down underneath the clutch pedal and pry out some bolt and spring assembly, it's been discussed and photographed extensively here. Apparently it removes the sloppiness of the "engagement point" and people that remove it seem to be divided - some (or most) like it removed, some don't.

 

[OppoLock]

so basically below 500 rpms in second gear i clutch in and let out slowly as i accelerate?


I appreciate all you guys help!!

Anytime! I wouldn't use my RPM figures as a hard guideline, but all you need to remember is that if you think the car is struggling under load you can either feather the clutch to ease the load on the drivetrain.

I'm sure you can find a video from Engineering Explained on Youtube about the specifics of how clutch and manuals work in general. He does an excellent job of explaining specific car mechanics.

A million times this. His channel is a great resource.

 

[futbol90x]

In short, yes.

Note that by default, the Mustang has "Hill Assist" which applies the brakes to prevent the car from rolling backwards on a hill until you get the clutch engaged. Personally, I disabled that to minimize wear and tear on brakes. Once you become comfortable with the standard, you might want to consider doing the same. Until then, Hill Assist would be pretty handy for you. As I said however, there is so much torque available with the Mustang that it's a very easy car to drive/learn to drive with a standard.

Get out and practice on a flat parking lot for a bit, then find one with a slope. Work on the feel of the clutch and the feel of the engine to know when to engage/disengage the clutch. Be warned - the spring that Ford installed in the clutch pedal of the Mustangs might make this a little more sloppy. I haven't removed mine yet, not sure if I will, I'm happy enough with the feel of the stock clutch pedal. You have to reach down underneath the clutch pedal and pry out some bolt and spring assembly, it's been discussed and photographed extensively here. Apparently it removes the sloppiness of the "engagement point" and people that remove it seem to be divided - some (or most) like it removed, some don't.

i actually removed the hill assist feature. i already practice in my in inclined drive way and i don't roll backwards anymore i found it a little harder with the hill assist feature on because it felt like i need to give more throttle than usual.
The clutch feels unpredictable sometimes because i feel the clutch is to light and don't know when it starts engaging. !

 

[futbol90x]

Anytime! I wouldn't use my RPM figures as a hard guideline, but all you need to remember is that if you think the car is struggling under load you can either feather the clutch to ease the load on the drivetrain.


A million times this. His channel is a great resource.

what does it mean to feather the clutch?

 

[73MachI]

The clutch feels unpredictable sometimes because i feel the clutch is to light and don't know when it starts engaging. !

Yeah, that is the spring in the pedal assembly. It makes it smoother and lighter to engage the clutch, but more difficult to find the precise engagement point.

Sounds like you're well on your way to being comfortable with a stick. Congrats! Unless one lived in a very dense metropolitan area, I can't understand why anyone would prefer an auto. But, to each their own. I love rowing.

 

[fionic]

what does it mean to feather the clutch?

feather the clutch pedal with your foot.

 

[OppoLock]

what does it mean to feather the clutch?

Feathering the clutch is also known as slipping the clutch. You've got your engine spinning at one speed and your driveshaft going to the driven wheels spinning at another speed. Their engagement is controlled by the clutch plate and flywheel.

If the engine is starting to bog down because it's fully engaged to the driveshaft and the wheels are spinning too slowly (which you'd feel in the car and see as low RPM on the tach), you can allow the clutch plate to slightly disengage but still provide some contact/friction to the flywheel. So the engine and driveshaft aren't fully engaged anymore, but some power is still being transferred to the wheels. Your clutch plate is essentially "slipping" against the flywheel. Best to keep it to a minimum only because the additional friction can accelerate wear.

 

[BCeagle08]

The technically correct way to drive your car when approaching a red light is to NOT put your car in neutral, but rather, to downshift as you decelerate that way you can accelerate immediately should the need arise. That being said, everyone gets lazy and throws it in neutral. I do the same thing.

I would never put the car into first gear unless you are coming to a dead stop. You will murder your synchros going into first while the car is rolling.

The truly correct way of going from neutral to a gear while the car is rolling is to double clutch. That will remove all the stress on the synchros, but it is not necessary if you are planning on just casually accelerating. However, if you are still going 40mph and you want to go from neutral into 2nd gear for a strong acceleration, you will be putting a lot of stress on that second gear synchro. In that case, you might want to consider double clutching.

 

[Charles147]

lets say im in second gear but i cant give any throttle because im too close to another car, so my rpms start falling below 1k. i feel like the car will stall. so i shift into first but when i do that my car like jerks (Bounces). is it because im letting the clutch out to early or i dont give it enough gas? Also the reason im shifting into first is because the car in front of me started moving . Only happens in first gear!

or do i just clutch in when im in second and let it off ?

I have a different take on this...

In the case as explained above I would shift from 2nd into neutral and let the car coast and apply brake as necessary so I don't hit the car in front of me. Then, if the traffic starts moving, and you need to give a lil gas, put her right back into 2nd and carry on.

Never ever do I downshift into 1st gear while the car is rolling or moving. It takes the jerking out of the equation. 1st is for dead stops only and when I want to rip (ie: launch hard).

Normal traffic driving 2nd gear starts all day which tends to be a smoother ride for the lady friend in the passenger seat ;)

 

[futbol90x]

Feathering the clutch is also known as slipping the clutch. You've got your engine spinning at one speed and your driveshaft going to the driven wheels spinning at another speed. Their engagement is controlled by the clutch plate and flywheel.

If the engine is starting to bog down because it's fully engaged to the driveshaft and the wheels are spinning too slowly (which you'd feel in the car and see as low RPM on the tach), you can allow the clutch plate to slightly disengage but still provide some contact/friction to the flywheel. So the engine and driveshaft aren't fully engaged anymore, but some power is still being transferred to the wheels. Your clutch plate is essentially "slipping" against the flywheel. Best to keep it to a minimum only because the additional friction can accelerate wear.

so i dont clutch in all the way down i just ( half point ) the clutch and give it gas to go if the light turns green ( only if im going at low speed like 2-5 mph (second gear)

 

[futbol90x]

I have a different take on this...

In the case as explained above I would shift from 2nd into neutral and let the car coast and apply brake as necessary so I don't hit the car in front of me. Then, if the traffic starts moving, and you need to give a lil gas, put her right back into 2nd and carry on.

Never ever do I downshift into 1st gear while the car is rolling or moving. It takes the jerking out of the equation. 1st is for dead stops only and when I want to rip (ie: launch hard).

Normal traffic driving 2nd gear starts all day which tends to be a smoother ride for the lady friend in the passenger seat ;)

so while in neutral rev a lil bit and put into second gear ?

 

[BCeagle08]

so while in neutral rev a lil bit and put into second gear ?

If you are only going 2 or 3 mph...

1) Clutch in
2) Shift into second
3) Let clutch out and feather throttle on nearly the same as if you were doing a dead stop second gear start

If you are going 5+ mph you likely can just let the clutch out without any throttle and just deal with the harsh engagement.

 

[OppoLock]

so i dont clutch in all the way down i just ( half point ) the clutch and give it gas to go if the light turns green ( only if im going at low speed like 2-5 mph (second gear)

You'd basically push the clutch pedal in to the point that you feel it starting to disengage. As you feel the clutch disengage a little, you can give a bit of throttle to either keep the car moving or get it back up to speed before you let the clutch pedal back out. It should be a fluid movement, not a digital on-off motion.

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