kyle91z28

iTrader: (1)

I just bought a 2001 SS m6 camaro, and this is about my 3rd or 4th day of driving a clutch. I've gotten to the point where while i'm moving, I can drive it pretty well. The only thing that still gets me is taking off from a dead stop. What is the proper way of doing this? I can do it, but it never seems to be very smooth unless i let out of the clutch very slowly. What do I do if I wanted to take off quick?

What I do now is I slowly let off the clutch until I get to the point where it starts to bog down, then I give it a slight amount of gas, then slowly let out of the clutch until i'm moving. The only problem is a lot of the time I either bog or half *** chirp my tires, what am i doing wrong?

LILWS6

your letting the clutch out too fast you need more gas the gas pedal is your friend. I usually let the clutch grab a little and giver the gas try a little more gas and a little slower on the clutch pedal. if you want to go from a stop real fast dump it at 3,000 lol jk thats how i usually launch at the track Its a trial and error deal its hard to teach it but fun to drive once you get the hang of it.

kyle91z28

iTrader: (1)

Oh i'm already having a blast driving it, it's so much more fun than an automatic. I did my first 1-2 shift sideways today, i was by myself all laughing and having a great time. Alright I'll try that.

Hawk_479

iTrader: (12)

You can only be taught so far, like he said its all a learning curve.

SladeX

oddly enough I found reversing was more forgiving in learning that "launch balance" for the clutch.

I'd practice with that first to get a feel for that moment it's about to grab, then when you recognize it you know you can just "swap" gas and clutch, let go of the clutch while pressing down on the gas. If you can't quite feel it yet, just look at your tach. When it drops to say 600-700rpm, try doing the swap then.

Other than that, it's different for each person and just have to recognize it on your own.

Another method that works well is what was previously mentioned, the clutch dump. Rev it up a little and let the momentum of that rev get the car going forward as you learn to let go of the clutch. Start a bit up first, blip to 2krpm, then let go of the clutch slowly until it grabs. As you get better at releasing the clutch you can reduce the rpm of that blip until you have it hands down with an idle launch. I'd be careful on hills though with this technique because hills add/remove the load depending on which way your going and will find yourself stalling the first time trying to use this trick to launch when going up hill.

mcamarols1

iTrader: (9)

hills are the hardest, but it just takes seat time, hell i had to learn the engagement point all over again on my LS7 setup and i still dont got it down. you'll get it

greatskiiiier

iTrader: (10)

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm 17, just got a 6 speed, and all my friend's are calling me an idiot... "Why buy a car you can't drive." I started out popping the clutch through every gear just so i could drive the car. The second night I had it on the road, my friend took me for a ride in his 5 speed fox body, for a good half hour i just watch him shift, launch, do hole shots, everything. My drive home from that was perfect. It's been about two months since then and I'm starting to learn to launch, I've just been popping the clutch from 2000, 2500, 3500 RPM, and feathering the clutch. No perfect launches yet, but I've only spun at 3500. As said before its a trial and error thing. One of these days I'm just ganna go to an open parking lot with one of my friends and strictly launch and get sideway for a good 5 hours, until I have it down.

Toll on clutch- 1/5 the life
Toll on tires- 1/4 the life
Gas- $50
Look on my friends faces later that night- Priceless

Bossz28

If you want to launch give it some gas and let off the clutch farily quickly. But when you do so, remember to keep giving it gas, cause just letting off the clutch will just stall the car.

It takes some skill and practice, that's why manuals are more respected man. Plus there a hell of a lot more fun that an A4 w/ a tune and stall imo. Anyone can just mash the pedal down, stick takes some skill.

Just keep practicing you'll get it down. Best thing to do is go find some big hills. Park the car and start on the incline. That's how you'll better your reaction timing on shifting etc.... That's how I learned, that and ******* around lol.


just takes time M6 ftmfw!!!!

yamablaster024

iTrader: (4)

find a hill and learn on that...
i taught my gf at 17 to drive a clutch last night. She had just got her license didnt even know what a clutch was. Went to bowling alley and well she didnt stall the car once...and managed to get the hang of it in 40 minutes capable of driving on the road...al in my 98 z28. lol is that some intimidation for you?

95 Camaro Z28

iTrader: (2)

i learned to drive my 1st stick shift in about 2 hours or so.

u need to find a hill and play around on that. (not a super steep one)

completely stop the car. then let the clutch out ever so slightly so that the car is rolling uphill under its own power with out the use of the gas. then just feed in gas and left off on the clutch. once u get the memory of where the clutch begins to slip out and where it is out you will be good to go.

u will be able to sit at light and creep with the car and stop using no more than the clutch. also once u get the hang of where the clutch lets out, begin to sit on the hit and accelerating trying to roll backwards very very little, if at all. act like there is a car right on your *** and u roll and u hit it.

shifting is easy as pie, its learning the take off thats time consuming. it just takes practice and determination and the ablility to learn quickly from what u do wrong. dont worry about drag launching your car yet. just focus on pulling away from a stop with out breaking your own kneck.




after that swap clutch for a spec 5 and repeat haha jk

kyle91z28

iTrader: (1)

It's been almost a week since I've got the car now, and i'm getting it down quite well now. The only time i've stalled it lately was when I accidently had it in 3rd gear when i tried to take off from a dead stop lol.

Getting an m6 was definately the right choice for me, i enjoy every aspect of it. I've definately been having a hell of a time.

Dragula

iTrader: (5)

Learning to drive stick was fun!

1st time ever I was 16 and my cousin had a 197X Ford pick up with 3 in the tree. He tossed me the keys and made me back out of his parents driveway that angles down towards the garage. I smoked the clutch a little but didn't roll forward into the garage.

If your stopped on a hill (facing up the hill), pull the parking brake whike waiting. When your ready to go, put the clutch in, shift to 1st, give it gas and slowly let the clutch out, when you feel the car pulling against the E-brake slowly let the E-brake handle down. Just my .02

Ripper415

iTrader: (6)

i was in the same boat as you about 1.5 years ago. i bought my ss not knowing how to drive stick. the guy i bought it from had to drive it to my house and i had to wait for my friends mom to come over and teach me to drive it the next weekend. that was the worst. looking out my window at this beautiful shiny car and not being able to drive it. it took a few weeks of practice for me to get confidant enough to be able to drive it anywhere anytime. now i'd never go back to an auto. like most people said before, just practice practice practice. now im planning on getting a short shifter to replace the stock unit, so that should add some more fun to the mix.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (17)

Ive driven stick plenty of times, but never owned one. So basically my first stick car, and first stick car that I had to drive daily was my 87 LS1 swap car. With the mods in my sig and a lightweight flywheel with spec 3 clutch.

Now THAT was a fun learning curve!!!

J.

coolformula

iTrader: (21)

I got mine down much better, but .600 lift cam and new clutch now trying to relearn. I had it about down with the stock clutch. This clutch is much better just different.