I just got done reading the thread below about shifting and, being a newb 5spd driver, I realized how much I DON'T know about driving one. I know most you are gonna say "Old topic" but I didn't find any good tips anywhere else. Much less Maxima specific. So, for all you 5spd drivers out there what things have you found most helpful when driving? What should I be doing and what should I not? Any hints/tips are GREATLY appreciated. (For the guys who remember me, I got a new max w00t! The insurance guys gave me $7k for my '96 GLE and I bought a '97 SE 5spd + mods and audio. )

 

First gear is always the hardest one to get used to. Sit in your driveway, or road somewhere away from traffic and just practice taking off from a stop. Once you get the feel of where your engine grabs, you'll do just fine.

 

Stay away from downshifting for now untill you get used to things. I read soo many threads about ppl damaging their cars when downshifting, most of the time by accident. Just stay clear of downshifting for now.

 

Im pretty new to manual transmissions myself, I learned that it just takes getting used to.

The manual im driving is a 97 ford ranger tho;ugh, so this may be a little different than a maxima (same year though, ehheeh)


Just remember to push clutch all the way in every time before you change gears, and let clutch out real slow in 1st. It will take a couple days to get good at just driving.

All i can do right now is just drive, i cant race, and the ford ranger is a 4cyl so even if i try to race, all the other cars accelerating normally are ahead of me, lol.


Thats all i can say from my limited experiance, someone should explaing racing a manual to him? i would like to know also

 

you'll get better as you teach yourself

 

I agree with Soul Fly...the more you drive, the more you're gonna learn about the Max. I had a 5sp stanza before my 5sp max...BIG difference in timing and all. You just gotta get a feel for it, and once you do....thats when the fun starts...

 

Remember, it is better to slip the clutch a little than to kill it. It is harder on the engine to be killed like that than it is to slip the clutch a little. By slipping the clutch, I am referring to a higher than normal revving going on because you are giving it too much gas for the amount of clutch that is still engaged. When I have taught people to drive on my Maxima (I have taught about 3 girls that wanted to drive....they have all caught on pretty quickly with this method), I tell them the same thing. I just tell them to get the rpms to almost 2k and hold it there. Then, just slowly let the clutch out without letting off of the gas. This slips the clutch some, but you will not kill it. Also, you might catch a wheel with this method, but again, it is better than killing the engine.

Once you get to where you can feel where the clutch grabs and lets go, you will not need to slip it any more.

I don't know about your Maxima, but mine is a very forgiving clutch. I have driven a lot of manual shifting cars, and this is probably one of the easiest. The clutch is just very fluid.

What else.......um.......

Don't let your foot just sit on the clutch at any time that you don't need to use the clutch. A lot of people think that they are not doing anything wrong and they just rest their foot on the clutch(even when it is out) so that they are ready when they need to shift again. This is bad because it actually partially engages the clutch and will wear it out more quickly.

 

thanks all. I've a lot to learn I guess. I havent tried downshifting yet because I say my buddy literally rip his tranny to little pieces doing it. (Literally, we heard *thunk, grind grind grind* and the the car rolled to a stop) This is gonna be a challenge. I will say this though, this car is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more fun to drive

 

also between geer shifts dont rest your foot on the clutch. People tend to do this and the little pressure your putting on thepedal could cause the clutch to not fully engage. This will wear out your clutch faster.

 

Remember to get the car out of gear if you put it in gear to park. If you dont you'll hit whatever is in front of you.

 

ive never heard of someone killing their tranny via downshifting... what exactly are you all talking about? i've been driving 5 speeds since i got my license, and in certain cars i downshift and in some i don't (i.e. my moms wrangler... it doesnt like to downshift so i don't do it.)

but i downshift in my max all the time (not at the wrong times, i.e. doing 50 into 3rd forcing it over 3k rpm etc) just normal downshifting, with slight rpm changes.

 

The maxima is a TERRBIBLE car to learn driving a manual on. There is too much power in 1st gear.

 

I've been driving manual cars all my life. Since I live in Portugal (Europe), there are very few Automatic cars.
When I bought this car I had some problems to get it moving because I was used to a Porsche 944 and with the Maxina couldn't ear the engine.
So I found myself burning rubber very often then I found a easy way to avoid this from happening since this car has a lot of power in the front.

So my advice for this is:
1- Put it in 1st gear;
2- Release the clutch slowly to get the felling were it "grabs";
3- Press the gas VERY slowly and release the clutch in the same maner (slowly) just to get the car moving;
4- Rev up until it reaches 1500 r.p.m. and then change in to 2nd gear.

Now if u want to experience the near 200 HP u can press the gas pedal as hard as u want whitout having any bournouts.
Of course, u shouldn't do this with wet road because it will spin the tyres on 2nd gear with wet road.

When u get used to this, u can start doing it in 1st gear... this means... get the car moving...slowly and then hit the gas pedal.
When u do this, u will experience a very loose front end and it feels like the front end of the car wants to be all over the road. Try to compensate this with very smoth steering wheel movements.

In order to preserve the life expectancy of the car, I usually don't rev up to much...at the most 4500 rpm on 1st gear. This is more that enough to get eveybody in the car well glued to their seats.
In 2nd gear, u can go till the car reaches 100Kms/h (not sure how many miles/h this is) and then u can go from there.

I hope this helps.

 

In order to downshift safelly u should know the max speed for every gear.
For example, the max speed in 2nd gear (without entering the redline) is 100Kms/h (about 62,5 miles/h). So, the there is no point on downshifting to 2nd gear if u are going faster than that speed.
If u do that u will experience wheel lockup, and that's not a good thing with a front wheel drive car and, besides that, u will submit all the transmition parts and gear box to a tremendous effort and then u might end up with a HUGE repair bill.

And by the way (I've seen some people saying this):
TAKE YOUR FOOT AWAY FROM THE CLUTCH

This is not a foot rest, u only need it to change gears and nothing else.

If u have trouble working with the clucth pedal u can learn how to change gears without using the clutch.
I know that many of u will consider this a dangerous thing to do and, yes it is if u don't do it right, but it's easy to learn that once u know your car well enough.

 

I love the fact that it will do 60+ in second gear.... but I *never* do that,

But yea. All the people I've taught to drive standard, there is one thing I notice they all do. When you go around a semi-sharp corner in 3rd gear and slown down to go into second, they put it in 2nd and ride the clutch through the whole corner and then take their foot off.

I can't explain why this habit arises, maybe because they aren't comfortable changing gears, feathering clutch, slowing down, and turning simeltaneously... but; don't do that!

 

I agree. Not only the horsepower, but to me the max's engine easily revs to redline whereas some other cars start to struggle. Plus engine is way too damn quite.

My first couple of weeks driving the max I found myself tearing up my tires when I didn't even mean to.

The first car I ever drove was a stick and I've been driving a stick every since. When I drove the max I found myself easily getting to high rpms. I test drove plenty of stick shifts (Accords, Camrys, newer 626s, Rx8, Miatas, Corrollas, Jetta) and the max had one of the best clutch set ups for street driving. My old 1990 626 had almost the same exact feel on the clutch

 

id have to say the max's clutch pedal is a tough one, i drove a friends porsche 944, and i cant evne tell im pressing the clutch because thers o resistance, whereas the max lets you know if your pressing the clutch cuz it becomes a workout, yeah downshifting isnt great for the tranny, i think it puts extra wear, id rather go through a set of brakes more often than a tranny, all in all, youll get used to it, practice on a hill and get used to the friction point on the clutch becuse itll make you learn that much faster, bsaciaslly its learning to move from a stop that poses a difficulty, ie a stop light with traffic behind you. im still learning but i do know the friction point now, so i no longer stalled after the 2nd week of driving

 

well yea you would be tearin up the wheels depending on how aggresive a driver you are. If you start slow and know the basic idea of not to hold the clutch longer than necessary... you won't wear the clutch as much.

Back when I started learning, i tried to make a 3 pt. turn in a residential street, and those damn crowned streets make my bumper get stuck on the curb cause it slid forward when I was trying to reverse. I ended up burning the clutch pretty bad cause I smelt an odor I've never smelled before. It was bad.

moral: If you're on a steep hill and unsure about your skill, use the e-brake.

 

If ur worried about downshifting learn how to double clutch (prob not for the postee to learn just yet) but for the rest of you that worry about tranny/clutch wear its such a smooth ride when u learn to properly do it.

 

May I suggest REDLINES? Jp just sit and get the feel of the clutch and gears first afterwards u should do just fine. Even after a year of driving stick i still tend to stall it once every month. Its different from car to car so just practice and take good care of it cause i rebuilt my tranny only months after i got the car and it wasnt from the previous owner it was all me.

 

I disagree....the clutch is a very forgiving one, even if there is too much power in first.
If I can teach 3 girls to drive the maxima, anyone can learn.
Most women suck at driving at all, let alone a clutch.

(My sister is an exception, but that is because my dad made us all learn to drive a clutch when we were first learning. I mean, that is the first car I drive when I was 15 and got my license.)

 

Or at least "rev Matching."
For all of you 5spd newbs, it does not hurt your tranny to downshift....if you do it right. It does not hurt your clutch either.

The "Double Clutch" and "Rev Matching" methods are easy ways to do this.

Double clutching is unnecessary unless you are turning or manuvering.

However, I rev match every time I shift down.
How do you do this?
If you are doing 40 and you are in 3rd, you will need to put the clutch in, give the gas pedal a little blip to get the rpms up, and then just let it drop into 2nd. If you get the revs (rpms) "matched" with what the gear under which you are in, it is very very smooth.

 

best way to get used to your 5spd, is not to practice. just drive it around, and you'll be surprised on how much you have improved from your first time. good luck!

 

best way for me was to get it going repeatedly from complete stops..just slowly release the clutch and u'll feel the 'catch' point where the clutch engages and the car slowly moves forward..that's when u give it gas...its better if you're giving it a bit of gas when u near the catch point cuz u dont want the car to bog - bad for tranny.

 

just drive around and teach yourself. Don't have somebody else screaming in your ear bout your car and driving skills. From experience, it's better to have learned by yourself so you know all the corners very well.

 

Would you do this while the shifter is still in gear or when in neutral? Does it not matter at all since the clutch is pressed in?

 

As long as the clutch is in it doesn't matter whether you're in gear or not for rev matching.

 

I actaully learned 5 speed on my max with an ACT street clutch a month ago. Its real easy just remember to PRACTICE the first 2 days you get the car. Personally that wasn't a problem for me because I was so excited about buying it. What I am trying to say is that if I can master stick as a beginner with an ACT clutch anyone should be able to pull off the OEM.

 

Why do you think the ACT makes it that much harder? I know the EXEDY stage 1 is softer and engages eariler than stock and I guess the ACT is just as easy.

 

ACT is pretty stiff from what i hear, but doesn't make learning harder/easier

 

A few posts to the top, I mentionned about changing gears without using the clutch at all.
This "Rev Macthing" is the way to do it (found this definition of Rev Matching excellent)....just use this technique and u don't need to press the clutch pedal at all.
For that u need to do the following (let's assume changing from 4th to 3rd gear as an example):
1- without pressing the clutch put the car in neutral;
2- give the blip on the gas pedal to rev up the engine;
3- while the engine is reving up just move the stick as u do it to engage 3rd gear but don't force it to engage...just make a small pressure on the stick and keep that pressure;
4- when the engine reaches the point of "Rev Matching" the stick will go into 3rd gear and when this happens u will feel the stick going into gear almost by itself.

This same method can be applyed when upshifting but instead of taking the stick to the 3rd gear, u take it to 5th gear and the rev's match, 5th gear will go in.

I must warn u if u want to give a try to this method u should know VERY WELL the Rev Matching in order not to damage the gearbox. First use the clutch to find the Rev Matching for every gear, then try it without the clutch.

 

It doesn't really matter whether it is in gear or in neutral for rev matching.
However, for double clutching:
1. it is in gear
2. you put the clutch in and shift into neutral
3. let the clutch out
4. put the clutch in and down shift
5. let the clutch out after matching the revs of the lower gear.

Thus, where it gets its name.


Like I said, unless you are racing around a bunch of corners or something, you should probably not need to double clutch.
However, even with everyday driving, rev matching is very useful. If nothing else, it provides a very smooth ride. Some people have not even realized that I drive a stick, because the rev matching was so smooth. It causes the shifts to feel like an auto. This is hard, and takes a lot of practice, but it is fun to do and I always shift like that now.

 

Even if you are good at it and know what you are doing, it is still not great on your gearbox and tranny.
I would not do that to my car.
I used to do it to my dad's old Ford Escort 5spd, because the gearbox was really loose, and the tranny was not near as tight as my Maxima.
I don't like to pull it out of gear into neutral without using the clutch...not good for the car.

 

HAHAHAHAHA women drivers no survivers...... thats what this old ******* teacher in high school used to tell the girls..

my girl drives pretty well.. but most..

 

OK. this thread seems to invite newbie 5spd drivers to go out and try all the wrong things. Like i said in my first post....i would stay away from downshifting all together. Being that the guys asking here are "newbies" and they DONT know what they are doing, then they arent going to know how to downshift the "right way". Please guys take my advice. Just get used to starting off in 1st gear, get used to shift points and like the other guy mentioned get used to what speeds each gear is used for. Once you get used to all that stuff then you will know the gear pattern by heart and youll know what gear is appropriate for the speed your traveling at. Then you can get into downshifting, racing, launching, ect.....

Good luck. just take it easy for now. you gotta crawl before you walk.

 

Tips:
1.Starting - Like the others said, practice from a stop feathering out the clutch with the rpms up around 1500-2000.
2. Hill Starts - only after mastering #1 but same thing
3. Only depress clutch when changing gears. Do NOT sit at red lights with clutch depressed or ride around with foot resting on clutch pedal.
4. Change fluid to Synthetic(Redline), shifts will become incredibly smooth because gears are lubricated better or something.
5. Get to know the engine sound. You won't even need to look at the tach to know when to shift.
6. Downshifting is easy. Know your engine and blip the throttle when doing it to match the engine revs to the tranny revs of the gear you are going into.
7. Do not shift without depressing the clutch. It can be done but so can lighting a cigarette with a blow torch - it's not smart and can cause damage for no benefit.
8. Do not try to speed shift into 3rd gear. If you mess up you will destroy 3rd gear. Many have done so.
9. Do not try heel-toe-shifting. Maxima pedals are not aligned for pressing the brake and gas at the same time. You will get in an accident trying.
10. Some people say double clutch. I don't and My car has over 100k miles on the stock clutch. Also they will say you have to press the clutch to the floor when shifting. Again I do not. I press far enough to disengage the gear smoothly without grinding and then put it into the next gear smoothly.
11.Practice-Have Fun-Practice-Have fun-etc. And if you find a girl that is impressed with your ability to drive manual tell her you are good with your "other stick" as well.
That's enough for today's class!

 

1. This description of double-clutching is totally wrong. You need to rev while the clutch is OUT and in NEUTRAL. If you don't rev until you've already downshifted, as Brudaddy advises, then you're totally defeating the point of pushing the clutch twice. Think about it!


2. If you're doing a 5-2 downshift at 50 MPH (say to pass a slow truck on the highway), you will definitely want to double clutch. Even if you rev the ENGINE to the proper RPM, there is no way to get the LAYSHAFT (AKA the intermediate shaft) to the proper RPM without double clutching. If you don't double clutch in such a situation, you are being very hard on your synchros and they will protest by making it hard to go into that gear. I routinely do a 5-4 downshift without double-clutching, but a 5-3 or 5-2 I always double clutch.

Brudaddy et al. who don't espouse double clutching proabably don't understand fully how a MT car works...go to www.howstuffworks.com and read about it. Learn about the layshaft!

3. I also don't agree with Bruce's statement that the Maxima is an easy car to learn on. It may vary from Max to Max, but my 99 5-speed has a VERY tiny sweet spot. That fact coupled with the VQ's incredible torque makes starting in 1st gear tricky for me, even after 6,000 miles of my driving it. Maybe your SEL has a different clutch travel or is worn differently such that it's more forgiving. I would not describe my clutch as forgiving, I would describe it as very, very picky.

4. Theoretically, if you pop the tranny out of gear when there is no load on the engine, you are doing no harm whatsoever. Getting a feel for this point (the point where the engine stops pulling the car and the car starts pulling the engine) I found to be quite easy. I do this all the time now, though I do fear that it's putting a little extra wear on the dog teeth. Anyone else have thoughts about this technique? It's fun as hell and it does save wear on the clutch's throwout bearing, after all....

 

A maxima is not an easy 5-speed to learn to shift a manual. This is because the manual is built to drive HARD!! 1st gear is very low(for holeshots) and if you rev it hard you are only going about 30-35. But the shift is easier. The higher your rpm's the more problems you have if you miss a shift. But the max is a great car to drive fast with a manual!! That's why I bought it in the first place!!

Maxima's with 5 speeds are hard to drive SLOW!! Its the long throw of the gearshifter and the quick reving motor that makes it hard.