** Note the edit on the bottom of the post. I'm actually referring to RELEASING the pedal now...sorry for the mistake.

I've been meaning to ask this question on a car forum. for those who have manuals, do you keep your foot in the air when you press the clutch in? or do you have your heel loosely planted on the floor (or floor mat) and pivot?

I've always pivoted slightly...I feel I get better control that way and my foot doesn't not get tired at all.

On the other hand, I have a friend with a new lancer oz rally and I recently taught him how to drive stick. Once he got used it, I realized though that his foot was floating without ever touching the floor in the motion of depression.

So, let me ask, what do you do? just want to get a general consensus. I personally feel that pivoting is easier to module, but during rainy days, a floating foot prevents annoying "sqeaking" sounds from wet shoes. thanks



edit: I'm actually referring to releasing the clutch. sorry for any confusion.

I had to edit the title because I think when I depress it, my foot is basically floating as I kick in anyway...and I think that's the only way to do it since there's a lot of travel.

 

I used to keep it on the floor at an angle, especially in first gear. Now I keep it in the air.

 

no floor.
actually, hmmm maybe start out on floor then push and my foot goes off the floor.
hmm I'll check next time I go for a drive.

 

i have to practically ram my clutch pedal through the firewall

 

i only have a 8.5 shoe size, so my foot is usually floating when I depressed the clutch. The heel is sometimes pivoting off the floor if i'm driving around town just cruising very slowly. But fast or hard driving is always a floating foot

 

size 13, keep heel anchored on floor

 

you guys use your clutch to shift?
I hardly ever use it, except when I have to come to a full stop. otherwise I just blip the throttle and downshfit as needed.

 

Size 11, heel 99.9% of the time, on the floor. I sometimes lift my heel just so it's touching the floor but not putting any pressure at all, like hovering over the ****, when the pedal is slippery and I'm easing off from a dead stop.

 

To tell you the truth, I dont even know without going out to drive and paying attention to it

 

better watch out for the kittens, not your feet Paul!

 

I have been driving stick for a little more than a month and I have been keeping my heel on the floor, I just started keeping it in the air and I am able to take off from a stop better.

 

I had to do that too. turns out my heel rests on the floor when the clutch is all the way depressed, or just about all the way depressed. I also have the seat all the way back aswell.

 

I've had my car back for a week and half after being converted to 5-speed. I'm still learning the ins and outs of clutch control and such, but I have found it is much much easier to get a smooth engagement with my heel off the floor while releasing the clutch. Might be a different story with a clutch that wasn't Kevlar though

-Tony

 

I don't think the kind of clutch matters. It's the throw and the relation to the pivot point, angle of pedal, locatio nrelative to pedal, and distance to floor that are critical.

BTW, I've had a stock clutch and my totally different ACT, and niether chaged my clutch pedal motion.

 

Actually, it matters significantly in some cases (not all, but some). If you have a pure racing 4 puck Kevlar composite clutch and HD pressure plate, you'll have to use some serious effort to depress the pedal...

Then you have the polar opposite (Like the MKIV Jetta clutch, which you can't even feel at all)...

 

I think most people plant their heal when they're learning to drive stick. I know I did. I actcually planted my heal again when I switched clutches to get the feel for it...same when I drive a car that I haven't driven.

However, once I've got a feel for it, I don't plant my heal at all.

 

on the maxima i tend to float the foot but on my friends 911 turbo the clutch goes down into the floor so i keep the heel on the floor.. much better in the 911

 

The composition of the friction disc will make no difference on clutch pedal actuation, only the pressure plate.

Which clutch exactly do you have? I have an ACT heavy duty pressure plate, and honestly, it made VERY little of a difference in an increase in pedal pressure.

 

i use to have my heel on the floor but i found that if it rains or if bottom of my shoe has water its harder to drive. pedal likes to stick to the shoes instead of slide on the botton of the shoe.

got use to floating my foot. i wear a size twelve and have no problem doing so.

 

I drive a 2003 GLE...

 

With a size 13 shoe, there's not all that much spare room under there. Plant and pivot.

 

Size 11. My max isn't stick but all other cars I drive I keep my heel in the air because I have much better control of the clutch, plus it alows me to shift like ten times faster!!!

 

In the air. Little feet combined with about 12 inches of travel in my truck. The Max is auto.

 

From the trends, it's seeming as if whether you lift your heel off is entirely dependent on the size of foot relative to the length of travel.

 

sidestep it !!!

 

how do u do it? more detailed way of how u do it please

and im only a size 9.5 so i take my foot off the floor

 

Yeah wtf are you smoking man, you got a race tranny or something? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, besides the guy in KIA dealership telling me that he drove for nascar and that a kia can do 5 second 0-60 (I had a good laugh, the guy was about to start crying he got so red)!!!

 

When I'm in a driveway/parking lot I keep the heel planted so I can't slip off the clutch and take off too fast. (My ankle only bends backwards so far)

Normal driving is floating foot all the way.

 

Size 13, use my heel on the floor... I just can't get the hang of the floating foot
On the other hand, it's a pain in the *** when I have to pull the clutch pedal up half-way and then depress it again... my foot slides up on the clutch pedal so I gotta wiggle it to get the pedal under my toes instead of the arch

 

size 12 shoe, i keep my heel on the floor when releasing the clutch.. much better control that way..

when depressing it, i often keep it in the air.

 

Posted by ABK - 12-19-2003 at 01:18 AM
Yeah wtf are you smoking man, you got a race tranny or something? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, besides the guy in KIA dealership telling me that he drove for nascar and that a kia can do 5 second 0-60 (I had a good laugh, the guy was about to start crying he got so red)!!!


Not flmaing or anything ABK, but how long have u been driving a stick? if u really want to know as Matt93se stated u only have to use the clutch to take off and to stop. before u go on flaming as stating that something is the dumbest thing u ever heard u might want to do some research. if u get good enough, shifting without the clutch (upshifting or downshifting) will come natural in any car. all u have to do is be at the proper rpm when upshifting or downshifting and the shifter will slide right into gear without grinding.

for nismos14 who wondered how to do this.
Easily said. for upshifting. if u get on the gas a come off and let the rpm's start to fall and try to pull the shifter out of gear, it will feel like u are going to rip the shifter out of the tranny. so what u do is get on the gas and as soon as it is time to shift, u come off of the gas and instantly pull the shifter out out of the gear(it will slide right out with no effort) as soon as u do this start pulling the shifter slightly towards the next gear. as the rpm's begin to fall there will be a window of opening where the shifter will literally slide into the gear without grinding or extreme pulling. once u get good it will become natural with no thinking involved. (****be careful for gears that have closely geared ratios to the next gear, because this cuts down your window of opportunity to shift into the next gear whether upshifting or downshifting**** ) downshifting is just the opposite process. instead of waiting for the rpms to fall, u must rev the engine to allow the rpms to increase. like i said earlier with a little practice it will come natural.

Aw yeah sorry i got carried away but i'm a floating foot driver

 

Always floating!! After having learn on a 1987 Ranger Super stiff clutch, You learn to keep it in the air all the time!!

IMO, releasing is faster that way too!

Size 9,5 by the way

If I'll had a size 13, I would surrely on the floor though!