i was praticing driving a 95 VW santana manual transmission the other day and have some questions to ask you guyz.

I m having trouble with when to release the clutch fast and when to slowly release the clutch. I noticed the VW clutch is very long, my leg has to be stretched all the way down in order to reach the end of the clutch( im 5 11 and have long legs). is the maxima like this also?

i ve always wanted to drive a stick maxima but do not know how to drive stick, can someone give me some tips on driving a stick maxima and how is it compare to other manual tran cars? are all clutch hard to reach?

 

Yeah I think the clutch is really deep on a maxima, meaning you have to press it pretty far. It's also harder to have a smooth launch that say on a Honda or a Mazda.. But once you get the hang of it, you can really make this car fly. Nothing like the feeling of chirping 2nd gear (or even 3rd )

BTW what the hell is a VW Santana? It probably exists, but I've never heard of it.

 

I am going to ask the same thing the santana? Is it a Jetta (Vento) or a Golf? The VW cluthes do have alot of travel, but usually you only need to depress them about a quarter of the way, whereas the Max, needs to be practically to the floor.

 

Yeah, I noticed that the clutch goes pretty far down on my max too and pretty stiff compared to the other sticks I drove (Toyota and Mazda).

 

all manuals are the same. you need "the touch." the way my father taught me was to practice moving the car from a stop without using the throttle. practice over and over. once you get the touch for that then work on casual launches. that means just rest the weight on your right foot to bring the revs to just 1,000rpms. work on the throttle touch and bring the car to a roll similar to the method without using the throttle. this will teach you not to be a "clutch driver" who rides the clutch all the time. if you can start without revving the car past 1,000-1,200rpms you're on the way to longer clutch life. for the max, third gear might be sufficient for 90 degree turns so you wanna find yourself downshifting to 3rd before a turn (2nd if you're going slower than 15mph.) i added to my father's teaching by learning how to match rev. i suggest learning how to blip the throttle by practicing downshifting and anticipating what rpm the engine needs to be at to smoothly engauge the clutch instead of riding it. first practice matched rev downshifts in a straight line. then include turning 90 degress. match rev downshift to 4th, 3rd, brake, turn...etc. do it over and over again. then you can teach yourself to double clutch after you've mastered match revving. after that, you can teach yourself the art of heel/toe downshifting using the match rev technique while applying the brake and blipping the throttle at the same time. then you can teach yourself to double clutch heel and toe..etc etc. i'm not the "know it all of driving," if anyone would like to teach me left foot braking, trail braking, spin turning and improve upon my shifting i'd gladly take a lesson. one last thing, i came upon a post by another member that showed an instructor with an M5. if someone can find that that might be a help in the advanced technique. remember repetetive practice and patience and you'll be driving stick in no time!

 

The max's clutch seems a bit rougher than the other hydraulic clutch cars I've driven, but then again, those were 4-bangers. Seems to only be real smooth launch-wise in 50-75 degree temps. In the winter and summer, mine "rumbles"/vibrates a lot at or JUST below the release point, but that might be a problem just in my max (stock clutch at 93k).

About rev-matching, it seems like this is almost automatic in the max, like there's something to assist your rev-matches. If I just lightly apply to the gas and hold, it seems it finds the right range every time & stays there. It was a little more challenging in my older cable-clutch Acura. Haven't really rev-matched much in any other cars besides those two though.

 

all cars are different, you just have to practice alot.

 

the one thing that ive learned is that you can never really give it too much gas to get started (minus flooring it). once you are familiar with the friction point on the max, then the stick becomes 200 % easier. the only thing you can really do is just drive it around the block until you become accustomed to it. thats how i learned. hope this helps

 

start off pushing the clutch with the tips of your toes and not your whole foot! I have had a couple of guys "attempt" to drive the max and they always stalled out because they could not get a feel for the clutch through thier shoes...

since you have long legs using the heel--toe method should be easier for ya

 

that is so true...i drive with my shoes off 90% of the time...even when i was auto...i like to feel the pedal...with my shoes on i can't feel anything...and i tend to go faster then usual...

 

 

here's the link to the guy with the M5. some really good techniques and vids..makes it look so easy

Drive an M5

 

Heheheheh

That is why I hate getting new shoes. I have to relearn the correct point of letting out my clutch.

 

best way to learn how to drive a stick is necessity. my car was in the shop all weekend and I had to go to work. the only car i could drive was a 89 corolla that happened to be a manual. but I made it there and now I really want a manual, its so fun to drive. well i dont quite understand the hills yet tho...

 

Must be all that weight loss with the shoes out of the car!

Heh...as long as I've been driving a stick (three years now), I've worn heavy doc martens ($120, and they last for 4-5 years. Can't beat that bargain). It always feels nice to get in there with my b-ball sneakers or my socks on every once in a while.

 

what i meant was...when i drive with my shoes on...i can't feel the pedal so i don't knoe how hard i'm pressing on it...until i look down on the speedo to see how fast i'm goin...with my shoes off i can feel how hard i'm pressing the pedal so therefore i'm not pressing it as hard so i'm usually not goin as fast as when i have my shoes on....

 

another thing about the vw santana is that you have to shift into 4th gear once u reach 40s, and after 50's its all 5th gear. i know that maxima is totally different, each gear is alot longer. right now im having hard time praticing the shifting and reving since all gear are so close to each other that its pointless to do any shifting.

btw vw santana only exist in asia, usa dont make it. im on vacation right now.

 

what does the santana look like?

 

I riding the clutch is really bad? Doesn't it shorten the life of the tranny alot?

 

YES - keep your foot off the clutch pedal whenever possible. Even slight pressure on the clutch pedal can reduce the life of your clutch by 50%.

It doesn't really hurt the transmission , though.

 

Lucentauto: if u are a guy i suggest u seriously practice driving a stick, i learned when i was 16 and i think there's no excuse for a male not to be able to drive 1
good luck

 

What ever you do don't try to learn on a 95 Mustang, you have to be a body builder just to push that damn clutch in

I always thought the maximas clutch is pretty easy to work with, however it does have a lot of travel.

 

I just found these directions on maximadriver.com

heel toe shifting directions

 

how do u know when to replace the clutch? what does it feel like when the clutch is worn out?

 

you hve the clutch fully engaged, and you go nowhere. or when it starts to go out, you shift gears, and you hear alot of slipping before it catches.

 

I've always heel-toe shifted without the heel. I have a wide enough foot, that I jsut place it between the pedals, pressing mostly on the brake, then roll it over to the gas. Works very well on cars where the depressed brake, and gas pedal are on the same level like the max is.

 

http://www.yunnan-hotels.com/service...volkswagon.htm

 

VW still makes something that looks like that?

 

Most manufacturers keep on selling the models that go out of style in North America - in what they term the "secondary markets".

There are dozens of manufacturers around the world who don't sell their vehicles in North America, as well as a number of those who do sell here who don't sell certain makes or models in North America.

Ever heard of Holden? It's a GM vehicle made in Australia.

So, it's really no surprise that VW still makes and sells the Fox - except in North America.

 

okay I tried very hard to follow your advice. I even tried to redo (i did this "touch" practice when I first learned over a month ago) the little practice method of only using the clutch, and it was a super-cinch.

anyway, it is very difficult to not rev over 1k-1.2k. That's so low on the tach...the best I can do (50% of the time) is around 1.2k-1.3k. If I miss a light, or if I'm a little pressured to go when there's a lot of traffic, I have a tendancy to go to 1.5k and accidentally 2k if I'm really rushed. I feel that in order to hit that 1k-1.2k range, I have to be VERY careful and actually be conscious of my feet....which I can't do in traffic.

now my question is....how many of you feel the same way?

----

P.S. I had trouble on this exiting ramp yesterday. I actually stalled. I was trying to make a left so I had to watch both sides of traffic, and the exit ramp had a very sharp slant down to the road, and the then road curve up. So it was almost like I was caught in a ditch. Feeling pressured, I went for the left, but didn't give enough throttle and I stalled. What's also annoying is that if I let go of the brake while in neutral or even in 1st gear, the car rolls BACK UP the ramp. Very annoying....

Anyway, I tried again today but instead, I just accelerated from on top of the ramp without rolling down into that "ditch." I'm just glad I only have an H&R drop....


advice is greatly appreciated. thank you!!

 

QUOTE]anyway, it is very difficult to not rev over 1k-1.2k. That's so low on the tach...the best I can do (50% of the time) is around 1.2k-1.3k. If I miss a light, or if I'm a little pressured to go when there's a lot of traffic, I have a tendancy to go to 1.5k and accidentally 2k if I'm really rushed. I feel that in order to hit that 1k-1.2k range, I have to be VERY careful and actually be conscious of my feet....which I can't do in traffic. [/QUOTE]

I'm the same way. I often find my tires squeeling at lights, happens alot when I'm stopped on a upward hill.[

 

I'm bringing up this thread just incase anyone can address the question I posted on the end of page 2.

thanks

 

don't worry, when you first learn to drive standard you will ride the clutch like crazy... but as you drive more you will be able to do what soemone else said.. move hte car without pressing on the gas, that's when you are right on the friction point (i believe that's what it's called?).

if after a few month's (at MOST!) you are still riding the clutch really bad, then you need to worry.

until then, the paranoia of stalling will make you ride it

 

my first experience with driving a stick was 6 years ago when I drove my nissan sentra off the lot. the dealership was 30 miles away from my house and i stalled out all the way home.once i got close i just went to the parking lot of the community college and played with the clutch for 3 hours. It took me 2 of those hours to become comfortable with first gear and reverse cause i would always stall out whenever i did either one


the best advice any of us can give you is to practice practice practice. nothing that we type is gonna help you because we are not sitting in the passenger seat to tell you at what exact point to push the clutch and let off of the gas

you really have to become familiar with the sound of the engine as it revs and stop looking at the rpms, because to me the engine noise is a better clue of when the car wants to be shifted

you should also become familiar with your engine sound so that you will know when it is doing something unusual


so go and locate an empty lot today and drive around with your shoes off and the radio off

don't be afraid to stall out, it's gonna happen and it's nothing to worry about, stalling out is just the car's way of saying

Pay Attention! Calm Down!! Start Over!!!!!



I never check the rpm's when i drive (although i do need to start looking at the speedo cause driving 80 doesn't feel like it till you whoosh past somebody)

just listen to the engine rev, do the heel to toe and BE PATIENT

it was a year before i considered myself to be successful in driving a stick WELL and another 6 months before i was complemented on NOT giving someone whiplash


too bad you're not in miami!!! i've been told that I'm a really good teacher


DRIVE BAREFOOT

 

LOL. I'm actually getting very good with the car. What I've learned is the gas pedal is MUCH more sensitive than the clutch pedal, and just laying my foot on the gas pedal w/o pressure causes a slight rev already. It's just sometimes I feel an inconsistenly with the clutch and or gas. Sometimes the clutch might start gripping a little to early, and sometimes a little late. I notice this especially when the car is cold. It seems like I would have to kind of play it safe as it warms up, by revving a little more than usual.

And the same with pressured situations. Sometimes I'm first at a light, but I can't see the perpendicular traffic lights, and I have to get the car moving on pure reaction. It's kind of hard, but it's made me a much more attentive driver. I guess it really does just take practice. BTW, driving stick has also made me a bit more aggressive though...just when you begin to hear the growl in 2nd or 3rd gear at 3k+ rpms, I'll just say it's very addictive.


I really appreciate all of your advice though, thanks.

 

well remember.....drive it like ya stole it

 

btw anyone know what is double clutch?

 

Double clutch is a way to save your cluth on a downshift. This method is much more suited towards a 2 gear downshift, rather than one. Clutch in, shift to neutral. Rev-match, cluth in, shift to desired gear, clutch out.

To save time, people just do the effective rev-matching downshift.

 

Check out Greg's two videos on double clutching.

http://playground.sun.com/greg/

Actually, check all of them out. They're really really good

Double clutching really isn't needed any more because the synchronizers in manual tranny's these days are pretty good, but you can still do it.

Also, for heel-toe downshifting, I found that I just can't fit my right foot on both pedals with my foot pointing to the upper left, so I tried it the other way and it worked great. I had my heel on the brakes and then my toe on the very upper part of the gas pedal.

I'd also highly recommend NOT driving without shoes. It's a safety hazard and actually illegal in some states because it's much easier for your foot to slip off of the pedals. Not good if you need to stop fast and your foot slips off of the brakes and you rear-end somebody.

As for stick driving, all you need is a little instruction and then LOTS of practice. Greg's M5 videos are AWESOME for the instructional part, and I even picked up a few tips myself. Once you get good at stick driving you should be able to pull away from a stop going uphill without even breaking 1000rpm.