[!Xoible]

Purpose
Recently I have seen several questions about manual driving basics, and I have posted a thread where I was grilled for my driving mistakes. I thought a compilation list of both good techniques and bad techniques should be posted and hopefully as a sticky.

There's a lot of people who do not know about double-clutching, rev-matching, or people who roll around in neutral (like me in turns )

Let this be the complete guide to driving a manual car



Post links to articles, videos, etc

Rules of the thread
This is not a bashing thread, or a "you dont know how to drive for shit" thread. This is a thread to discuss techniques whether they're wrong or correct driving techniques, and a thread to answer manual-driving related questions

finally...
Request to forum Mods
if this doesnt go out of control, and doesnt turn into a bashing thread could you make it a sticky please?

[!Xoible]

I wanna start first by posting a good article about how the mechanics of manual trannies work:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm

"Many of the habits of driving well and those of saving your car’s mechanics are generally one in the same."

[Joonsup]

wooooo,woooooooooo bump for nabump

[!Xoible]

I found this article very helpful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clutch

Make sure you understand the functions of 3 things very well and ask questions if you dont:
1. What the clutch plate does
2. What the flywheel does
3. What the synchronizers do

[BMdblU]

The best way to learn how to drive, is by driving. Not reading a thread online.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by BMdblU

The best way to learn how to drive, is by driving. Not reading a thread online.

+1. but if they havent heard they shouldnt be rolling in neutral on the freeway, driving doesnt help now, does it?

thanks for the constructive and informative post

[Joonsup]

Originally Posted by mantis

+1. but if they havent heard they shouldnt be rolling in neutral on the freeway, driving doesnt help now, does it?

thanks for the constructive and informative post

the only time i roll in neutral is when my gas light has been on and i'm going downhill trying to find the closest gas station. haha. luckily i haven't had to do that with my bimmer yet.

[txusa03]

Originally Posted by mantis

PurposeThere's a lot of people who do not know about double-clutching, rev-matching, or people who roll around in neutral (like me in turns )
[/COLOR]

Request to forum Mods
if this doesnt go out of control, and doesnt turn into a bashing thread could you make it a sticky please?

I will try not to get this out of control but you are the guy who did the neutral turn (yeah, made me too when I read it). I am not saying I am better then you or anything it is just hillarious coming from mantis (even when you try to be serious ).

Good over all idea btw.

[!Xoible]

Rev-Matching technique: Double Clutching

Correct me if I'm wrong, which probably am.

When you downshift to gain more power your engine will be spinning at a higher speed (higher RPM). Synchronizers will be spinning harder to to synch the speeds. It is a good practice rev-match.

Rev-matching is manually bringing up the RPM before engaging the lower gear you are shifting into. So when you ditch your clutch, your synchros will not have much to do, and they wont wear out.

This is how it is executed: (let's say you are going on 5th gear cruising at 50 mph, and you want to pass someone, so you want to go to 3rd gear)
1. Depress clutch
2. put gear in neutral
3. Undepress the clutch
4. blip your gas to bump it up 1500-2500 RPM's more (Do not take the #'s literally here, i dont know im just guessing, but you'll get that down by practice/experience)
5. Depress clutch again
6. put shifter in 3rd gear
7. Undepress the clutch

The beauty of this technique is it has to be done in less than 1 second (sure with experience and practice)

This is an exercise to get your foot used to the concept if you have never done it. This is basically a short version of it for practice, to get you to the real double-clutching

1. Depress clutch
2. put gear in neutral
3. blip gas
4. engage 3rd gear
5. undepress the clutch

(note: the 5 steps i just listed are not enough, they do not synchronize tranny's internal parts spinning speed - you need to blip gas while clutch is undepressed to synch the speed of flywheel *i think*)

practice that ^^ a few times when in open road, and when safe. Then double clutching will be real easy.

[txusa03]

Here are some tips: Do not make it a habit of resting your arm on the shift while in motion. With the e90, while in first/second gear, once your car is moving, you really do not need to give it gas and it will not stall (unless you are going up hill)-this is very nice for bumper to bumper traffic.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by txusa03

I will try not to get this out of control but you are the guy who did the neutral turn (yeah, made me too when I read it). I am not saying I am better then you or anything it is just hillarious coming from mantis (even when you try to be serious ).

Good over all idea btw.

that's my beauty man!!! make people laugh even when im serious

[jdink]

Originally Posted by mantis

Rev-Matching technique: Double Clutching

Correct me if I'm wrong, which probably am.

When you downshift to gain more power your engine will be spinning at a higher speed (higher RPM). Synchronizers will be spinning harder to to synch the speeds. It is a good practice rev-match.

Rev-matching is manually bringing up the RPM before engaging the lower gear you are shifting into. So when you ditch your clutch, your synchros will not have much to do, and they wont wear out.

This is how it is executed: (let's say you are going on 5th gear cruising at 50 mph, and you want to pass someone, so you want to go to 3rd gear)
1. Depress clutch
2. put gear in neutral
3. Undepress the clutch
4. blip your gas to bump it up 1500-2500 RPM's more (Do not take the #'s literally here, i dont know im just guessing, but you'll get that down by practice/experience)
5. Depress clutch again
6. put shifter in 3rd gear
7. Undepress the clutch

The beauty of this technique is it has to be done in less than 1 second (sure with experience and practice)

This is an exercise to get your foot used to the concept if you have never done it. This is basically a short version of it for practice, to get you to the real double-clutching

1. Depress clutch
2. put gear in neutral
3. blip gas
4. engage 3rd gear
5. undepress the clutch

(note: the 5 steps i just listed are not enough, they do not synchronize tranny's internal parts spinning speed - you need to blip gas while clutch is undepressed to synch the speed of flywheel *i think*)

practice that ^^ a few times when in open road, and when safe. Then double clutching will be real easy.

+1 Exactly how my friend explained it last night he was testing out my 335 (I wanted his opinion on the CDV)

[!Xoible]

Bad Practice

Leaving car in neutral
I am guilty of this. I am going to quote a friend of mine. I sent him an email (when you guys grilled me before)

Hey jay i wanted to ask you something. in regular normal driving, not tracking, when you take a curve, not the sharpest, do you engage the right gear before or after the turn?
Since i got the manual until today i have been down shifting either in the middle or after the turn and never before.

Is there any disadvantages to what im doing in terms of interruption of drivetrain, safety, clutch wear, gears wear, etc??

My friend's Answer:

On the track, ALWAYS before, else you could get yourself into trouble. If your car’s suspension is “well balanced” or aggressively set up (has a tendency to oversteer) – i.e. you can “rotate” the car, change the yaw, adjust your line, or “turn with the throttle” – then not having the car in gear at any point during a turn will take away a rather critical degree of control. You generally want to get on the gas, at least partially, right after you’ve entered the turn (after you’ve chosen your line). If you’re at the limit of traction, in a turn, and on the gas, and you lift the throttle to shift gears, the car may oversteer (fishtail) or worse - spin, depending on how aggressively you’ve set up your suspension. You should also get on the gas a bit before you exit the turn to maximize your exit speed - downshifting right at the exit of a turn will hurt your exit speed.



On the road (not turning @ the limit of traction, you still usually want to be in the right gear before you enter a turn. It’s much smoother that way, and it’s a good habit to build. This is also best for your drive train (be sure to rev-match, and if you can, double-clutch, when you downshift to save your syncros).



Many of the habits of driving well and those of saving your car’s mechanics are generally one in the same.

Riding the Clutch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riding_the_clutch

[txusa03]

Ok, I will play along. Someone tell me what is so bad about this technique. Here is my version of rev matching going from 5th to 4th:

1) depress clutch
2) shift from 5th to 4th
3) blib gas and let gas off very slowly
4) let go of clutch

I skip the neutral part...

[!Xoible]

Learn to drive MT video:

http://www.ehow.com/how_3234_drive-car-with.html

but yah, nothing will teach you better than sitting in the car and doing it

[Joonsup]

i thought on the new bimmers you don't have have to blip the gas b/c it rev matches for you, no?

[PAKMAN]

nabil nice writeup

[.:bHd:.]

I got a question. When you park the car, do you shut it off in neutral or in gear? Sometimes when i park on hills i put it in first gear and pull the handbrake because i can feel the handbrake struggling to hold the car. Any opinions?

[checuervo]

Originally Posted by txusa03

Ok, I will play along. Someone tell me what is so bad about this technique. Here is my version of rev matching going from 5th to 4th:

1) depress clutch
2) shift from 5th to 4th
3) blib gas and let gas off very slowly
4) let go of clutch

I skip the neutral part...

+1 ... but it sounds like from that earlier post we're not doing it right.

Someone lay some knowledge on me!

[txusa03]

Originally Posted by joonsup

i thought on the new bimmers you don't have have to blip the gas b/c it rev matches for you, no?

negative, you can test this yourself at your own risk.

[nub340]

- Don't ride the clutch! That means take your foot COMPLETELY off the clutch pedal when your not clutching. Good habit to keep your foot on the foot rest when not clutching.

- Don't use the clutch to keep the car from rolling backwards. Luckily the newer Bims have the Hill Start Assistant to help us out, but it doesn't kick in unless the grade is steep enough. If you're on a slight hill, our cars WILL slowly roll backwards. Use the brakes!

[txusa03]

Mantis would you ask your friend about the technique i used above and what he thinks about it.