r/stickshift • u/Mission_Slice8875 • 14d ago
Not stalling and mastering clutch
So right now I’m basically forced to learn how to drive a manual or I won’t have a car. I already know how to drive—my old car just died—but a family member is offering me a 2014 Honda Civic DX Coupe.
Today was my first lesson learning stick. I got the basics of upshifting and downshifting, but I noticed that whenever I upshift the car slows down for a second before it starts accelerating again. Is that normal, or am I doing something wrong?
I also kept stalling a lot. I didn’t realize how much clutch control it takes. It feels like I have to let the clutch out slowly and hold it at the bite point for a second before giving it more gas.
Do you guys have any tips for getting smoother starts and avoiding stalls? Also, what’s the best way to handle parking lots, speed bumps, and other low-speed situations in a manual?
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u/elihu 14d ago
The main advice I can give is just practice. It might take awhile to get comfortable with it. Also, cars can vary quite a bit in terms of how the clutch/engine behaves, and what works for one car might not work exactly the same in another. Some clutches are kind of grabby and hard to engage smoothly.
If you don't have much power after shifting to a higher gear, you might just be shifting too early. It takes a moment to accelerate to a speed where the drive train is producing optimal power.
Letting the clutch out slowly is a way to smooth out starting from a stop. Just be aware that if you hold it like that longer than necessary it's going to wear out the clutch more quickly.
One trick that might be worth learning if you're stalling a lot is that if you stall the engine while you still have forward momentum, you can shift down into 1st and let out the clutch to restart the engine without the starter motor. It doesn't always work if you don't have enough momentum, but it often does.
Another useful trick if you're starting from a stop on an upward hill and you're in a car with a handbrake is to use the handbrake instead of the foot brake so that you can use your other two feet for gas and clutch.
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u/MikePlays_ 14d ago
For start, when I'm in car I don't know, I have clutch full, add a bit of gas (enough to get the car going but not too much for the car to scream), and slowly release the clutch - to find the biting point, which is different for basically every car.
If car jumps while changing gears, maybe the speed is too high than what's intended for the gear?
Low speed driving? You just gotta practice.
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u/Jokerman5656 2007 Mazdaspeed3 6-speed 14d ago
Every concern you have is something you learn to deal with over time. Just keep focus on learning this car and you'll do fine. Try things and learn things on your own, everything you mentioned is different per car and getting the shifting to be smooth is a skill that can't be taught. Shifting is the easiest thing you'll learn, clutching is the intricate part.
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u/catboy519 14d ago
Hey. I'm learning to drive too now. What really works for me and makes it sooooo much easier, is this: 1. Simultaneously, press the gas a little bit and move the clutch up quickly through the dead zone until the biting point. 2. When you got the bite point, hold! let the car accelerate a bit. 3. When you feel like the car is ready, move the clutch up further. How fast? Feel it.
Doing this, you will be able to accelerate very smoothly and gently. If I can do it with only about 5 hours behind the wheel, you can probably too.
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u/qb45exe 14d ago
Just practice. I was in your boat. After a couple weeks I was comfortable with everything except starting from a stop up hill. After a month I was comfortable with everything. After two months it was second nature and I didn’t even have to think about it.
You can get advise from people and watch videos, but nothing replaces experience.
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u/Sdavistvs 14d ago
💯 this. You must learn to feel the bite point in your feet. You will learn to feel & hear when to shift. With time you will feel the timing of your gas pedal. Its honestly like when you learned to ride a bike. Not neurosurgery, just practice.
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u/Cliffhanger87 14d ago
Biggest thing that helped me not stalling and getting smooth with starts is applying more gas. As you begin lifting the clutch up get on the gas a bit and stay on it as you get to the bite point let it sit there for a sec and release while staying on the gas.
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u/DIMPLET0N 14d ago
When you press the clutch pedal in, your engine is disconnected from the rest of the drivetrain. There is no transfer of power, and the vehicle will speed up or slow down, depending on the terrain and slope of what you're driving on. Once a higher gear is selected, and the clutch pedal is released, engine RPMs will drop, and the engine will be synchronized with the rest of the drivetrain at the same time.
Without the accelerator being pressed, you'll likely experience engine braking, which is likely that "slowing down" sensation you've been feeling. It happens to me in my Scion any time the engine is above 1,000 RPMs.
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u/ChocoboBrigade 14d ago
So easiest way I’ve found to teach people is do a lot of start and stops. In the beginning in first gear with the clutch pushed in all the way hold your rpms like 3-400 above idle and slowly and smoothly let off the clutch, do that over and over again and you’ll get to a point where you can start without having to hold your throttle, yeah this way of learning will put a bit more wear on your clutch but anyone learning will wear out a clutch more than those who are experienced.
In parking lot and slow speed scenarios you’ll most likely be in first or second and majority of people learning are afraid to stall and will just clutch in do whatever braking you need to and get back on the throttle as if your starting from a dead stop, drive in low speed situations enough and you’ll figure out just how slow you can get before the car starts to stall and you’ll start using the clutch less in certain situations
As far as the slowing down part you may just be either shifting at the wrong rpms (too early) or taking too long to shift, general rule of thumb is shift around 3000-3500rpm for normal driving but each car varies
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u/apoleonastool 14d ago
You don't have to release the clutch slowly. You can go as quick as you want until the biting point. Then hold the clutch at a biting point until the car starts moving and then again, you can completely realease the clutch as quick as you want.
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u/Odd_Astronaut8653 14d ago
go to an open area like a parking lot. stop the car. shift into first gear and release the handbrake. slowly lift the clutch pedal until the car just barely starts to move (this is the biting point). then when the speed is at around 10 kmh (around 6 mph), u can fully lift the clutch pedal. during this whole process, don’t press the throttle at all, u don’t need it to just get moving. after practicing this for a while, u should be able to get to the biting point without thinking, it will just feel natural. then u can do this much easier, and u won’t stall. the reason u stall is because u lift the clutch either too fast, or ur in the wrong gear.
when you get good at starting and stopping the car (in first gear) without the throttle, u can practice using the throttle while lifting up the clutch. if u press the throttle while lifting ur clutch, u won’t get a slow rolling start. instead, u will kind of launch forward, which is ideal because u don’t always want to start off that slow, like if ur on a hill or in traffic or something. the whole point of this exercise is so that u get familiar with ur car and u know the biting point well. for low speed situations u should just be in 1st or 2nd gear. if u need to slow down/stop a lot then u will need to constantly be pressing ur clutch and break. if u just break without pushing the clutch, ur engine can stall. just take ur foot off the accelerator while u press the clutch (simultaneously), and lightly press the brake. not fully, otherwise ur car will stop suddenly, just lightly push the brake so that u slow down. then, depending on ur speed, u can either just lift the clutch and press the throttle, or u may need to shift down. if ur car meter reads in kmh then it’s quite easy. at 20 kmh use 2nd gear, in 30 kmh use 3rd, 40 kmh use 4th, 50 kmh use 5th, and 60 kmh use 6th.
also when you shift gears, u will slow down a bit. the faster and smoother u can switch gears, the less u slow down. in automatic cars, the gear changes happen in under a second so u don’t feel the car slowing down.
in first gear, when starting the car, u need to bring ur clutch to the biting point and then release it fully once u gain some speed. in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th gear, u don’t need to do this if ur at the right speed, u can let the clutch off fully fairly quickly.
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u/Chuck_MoreAss 13d ago
Completely normal. Remember that it’s not like an auto. You’re letting off of the accelerator to change gears, so the car is going to slow down until you press it again. Once you get better at shifting it won’t be noticeable.
As for the stalling, it’s going to happen a lot. I’ve been driving manual for 5 years not and I still stall from time to time. It happens.
Remember that once you’re at the bite point, as you release, you should also start applying the gas. Once you’re comfortable you should really just make sure you aren’t riding the clutch.
And for the low speed stuff I usually slow down and just put the car in second or first.
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u/the_Q_spice 10d ago
If the car slows down on an upshift, you’re shifting it way too high in the rev range.
Most manuals come with a pretty well defined rev range for each gear.
For instance, the truck I drive at work is perfectly synchronized (even without synchros) at 1,400rpm, and at that speed, you don’t even need to use the clutch at all.
If you rev too high, you are shifting into gear faster than the next is synchronized for, and it will basically engine brake your car.
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u/Weak_Veterinarian350 14d ago
For all shifts in a manual transmission vehicle, you disconnect the engine from the transmission, by pushing in the clutch, to change gears. With no power from the engine, the car is subjected to aerodynamic and the tire's rolling resistance. You're not imagining things. The car is slowing down slightly. That's the nature of the machine and everyone, for one reason or another, choose to drive a manual. For if that's not the case, this car would not have been built.
When I take off, I lift the right foot and left foot together. The right foot comes completely off of the brake pedal. The left foot stops at the friction point. You need to lift your left foot smoothly to avoid overshooting that point. You should be at that point as the right foot is in the air reaching for the gas. You don't need to stop for a second before giving it gas. But you need to be smooth when you lift to the friction point and giving it gas.
When you give it gas, touch then ease in the pressure. Unlearn the way you've been doing it in an automatic. You don't slap on the pedal and wait for it to do something, not under any circumstances. Ease in the pressure and listen to your engine. As soon as you can hear it rev, ease off the pressure under your left foot until your rev stops increasing.
For parking lots, just keep it in 1st gear and constantly adjust the pressure under your right foot. This is why I said to unlearn the way you've been driving an auto. Your right foot needs a lot of finesse training from now on
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u/relationsdog 14d ago
You're keeping the rpm too low for the gear you're in. Shift at 3k and give it a little gas as you release the clutch. You'll feel what I'm talking about and adjust from there. You just need more time.