Tips for a Manual Beginner?

GundamTypeR

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I'll be getting a Type R in 2 days and have a little experience driving a manual, but have been mostly driving automatics for a while. Are there any important tips you guys can share that will make my experience driving the R better? i.e. shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear at x rpm.
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WhatThePuck

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Be patient, another good way to teach yourself when to shift is listening to the engine. When you shift, listen to the engine and watch the rpms, you'll get so accustomed to the sound when you shift that you won't need to look at the rpms. 1st to 2nd is the most tricky, you can practice in an empty parking lot. When parked, go through the gears to get a feel of where they are. Best of luck to you and enjoy, welcome to the best color club :thumbsup: Also, love the name. I've got the Burning Gundam head on my driver's side door. :)
 

Blood_TypeR

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When shifting gears make sure clutch is fully pressed down, also if you stall out it’s not the end of the ? Try not to go to heavy on the engine during your first 1000 miles, Double Check to make sure your suspension clamps are taken off it’s part of the basic pid (pre inspection Delivery) technicians sign off the certificate however some dealerships forget to take them off ..Enjoy the Car and show us some pics when it comes

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chattanoogaR

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Slow and smooth until you get the full hang of it. As stated above, don't push it hard for a while.

Practice letting out the clutch slowly without using any gas until you get a good feel for where it catches. (You can get most manual vehicles to roll in gear without using the gas)
 


diakonia

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First: disable auto rev match. There are instructions on this forum explaining how to do it. You can turn it back on later after you get used to manual driving.

Second: one of the hardest part of learning to drive a manual is how much gas to give in first gear from a start. Don’t try to guess at the rpm’s at this point... tap-tap-tap the accelerator pedal.

third: practice second point above and then follow what others said.
 

darrvao777

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i was a new manual driver and learned on the type r

i find watching a ton of youtube videos helps and then the most important thing is seat time in a safe area (id drive around my neighborhood nightly for two weeks before actually taking the car to work)

you can cut the learning time even shorter if you have a friend who knows how to drive stick sitting in the passenger seat giving you tips
 
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GundamTypeR

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Slow and smooth until you get the full hang of it. As stated above, don't push it hard for a while.

Practice letting out the clutch slowly without using any gas until you get a good feel for where it catches. (You can get most manual vehicles to roll in gear without using the gas)
Does driving in comfort mode make it easier to not stall, or do the different drive modes not matter that much?
 

chattanoogaR

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Does driving in comfort mode make it easier to not stall, or do the different drive modes not matter that much?
In regard to stalling, no they do not matter much.

Just try to stay on flat land for a while if you are overly worried about stalling. (even with features like hill start assist, stalling is more psychological than anything else. Stay calm and don't panic, if you stall in traffic people will just get over it)
 

jmark

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Type R is one of the easiest manual cars you can learn on. It has anti stall and hill assist to aide the new driver too. Recommend practicing in a deserted parking lot with a friend who has experience in a manual first.
 


kefi

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Turn off the rev match feature. You MUST learn how to drive a manual without it. Absolutely mandatory. If you muscle-memory-learn with the rev match on, you will be completely unable to drive any other manual car. Not only that, but the system can disable itself if there's things like emissions problems.

I keep the rev match on and it greatly improves my cruising-around experience, but I also know how to work with it and pre-blip the throttle when I need to make very rapid changes that it won't do fast enough for me. You won't learn how to blip properly with that system on. When the system fails on me because of some kind of tuning thing I'm testing, I almost have to re-learn how to drive smoothly for a few minutes, because of how good it is.

There are other features in this car that will help you greatly like anti-stall and hill assist. Those aren't as much of a detriment to learning.
 

Lust

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The most important part of learning stick for a beginner is finding the bite point IMO. Just spend some time in an empty parking lot and build that muscle memory of finding where the clutch starts to engage. Don’t worry about using gas to take off. Being able to find the bite point consistently will help you shift smoothly.

I typically shift around 3k if I’m just putting around.

Always always always, move the shifter only when the clutch is fully depressed. Only start to apply throttle when the clutch is nearly fully engaged. You want to eliminate clutch slip as much as you can to prolong clutch life.

Any questions lmk. I’ve been driving manual cars for a decade and people who ride with me don’t even realize I’m driving a manual because I drive so smooth.
 

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Just practice and drive the car. You'll get it.

When I learned - my father made me find the "sweet spot" of the clutch and had me just practice engaging the clutch from a dead stop on a hill.
 

Learn2turn

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I'll be getting a Type R in 2 days and have a little experience driving a manual, but have been mostly driving automatics for a while. Are there any important tips you guys can share that will make my experience driving the R better? i.e. shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear at x rpm.
The only real challenge is mastering the launch, NO not a drag style launch, I mean just getting the car to move forward with minimal clutch slip and no drama. That also applies to using reverse.
So, just focus on this "launch" skill.

All else is extremely easy and forgiving just let off gas, push clutch in, shift gears, release clutch. regain light throttle, repeat as needed. Instant hero!
 

Learn2turn

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Expensive transmission to learn on lol
My advice is to go borrow a beater for a day or 2
THIS IS ABSOLUTE! (and you will feel les nervous which translates directly to calmer manual trans operation)
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