Tips for a Manual Beginner?

turbociv910

Senior Member
First Name
taylor
Joined
Jun 24, 2019
Threads
22
Messages
1,010
Reaction score
993
Location
wilmington nc
Vehicle(s)
2020 SGP Civic Type R, Audi Q5
Build Thread
Link
Country flag
my wife can drive my car (in a parking lot)..She hasnt driven a manual car in 10 years, and has never driven a manual car more than a parking lot.

you can do it if youve driven any other manual before
Sponsored

 

ShaneP865

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Threads
5
Messages
104
Reaction score
161
Location
Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
2019 Aegean Blue Type R
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
Dont granny shift and always double clutch like you should!
 

Learn2turn

Senior Member
First Name
Christopher
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Threads
16
Messages
714
Reaction score
371
Location
Rio Rancho NM
Vehicle(s)
'79 Toyota Longbed PU, '95 (Drift Toy) Miata, '05 Tuned Gran Prix White S2000, '19 Championship White C-Type R
Country flag


Jimmyjambo_fk8

Senior Member
First Name
Jimmy
Joined
May 14, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
293
Reaction score
155
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Vehicle(s)
2019 Honda Civic Type R
Country flag
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.
I think everyone has provided great ways to learn. My advice, when you get past practicting, make sure you dont always hold the shifter, and dont sit at a light with the clutch engaged.

Good luck & congrats on getting a CTR.
 

Hatchi

Senior Member
First Name
Liam
Joined
Feb 26, 2020
Threads
7
Messages
125
Reaction score
123
Location
Jacksonville, FL
Vehicle(s)
2007 Prius, 2020 BBP CTR
Country flag
#1 Never rest your hand ? on the gear shifter

#2 & #3 Do not rest your foot on the clutch pedal & Don’t leave your car in gear at a traffic light ? waiting for the light to turn green
^^^^
These are def good things to take into account. I think the whole tl;dr of this entire post should really just be do your best, be gentle and cautious until you feel comfortable. The transmissions on this car aren't perfect, but if you treat them right they're damn near it.
 

ez12a

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2018
Threads
21
Messages
1,205
Reaction score
730
Location
CA
Vehicle(s)
18 CW Type R
Country flag
Grats on the Type R! I agree with people saying the Type R is an easy car to learn on. Second easiest to the NA Miata I had that had a friction zone the size of a proverbial football field.

I let my gf practice in mine and she got the hang of starting and stopping pretty quickly.

A tip about reversing: I personally slip at the friction point in reverse in pulses and then disengage once i get it rolling. Giving the car some reverse motion in controllable amounts. I rarely ever fully engage the clutch in reverse in normal day to day parking.

A tip about the drive modes: Comfort mode will give you the lowest amount of throttle response. Sport and R+ have higher amounts of throttle response which may make learning starting off trickier.

Made a video on a method of starting and stopping that has worked for me:
 

Eleon

Senior Member
First Name
Eddie
Joined
Mar 6, 2019
Threads
6
Messages
57
Reaction score
43
Location
Denver
Vehicle(s)
2018 Honda Civic Si
Country flag
I learned on my si when I bought it new 2018. Watch some YouTube vids and practice in a parking lot. Then drive it around your neighnorhood streets if they’re not too busy. Little by little start driving it more and more until you can get on the highway. I had the brake hold feature on for the first couple months and then I started driving without it and now I’m very good at manual? it’s all about practice. Save the rev matching and heel toe for later that’s the last thing you should learn. Don’t be afraid to stall, it’s gonna happen eventually and the car should be able to still hold up after a few stalls.
 
OP
OP
GundamTypeR

GundamTypeR

Senior Member
First Name
Isaiah
Joined
Oct 21, 2020
Threads
18
Messages
71
Reaction score
43
Location
Raleigh, NC
Vehicle(s)
2018 Championship White Civic Type R
Country flag
Grats on the Type R! I agree with people saying the Type R is an easy car to learn on. Second easiest to the NA Miata I had that had a friction zone the size of a proverbial football field.

I let my gf practice in mine and she got the hang of starting and stopping pretty quickly.

A tip about reversing: I personally slip at the friction point in reverse in pulses and then disengage once i get it rolling. Giving the car some reverse motion in controllable amounts. I rarely ever fully engage the clutch in reverse in normal day to day parking.

A tip about the drive modes: Comfort mode will give you the lowest amount of throttle response. Sport and R+ have higher amounts of throttle response which may make learning starting off trickier.

Made a video on a method of starting and stopping that has worked for me:
Nice, thanks so much for this man :)
 


OP
OP
GundamTypeR

GundamTypeR

Senior Member
First Name
Isaiah
Joined
Oct 21, 2020
Threads
18
Messages
71
Reaction score
43
Location
Raleigh, NC
Vehicle(s)
2018 Championship White Civic Type R
Country flag
Lol so here's an update. I stalled a few times when I got the car, but it was usually when I was at a stop and I tried to shift into 1st to go lmao. Besides that, upshifts were a breeze and down shifting was easy due to the automatic rev matching ofc. Once I get more confident I'll learn how to down shift without it
 

AmyChris13

Senior Member
First Name
Amy and Chris
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Threads
3
Messages
52
Reaction score
55
Location
Paxtonia, Pennsylvania
Vehicle(s)
2019 Honda Civic sport coupe
Country flag
When you engage the clutch, try cycling down into second, then up into first. It just seems to go easier in basically every car we’ve ever driven. Great advice on most of the posts- especially keeping your right foot down and your left resting on the footrest rather than the clutch at a light.
 
OP
OP
GundamTypeR

GundamTypeR

Senior Member
First Name
Isaiah
Joined
Oct 21, 2020
Threads
18
Messages
71
Reaction score
43
Location
Raleigh, NC
Vehicle(s)
2018 Championship White Civic Type R
Country flag
When you engage the clutch, try cycling down into second, then up into first. It just seems to go easier in basically every car we’ve ever driven. Great advice on most of the posts- especially keeping your right foot down and your left resting on the footrest rather than the clutch at a light.
So if I'm at a stop, shift into 2nd then go into 1st?
 

ez12a

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2018
Threads
21
Messages
1,205
Reaction score
730
Location
CA
Vehicle(s)
18 CW Type R
Country flag
So if I'm at a stop, shift into 2nd then go into 1st?
I haven't needed to do it for first but I do do it for reverse.

It is even in some of the honda manuals to reverse by first shifting into a forward gear and then reverse.
 

Blood_TypeR

Senior Member
First Name
John
Joined
Aug 16, 2020
Threads
18
Messages
106
Reaction score
57
Location
B-More MurdaLand
Vehicle(s)
2020 Type R SGP
Country flag
Just remember it’s not a race.. don’t worry about the person behind giving u shit for being a newbie manual driver just focus on your own driving, as stated in the previous post some ctr owners hit a invisible wall when shifting into first, some people shift into 2nd then first if they encounter this type of issue, or some ctr owners stated as miles accumulate on the engine some say it’s naturally gone away,( over 1k mileage)other owners did not and opted to changes transmission fluids; I have not encountered this problem at all knock on wood, as far as the reversing, I always go 2nd gear then reverse
Sponsored

 


 


Top