I have had my car for 4 days now and it has been very tough driving around public roads. It is still scary/embarrassing to be stalling in front of people in a brand new G37, but I hope I can get comfortable soon enough. How long did it take you to be good?

 

OKAY i use a combo of the whole leg/heel i find it easiest

basically i push the clutch in all the way to the floor then i start letting it out with my whole leg but just at the point where it "catches" i put my heel down and finish the whole thing...you gota do the whole thing in one motion but for me its most comfortable...

 

the g37 was my first MT also. I got mine at the end of March and I had a hard time in the beginning, I would even have nightmares about driving while sleeping, haha. I am better now, though still jerky here and there(so frustrating), I've stalled about 2 times since I've been driving around normally because I wasn't paying attention....but it'll come soon enough

 

took me a good 2 weeks. but i got lessons from a pro german race car driver. d=). taught me everything about turns, apex, weight transfer.. etc. now if i can only heed his advice and shift like a racer... and not like a hollywood star.

 

You should be fine in 2-3 weeks. Have fun!!

 

Smooth shifts from 1st to 2nd are simple. A common mistake that new m/t drivers make is putting the clutch in too far. If you notice, it might be a little different on your g, but there is about a half in inch that you can put the clutch in before you feel any resistance. Next time you shift put the clutch in until you barely feel the restistance, (almost an inch in) and then shift. This is what I do and my friends have Gs too we try to see who can shift without the other one noticing, I always win

 

For someone learning how to drive MT i think that pushing the clutch in all the way is better

 

Short version: Don't listen to ballsdeep (no offense!)

Long version:

Pushing the clutch just barely only reduces the load on the transmission so that you can change gears. It does NOT fully disengage the flywheel from the input shaft.

Basically, your engine is still trying to turn the transmission but it is slipping a little, and so your synchros are forcing the whole set up to slow down in order to mesh up the collars. This is very hard on your synchros and you are effectively using them as a brake against the engine. They will quit on you and it will not be cheap.

If your car didn't have synchros there's no way you'd be able to cheat your shifts like that, but thanks the synchros you are not even aware of what you're causing the mechanical parts to endure until they wear out (they are not made for that abuse) one day and you're mysteriously grinding your shifts.

Press the clutch all the way to floor or nearly all the way. Never "just a little" or just enough to be ABLE to shift. Just because you CAN doesn't mean you should.

I can actually shift without the clutch at all... up and down. I don't do it, but I have tried it so I know it works. That requires PERFECT rev matching in both directions and man it sure shows you how much the synchros are nice to have!

 

That nails it! I can also shift up and down through gears 1-4 without the clutch.. it grinds going into 5th and 6th though.. not sure why. maybe the synchros are different?

 

They ARE different.

1, 2, and 3 are triple-cone synchronizers, 4 is a double-cone synchronizer
5, 6, and reverse are single cone synchronizers.

 

HAHA you dont need to put the clutch all the way to the floor and I was not talking about what is good for the car, I was explaining the easy way to shift smoothly.

 

Easy way to shift smoothly? That's not anyway to shift. You can shift without even using the clutch at all but should you do it? No. You're basically one step away from doing that. As mal said, you're destroying your synchros and who knows what else.

I'd know more about what I was doing before telling people what mistakes they're making.

 

me2, ive got the hang of it like my 3rd day..

if you search through my threads, i believe i posted up the same thing about 6 months ago. Trust me it will come.. Stay calm, music off..no distractions..and feel the release point..

MY TIP (IF NOT POSTED ABOVE)= Find flat ground, and give it some gas and play with the clutch. Once you start to move foward..push the clutch back down and do it agian. Once you find the spot where the clutch grabs should make life so much easier.

 

my biggest tip, feel the vibrations coming from your clutch, and listen to your engine. i would even go as far as blindfolding mysefl.... well not really, but i am just saying that you need to listen and feel more!

 

so yea this is my first mt car and i live in SF. Today i was driving around and i had to go up *** hill and there was a SL500 behind me. haha i was freaking out cuz i didn't want to roll into him when i was at a stop light