Boy was it painful. But she got it after a few quick tips. Total stalls: 3 in two hour. Not bad...I guess lol

Anyways, desperately looking for some how to tips. I usually have my HEEL planted to the ground when I engage the clutch to give my foot some stability (pressure from clutch when disengaging/letting out isn't linear). The problem: her freaking HEEL doesn't touch the floor (barely); she can't let the clutch out slowly enough - it'll start and then jolt (obvious reasons) because she doesn't have much of an attachment point. Now, I'm assuming this will take some getting use to for her, so I let it slide, and I made sure that she practiced...for the next darn hour. Thinking about it NOW though, I wonder if she's just TOO SHORT (5'4) to be able to drive stick well? Can you in fact be..."too short"...? Lost cause? We practiced going from a stop, into first, and then into second. We had some police officers come by to give us some tips (hilarious). I'm not looking for a "be patient" tip, but tips on how to teach this darn lady haha. Hm...anything? Much appreciated!

Why am I teaching her with my beloved G? It's inevitable for a 3 and half year couple, I guess...is my best answer lol.

 

Haha well I'm 5'6 and I drove my 6mt just fine. The driving position might be different from your sedan and my coupe though. Try and make sure she adjusts the seat properly because even I drive a little less smooth when my seating position is off.

When I drive I don't rest my heel on the floor either the pedal is too high (for me?). When driving my friends civic si sedan the clutch pedal is much softer, lower to the ground, and easier to modulate.

Our g37's have that 2nd spring in the clutch so it takes some getting used to. Only 3 stalls in 2 hours is pretty good though!

 

I think the G37S 6MT is more difficult to drive than most MT cars. Engagement of the clutch is abrupt, gear ratios are closer together than they need to be (no real overdrive ), & the car is overpowered for routine street driving in traffic. Takes getting used to if you want to drive smoothly & get reasonable fuel economy. My wife hasn't driven the car yet, and I suspect it will be an interesting challenge for her to learn.

 

Is this first manual? Only three stalls in two hours? Sounds like the car is pretty forgiving if she only stalled it three times.

 

If I were learning to drive stick for the first time, I certainly wouldn't want to learn on a G37. There are far easier cars to learn on (any Honda, for example) than a G. These cars just aren't very forgiving....and they have a really high clutch engagement that makes it even harder for beginners.

If you have no other choice than to teach her on your G, then make sure she understand that she's learning on a difficult car and that if she drives another stick shift car, it will probably be a breeze.

BTW, how can you keep your heel planted while engaging the clutch? I'm 6 feet tall and have big feet and I can't possibly keep my heel on the floor while engaging the clutch because it doesn't start grabbing until the pedal is about 3/4 of the way up.

 

Was she wearing shoes, flipflops, or sneakers? Make her wear something with a decent soul on it. It will make it easier for her to control the clutch.

I taught my wife on my G, I made her practice taking off with no gas. Just learning the engagement point and helping her build some muscle memory.

 

my gf drives my 6 mt pretty good... the only thing is she doesnt apply the gas when going from 0 so the car bogs sometimes.. Shes also 5'2 ...

on a side note, i spend more time in the passengers seat because she loves driving my car..

 

Tell her to floor the accelerator and then just DUMP the clutch.

 

She should be able to leave the heel on the floor. Sounds like she's sitting too far back. Make sure when she leans back in the seat, the top of her wrist can touch the top of the steering wheel so she's not too far back VIP style.

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REALLY?! Hm...so you just use your calf muscle to properly adjust for that 2nd spring (that's exactly what I was talking about mike!)? I don't see how you do that man...but I've seen a few of my friends do that as well. Is that apart of the "feathering" method some of my friends are talking about between shifts? I shift, and then immediately catch the rpms with the clutch (@ the correct rpm). More times than not, it gives me a smooth transaction. Will note your seating position. We adjusted a few times last night, but maybe it was just too late? Straight up though, you're telling me that your foot DOES NOT touch the floor when you clutch in and out?

Yeah, I've heard that too. I made sure to mention that before we started. Unfortunately, the G is our only option

HAHA yes, it's her FIRST manual car. I was damn impressed too! Believe me though, it's the instructor lol

Agreed. Unfortunately, the G is indeed our only option and I really emphasized that point to her keep her patient and calm (as well as myself).

I'm 6'2. I use my heel as the pivot point (point of attachment to the floor), and I engage the clutch (3/4) of the way immediately after I shift to engage/catch the rpms when they drop. More times than not, as I mentioned previously in another post up top, it yields smooth transactions. I wonder why if that's the reason why I can't shift quickly...I'm rather new to the manual world as well. The blind leading the blind, if you will . Your advice?

I just asked her: FLIP FLOPS! AHHH! Damn, I KNEW I WAS FORGETTING SOMETHING. You may, all in all, have just fixed our entire problem with her foot "catching." I had NO IDEA what she was talking about. THANK YOU MIKE!

Dually noted. Does her foot reach the floor with the clutch all the way disengaged. And does she use her heel to pivot? Or I guess I should say...engage the clutch 3/4 of the way between shifts? OR does she use her calf muscle to catch the clutch between shifts (note for that 2nd spring that Mikeyboy was talking about?). I don't see how you guys aren't pivoting with your heel...eeks! That means I'M DOING SOMETHING WRONG...not HER! lol

In all honesty, I considered letting her race it. I've heard that's another way to teach novices to drive. FLOOR + dump clutch. I opted not to though, for sake of my own sanity...lol and my heart.

 

DARN IT! Ya know what though? We tried that last night, but her freaking knees hit the steering column below. She's PETITE with apparently really short legs? What if her heel just BARELY touches the floor? Do you not pivot with your heel either Ucla? EEKKK!!!!

 

Definitely DO NOT to wear flip-flops when learning stick, haha. Would have to ask her to wear sneakers next time. It is harder to get the engagement with thin soles or even pivot with your heel because you don't have much support

I pivot with my heel every shift until the point of engagement (around 800-900rpm), then I let off. If I'm shifting quickly, I don't pivot, since pivoting is slower but smoother. Don't think you're doing anything wrong, wouldn't worry about it.

Nice of you to teach her on your 6MT though. I know with 5+ years in a relationship, it wouldn't happen with me, haha
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Personally, I think the easiest way to teach somebody to drive stick is to have them first modulate the clutch pedal to learn where the contact point is. Once that happens, then can start giving gas and letting clutch out. The whole give-it-gas-and-let-the-clutch-out method is lost, imo, until the contact point is established.

And definitely ditch the flip-flops. Ive been driving manuals for a good while now and still drive like **** with flipflops, so i don't do it. Get a good pair of pumas....they make for nice driving shoes with thin soles (at least the ones I have do).....

 

 

I don't see how ANY of you guys can possibly pivot your clutch foot on its heel. Of all the G37s I've driven, all of them have clutch pedals that engage way up in the air at the top of the clutch pedal travel. No part of my foot is anywhere near the floor when shifting!!