[igliashon_jones]

I'm finally getting the hang of this whole standard-shift thing, but I'm curious about something: how slow can I get in each gear before I risk stalling the car? I've been playing it on the ultra-safe side and clutching in as soon as I start to decelerate for a full stop in a higher gear, but I don't want to wear down the clutch too fast (heaven knows I've already taken about a year off its life while learning to drive). I know 1st gear goes down to about 5 or 6 mph before getting risky, and 2nd down to about 11 mph, but what about 3rd-5th? I know I could probably figure it out myself just by watching the tachometer, but I figured it'd be safer if I just posted here.

Many thanks for answering my q's. The help I have received on this forum has been utterly invaluable.

-Igliashon

P.S. for those wondering, I opted to have the car delivered instead of trying to drive it up from Anaheim myself. This proved quite wise, as it's taken me at least a week to get a decent mastery of driving stick. And next week, I should be getting my new speakers (those Pioneers that everyone's been talking about) and a new CD/MP3 receiver!

 

[Rick Reece]

If you are engaging the clutch when stopping you are not driving effeciently as that eliminates any chance of recharging the battery while slowing. Regen will occur in 5th down to 30 mph, 4th and below down to about 17mph if I recall correctly. If you need an indicator watch the charge indicator. When the charing ends you can either downshift or engage the clutch at that point. Have fun, Rick

 

[Insightful Trekker]

<snip>

I've been playing it on the ultra-safe side and clutching in as soon as I start to decelerate for a full stop in a higher gear, but I don't want to wear down the clutch too fast (heaven knows I've already taken about a year off its life while learning to drive).

<snip>

I know I could probably figure it out myself just by watching the tachometer, but I figured it'd be safer if I just posted here.

<snip>

Given this is your first MT car I'd give myself more time to become comfortable with shifting.

Most of the wear on a clutch comes from incorrectly up-shifting and too slow a release (slipping the clutch). Lugging the clutch (stalling the engine in gear) is a much smaller wear factor.

Perhaps the very _worst_ clutch behavior is to slip while trying to hold your position in traffic at an intersection on a hill. With the normal clutch technique if someone pulls up behind you too close you'd roll back and bump them before you could change your right foot from the brake to the gas pedals.

The technique that must be practiced is to set yourself "parked" with your emergency brake. Then your right foot can wait on the gas pedal. Accelerating requires precise timing of clutch engagement, emergency brake release and throttle application. Practice in low traffic areas!

The high MPG tricks you read about in here in part comes from learning the sound and feel of the car at various speed and load conditions. This is learned from watching the MPG readout and "tuning" yourself to those sensory inputs. Adding the element of learning stick shifting and you may be in for some unhappy sudden stops (crunch).

It is easy to become too focused on MPG and not spend enough time watching the road and traffic.

Give yourself the time to become comfortable with shifting before taking on the next challange of maximum MPG.

HTH!

 

[Holicow]

.....I know 1st gear goes down to about 5 or 6 mph before getting risky, and 2nd down to about 11 mph, but what about 3rd-5th? I know I could probably figure it out myself just by watching the tachometer, but I figured it'd be safer if I just posted here.......

If you're going to watch something, then the tach is the thing, instead of the speedometer. I would engage the clutch at about 1000rpm if you want full use of engine braking. That's about idle speed, and below that will cause shuddering and perhaps a stall.

There is no real harm in clutching earlier, either. You just lose the little extra slowing force of the engine, and the regenerative braking if you are still in that zone.

This is all in the "fine tuning" of your technique, of course.

 

[figgy]

Do not forget also that if your battery is already charged, then you want to get to autostop as fast as possible rather than slowly coming in doing regen breaking - if you won't be regen anyway.

Which Pioneers? I wonder if I have the same ones...

 

[igliashon_jones]

Figgy: the Pioneer TS-G1640R's (the ones Crutchfield brought up as being matched to the Insight).

Rick: thanks a million.

Trekker: what do you mean "incorrectly upshifting"?

Holicow: yeah, I know the tach is the thing to watch, but I'm not quite used to how the RPM's fall off as I'm slowing, so I'd have to keep a pretty close eye on it to make sure I don't stall...which means I wouldn't be able to keep much of an eye on the road. I have a much easier time judging my speed (especially with the big bold digital readout of the Insight's speedometer), which is why I asked.

Thanks to all.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Trekker: what do you mean "incorrectly upshifting"?

Slipping the clutch. As in not quickly and smoothly releasing the clutch pedal especially when starting from a stop.

If you hear the engine RPM's flair and or delay the full release of the clutch that's when most of the friction material burns off.

As in most things there is a balance. Clutch too harshly such that the car always lurches you are excessively working the disc shock springs / bumpers. While these components are tougher it is possible to break them which will also require clutch replacement.

HTH!

 

[Holicow]

.... I have a much easier time judging my speed (especially with the big bold digital readout of the Insight's speedometer), which is why I asked.
....

I would imagine trying to remember what gear you are in and what speed you can slow to would be difficult to try to remember, but to each his own. It is more of a "feel" thing and would be best practiced using the rpms. When you get used to how it feels and sounds when it slows, you won't need to look anymore.

Why do I keep thinking of a golf instruction session, where the instructor gives so much to try to remember that the student is essentially paralyzed? (head down, club back, arm straight, hip back...hey, get up!)

 

[dan]

Hi igliashon_jones,

I’m glad to hear our advice was helpful. I am intrigued by your queries. They are an unusual combination of primitive (stick) and high-tech (hybrid). Manual transmissions seem to be a dying breed in our culture. I’ve always been very thankful to my uncle who loaned me his bug to learn on even after he watched me stall it numerous times. Stick with it and be patient with yourself. No doubt your LMPG will only improve! It won't be long before you find yourself driving an automatic sometime and cursing it when it shifts when you don’t want it to.