I just bought a 2005 Civic EX 5 speed. After my '94 basically rusted to death, then the brakes crumbled :P. (it was an auto) So anyways, i am new to driving a 5-Speed, and seem to be having a couple issues. Any help is appreciated by the way.

Any general tips to possibly keep myself from jerking so much.... I'm a manual newbie, and don't plan on burning up the clutch. I haven't stalled it out yet, and drove it around some deserted roads.... But my confidence is "less than good" for city driving :P.

 

just listen to it and feel it drive drive and drive some more.

 

welcome to HCF. Practice makes perfect.

 

Learn to control as you release the clutch. I would push the clutch all the way down and shift then let the clutch go about half way then wait for a 1/2 second then let it go slowly. It gives me smoother ride so it is all about the clutch and your gas pedal coordination.

 

keep on practicing thats all its about, try not to rev more than 3k rpms and as you keep practicing you will learn the engagement point and you will be doing it like a pro

 

If you are standing still with your car in 1st gear...and you let the clutch out until you feel the car want to move foward, you have reached the friction point on your clutch. The friction point is when the clutch first begins to engage and your vehicle starts to move. The general drill is this:

1. When your vehicle is not moving, with the clutch depressed all the way and your car in 1st gear, you can start to release the clutch with moderate speed until you reach the friction point. You do not need to give it any gas with the accelerator until you reach the friction point.

2. Once you reach the friction point, SLOWLY continue releasing the clutch while you give it a little more gas with the accelerator.

3. Once the clutch is all the way engaged, continue pressing on the gas until you reach the desired RPMs. At that point, depress the clutch fully and shift into second gear, repeating the process as outline in #1 and #2. Ditto for 3rd, 4th and 5th gear.

The best advice I can give is for you to find an empty parking lot, and practice, practice, practice! Before long you'll develop muscle motor memory, become very smooth when engaging the clutch, and will then truly enjoy shifting with a manual transmission. It will become second-nature, and after awhile you won't even think about it when shifting.

 

thanks for all your helpful answers, ill be driving around town tonight (Ft. Myers)... So that should give me some good traffic training. Much appreciated! Liking this site already .

 

that's a good description delawaredon