lookanonion

Hey I own a 07 Civic LX Sedan and it's a manual transmission car. I'm having a lot of trouble on my uphill starts and I have some questions and need some tips.

While waiting at an incline, does holding on the breaks while holding the clutch at the friction point burn the clutch?

When I'm at 2nd gear and I slow down to like 10-15mph for example, my car starts to jerk and stuff, does that mean I should put the clutch in all the way or should I just push it in enough to the point the jerking stops?

When starting from a stop at a light, I take such a long time accelerating from 0, how do I go faster while going smoothly? I try releasing the clutch faster but I jerk the car.

Do you guys recommend revving at 2k rpms while releasing the clutch from 0mph or is that too high?

Thanks

lazlong

"While waiting at an incline, does holding on the breaks while holding the clutch at the friction point burn the clutch?"

Short answer- yes, it will shorten the life of the clutch. You really want to have the clutch all the way in. If your unsure about an inclined start: pull the e-brake, release the foot brake, hit the gas and release the clutch. About the time it starts to catch, release the e-brake.

"When I'm at 2nd gear and I slow down to like 10-15mph for example, my car starts to jerk and stuff, does that mean I should put the clutch in all the way or should I just push it in enough to the point the jerking stops?"

I think your ok, just about every standard I've ever had has done the exact same thing. Try running in third or push in the clutch and coast but, that tends to wear on the leg.

"When starting from a stop at a light, I take such a long time accelerating from 0, how do I go faster while going smoothly? I try releasing the clutch faster but I jerk the car."

Rule of thumb: The faster you release the clutch the more gas you want to give it. Although you still want to be smooth with the release. Just kinda give it more gas as you let off the clutch. Releasing the clutch faster is called "dumping the clutch" and will usually result in a burnout. You do it too many times and you can kiss the clutch if not the tranny goodbye.

On a side note you picked a fast revving engine to learn a standard on, this is contributing to your problems. Just be patient and keep at and it will become second nature soon enough.

Also, it might not be a bad idea to have some $ tucked away for when you have to replace the clutch next year. I'm not making fun of you, I'm just going by experience. I had to replace the clutch in the first car I had 3 times in one year 'cause me and all my friends learned to drive a standard in it. Man, my dad was mad! lol.

"Do you guys recommend revving at 2k rpms while releasing the clutch from 0mph or is that too high?"

2K isn't excessive (especially if you have the 2.0L), that's just normal traffic driving. These engines don't really start to move until 3K or more. Try starting at 3K and going to 6 or 7K before shifting and see what she really does. Don't get a ticket. lol.

Too Tall

The less time you spend slipping the clutch, the longer the clutch will last. The lower the engine rpms you use, the longer the clutch will last.

As you slow down, you need to either shift to a lower gear, or shift to neutral to avoid lugging down and stalling the engine.

As you slow to a stop, shift to neutral and take your foot off the clutch. Keeping the clutch pushed down while stopped can wear out the throw out bearing faster.

As you get more practice with the clutch, you can get a better feel for using the minimum engine rpm's, yet get your foot off the clutch pedal as quickly as possible when starting to roll.

If you start on a hill, using the e-brake to hold the car in place, and then releasing it just as the clutch grabs takes some extra practice to be able to do it smoothly.

Never use the clutch to hold the car on a hill and never rock the car forward with the clutch to avoid rolling backwards at a stop light. That will kill a clutch very quickly.

Proper use of the clutch can triple clutch life.

jrb121180

Yeah man it just takes practice and experience. I never really knew how to drive a stick until i got my civic in 03. It survived me and my teaching my girlfriend how to drive it as well. Still has the original clutch in it and it's still going strong.