Hi, this is my first post here. I have a 325i which bought new about a year ago. I'm still having trouble getting used to the clutch. I've owned Hondas for years and find the clutch on the Bimmer much different. I find I either over rev on launch or nearly stall. I've gotten much better with time but worry if I'm doing any damage to the clutch if I sometimes rev to about 2K on launch. I don't know if it's the self-adjusting clutch or the longer pedal travel that bugs me.
Trouble launching
- Thread starter sueh
- Start date
first of all welcome to the board!
to your concerns. 2k ain't that much for a start. that should not bother you.
here is my advice how to get a feel for the clutch and it won't hurt your car even if it might sound cruel:
go to a parking lot or bigger area where you stop and launch and stop without disturbing anybody and where nobody disturbs you. come to a full stop and get into first gear. then release the clutch slowly without stepping on the gas. that way you will feel the real spot where the clutch closes and the car gets moving. the first times your car will stall badly because you get of the pedal too fast. but with a growing number of tries you will learn how to operate the clucth properly and more important at what point to release it with what speed. the engine has enough power to get moving without additional gas than idle. train it. when you succeed doing that little task, you are fit for the stick!
to your concerns. 2k ain't that much for a start. that should not bother you.
here is my advice how to get a feel for the clutch and it won't hurt your car even if it might sound cruel:
go to a parking lot or bigger area where you stop and launch and stop without disturbing anybody and where nobody disturbs you. come to a full stop and get into first gear. then release the clutch slowly without stepping on the gas. that way you will feel the real spot where the clutch closes and the car gets moving. the first times your car will stall badly because you get of the pedal too fast. but with a growing number of tries you will learn how to operate the clucth properly and more important at what point to release it with what speed. the engine has enough power to get moving without additional gas than idle. train it. when you succeed doing that little task, you are fit for the stick!
well i'm about 2 days late for that post ![[:p]](/images/smilies/tongue.png "Stick Out Tongue [:p]")
but the most imp thing about driving a manual is the clutch control. you have to train yourself to be slow w/ the clutch in the beginning.
when you try to practice what Wadula mentioned above, be sure to let your clutch go as slow as possible, even if the car feels like it'll stall. that's just natural, and once the clutch engages, the gear will link up and there will be a slight lurch forward, then it'll just start moving forward. when i first did it, i was like cool! the car felt faster than i thought it should w/ no gas ^^
after you get that out of the way, practice reving your engine while not in gear. i've had my first manual for lil over a month, and i think i'm about 80-90% proficient manual driver, but i had the tendency to over-rev when i got a bit excited on a turn or starting off on a hill. also, i used to under-rev when up shifting, leading to a jerky shift. i've nearly corrected that by learning to control my accel pedal while in neutral. good luck
but the most imp thing about driving a manual is the clutch control. you have to train yourself to be slow w/ the clutch in the beginning.
when you try to practice what Wadula mentioned above, be sure to let your clutch go as slow as possible, even if the car feels like it'll stall. that's just natural, and once the clutch engages, the gear will link up and there will be a slight lurch forward, then it'll just start moving forward. when i first did it, i was like cool! the car felt faster than i thought it should w/ no gas ^^
after you get that out of the way, practice reving your engine while not in gear. i've had my first manual for lil over a month, and i think i'm about 80-90% proficient manual driver, but i had the tendency to over-rev when i got a bit excited on a turn or starting off on a hill. also, i used to under-rev when up shifting, leading to a jerky shift. i've nearly corrected that by learning to control my accel pedal while in neutral. good luck
In normal driving conditions, you should apply a bit of gas when starting from a stop. Think of this as a guide for engaging the clutch, sueh: If you are starting from a stop, the higher you are revving your engine, the faster you need to engage the clutch. For example, average starts are, what...1,000-2,000 rpm (I apologize if I am wrong, starting from a stop is a process I "feel" rather than look at my rpm gauge). At that speed, you let the clutch out nice and slow. If you wanted to start fast, you would rev the engine to like 3,000 rpm and you need to let the clutch out faster. The trick is to get adjusted to how fast you need to let the clutch out at the rpm you want to start off at.
I'm afraid I didn't make myself clear. I'm not a novice manual driver. I've owned manual Preludes for almost 20 years. What I'm finding myself doing, which I never did with the Hondas, is over-reving on launch. Not alot, but sometimes to around 2K. I was just worried about increased clutch wear. Maybe I'm so used to a mechanical throttle that I'm having a hard time adjusting to DBW.