Trouble with starting from stop on 6MT

[bentin]

"Vast majority"?? Source of that info? I don't believe it for a second.

Tell an American that they permanently lose their license after one DWI. Or speeding at more than 50% over the limit. Or just to put down the stupid phone and drive the 4,200 pound SUV without bouncing off both curbs. Most of our drivers are vapid fools who have no interest in driving ability in the dry, much less poor conditions.
We give a driving test that barely tests the bare minimum of skips, never retest or ask for new skills and we can renew our license with a pulse, from 16 to 116.

 

[Tornado18GTI]

This might sound like an overly-simple suggestion, but as someone who's been driving manual cars my whole life, it took me a while to realize that my mk7 GTI wants more throttle than most cars (in my experience, at least) when pulling away from a stop in 1st once the clutch is engaged. I was getting lugging and/or vibrations and whatnot from a start before I realized that if I gave it some decent gas as soon as I felt the clutch engage, it's smooth. I've never had an issue since realizing that, and pull away smoothly every time (and I release the clutch as I normally would; I'm not slipping it for longer than I was before, or smelling it or anything like that). Also, all the standard shifter mods (there's a sticky thread on them) make everything more direct and easier to judge and are well worth doing.

^^This

Been driving manuals for several years, mostly VWs however I have driven some Japanese cars (06' G35, 95' G20t) and I can tell you my 18' definitely requires a little more gas to keep the take offs smooth. Clutch engagement also requires a little finesse for the shift to 2nd as well in order to make it smooth.

 

[jimlloyd40]

I think you're right. I should just enjoy the car instead of worry about these things. Thanks!

In a few weeks you'll wonder why you posted this thread.

 

[dtran11]

Installing the clutch stop and removing the spring helps me a lot. Smooth as butter now on start from 1st. Thanks everyone

 

[zinfamous]

First couple of days driving my GTI I had the opposite problem--way too much gas and wheel spin, peeling out and freaking the other drivers on the road, lol.

It had been many years since driving a MT, so a lot of rust to shake off, but it definitely wasn't as smooth sailing as my old...'92 Accord, at least what my muscle memory was telling me

....I still have issues with reverse while parked on a hill and backing out. I'm really not used to the increased torque you get from reverse and I burn my clutch nearly every time that happens (very strong, obvious smell). I absolutely avoid parking in those situations right now though, due to zero courage, haha. I've done this maybe 5 times in the last year and still freaks me out that I'm ruining the clutch.

 

[zinfamous]

It always amazes me that you guys stateside can legally drive a MT on public roads without any prior tuition?, in the UK, if you pass your driving test in an auto, an auto is all you can drive, unless you take a manual test which allows you to drive both MT and auto, 95% of new drivers here take a MT test anyway which comprises 50/50 of a theory and practical assessment.

we just drive into trees and people and things because of freedom and no one really cares, really. ....and in the cases when someone does care, we have our guns to fix that problem, too!

 

[jimlloyd40]

Installing the clutch stop and removing the spring helps me a lot. Smooth as butter now on start from 1st. Thanks everyone

And it didn't even take two weeks.

 

[Strange Mud]

....I still have issues with reverse while parked on a hill and backing out.

does hill holder work in this situation

just curious....I find it works well going fwd but have never tried it backing up. I set mine to quick release.

Mud

 

[dtran11]

does hill holder work in this situation

just curious....I find it works well going fwd but have never tried it backing up. I set mine to quick release.

Mud

How do you disable it?

 

[Strange Mud]

obd11 or vagcom

you can look those things up....they are very popular tools to modify settings in the car.

 

[Golfs everyday]

....I still have issues with reverse while parked on a hill and backing out. I'm really not used to the increased torque you get from reverse and I burn my clutch nearly every time that happens (very strong, obvious smell). I absolutely avoid parking in those situations right now though, due to zero courage, haha. I've done this maybe 5 times in the last year and still freaks me out that I'm ruining the clutch.

You are ruining the clutch if you smell any burning. Not that it'll burn out immediately but will prematurely burn out your clutch. But your car is a GTI with the e-brake handle right? Just pull up on it while holding the button so your car does not roll forward and then gently apply throttle, and gently release the clutch until you feel the clutch holding the car vs your e-brake and release your e-brake, clutch-out, apply throttle more to roll car backwards. Takes some practice but take your time. You should not smell any clutch burning. I think you may have a heavy right foot.

My Golf-R has the e-parking brake so what I do is hold the brake pedal while blipping the throttle (side of foot heel/toe), gently clutch-out, roll backwards onto say my service ramps. No burning clutch. I don't use hill assist on any of my cars. I don't like it.
You may need to modify the gas pedal in order to do this though..

 

[MSchott]

If you read the original post, it's not that I can't drive my car. It's just I want to baby my clutch so I want to optimize the wear. If you drive many cars you know that every model is different. You can see the comments from other people who are experienced and have to adjust to the car. I'm sure not all people are as paranoid as me.

Please don't be paranoid. My 2017 MT GTI Sport has 78,000 miles and the clutch is fine. Unless you are modded, the stock clutch is not an issue. Don't be afraid to slip it a bit if needed from a stop. The engagement point can be a bit vague at times when cold.

 

[zinfamous]

does hill holder work in this situation

just curious....I find it works well going fwd but have never tried it backing up. I set mine to quick release.

Mud

yeah, it does work, but I'm just not used to the torque in reverse. I've avoided it so much to this point that I haven't been in enough situations to get used to it, really...which is probably the real problem. I did have the same problem early on when starting uphill going forward, but that was very quickly remedied because it's essential.

I don't live in the SF Bay Area anymore, so few chances to really get my hill work going (actually why I was so long without an MT--having recently moved there some years ago, the thought was just....eh nah, not going to deal with THAT around here--and this was before hill start was a thing...on the type of cars I was scoping, anyway).

....I did almost send a propped boat off a hill once, just trying to recover a friend's car that had been abandoned...on a Berkeley hill for years...in the prospect of buying that car. It was an MT Altima and I had no familiarity with Nissan clutches, and it had been 5 years, still, without really driving an MT at that time, and I had about 1 foot front and back, and a ravine off the side, to figure it out. ....didn't work out very well, lol. (OK, everyone survived, included the trailered boat that was propped on a 2x4 behind the Altima at the time).

 

[dtran11]

Ok one more paranoid question: when shifting into 5th do you guys do a diagonal motion or a zigzag. My older car before my gti, I had to do zigzag. Now with this I can do diagonal but don't want to brush against anything to wear it out prematurely. Thanks

 

[PowerDemon]

I always do diagonal. I find getting into 5th from 4th to be very similar as the 2nd to 3rd shift.