[RS2.5er]

I will be aquiring a 2001 Impreza RS within a week or two and it is a manual transmission. what are some pointers you guys can give me?
what i know: clutch to start engine
slowly release clutch and slowly give gas while starting n 1st
while shifting clutch- shift- release clutch- give gas
downshifting clutch- downshift- release clutch and match RPM's (blip throttle?)
now ive been watching videos and is it better to put the car in neutral when coming to a stop and then shifting back to first or just leave it in gear and clutch and brake at the same time?
anything i missed?

 

[APGEcho]

Practice practice practice. It's not as hard people make it out to be. You should be good to go out on the road after like... a day or 2.

 

[cmiovino]

I'll hopefully be getting a manual for my next Subie. Hope all goes well for you. It can't be that difficult, but reading and watching videos is totally different than actually driving yourself You'll get the hang of it.

 

[RS2.5er]

ya maybe im making it out to be harder than it is
i pick thing up really fast though when its hands on...

 

[cmiovino]

ya maybe im making it out to be harder than it is
i pick thing up really fast though when its hands on...

Do you have anyone to give you some hands on tips?

 

[Dr.Drift]

just do a few laps around the block or in a parking lot you'll be fine. its all about getting the feeling for your car. but what you said is the basics you'll pick up a lot more the more you drive.

 

[RS2.5er]

Do you have anyone to give you some hands on tips?

ya my dad.. he is a life long mechanic and body repair guy.
he also drove stick for like more than 3/4 of his driving time
and wow i am surprised to get this many replies so fast lol

 

[GC8.Love]

You should be fine.

I thought that the RS's clutch was pretty bitchy to me when I was super noobish, but I'm kind of glad I got so used to it - any other car's seems easier to me.

My dad "sang" me around a parking lot once, with me shifting at certain points of the song. He never could carry a tune, but it was still fun, and I laughed my way through most of it. IIRC, it was something from Monty Python.

 

[rage557]

dont shift into first unless you are stopped. Most of the RS's won't like that. Other than that what you put in your first post sounds pretty good.

If you can find one I would try to rent a car with a manual tranny to learn on.

Untill you get it mastered feather the clutch and gas. If you stall out, you either didnt give it enough gas or let out the clutch to quickly.

Keep in mind that everything should be very smooth actions. Smoothly push in and release the clutch and a smooth launch will follow

 

[iLikeTofu]

what i know: clutch to start engine
slowly release clutch and slowly give gas while starting n 1st
while shifting clutch- shift- release clutch- give gas
downshifting clutch- downshift- release clutch and match RPM's (blip throttle?)
now ive been watching videos and is it better to put the car in neutral when coming to a stop and then shifting back to first or just leave it in gear and clutch and brake at the same time?
anything i missed?

Clutch in and hold to start engine. Make sure its in neutral since its your first time, that way when you release the clutch it won't lurch forward and die.

To get moving, Clutch in and shift to first then clutch and gas play. At this point when you begin to release the clutch (1/3 of the way up?) the car will slowly being to move forward, at this point you should start giving it a tiny bit of gas (in more complicated words, the same amount you are releasing in the clutch you should put the same amount of gas). You should be able to feel this transition whether it is good or bad. This is assuming you are on flat surfaces.

Once you get neutral to first and first to second, you'll be fine for the remainder gears.

At this stage since you are starting, its best to avoid downshifting unless you are confident. While cruising and coming to a stop you can brake like the car is automatic and when the rpms drop to about a safe zone of <2000rpm you can put the car in neutral and let it roll to where you want it to stop, applying the brake if necessary. When you get better at manual you will find alternative ways to come to a stop.

As for leaving the car in gear when coming to a break, I do it on short stops. On longer intersection stops I leave it in neutral. It gets tiring to hold the clutch and brake for long periods.

Its hard to learn from videos, my advice is to just go at it and practice. Practice consistently and you will be fine. The RS will treat you good. I always thought it was a great car to learn in . The RS was my first manual car and I drove it with 2 days of manual practice on an off-roading torque loving jeep.

 

[asdf]

don't worry about downshifting until you're confident enough just driving.

 

[imprezaL2345]

heres a tip that helped me. shift into first and slowly release the clutch until it starts to move. then give it gas. my girlfriend learned asap like that never stalling my car out.

 

[Oz10]

I got my first manual subi about a month ago. I have found that pretty much everything that has been said is true. Good advice everybody!

 

[friscorice88]

be careful around your clutch its pretty easy to make it stink. don't over rev

 

[aveisone]

i learned how to drive stick when i bought my 03 acura cl type s 6 speed and drove it home from jersey. that was a bitch. but what a fun car to learn on.

 

[krzemienr]

Clutch in and hold to start engine. Make sure its in neutral since its your first time, that way when you release the clutch it won't lurch forward and die.

To get moving, Clutch in and shift to first then clutch and gas play. At this point when you begin to release the clutch (1/3 of the way up?) the car will slowly being to move forward, at this point you should start giving it a tiny bit of gas (in more complicated words, the same amount you are releasing in the clutch you should put the same amount of gas). You should be able to feel this transition whether it is good or bad. This is assuming you are on flat surfaces.

Once you get neutral to first and first to second, you'll be fine for the remainder gears.

At this stage since you are starting, its best to avoid downshifting unless you are confident. While cruising and coming to a stop you can brake like the car is automatic and when the rpms drop to about a safe zone of <2000rpm you can put the car in neutral and let it roll to where you want it to stop, applying the brake if necessary. When you get better at manual you will find alternative ways to come to a stop.

As for leaving the car in gear when coming to a break, I do it on short stops. On longer intersection stops I leave it in neutral. It gets tiring to hold the clutch and brake for long periods.

Its hard to learn from videos, my advice is to just go at it and practice. Practice consistently and you will be fine. The RS will treat you good. I always thought it was a great car to learn in . The RS was my first manual car and I drove it with 2 days of manual practice on an off-roading torque loving jeep.

so with that said you're not supposed to drop the car in neutral under 2000 rpm's?

 

[Rooster]

Really, this can't be explained over the internet. Get someone who knows how, and have them teach you. The trick of it is getting the feeling for it, not knowing the steps, so the only way to really learn is to practice. Get some seat time, and it won't take long to pick it up at all.

 

[RS2.5er]

thanks for the responses guys!
i will be sure to keep you all updated as i purchased the car before it was even on the lot. and the dealer didnt get to look at it to fix any potential problems. it is a week today so im getting pretty F*****g anxious lol

 

[krzemienr]

where u located?

 

[MCV]

your 1st post sounds right, i would not try to rev match until you get used to driving stick. If you want to down shift, just push the clutch in, down shift, slowly release clutch. i say down shift when the car is at about 1500-2000 rpm's. At these low rpm's it should be easier to release the clutch back out, at higher rpm's it will take longer to ease the clutch back out since there is more speed to transfer between the tranny and engine. 1st time i drove my rs home i did not know how to down shift, my brother inlaw told me to downshift and i would pop the clutch lol(that wasnt fun ). I am glad my tranny was in good condition, after that i drove around the block and practiced. GL, and practice somewhere safe.