[swampfox94]

I personally didn't like the manual. Just too much power. I love sticks in slow cars but for this I was just not having as much fun as I should have been

[NEfan508]

@deosaa9

My son @ 14 learned on the m2, yes he's not allowed over 5k rpm and never driving alone but he has more but in miles on it than I do

Car is more forgiving

On Sunday's after hours we play around a big shopping plaza for a while (safely) practicing how low 3rd can go without stalling, 10 mph, 7mph then @ 3mph IT KEPT going, low speeds to high it's simple! for now my josh is just shift for muscle memory but already he's comfortable driving it in Boson City traffic, 1st to 2nd then stop, over and over for an hour anyone will get the hang of driving 6MT

Edit: he drives my 20' Tundra like a champ

My thinking: stress him now with big trucks and powerful coupes NOW so when he's older driving alone it'll be easy peasy

[deosaa9]

Thanks all. I am picking up my 2018 M2 LCI this week! Then a 1500 mile drive home. I spent 3 hours driving MT yday in an older Nissan to prep. I stalled a lot getting off the line in 1st. But made it to the highway by the end relatively smooth.

QQ: Can I downshift from 3rd or 4th to 1st directly if slowing down for traffic at a red light from 40-50mph? I figure with the power of the car that 1st gear has a wide power band.

Any noob tips for M2 6MT are appreciated

[Al Bundy's Dodge]

Originally Posted by deosaa9

Thanks all. I am picking up my 2018 M2 LCI this week! Then a 1500 mile drive home. I spent 3 hours driving MT yday in an older Nissan to prep. I stalled a lot getting off the line in 1st. But made it to the highway by the end relatively smooth.

QQ: Can I downshift from 3rd or 4th to 1st directly if slowing down for traffic at a red light from 40-50mph? I figure with the power of the car that 1st gear has a wide power band.

Any noob tips for M2 6MT are appreciated

I don't recommend down shifting into first while moving. Generally first gear should only be used when already at a complete stop, to get you going.

If you are slowing down to a roll, down shift into 2nd. If you need to continue to crawl at a very slow speed (like bumper to bumper traffic) a downshift into first would be ok, though the car will sometimes prevent you…usually if you are already going too fast in my experience.

If you are coming up on a stop light, just put in neutral while braking to a complete stop. When light turns green shift into first to get going.

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by deosaa9

Thanks all. I am picking up my 2018 M2 LCI this week!

Congratulations!

Originally Posted by deosaa9

QQ: Can I downshift from 3rd or 4th to 1st directly if slowing down for traffic at a red light from 40-50mph?

No.

Technically the car "can do it" but you are wearing the synchros for no good reason, and the engine won't be too happy about it either. If you are one of those folks (some of us current/former motorcycle riders like to always been in the correct gear for emergency situations) then I suggest down shifting through each gear sequentially as you slow down.

Tips? Practice. Practice, practice, practice being smooth on both upshifts and downshifts. After you get good at that, turn off the rev-matching and learn how to rev-match (heel & toe) yourself.

[deosaa9]

Hi all, I just picked up the car today. I would say I’m loving it but the reality is I’m just trying not to make a fool of myself. Had a few embarrassing moments at traffic lights.

I had a few specific Qs before I begin my second day of driving to get this thing back home.

1. What do you do when you see a red lighht or stop sign while you’re doing 50-60mph? I brake like it’s an automatic, wait till RPMs drop to 1k, press clutch in, shift to neutral, then when at a stop shift into first

2. What do you do if the traffic is stopped but the light is green but traffic is about to pickup? I didn’t know what to do and just stalled out in heavy traffic..maybe I should prematurely slow down into first and crawl instead of coming to a complete stop?

3. Is the shift from 1st to 2nd supposed to be super awkward? What I mean is whenever I shift into first I pretty much have to shift into second right away

4. Is it okay to ride the clutch and not use the throttle in heavy traffic to get going?

Thanks in advance for any help

[Fuji550i]

It sounds like a bad accident about to happen. You should practice more on a not so busy road with someone who has experience driving a manual for some pointers. You might end up killing yourself or someone with a powerful car like a M2 and you can't control it yet.

Best of luck to you with new car. Enjoy and take it easy for now

[deosaa9]

Originally Posted by Fuji550i

It sounds like a bad accident about to happen. You should practice more on a not so busy road with someone who has experience driving a manual for some pointers. You might end up killing yourself or someone with a powerful car like a M2 and you can't control it yet.

Best of luck to you with new car. Enjoy and take it easy for now

Thanks. The seller and I actually spent quite some time driving. I’m
Going to spend more time tomorrow AM in the parking lot here practicing.

Not sure what the power of the car has to do with it though. I actually had an easier time with this one than the old Nissan I was driving to practice. I can’t not control it because it’s so powerful but because I’m not used to the gearbox. I had more struggles with my friend’s 120hp Nissan mostly because the clutch was a lot less forgiving.

[smknjoe]

1. Speed doesn't matter. If you are coming to a complete stop: brakes like any other car and put into neutral before you stop. I don't put it in gear until I see the light getting ready to turn green (cross traffic has a yellow light.)

2. Same as 1 unless traffic is creeping and then keep it in 1st or 2nd depending on speed. If it's really heavy stop and go traffic you are either going to be doing a lot of leg work going in and out of gear, or if you can keep a good distance from the traffic ahead you can creep in 1st/2nd.

3. 1st is super short. That's normal for this car. Can't go much over ~20-30mph

4. Never ride the clutch. Don't keep your foot anywhere near the pedal unless you are changing gears. I've had clutches last well over 100,000 miles with this technique.

…and I would recommend practicing a couple hours minimum in light or no traffic…just so you don't feel pressured to make immediate decisions because of the ahole honking at you.

Everyone has their own way of doing it though…
I remember getting my first manual and stalling it a several times on Westheimer (a very busy thoroughfare) in Houston during rush hour. It was nerve racking, but I made it.

[BallHog5873]

Im new to the manual M2 as well. Be careful when shifting from neutral into 1st, on a couple occasions when I felt rushed bc of traffic behind me I accidentally went through the gate and into reverse instead. It's happened twice to me now, so Im learning to stay calm and take my time and not worry about the other cars.

[ioftendrive]

Another tip for manual drivers.

When waiting at a red traffic light or in other situations when stopped with the engine idling for moderate or long periods, wait with the shift in neutral and foot off the clutch. It reduces load on the clutch thrust bearing and crankshaft thrust bearings. Here's a long-winded explanation as to why.

[akkando]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong because I own a DCT car but when I rented a MT M2C I found I could pretty much do all legal speeds in 3rd, or even 2nd gear. So if you're going 60 and traffic seems like it's slowing down but it might speed up, you're just not sure, you can probably go straight to 3rd to deal with anything but creeping traffic. Even 2nd gear really takes you to like 60-70 right?

2nd gear is probably what you want for slow traffic unless you're starting from a stop. No need to be in first if your going like 5 mph.

If you're coming to a stop I'd down shift through the gears but stop at 2nd. I'd never go from 2nd to 1st, instead just be in 2nd clutch in brake, then get to neutral when stopped. If you don't come to a stop and you're still moving just accelerate from 2nd. If you do come to a stop start in 1st obviously.

Best practice when stopped is to be in neutral until you're ready to go. It's tempting to clutch in and sit in 1st but it's not good for throw out bearing.

[smknjoe]

Downshifting is fun, and sounds cool, but is completely unnecessary if coming to a full stop with no anticipation of needing to accelerate. After a beginner gets the basics down, then they can learn to heal-toe.

I'd say most people that know how to drive stick don't know how to heal-toe. It's definitely not needed for day to day driving. It's great for road race courses or having fun and challenging yourself on the twisties.

[deosaa9]

Thanks all. Made the drive of 1500 miles to Houston. First day had a number of embarrassing moments. Got smoother each day and by the last day I stalled out 2x in 12 hours of driving, once in an embarrassing way.

Still have lots to learn and practice though! I’m looking forward to getting the basics down so I can learn to get some performance out of this vehicle.

[Brad DeMotte]

Hands down, get the manual tranny. Re-learning to drive a stick is like riding a bike.....it'll all come back soon enough. I briefly drove a car with paddle shifters & didn't like it.....call me old school, but there's nothing like rowing through the gears.
You'll be on the street & not the track, where you want to learn on a low HP car. Too many inexperienced drivers get in trouble with fast cars, as there skills are nowhere near the ability of the car.

[BigKutta]

Originally Posted by deosaa9

Hi all, I just picked up the car today. I would say I’m loving it but the reality is I’m just trying not to make a fool of myself. Had a few embarrassing moments at traffic lights.

I had a few specific Qs before I begin my second day of driving to get this thing back home.

1. What do you do when you see a red lighht or stop sign while you’re doing 50-60mph? I brake like it’s an automatic, wait till RPMs drop to 1k, press clutch in, shift to neutral, then when at a stop shift into first

2. What do you do if the traffic is stopped but the light is green but traffic is about to pickup? I didn’t know what to do and just stalled out in heavy traffic..maybe I should prematurely slow down into first and crawl instead of coming to a complete stop?

3. Is the shift from 1st to 2nd supposed to be super awkward? What I mean is whenever I shift into first I pretty much have to shift into second right away

4. Is it okay to ride the clutch and not use the throttle in heavy traffic to get going?

Thanks in advance for any help

1. Brake, clutch, neutral. Stay in neutral at light, with foot on brake of course, and off the clutch
2. Depends. If traffic is moving now, shift down sequentially to the right gear (4 to 3 to 2) and keep moving, if you have enough space. Shifting speed is your friend
3. 1st is so short its better to stay out of it unless on a full stop
4. No. Get in gear and use throttle as much as you can.

All these things will come naturally to you once your shift speeds get better. You are just getting familiar with the car.