# learning how to drive my GTI- couple questions for you!



## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

I just bought my first manual, learning slowly but surely. 
Couple questions-

It tells me to be in 6th gear when driving 40-45mph..is this correct? Or should that only be used when driving faster?

Downshifting : good, bad or matter of opinion? If so, what is the correct way to do so? I've tried it a couple times and it didn't work very well (it always wants me in a high gear) 

Help please =) 
Thank you!


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## GTarr (May 17, 2012)

If I'm not accelerating quickly (ie for normal lazy driving), yeah, 6th at 40mph or so is about right (sometimes a bit lower even, but I'm a notorious lugger / hypermiler). As for your question about downshifting... I don't really understand. Downshifting is necessary when you're slowing down. It is not optional. If the car shudders, it's in too high a gear, and you need to downshift. If the car is happy in the gear its in, you only need to downshift if you want to accelerate quickly. And yes, the car may tell you to upshift when you do this. Feel free to ignore it.

GTarr


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## LC6X (Nov 2, 2006)

Learn to listen to the engine, it will tell you if you need to shift to a higher/lower gear. And as stated above, yes downshifting is a must when slowing down, just let the clutch out slowly.


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## Rockerchick (May 10, 2005)

^ This. 

You'll learn the car pretty fast to learn what gear it likes at what speeds. The upshift light is going to help you shift better to get better economy, but you certainly don't have to follow it. I get into 6th around town in my '03 around 45-50mph. But if I am going to pass someone or need to speed up quick, I'm usually in 4th or 5th. There is no absolute answer though. Just learn your car. Worry less and drive more!


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## mrsteve7 (Jul 3, 2012)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> I just bought my first manual, learning slowly but surely.
> Couple questions-
> 
> It tells me to be in 6th gear when driving 40-45mph..is this correct? Or should that only be used when driving faster?
> ...


As the others have said, you'll need to downshift to keep the engine at a practical RPM as you slow down and then need to re-apply the gas. I've always been reluctant to downshift for engine braking when coming to a stop where the brakes can be applied instead. Rationale is that it's far simpler/less costly to replace brake pads than it is a clutch. Just my 2 cents.


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

Ugh this is frustrating! I honestly don't know how to drive..I wish I had a dad or bf to help! 

So I appreciate you guys helping...should I / when should I use the break? 
I feel if I'm in say 5th gear and coming to a red light, I can't downshift to 4th because I'm still going pretty fast and the car wouldn't want me to go into a lower gear


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## LC6X (Nov 2, 2006)

In that case, you push the break and the clutch. Just hold the clutch in until you come to a stop then go into 1st to start again. You always want to downshift when possible, but if you cant just get that clutch in :thumbup:


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## Rockerchick (May 10, 2005)

I usually engine brake coming up to a light and downshift into first if the light is going to change shortly after...sometimes only down to 2nd if the light changes while I'm still rolling. Otherwise, throw the car in neutral and just use the brakes to get to the light.

Honestly, you are over thinking things. You'll get the hang of it all quickly and it will become second nature. I hardly think about shifting or what gear I'm in.


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

Won't I wear my brakes out faster? 
I also heard you don't want to overwork your gearbox nd do unnecessary shifting


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## Rockerchick (May 10, 2005)

DubGirl13 said:


> In that case, you push the break and the clutch. Just hold the clutch in until you come to a stop then go into 1st to start again. You always want to downshift when possible, but if you cant just get that clutch in :thumbup:


Why would you hold the clutch in like that? Either downshift/keep coasting and start again from a roll or go into neutral and get off the clutch. You don't want to ride the clutch if you don't have to.


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## Rockerchick (May 10, 2005)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> Won't I wear my brakes out faster?
> I also heard you don't want to overwork your gearbox nd do unnecessary shifting


As I said, you are over thinking things. I had 102k on my New Beetle before she was totaled and had no issues with the clutch/trans. Brakes, yes they wear out, but they should get you 30-40k easy. I have 123k on my GTI. Clutch is still perfect, as is the trans. Plenty of people with over 200k on original manual gearboxes. Heck, we swapped in a 215k manual trans into an '01 Jetta TDI and we've put probably 6k on it since. No problems at all shifting. 

Just drive. Don't worry so much


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## mrsteve7 (Jul 3, 2012)

DubGirl13 said:


> In that case, you push the break and the clutch. Just hold the clutch in until you come to a stop then go into 1st to start again. You always want to downshift when possible, but if you cant just get that clutch in :thumbup:


Be careful holding in that clutch unnecessarily; it may ruin the throw-out bearing prematurely.
A little story 'bout this: My wife one night complained her (at the time 1990) RX-7 was making a noise when she pushed in on the clutch. I thought this can't be good for a car with just 17k on the odo; it was practically new. So the car went to the dealer who diagnosed the throw-out bearing was worn out and had to be replaced. I had a hunch about things and we took a ride in the car after it was fixed so I could observe her driving. Guess what? She kept the clutch depressed from the time she started slowing down to the point the car came to a stop and was put in 1st gear. She changed her ways and put 120k on that replaced throw-out bearing in that same car.


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## GTarr (May 17, 2012)

As others have said, if you're coming up to a red light, shift into neutral and use the brakes to stop the car. I used to engine-brake, but tend not to any more. You can downshift through the gears as you're approaching the light, but I find that to be more trouble than it's worth. (However, this might be a good exercise for you to get used to what speeds & gears match up well.) Shift into neutral (ie put the stick in the middle, and let out the clutch pedal) and coast up to the light. If the light turns green, shift into whatever gear is appropriate for the speed you're going (this might be the tricky bit for you, until you get the feel of things).

GTarr


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## Sanityana (Mar 4, 2012)

What everyone else said and I'll add that once you get used to it automatics will feel really strange and disconnected to drive 

Anyone else noticed this?


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## Rockerchick (May 10, 2005)

I more notice going for the non-existent clutch pedal :laugh: We're down to all manuals now. Its rare that I'm driving an auto now. And I always go for the clutch that isn't there. 

Our Honda was certainly disconnected. But it was a good ride. Came in handy when I had a busted hand after an accident and couldn't shift a manual with my brace on...but I was ready for a manual again after a week of driving it. Took 3 weeks for me to heal enough and get another car :banghead:


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

GTarr said:


> As others have said, if you're coming up to a red light, shift into neutral and use the brakes to stop the car. I used to engine-brake, but tend not to any more. You can downshift through the gears as you're approaching the light, but I find that to be more trouble than it's worth. (However, this might be a good exercise for you to get used to what speeds & gears match up well.) Shift into neutral (ie put the stick in the middle, and let out the clutch pedal) and coast up to the light. If the light turns green, shift into whatever gear is appropriate for the speed you're going (this might be the tricky bit for you, until you get the feel of things).
> 
> GTarr


I have been doing that, but everyone says I have to downshift and I don't know how (people say to tap the gas?!)


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

Rockerchick said:


> I more notice going for the non-existent clutch pedal :laugh: We're down to all manuals now. Its rare that I'm driving an auto now. And I always go for the clutch that isn't there.
> 
> Our Honda was certainly disconnected. But it was a good ride. Came in handy when I had a busted hand after an accident and couldn't shift a manual with my brace on...but I was ready for a manual again after a week of driving it. Took 3 weeks for me to heal enough and get another car :banghead:


Haha well at least you're back in a manual now!


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## JUS_GT_EYEZ (Nov 12, 2001)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> I have been doing that, but everyone says I have to downshift and I don't know how (people say to tap the gas?!)


 
:thumbup: for sticking with it it.. :laugh: People love driving manual cars because you can decide how the car will react in what ever situation you are in. With that comes the responcibility of learing what rpm ranges are appropriate for the gear you will be in and the speed you are traveling. 

As you drive the car, take note of how the car feels (ie reacts) at different speeds and rpm ranges. In time you will get to feel what rpm you are and no longer have to check the guage. Its his connection to the car that keeps people comeing back to manual trans cars. 

people say you may need to tap the gas when downshifting in order to match the rpm to the speed you are going for a smoother shift. however this really depends on the situation. If you are in 5th gear at 4000 rpm and dump the clutch and try to downshift into 4th without letting hte car slow, you will need to hit the gas to get it back up to ~4k or higher since you are going into a lowere gear or it will "not like" it lol.. 

the most important thing is to learn to feel where the appropriate rpm ranges are in each gear. This takes time. dont be afaid to avoid downshifting until you are comfortable with this. practice engine braking instead first.. Ie just let off the gas in the gear you are in until it slow. If not driving aggresively, it should allow you to safely slow the car enough to coast to a light and brake.

oh, and I would never downshift into first gear.... your tranny will thank you for avoiding that. :laugh:


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

JUS_GT_EYEZ said:


> :thumbup: for sticking with it it.. :laugh: People love driving manual cars because you can decide how the car will react in what ever situation you are in. With that comes the responcibility of learing what rpm ranges are appropriate for the gear you will be in and the speed you are traveling.
> 
> As you drive the car, take note of how the car feels (ie reacts) at different speeds and rpm ranges. In time you will get to feel what rpm you are and no longer have to check the guage. Its his connection to the car that keeps people comeing back to manual trans cars.
> 
> ...


Ok thank you so much! I can kinda drive it, just annoyed I'm not good at it yet..I feel I should be a pro by now (I've been driving the car for about 4 or 5 days) 
Hopefully it will become easier but I don't think it will without someone beside me ha


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## Rockerchick (May 10, 2005)

It took me a few weeks to really get it all down solidly. And even then, I still stalled in traffic sometimes for a few months. It can really rattle you when it happens, but try not to worry too much. Just get the car started again. 

Heck, probably about one a year I still manage to stall out one of our cars. My hubby does too. So don't feel too self-conscious. It will all come to you with time. Don't try to rush it.


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## mrsteve7 (Jul 3, 2012)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> Ok thank you so much! I can kinda drive it, just annoyed I'm not good at it yet..I feel I should be a pro by now (I've been driving the car for about 4 or 5 days)
> Hopefully it will become easier but I don't think it will without someone beside me ha


At 4 or 5 days you're just getting started!
Don't worry and give yourself some time to get a feel for things.
Like others have said, at some point shifting will become second nature for you ... I'd bet on it.


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## feels_road (Jan 27, 2005)

OP, if it is difficult for you to get the lower gear in, then you are downshifting too early. It is perfectly fine to use the brakes while you are in gear to slow down, without depressing the clutch pedal, as long as the motor still is at reasonable revs and isn't lugging. When you are still revving quite high and want to downshift for engine braking, you need to rev-match: in the lower gear, the engine will spin faster. So you clutch in and get out of the higher gear, and before you engage the lower gear you briefly blip the throttle to raise rpm just a bit. Engagement of the lower gear (i.e., letting the clutch pedal out) is easiest when the rpm are just starting to fall again. However, since you are still learning the basics, I would leave rev-matching for next month or so... 

Also, under normal circumstances, you don't downshift into first - you come to a halt from second with the clutch in, and then shift to neutral at the stop (don't drive in neutral!). You only drive in first to then switch to second, or in an extremely slow parking lot, or during extremely slow stop-and-go.


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

mrsteve7 said:


> At 4 or 5 days you're just getting started!
> Don't worry and give yourself some time to get a feel for things.
> Like others have said, at some point shifting will become second nature for you ... I'd bet on it.


I really hope so! =) I love my car, but don't feel awesome driving it ha


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

Rockerchick said:


> It took me a few weeks to really get it all down solidly. And even then, I still stalled in traffic sometimes for a few months. It can really rattle you when it happens, but try not to worry too much. Just get the car started again.
> 
> Heck, probably about one a year I still manage to stall out one of our cars. My hubby does too. So don't feel too self-conscious. It will all come to you with time. Don't try to rush it.


Ok =) thanks!


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

feels_road said:


> OP, if it is difficult for you to get the lower gear in, then you are downshifting too early. It is perfectly fine to use the brakes while you are in gear to slow down, without depressing the clutch pedal, as long as the motor still is at reasonable revs and isn't lugging. When you are still revving quite high and want to downshift for engine braking, you need to rev-match: in the lower gear, the engine will spin faster. So you clutch in and get out of the higher gear, and before you engage the lower gear you briefly blip the throttle to raise rpm just a bit. Engagement of the lower gear (i.e., letting the clutch pedal out) is easiest when the rpm are just starting to fall again. However, since you are still learning the basics, I would leave rev-matching for next month or so...
> 
> Also, under normal circumstances, you don't downshift into first - you come to a halt from second with the clutch in, and then shift to neutral at the stop (don't drive in neutral!). You only drive in first to then switch to second, or in an extremely slow parking lot, or during extremely slow stop-and-go.


I never downshift to first but I do coast in neutral


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## GTarr (May 17, 2012)

Neutral coasting is fine. It's an often-used hypermiling technique. Just don't forget you're in neutral and hit the gas.  When downshifting (in normal driving circumstances, ie not hooning it) you shouldn't have to do much, if anything to the gas pedal. If you're downshifting at the right speeds / rpms, it will just line up. If you're downshifting early (ie at too high a speed for the next gear down), then yes, you will need to gas it and rev-match. But you'd probably only be doing this when downshifting for acceleration purposes (ie to pass someone), so you should already be ready to get on the gas. It would go like this: left foot pushes down clutch and right foot gets off gas, move shifter to next lower gear, right foot covers gas, then let the left foot up (releasing the clutch), and push the right foot down (to give more gas and acclerate). This is _not_ what you would do when downshifting coming up to a redlight! this would only be for acceleration purposes.

You're still really early in on it, it will become more natural as you get used to it. Everybody's experience is a little different, and some people take to it more naturally than others. I hated driving until my mom made me learn manual, and at that point, just _everything_ made more sense to me. And it wasn't long before I actually liked driving. My brother had a harder time of it, but he still got to be pretty proficient at it. So I think you're doing fine for a starter! More practice will get you feeling more comfortable. Maybe find an empty parking lot and practice going up and down gears 1-3, and stopping and starting. Good luck!

GTarr


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

GTarr said:


> Neutral coasting is fine. It's an often-used hypermiling technique. Just don't forget you're in neutral and hit the gas.  When downshifting (in normal driving circumstances, ie not hooning it) you shouldn't have to do much, if anything to the gas pedal. If you're downshifting at the right speeds / rpms, it will just line up. If you're downshifting early (ie at too high a speed for the next gear down), then yes, you will need to gas it and rev-match. But you'd probably only be doing this when downshifting for acceleration purposes (ie to pass someone), so you should already be ready to get on the gas. It would go like this: left foot pushes down clutch and right foot gets off gas, move shifter to next lower gear, right foot covers gas, then let the left foot up (releasing the clutch), and push the right foot down (to give more gas and acclerate). This is _not_ what you would do when downshifting coming up to a redlight! this would only be for acceleration purposes.
> 
> You're still really early in on it, it will become more natural as you get used to it. Everybody's experience is a little different, and some people take to it more naturally than others. I hated driving until my mom made me learn manual, and at that point, just _everything_ made more sense to me. And it wasn't long before I actually liked driving. My brother had a harder time of it, but he still got to be pretty proficient at it. So I think you're doing fine for a starter! More practice will get you feeling more comfortable. Maybe find an empty parking lot and practice going up and down gears 1-3, and stopping and starting. Good luck!
> 
> GTarr


Ok! Thanks again! =)


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## feels_road (Jan 27, 2005)

GTarr said:


> Neutral coasting is fine.


It's OK to do occasionally and at low speeds, but it ill-advised to do it all the time because of safety concerns. If the engine stalls, you lose brake and steering assist. And if you need to accelerate, you can't.


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## mrsteve7 (Jul 3, 2012)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> I never downshift to first but I do coast in neutral


That's good; you don't need to go into 1st unless you're at a complete stop (or nearly stopped).
You'll find the engine has enough power to accelerate in 2nd from a roll.
I don't think 1st gear is synchroed in the first place ... but I could be wrong.


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## john prusinski (Jan 29, 2011)

the two things that helped me learn how to drive manual was one person and just doing it myself. i had too many people trying to tell me how to drive stick and it got confusing and finally my friend actually took me out and helped me out. once i got my first manual i sucked and as time goes on (like others say) i did a lot better and i quickly learned. over all it took me a couple months to actually be confident to the point where i wouldnt kill my car in traffic and i wouldnt have to avoid hills. to this day i still kill my car every now and then. good luck :thumbup:


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## her_gti (Oct 9, 2012)

The manual in the GTI (imo) is much easier to feel out than, say, a civic si. I've had mine for about a year now and she's taught me well. 

I hope you are getting the hang of things! I see that so many people have given you words of encouragement! Learning a standard is easy when you stop over-thinking things and go with the flow. I couldn't imagine driving an automatic now! In fact, if I do drive my boyfriends DSG i am constantly feeling for a clutch! You will get the hang of things and you will be fine


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## BRES (Jul 24, 2009)

Ah, you're one of those that's making the beautiful noise (grinding gears) I hear on the road all the time.


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

her_gti said:


> The manual in the GTI (imo) is much easier to feel out than, say, a civic si. I've had mine for about a year now and she's taught me well.
> 
> I hope you are getting the hang of things! I see that so many people have given you words of encouragement! Learning a standard is easy when you stop over-thinking things and go with the flow. I couldn't imagine driving an automatic now! In fact, if I do drive my boyfriends DSG i am constantly feeling for a clutch! You will get the hang of things and you will be fine


Thanks! I'm getting used to it..little better every day but still stall occasionally ha


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

BRES said:


> Ah, you're one of those that's making the beautiful noise (grinding gears) I hear on the road all the time.


Yeah..definitely not doing that..


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## TypeGTI (Dec 31, 2004)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> Yeah..definitely not doing that..


You better not be grinding those gears, I will personally come and remove that automobile from that garage


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

TypeGTI said:


> You better not be grinding those gears, I will personally come and remove that automobile from that garage


Ha ok..I definitely wouldn't want that!


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

.


TypeGTI said:


> You better not be grinding those gears, I will personally come and remove that automobile from that garage


Ha ok...


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## TypeGTI (Dec 31, 2004)

C'mon you know I want a new car.


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

TypeGTI said:


> C'mon you know I want a new car.


So buy one.?


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## shedtearsforwisconsin (Nov 1, 2009)

maybe you shouldnt have bought a brand new car to learn on. your clutch will more than likely need to be replaced sooner than normal. and downshifting is fine. just dont hit the red line. otherwise have fun with it and see what works best for you. volkswagen claims this MPG and it tells you to shift to get those statstics. so you dont have to listen to a screen telling you how to drive. just get out there and drive it.


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## Derby Herbie (Mar 11, 2012)

I just bought a new Turbo Beetle M6 in mid-September, first manual I've had since early 90's (had an 89' Ford Escort M4, and prior to that a 78' Camaro M3....Even with prior experience, it has taken awhile to get comfortable/confident with shifting again. And I find this Turbo engine is kind of touchy in first gear....easy to lug if not revved enough, easy to over-rev causing abrupt take-offs....But I'm finally really starting to get the groove of it all. The Turbo Beetle's don't have a shift light, thankfully


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## shedtearsforwisconsin (Nov 1, 2009)

Derby Herbie said:


> I just bought a new Turbo Beetle M6 in mid-September, first manual I've had since early 90's (had an 89' Ford Escort M4, and prior to that a 78' Camaro M3....Even with prior experience, it has taken awhile to get comfortable/confident with shifting again. And I find this Turbo engine is kind of touchy in first gear....easy to lug if not revved enough, easy to over-rev causing abrupt take-offs....But I'm finally really starting to get the groove of it all. The Turbo Beetle's don't have a shift light, thankfully


try driving a tuned turbo car.


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## GliGirlDriver (Dec 15, 2009)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> Won't I wear my brakes out faster?
> I also heard you don't want to overwork your gearbox nd do unnecessary shifting


downshifting to slow down or for a quick acceleration isnt bad..my mom does unnecessary shifting to where she has a habit with it, shifting out and into the same gear 2-3 times just because :screwy: or she'll have her music loud or be on the phone and will be in 3rd when she should really be in 5th but she just rides the rpm sometimes, and I cannot break her out of her shifting habit. She skips gears all the time too which is just a personal pet peeve of mine :sly:




BRES said:


> Ah, you're one of those that's making the beautiful noise (grinding gears) I hear on the road all the time.


I bought my first 1.8t not knowing how to drive standard either and the first time i heard this noise I thought I broke the entire car and let someone else drive it back to my house. When driving stick becomes your second nature and you have the moment where you grind your gears you just go.."really?.." :laugh:


GL luck with it, once you have it down its a blast :wave:


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## her_gti (Oct 9, 2012)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> Thanks! I'm getting used to it..little better every day but still stall occasionally ha


It takes time! It will become second nature! :laugh:


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## Derby Herbie (Mar 11, 2012)

shedtearsforwisconsin said:


> try driving a tuned turbo car.


APR Stage 1 comes spring....thats the plan


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## ralphieboy (Oct 1, 2002)

Just take your time with shifting. There is no set rule for anything. Synchronizing smoothly gas and clutch with shifting is something that appears complicated, but in actuality, is not so difficult at all.
Stop thinking and listen to your engine.


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## Derby Herbie (Mar 11, 2012)

ralphieboy said:


> Stop thinking and listen to your engine.


That is the one downside to a manual....I find myself having to turn down (or off) the stereo to hear my engine, when taking off from a stop. When I don't, I'm more likely to under-rev , lugging engine, or over-revving, with excessive clutch slippage. The 2.0 tsi seems very touchy in first gear. An eventual tune will give it the torque it really needs.


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## aristotlewilde (Sep 4, 2004)

There is a lot of good advice here. Also good to see the varying opinions on downshifting etc, since IMO there is no true "right way". 

I have been driving a stick for the better party of twenty years and RARELY downshift. It wasn't until I started riding motorcycles that I really decided to work on downshifting and even then I do it on my bike, not my car. I've never had to replace a clutch on any of my cars (knock on wood) either. 

Do what you feel comfortable with a no gets you from a to b without stalling for now, worry about advanced technique later. You drive a GTI. it has a very big sweet spot. Like others have said, it will become second nature,


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## ralphieboy (Oct 1, 2002)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> I just bought my first manual, learning slowly but surely.
> Couple questions-
> 
> It tells me to be in 6th gear when driving 40-45mph..is this correct? Or should that only be used when driving faster?
> ...


You are using the muscles in your brain to control and drive the car. 
Listen to the car...
forget looking at, or for, anything to tell you what to do. 
When I was 18 years old and bought my first car, a Triumph TR3. I went and picked up the car, and drove it home myself, never having drove a stick. No one ever taught me to drive a stick.And yes after a year I had to replace the clutch.
Enjoy yourself !


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

ralphieboy said:


> You are using the muscles in your brain to control and drive the car.
> Listen to the car...
> forget looking at, or for, anything to tell you what to do.
> When I was 18 years old and bought my first car, a Triumph TR3. I went and picked up the car, and drove it home myself, never having drove a stick. No one ever taught me to drive a stick.And yes after a year I had to replace the clutch.
> Enjoy yourself !


Oh great!  
I looove the car just wish I had someone to teach me..


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## rhodri45 (Feb 19, 2012)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> Oh great!
> I looove the car just wish I had someone to teach me..


my 0.02:

downshifting i feel is a necessary evil. brakes arent as expensive as a clutch, true, however there's something you can do to ease the clutch's job: 
rev-match. rev-match rev-match rev-match. this will save your syncros and your gearbox and your clutch, you can get a clutch to last well over 100k miles if you get it down to an art.

like rockerchick said in her first or second post, it just takes time to learn the car. the 2012 clutch is beautiful to learn on, i would know i have one, except im throwing the clutch away and getting a better one for a BT build, haha.

anyway, advice is useful, but the car tells you what it wants. others said it takes a couple weeks to learn that, and yes it does. but its so much more fun. 

the best way to learn is trial and error btw, so just have fun with it. 

don't pay attention to the shift indicator, unless you know your car and are trying to save gas 

tl;dr: have fun, rev-match, learn the car, have fun, and have fun.



Derby Herbie said:


> That is the one downside to a manual....I find myself having to turn down (or off) the stereo to hear my engine, when taking off from a stop. When I don't, I'm more likely to under-rev , lugging engine, or over-revving, with excessive clutch slippage. The 2.0 tsi seems very touchy in first gear. An eventual tune will give it the torque it really needs.


imo, i feel everything, as i too like to have the music up. you get used to feeling everything that is happening with your car. you can feel within half a second when something is wrong, cause you get so used to it. the clutch, all feeling. engine speed, all feeling. it really is a developed art that your body naturally learns. that type of thing is unteachable, only trial and error IMO. the basics can be taught though.

2.0TSI is not touchy enough also, in my opinion. the tune helps it alot, but still not where i want it. BT it is.


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## Goheels555 (Feb 10, 2010)

DetroitMoshCity said:


> I just bought my first manual, learning slowly but surely.
> Couple questions-
> 
> Thank you!


Now thats how you do it! I allways tell people just to buy one and they will learn whether they like it or not. I'm glad there are people out there who can still make the leap. Congrats and good luck my friend! :wave:


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## Goheels555 (Feb 10, 2010)

rhodri45 said:


> my 0.02:
> 
> rev-match. rev-match rev-match rev-match


One step at a time!


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## rhodri45 (Feb 19, 2012)

Goheels555 said:


> One step at a time!


yeahhh.


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## jf28MKIV (Apr 6, 2012)

So according to this thread...if I'm going 45–50 mph and I'm in second gear....I'm doing it wrong?


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## darren1231 (Nov 4, 2012)

jf28MKIV said:


> So according to this thread...if I'm going 45–50 mph and I'm in second gear....I'm doing it wrong?


Depends, I happen to know that you can get an 02j with a race set up that allows up to 80mph in 1st.


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## jf28MKIV (Apr 6, 2012)

darren1231 said:


> Depends, I happen to know that you can get an 02j with a race set up that allows up to 80mph in 1st.


I wish I had that set up! My fri nds street. Ike can do 100 in first :banghead: craziness


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## darren1231 (Nov 4, 2012)

jf28MKIV said:


> I wish I had that set up! My fri nds street. Ike can do 100 in first :banghead: craziness


yeah poke around eurospecsport.com a bit their gear replacements aren't that expensive. How ever getting a shop to do a bench build correctly will be. lol


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## jf28MKIV (Apr 6, 2012)

darren1231 said:


> yeah poke around eurospecsport.com a bit their gear replacements aren't that expensive. How ever getting a shop to do a bench build correctly will be. lol


Yeah I'm sure lol...I'll actually look into it though, thanks!


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## DetroitMoshCity (Sep 16, 2012)

Goheels555 said:


> Now thats how you do it! I allways tell people just to buy one and they will learn whether they like it or not. I'm glad there are people out there who can still make the leap. Congrats and good luck my friend! :wave:


Thanks! It was the only way I'd learn, is to just buy one!


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