New Eurodriver User

[Chris_t]

Hello fellow eurodrivers,
My name is Chris, and I been visting this site for a while now. I really like how everyone's so nice and helps each other out here. I always wanted a Gti and so last month it finally happened I baught a good used one. For the most part i've got it sorta figured out how to drive manual but theres some things im having trouble with. I was wondering if someone could help me out with this.

1) When im in rush hour traffic and the car infront of me moves up a little bit and then i have to move up a little bit, i cannot figure that out how to quickly engage the clutch quickly in such a sort distance. Say I have to move up half a cars length I always have to ride the clutch, otherwise i just stall if i try to engage the clutch really quickly. Any suggestions??

2) Second lets say Im aproaching a red light and im doing about 60km/h in 4th gear, so I slow down to about 50km/h and downshift into 3rd gear, and then slow down to about 30km/h and downshift into 2nd gear. Then once I slow down to maybe about 3-5km/h or so, the light turns GREEN and so at this point im still moving really slowly but not stoped or slowed down enough to put it into second gear and take off. If I put it in second and try taking off my car starts shaking and rattling, which dosent seem good and it the second gear dosent engage. Any suggestions??

Im really sorry guys for writing a huge page full of questions, but I would really apperciate it, if someone could please take the time to let me what the correct way would be to handle the above situations?...Thanks

[stefan]

Re: New Eurodriver User

welcome

i dont think rush hour is really clutch friendly, or car friendly at all for that matter, but at low speed, riding it a little isnt the end of the world. You dont want to be going too slow in first and lugging the engine either. If you accel. with next to no RPM, yeah.. you are probably lugging the engine and it will not sound too healthy. Just have to clutch in a little, give some gas and go, or shift down. I'm a TDI guy, so my rpms are not going to corresopnd with yours very well. You will get best accel. when at the rpms are above where your turbo kicks in (2000ish rpm on a TDI). Honestly.. it's like adding negative numbers. Yeah, I can do it without thinking, but trying to explain it is the suck. someone else will do better...

[R_Ethug]

Re: New Eurodriver User

welcome man..

for rush traffic don't bother going the creep n crawl unless the gap is like 2 car lengths.. just sit there until it moves and people will deal with it.

as for downshifting coming to a light if your doing like 70 and know the light may change.. yea shift to 3rd and coast up.. let the rpms get 1000 and clutch in and neutral and coast/brake if you need to stop otherwise toss it into 2nd like you said your doing and you shouldn't be rumbling and chugging.. just give it some gas and you'll be okay.. you can 2nd gear start out in a dub no problem so..

[Chris_t]

Re: New Eurodriver User

welcome

If you accel. with next to no RPM, yeah.. you are probably lugging the engine and it will not sound too healthy. Just have to clutch in a little, give some gas and go, or shift down....

thanks stefan

so push the clutch all the way in and give it a little gas then let go of the gas and slowly let out the clutch?

[Tuna]

Re: New Eurodriver User

welcome man..

for rush traffic don't bother going the creep n crawl unless the gap is like 2 car lengths.. just sit there until it moves and people will deal with it.

Yea, I would agree with Ryan on this one. Unless it's a really big gap I just sit there and wait for traffic to start going. If you DO decide to move forward riding the clutch will have to happen as it's just like starting off. Sometimes what I do is just let off the clutch a little until i'm rolling and then just throw it in neutral until i'm caught up.

Edit: and by the way welcome! what kind of GTI did you get?

[Chris_t]

Re: New Eurodriver User

welcome man..

you can 2nd gear start out in a dub no problem so..

Ryan thanx for the lightning fast reply.

To start out in 2nd gear if im doing about 2-5km/h then I have to push the clutch all the way in give it gas then let go of the gas and take out the clutch?

or is it done the same way as first gear is enabled instead of putting the shifter to first, put it 2 first, and slowly let out the clutch while giving it gas?

sorry if my questions sound a little to novice

[stefan]

Re: New Eurodriver User

Sometimes what I do is just let off the clutch a little until i'm rolling and then just throw it in neutral until i'm caught up.

yeah, i guess i do the same.

[stefan]

Re: New Eurodriver User

if your rps are low, you wont have any power, just clutch a bit and rev it up and let out the clutch (with gas down still). Just like starting in first. If your rpms get too low (im thinking 1000-1200is) you will probably want to shift down to avoid burning up the clutch. If hte engine is at high RPM and transmision is a too low of an RPM, there will be a lot of slipping/heating up to get them to a matching speed smoothly since you would have to let out the clutch quite slowly. You dont want to be riding the clutch while trying to accel. in second, when you could just downshift to get the revs up and accelerate normal in first, then shift back to second... if that makes any sense at all.

[Chris_t]

Re: New Eurodriver User

if your rps are low, you wont have any power, just clutch a bit and rev it up and let out the clutch (with gas down still). Just like starting in first. If your rpms get too low (im thinking 1000-1200is) you will probably want to shift down to avoid burning up the clutch. If hte engine is at high RPM and transmision is a too low of an RPM, there will be a lot of slipping/heating up to get them to a matching speed smoothly since you would have to let out the clutch quite slowly. You dont want to be riding the clutch while trying to accel. in second, when you could just downshift to get the revs up and accelerate normal in first, then shift back to second... if that makes any sense at all.

i think i get it. okay one more clarfication guys, and then thats it lol

if the rpms are too low, then do not just accelerate. If the rpm's are too low and your trying to start moving again in 2nd gear, then the right way to accelerate again would be to push the clutch in all the way, blip the gas (rev a little) and slowly come off the clutch while your right foot is going on the gas again (one pedal is coming up (clutch) and the other one is going down (gas). correct???

thanx everyone.

[bart]

Re: New Eurodriver User

don't listen to those guys, they know not what they talk of

i) put up handbrake. this was talked about a lot in another thread.

ii) if rpms too low, dont upshift, so keep it in 1st longer. 7000rpm is a nice shift point on a 1.8t

[Chris_t]

Re: New Eurodriver User

don't listen to those guys, they know not what they talk of

i) put up handbrake. this was talked about a lot in another thread.

ii) if rpms too low, dont upshift, so keep it in 1st longer. 7000rpm is a nice shift point on a 1.8t

7000rpm, wow then i shuoldnt never have to worry about stalling eh lol

[Silverfire]

Re: New Eurodriver User

welcome

what year is your gti?

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: New Eurodriver User

Dont listen to Bart his car does not even rev that high

Anyway welcome to the boards and hope you enjoy the new GTI!!!

[Khyron]

Re: New Eurodriver User

I shift into first if I'm creeping - it CAN start in 2nd but I can feel the clutch screaming...

Khyron

[forreal]

Re: New Eurodriver User

correct me if im wrong but the transmission will let you know if it wants to shift into first or not. like if your doing like 2km/h doing a rolling stop or something and you go to shift back into first, the tranny will let u know if it wants to engage or not, if the shifter does not feel like it wants to go in dont force it, but if it goes in no problem smoothly then it should be alright.
right guys??