Bbc84 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I've been reading that the LGT clutch releases very low to the floor. My 08 spec b releases very high up. Is that normal? My son and I test drove a 07 legacy base stick and it was real different than mine. Is there something wrong with the clutch on my spec b? THe 08' LGT i test drove releases near the middle, I hate driving cars that the clutch engauges near the bottom, to me it makes it harder to drive smoothly when its near the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Go rent an old, nasty, clapped out U=Haul 24 footer for the day. Many of those old wrecks had stick shifts and if you can drive that, your Spec-B will be a piece of cake..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnstn Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 Go rent an old, nasty, clapped out U=Haul 24 footer for the day. Many of those old wrecks had stick shifts and if you can drive that, your Spec-B will be a piece of cake..... LOL! "Clapped out u-haul" I like the way you put it, again thank you everyone that has posted their input, I'm definitely taking notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewLegGT67 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Driving a stick shift for the first time it is always fun to discover all the inclines and steep hills you weren't aware of in your automatic. Don't sweat it. Eventually driving a manual will become second nature. When I picked up my Jeep Wrangler in '92 after taking lessons it seemed like every street had slow moviing traffic on an incline. And of course every person behind me was some impatient ass clown. Probably driving an automatic. I'm probably the only person that has Wu-Tang Clan and Paul McCartney on their mp3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Driving a stick shift for the first time it is always fun to discover all the inclines and steep hills you weren't aware of in your automatic. Don't sweat it. Eventually driving a manual will become second nature. Lol, When I first started learning, I only drove my beater on the weekends when I was home from school, after about a month of weekends, I decided instead of my auto daily driver, I would take my stick beater back to school, and I was in for a surprise. Getting into the parking garage was so annoying, people would stop on the incline, and I would have to try to start without stalling constantly as I made it up to the 5th level. there were many inclines and stops that day. i stalled a couple times before I just starting to rev higher and launched the car up the inclines Later that night I went back for some practice on inclines, and havent stalled since. Practice definatly helps alot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleM Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I say buy a POS manual tranny car for 500 bucks and mess around for a couple days. You'll get the hang of it. I learned on an old mazda truck. As far as the LGT clutch, I think its really nice and easy to drive compared to the other manuals I have driven at work. Audis are pretty nice, but the BMW's and Porsche's we sell have really hard clutches, after driving those cars all day, its actually nice to hop in my car and drive something with an easy clutch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxwagon Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Ahhh, memories....Drove off the lot in my brand spanking new wrx in 02 without having driven stick in years....I was just glad I didn't stall right in front of the salespeople. The awd clutch was so very different than other cars I had driven, you definitely need to practice with your own car. I practiced in small empty streets next to the dealership, waited till way past rush hour, mapped out the route back home with the least hills as possible, and made it home stalling only once (at a stoplight on a hill I couldn't avoid!) and downshifting to third instead of shifting to fifth once on the highway....oops. Just as everybody says, start on a level surface, find the engagement point , let it roll a bit, push the clutch back in , repeat, and then graduate to small inclines where you can let the clutch slip a bit while slowly bringing the revs up. Practice quickly pushing the clutch in as soon as you feel a shudder to avoid stalling. Yes, you're useless left leg will be very sore and may even cramp up, and yes those first few hard stalls in your new car always hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 watch for the whiplash too lol, i made some really hard stalls learning on my 98' 200sx beater. felt like i was doing bumpercars and people kept hitting me when i stalled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 there's nothing wrong with the way the clutch's engagement point are like on a new car. Every car is a little different of how things are, even if they are the same model car.. some times not all the specs are exact and the tolerances from the factory are so wide that one car can be that much different from another one, but it's still 'within spec'. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Stalling your car is not nearly as startling as hitting the rev limiter for the first time! Someone else in here suggested starting off in an empty parking lot that slopes slightly down hill. Good luck. Lol. When i first got my lgt ( auto ), I wanted to test out sportshift. hahaha. Oh man, I gunned the accel. and I was like "OMFG I JUST HIT THE REDLINE. OH SH**." I assumed that like many other "sportshifts / tiptronics" it would automatically upshift. I later learned that the lgt has two sportshifts, Manumatic and automatic. Lol. Hahaha, what i would have given to see my face when i hit that redline though. oh man, I thought i totally f***ed up my car. I'm sure my facial expression would have been near priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 ^ Oh man, I wonder what your face would look like if your brakes fade or fail at 100 mph. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs6er Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I've been reading that the LGT clutch releases very low to the floor. My 08 spec b releases very high up. Is that normal? My son and I test drove a 07 legacy base stick and it was real different than mine. Is there something wrong with the clutch on my spec b? I just picked up a 2007 Spec B and my clutch releases very high too. I seem to remember it being that way on the '08 I drove too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabydanimal Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Just remember the tried and true adage, "If you can't find it, grind it." Actually, don't do that. It would be a waste of a perfectly good 6spd transmission. As has been said many times over just take it slow, REALLY slow until you get the hang of engaging each gear smoothly. DON'T get crazy trying to speed up your shifts and launching your car until you really know what you are doing. My WRX was the first manual car I owned and I beat the ever living piss out of it. A new clutch at 20k, a few blown syncros at 30k, and 2nd and 4th gears missing teeth at 45k (I really don't know how that happened, I treated that tranny like it was made out of glass after the syncros blew). When you get to the point you want to figure out launching, start with progressively higher RPMs and slip the clutch (i.e. don't just let the clutch out). You'll burn your clutch a few times figuring it out (and nothing smells worse than a burnt Subaru clutch) but you'll get it. If at all possible, practice this on a buddy's WRX/LGT . The point of the story is, treat your transmission well. Stalling a few times in first gear isn't going to hurt but doing 4k clutch drops will. If you really want to treat your transmission well, learn to double-clutch and rev match consistently. I've pretty much mastered that in the LGT but it's no easy task due to the e-throttle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabydanimal Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 THe 08' LGT i test drove releases near the middle, I hate driving cars that the clutch engauges near the bottom, to me it makes it harder to drive smoothly when its near the bottom. The '05 I drove engaged like an inch off the floor. My '06 engages like 3/4 of the way up, always has. I prefer it closer to the floor but there's nothing you can do about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabydanimal Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Go rent an old, nasty, clapped out U=Haul 24 footer for the day. Many of those old wrecks had stick shifts and if you can drive that, your Spec-B will be a piece of cake..... Truth ^^ I drove a 4 speed '78 GM Pickup with like a 2 foot lift once. I don't think I've stalled any manual I've driven since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGTLuver Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 The engagement point on my 05 LGT wagon is 1mm from the pedal being fully up. It sucks I still stall it from time to time even though I have been driving stick for over 15 years. Can one lower this point? Subaru claims "no". My best advice to you is what everybody else is saying slowly release the clutch until the RPMs dip then add a little gas and release the rest of the way. My 92 Pathfinder had the sweetest engagement point and clutch I could go from stop to first then second without needing gas... it was super easy to drive. My friend used to call it an "air clutch" because it took no effort to fully press down on the pedal. The LGT on the other hand can be tough. With a little practice and patience you will be fine. Good Luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 The engagement point on my 05 LGT wagon is 1mm from the pedal being fully up. Weird. My 05 LGT wagon engages about 1/2 way up, far lower than in my other two cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 hopefully the LGT i ordered is about 1/2 way up, thats the most comfortable spot for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 we all have to adapt to the differences in cars.. most of the time, as the clutch wears, the engagement point for a clutch can get higher and higher since it's being filled by the clutch fluid in place of the clutch material that has been worn out. also, boiled fluid or bubble in the clutch line and resevoir could also do this... something to check? Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewLegGT67 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 watch for the whiplash too lol, i made some really hard stalls learning on my 98' 200sx beater. felt like i was doing bumpercars and people kept hitting me when i stalled Yes the whiplash. If you are not paying attention while creeping in 2nd gear (no gas). It happened to me at my parking lot. I thought I was in nuetral. Sometimes it feels like someone just ran into you. Driving a stick shift is fun once you get the hang of it. It forces you to pay attention to driving. I swear, in N.J. some people look as though driving is distracting them from doing other things. I'm probably the only person that has Wu-Tang Clan and Paul McCartney on their mp3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08specB Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 My new spec-b clutch engages about 3/4's the way up. My old VW GTi was a lot closer to the floor, like 2" off. So, in the past 4 month that I have had my Legacy, I am getting used to the new clutch, but I still haven't mastered it grabbing in 2nd like it does. I could speed shift in my GTi really fast, even with the e-throttle, but this car is forcing me to slow down, be more "precise" (for a lack of better term) and elegant in my shifting. This car is still fast, even tho I feel like I am shifting like an old fart in WOT. But, this is just how this car drives, and it is just so much fun!!! If I had something important to say, I wouldn't tell you anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SneakyFast Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Here is a great tip for beginners. Your e-brake is your friend! If you find yourself on an incline that you are less than comfortable with you can use the hand brake to keep you from rolling back wards. When you are at a stop on an incline put the car into first gear then pull up the hand brake (KEEPING YOUR FINGER ON THE BUTTON THAT DISENGAGES IT). When you move your foot from the brake to the gas the car will not roll back wards. It is important to keep your rpm up a little bit higher in this type of start. As soon as you find the "g-spot" or you feel the car start to pull slightly drop the break and your off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Here is a great tip for beginners. Your e-break is your friend! If you find yourself on an incline that you are less than confortible with you can use the hand break to keep you from rolling backwards. When you are at a stop on an incline put the car into first gear then pull up the hand break (KEEPING YOUR FINGER ON THE BUTTON THAT DISENGAGES IT). When you move your foot from the break to the gas the car will not roll backwards. It is important to keep your rpm up a little bit higher in this type of start. As soon as you find the "g-spot" or you feel the car start to pull slightly drop the break and your off. -Would be an awesome post, and I use this advice all the time on hills (especially in the rain) except I use my Brake. You break eggs. IBHeightsspellingnazi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnstn Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 hi everyone, I just got my spec b yesterday and I've been practicing with the stick. I have a few questions to ask, 1. It appears in order to shift smoothly, when i'm releasing the clutch and it's getting to the sweet spot, I give it a constant amount of gas and then further release the clutch. At this point, the car is already moving (not creeping) forward but my foot is still depressed a bit on the clutch (which then I completely let go) is this bad? thanks again for all the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derffred Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Nice thread topic... My LGT was my first official car that had a manual transmission... I've driven a few cars here and there prior, but the LGT was nice compared to the cable clutch cars I've driven previously. I've been contemplating if I've been driving my MT correctly, because from a "dig" I rev it to about 2,000 RPM and release the clutch simultaneously (It's a no-no in my eyes). Anyway... If worse comes to worse and the car is about to stall or starts bucking, I'd always disengage the clutch as fast as possible to prevent stalling or to stop the seizure my car is embracing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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