advices please from LGT owners.

[Woodstock]

Hi, I just got my 08 LGT last month. manual trans.

This is my first manual tranny car and also goes with turbo.

 

Things I have been thinking to prolong the car's life:

 

- what is a good oil brand to lessen oil consumption (synthethic or regular) I kinda like synthethic, but if regular will help to lessen the consumption I will use it.

 

- How long do I have to wait to turn off my engine after trips

 

- I hear rattle when I hit 2500 rpm, when i shift up, its gone. Is that normal?

 

- turbo maintainance? if there are any, please let me know.

 

- should I change the oil at 1000? because the car is an 08 brand new with 170 miles when i bought it. It may have been sitting at the dealer for 365+ days. or just wait for 3k?

 

- clutch replacement? I want to save the money now to get a new clutch. Just in case... im new to manual trans. I hope I'm not wearing it that much. (im not riding it.)

 

- If you fully press the clutch in does it also wear down? I am making a turn while slowing down, I dont want the car to die so i keep it pressed all the way down, then shift the right gear. I'm afraid it might stall if i don't hold the clutch down. advices please....

 

I have been lurking the forum everyday reading and learning. thanks!

 

~dru

[Backlash]

First thing with a new MT driver.

 

Go drive the car by yourself, or with an experienced MT driver riding shotgun.

no other distractions. Radio off, Cell phone off/muted. Just get used to driving with the stick. and Forget the Turbo right now, keep it under 3500 if possible. if you have another driver with you, only talk about the driving. keep the distractions minimal.

Go find an empty parking lot at night, practice taking off and low speed cornering in gear. (taking off meaning "normal" not launching the car..) get used to the "feel" of a MT.

 

It's hard to explain in words, what is so much easily learned by doing.

I'm not sure about the wear on the clutch, but as long as you are not keeping it half engaged a lot, i doubt you'll have a real problem with the clutch.

 

After you come to a complete stop, you can turn the car off. release the clutch once the engine has completely stopped.

Oil, search. i'm about to do the same here...

i'm going to change oil at 1k (after break in) just to be safe myself. and then start at the normal intervals.

 

rattles/sounds are hard to describe online. if you can replicate it every time, then i'd take it to the dealer and get it checked.

 

and just a FYI... everyone that drives with a MT, has had to learn at some point. we've all killed the car at least once, we've all missed a shift... tried taking off in 3rd on accident... or neutral downshifted to 2nd, when we meant 4th...

you name it, you are not the first to do it.

just relax while learning. it's not hard, but some people make it out to be much harder than it is cause they can't relax, or give up and get mad.

[fonts]

When shifting ... never never force the shifter. If it doesn't shift smoothly chances are you are trying to shift to the incorrect gear.

 

Good advice from Backlash.

 

There are threads all over the forum about oil. Do a search. Do some reading and you should have a pretty good idea about what route you want to go with.

 

Turbo maintenance is pretty straight forward. Keep the oil changed. Service the vehicle. Don't shut the car down immediately after hard driving ... let the turbo spool down a bit first. Make sure to clean the banjo bolt filter. There is a thread on how to do it or you can make sure the dealer does it at the required service times.

 

Good luck.

[Woodstock]

First thing with a new MT driver.

 

Go drive the car by yourself, or with an experienced MT driver riding shotgun.

no other distractions. Radio off, Cell phone off/muted. Just get used to driving with the stick. and Forget the Turbo right now, keep it under 3500 if possible. if you have another driver with you, only talk about the driving. keep the distractions minimal.

Go find an empty parking lot at night, practice taking off and low speed cornering in gear. (taking off meaning "normal" not launching the car..) get used to the "feel" of a MT.

 

It's hard to explain in words, what is so much easily learned by doing.

I'm not sure about the wear on the clutch, but as long as you are not keeping it half engaged a lot, i doubt you'll have a real problem with the clutch.

 

After you come to a complete stop, you can turn the car off. release the clutch once the engine has completely stopped.

Oil, search. i'm about to do the same here...

i'm going to change oil at 1k (after break in) just to be safe myself. and then start at the normal intervals.

 

rattles/sounds are hard to describe online. if you can replicate it every time, then i'd take it to the dealer and get it checked.

 

and just a FYI... everyone that drives with a MT, has had to learn at some point. we've all killed the car at least once, we've all missed a shift... tried taking off in 3rd on accident... or neutral downshifted to 2nd, when we meant 4th...

you name it, you are not the first to do it.

just relax while learning. it's not hard, but some people make it out to be much harder than it is cause they can't relax, or give up and get mad.

 

Thanks! I hate traffic + uphill:mad: I did that engine brake thing from 5th to 2nd. I still recall how it sounds >.< I was aiming at 4th. Its almost at 1k. I will let my friends drive it and ask about the rattle.

 

appreciate it!

[Woodstock]

 

There are threads all over the forum about oil. Do a search. Do some reading and you should have a pretty good idea about what route you want to go with.

 

Turbo maintenance is pretty straight forward. Keep the oil changed. Service the vehicle. Don't shut the car down immediately after hard driving ... let the turbo spool down a bit first. Make sure to clean the banjo bolt filter. There is a thread on how to do it or you can make sure the dealer does it at the required service times.

 

Good luck.

 

I have been reading about oils on this forum. how long do the car have to stay running after driving? 1 min? or 2 mins?

 

should i clean the banjo bolt filter every month? or every oil change? I do my own oil change btw. I dont like taking it to a dealer and not seeing what they are doing with the car.

[fonts]

I have been reading about oils on this forum. how long do the car have to stay running after driving? 1 min? or 2 mins?

 

should i clean the banjo bolt filter every month? or every oil change? I do my own oil change btw. I dont like taking it to a dealer and not seeing what they are doing with the car.

 

You don't have to idle the car before shutting it down every time. Just don't shut it down immediately after hard driving. 1 minute should be plenty.

 

As for the banjo bolt ... you are probably fine doing it once or twice a year.

[el5y]

Thanks! I hate traffic + uphill:mad: I did that engine brake thing from 5th to 2nd. I still recall how it sounds >.< I was aiming at 4th. Its almost at 1k. I will let my friends drive it and ask about the rattle.

 

appreciate it!

 

 

For those hills I have a suggestion. Not too many people do this, probably because it kills the clutch a little faster but you can try it if you want to.

 

Go to a parking lot

Pull the E-brake.

Slowly attempt to drive off in 1st gear.

You should be able to tell when the clutch is catching. Once you notice this drop the E-brake and you should be good to go without slipping backwards if you were on a hill.

 

Eric

[Woodstock]

You don't have to idle the car before shutting it down every time. Just don't shut it down immediately after hard driving. 1 minute should be plenty.

 

As for the banjo bolt ... you are probably fine doing it once or twice a year.

 

cool! thanks for the info.

[mikeislord]

For those hills I have a suggestion. Not too many people do this, probably because it kills the clutch a little faster but you can try it if you want to.

 

Go to a parking lot

Pull the E-brake.

Slowly attempt to drive off in 1st gear.

You should be able to tell when the clutch is catching. Once you notice this drop the E-brake and you should be good to go without slipping backwards if you were on a hill.

 

Eric

 

This technique works but its hard to do without practice (especially if you're on a hill and someone is close behind you.) Your best bet is just practice your footwork. When I first got my car, I stalled it on the same hill driving to work 3 days in a row. (very high traffic road) Just keep practicing your launches and footwork and you'll be good to go.

[rtbrjason]

I definitely recommend changing the oil at 1k. After that start your normal interval whatever that may be. I like to do 2500 or so.

 

I changed my filter when the car hit 200 miles, and then Did a full oil change around 1500. That might be a bit of an overkill but certainly won't hurt.

[Woodstock]

For those hills I have a suggestion. Not too many people do this, probably because it kills the clutch a little faster but you can try it if you want to.

 

Go to a parking lot

Pull the E-brake.

Slowly attempt to drive off in 1st gear.

You should be able to tell when the clutch is catching. Once you notice this drop the E-brake and you should be good to go without slipping backwards if you were on a hill.

 

Eric

 

thanks. I will give it a try.

[el5y]

This technique works but its hard to do without practice (especially if you're on a hill and someone is close behind you.) Your best bet is just practice your footwork. When I first got my car, I stalled it on the same hill driving to work 3 days in a row. (very high traffic road) Just keep practicing your launches and footwork and you'll be good to go.

 

 

Ehh its not too hard Just takes a little practice and having a feel for your car. I learned it because the hill coming out of my parking lot at school was pretty steep and I wasn't good at shifting quickly yet.

[Woodstock]

I was on my way home today, I made a left turn while slowing down and shifting from 4th to 3rd gear. After turning, I noticed that the car was losing speed, I didn't know that it was in neutral and I reved it around 4k, it was kinda uphill road. There was a cop car behind me. He flashed his lights and I pulled over. He told me that my car is loud, and I should switch back to the stock exhaust. I told him I accidentally shifted the gear in neutral instead of 3rd gear, and that this is my stock exhaust. LOL! He let me go.

[Backlash]

there's the "feel" i was talking about.

remember that you'll feel two positions between gears. like from 4th to neutral is one, and neutral to 3rd the second. it will become 2nd nature eventually.

 

quick story..

 

I'm 34, been riding dirt bikes, 3 wheelers and quads for almost 30 years... (pic at end is my first dirt bike i ever had.)

so i've been on or near a manual transmission motorcycle all my life... in 2001 i buy me a brand new FZ-1 and ride it home from the shop.

i'm riding up Division (main street here) and a red light coming up, so i am just slowly downshifting and slowing down to the stop... light turns green before i get to the light. Downshift one more time to hit 2nd and the plan was to roll on the throttle to show the stupid ricer that launched just as i pulled up, he has no prayer. (was doing 20ish when i downshifted)

 

problem: i was IN 2nd already..... i miss counted.

 

i dropped to 1st and rolled on the throttle rather hard, scared out of my mind i rode out the 90 degree wheelie that i just pulled (i swear the front was straight up in the air) i backed off, and when the front came down, i just acted as calmly as i could to shift back up to 4th or so and try to gain my composure...

next stop light i pulled to a complete stop, shaking still. a car pulled up next to me and i happened to glance over, the mom driving was giving me a VERY dirty look.... the 5-6 year old in the back seat was giving me two thumbs up with a huge grin.

 

lesson learned. distractions can make you lose count... i could have wrecked the bike.

 

not my bike, but i had one just like it around 1979-1980. and yeah... i was riding at 5.

http://w1.bikepics.com/pics/2004%5C11%5C05%5Cbikepics-238789-800.jpg

[rouar]

I have a rattle in the back of the car at about that RPM. I traced it to the two bars across the top of the trunk that connect to the two hinges .. dunno their purpose, maybe to make sure the hinges rise and close at the same time .. but anyway they are hitting each other and produce a nice loud drone when the engine hits that particular speed.

 

But good luck with your rattle..

[djkxgo0k]

once you go MT, you just can't go back to AT.

 

i remember when i first learned manual. it took me a few months before it became second nature. just keep at it! soon you'll be eating, talking on the phone, and shifting all at the same time (not that i recommend this at all)

[el5y]

once you go MT, you just can't go back to AT.

 

i remember when i first learned manual. it took me a few months before it became second nature. just keep at it! soon you'll be eating, talking on the phone, and shifting all at the same time (not that i recommend this at all)

 

 

LOL True statement. thats what the bluetooth headset is for and the girlfriend in the passenger seat

[Woodstock]

I have a rattle in the back of the car at about that RPM. I traced it to the two bars across the top of the trunk that connect to the two hinges .. dunno their purpose, maybe to make sure the hinges rise and close at the same time .. but anyway they are hitting each other and produce a nice loud drone when the engine hits that particular speed.

 

But good luck with your rattle..

 

I haven't heard rattle in the back of the car. because I'm so focus shifting and looking at the rpm, and at the road, and uphill, and traffic pattern... sigh:spin:

 

I hear rattle at the front of the car. I will check behind for noise once i have one of my friends drive the car, maybe its the boxer rumble because i hear it also when I'm in my friends STI.

[Woodstock]

LOL True statement. thats what the bluetooth headset is for and the girlfriend in the passenger seat

 

I'm getting the hang of it. not when its traffic though, g-o-t-t-a-f-o-c-u-s...d-o-n-t-s-t-a-l-l!

[vr4Legacy]

I think Backlash gave some great advice... and the e-brake trick, my dad showed me that at 15 to keep me from worrying about hills.... I still do it sometimes if I parked on a steep hill and some dumba$$ has backed up next to me.

 

I learned how to drive at 13 on an old Chevy... I could hardly press the clutch in

 

One thing that may give you some more confidence is, now that you are driving well, go drive a 2wd MT. You will realize you are probably learning on one of the most difficult platforms to learn on. AWD makes it harder start out, and harder to engage smoothly on hills. With a 2wd you can always rev and pop the clutch, off you go with a little spin. (something else my dad told me to do if I got scared) with an AWD.... you will most likely stall jump alot..

 

As everyone has said, try to stay calm, if you do something you think is stupid... we have all done it, probably still do occasionally. And of yeah, once you got MT.... you never go back

[joeleodee]

Good advice about learning the MT.

 

I never really considered the AWD platform as more of a challenge to drive an MT, but I suppose that could be the case when learning. I never have used the e-brake method for hlls either. If that does not work for you, here is what I did.

 

When I was driving my first MT vehicle, there was a steep hill in my neighborhood I frequented. Since it was a neighborhood, traffic was obviously not an issue. I would stop halfway up the hill, and force myself to learn. What I did was hold the brake and clutch in simultaneously and slowly begin releasing the clutch. As soon as I felt the clutch begin to engage (sometimes you can see your RPMs dip ever so slightly if you can't feel it), I would release the brake and start giving a little throttle. Remember to keep releasing the clutch slowly as you apply more throttle. Using this method, I learned hills very quickly.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Should we try to confuse him on rev-matching and double-clutching?

 

JK. I'm confused about that as well.

 

Joel

[el5y]

Good advice about learning the MT.

 

I never really considered the AWD platform as more of a challenge to drive an MT, but I suppose that could be the case when learning. I never have used the e-brake method for hlls either. If that does not work for you, here is what I did.

 

When I was driving my first MT vehicle, there was a steep hill in my neighborhood I frequented. Since it was a neighborhood, traffic was obviously not an issue. I would stop halfway up the hill, and force myself to learn. What I did was hold the brake and clutch in simultaneously and slowly begin releasing the clutch. As soon as I felt the clutch begin to engage (sometimes you can see your RPMs dip ever so slightly if you can't feel it), I would release the brake and start giving a little throttle. Remember to keep releasing the clutch slowly as you apply more throttle. Using this method, I learned hills very quickly.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Should we try to confuse him on rev-matching and double-clutching?

 

JK. I'm confused about that as well.

 

Joel

 

LOL I actually learned to do that first before doing the e-brake thing. My parents house is on a hill so I had to use the clutch and I didn't know what I was doing so I didn't remove my right hand from the shifter. Lets just say that half the clutch life I burned out of that car was in those first 3 days

 

Eric

[Woodstock]

One thing that may give you some more confidence is, now that you are driving well, go drive a 2wd MT. You will realize you are probably learning on one of the most difficult platforms to learn on. AWD makes it harder start out, and harder to engage smoothly on hills. With a 2wd you can always rev and pop the clutch, off you go with a little spin. (something else my dad told me to do if I got scared) with an AWD.... you will most likely stall jump alot..

 

really? AWD is harder? i'm a noob at MT. My friends laugh at me. They said to give it another 5 years. But they are just messing with me.

 

I kinda like the shifting "feel" now, but a little bumby from 1st to 2nd gear, it jumps sometimes; bumpy ride! lol! 3rd, 4th and 5th is kinda smooth now when shifting up.

[Woodstock]

Good advice about learning the MT.

 

I never really considered the AWD platform as more of a challenge to drive an MT, but I suppose that could be the case when learning. I never have used the e-brake method for hlls either. If that does not work for you, here is what I did.

 

When I was driving my first MT vehicle, there was a steep hill in my neighborhood I frequented. Since it was a neighborhood, traffic was obviously not an issue. I would stop halfway up the hill, and force myself to learn. What I did was hold the brake and clutch in simultaneously and slowly begin releasing the clutch. As soon as I felt the clutch begin to engage (sometimes you can see your RPMs dip ever so slightly if you can't feel it), I would release the brake and start giving a little throttle. Remember to keep releasing the clutch slowly as you apply more throttle. Using this method, I learned hills very quickly.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Should we try to confuse him on rev-matching and double-clutching?

 

JK. I'm confused about that as well.

 

Joel

 

one of my friend today drove the car to get something from their house. He adjusted my seat. Now I have to re-adjust it to my previous set up, so that I can feel my clutch "engaging" the engine without reving too much. Now I'm like at the beginning how to drive MT again wit my seat readjusted. Oh well, i wished they have the memory seat adjustment.

 

I watch this dude before purchasing the car. To learn a thing or two.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B59-pWSPoZU]YouTube - how to drive stick manual basics (remake with uphill starts)[/ame]

 

I want to learn how to do it, single clutch and heel and toe. Do the LGT have synchros when shifting down? what does it do when we rev-match, pros and cons? Here is the dude again doing rev-matching

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcxHi6FlGLo&feature=channel]YouTube - advanced techniques (remake)[/ame]

 

And I learned how to drive in traffic. When I was driving AT. I just zig and zag in traffic, and tailgate the car in front of me. I cant tailgate anymore....

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1A6bzdb8MY&feature=channel]YouTube - How to drive manual in traffic[/ame]

 

Thanks for all the help. Now more questions to ask about heel and toe and rev-matching. Looking forward to hear from y'all! You guys rock!

[Backlash]

i wouldn't say 5 years.

keep at it, you'll be fine in a matter of days/weeks. maybe not perfect shifting, but good enough that most people are not going to notice (much)

 

I hadn't driven a MT in about 4 years when i test drove the First LGT last october, I killed it in the dealer parking lot the very first time taking off.... stock the car is just too quiet and i had lost all that feeling of driving a MT.

by the time we got back to the lot, and 1-2 jerky shifts later. i was fine. Test drove a WRX right afterward, was back to normal.

 

I really never thought of AWD being worse than FWD or RWD with a MT.

i remember taking off on a hill with a RWD Chevy Luv, my first legal vehicle with a MT, was rough at times. i tried to avoid hill starts with that. then again it was so underpowered to begin with.

Now i just HATE when people ride my bumper when stopped on a hill. always afraid i'll roll back 6" and hit the guy behind me, even though there is probably 2-4 feet between cars. It seems that nobody gives anyone any room anymore.

 

 

EDIT: the first vid above, how he shows to downshift while slowing down. thats how i drive. i learned that from from my Dad teaching me so long ago with the dirt bikes and quads. Everyone on my Dad's side of the family, including me, used to race. from Go-Karts to sprint cars, to Figure 8, you name we raced it. the guy says you can downshift like that just in case a car or dog/person etc comes into your path. Thats 1 of the 2 reasons i learned to drive that way. second being from a race background, always being prepared for the fastest response. slowing down for a turn, downshifting for the right gear to exit faster etc.

 

Not done watching all of the vids above, but one thing to point out that he didn't. when he brakes, remember NOT to brake hard with the car in gear. he brakes to slow down, which may be on purpose for the video's, and he says to push in the clutch before the RPM's get too low. if you are going to be braking to a stop, push the clutch in before braking too hard. you can use both the engine and brakes to slow the car down (I do) just remember to push the clutch in. once i start braking, my left foot is on the clutch ready to disengage.

 

and yeah... tailgating is bad, tailgating with a MT... worse.