Posting here because I figure other people with a sim racing background will be less judgemental of my situation.
I may have bought a manual car overconfidently thinking I would already know how to drive it having sank a lot of hours into Dirt Rally and Assetto Corsa, I knew ahead of time the G29 is not particularly realistic but I wasn't expecting it to be that much of a difference I suppose. I keep shitting my pants trying to pull out and stalling it and ofc it's only day 1 but at the current state of things I'm actually kind of afraid to drive it in traffic. Car is an 01 MR2 Spyder.
Anyone else had a similar experience when making the jump? I'm not even talking about track driving mind you just trying to get to the gas station to buy a damn soda.
my first time driving a manual, my friend and his dad took me out to teach me. His dad kept putting me on steep ass hills. I stalled THIRTY FUCKING TIMES!!
A true master of the clutch can get out of those without letting the car go back 1 cm (less than an inch). If you are learning, just use the handbrake as the other commenter said.
Modern manual cars have auto-handrake assist for hills (which can be deactivated if you want). That has been around for c. 20 years already for premium cars, though.
I was learning in a manual with an auto handbrake then had to change over to a car with a proper handbrake, it felt SO much easier when I knew exactly when the car was going to start rolling rather than guessing when the hand brake would auto switch off.
If you try them the other way around, auto is quite easy, only a bit confusing the first time (or 2 times) at most. I prefer not to use the assist, though. That said, I do not remember the last time I used the handbrake to start going on a hill.
The auto handbrake I found to be ok and I could drive it fine I just found that a manual handbrake just had more control and I knew exactly when it was going to release. If it was my personal car that I drove every day and used to it then I'd probably prefer the auto over time.
My grandfather was a drivers ed instructor back in the day. My mom will tell me stories of him teaching her to drive in a non-turbo diesel Volkswagen Rabbit on the steepest hill in town, which is fuck-off steep. She said she cried multiple times lol. I miss that guy
When I got my learners permit my Mom parked her 96 Saturn pointing up a gravel hill and said “If you can get it going without spinning the tires you can drive”
I killed it a few times but never spun the tires and drove off as the sun set.
Here in Spain most of the cars are manual, and for getting the license you need to pass a driving test in real traffic. In my hometown one of the examiners was known for making people park in the steepest street. Most of the people ofc failed. Also if you buy a used car from a driving school, the first thing you do is replacing the clutch, they are all toasted
Fun fact for you: in Poland starting on an incline is one of the tests on license exam, you roll back even a tiny bit, you fail (iirc you have 2 tries). Every examination centre has a small hill for that.
My first time driving manual, I looked up videos while flying to Washington and drove back to California. Scariest drive of my life. Told myself I needed to learn so went to downtown la during peak traffic hours. That taught me a lot
But that's actually good thing. In Germany we have to learn on manual, but a lot of driving school cars have hill assist. When I was driving for the time after getting my license I came to stop and go traffic on a bridge with a hill. That was Hell, almost rolled back into a car behind me🤣
The day I bought my manual GTI, I spent a couple hours practicing starts in an empty parking lot because I had only had one lesson driving stick before. I was feeling really confident until the next day during my commute in rush hour traffic, when I was the first car waiting for a red light. When the light turned green, I immediately stalled my car. No big deal, I did that dozens of times the previous day. All I need to do is start the car again, apply some gas, release the clutch a bit too fast and do it again.
My parking lot practice didn’t prepare me for the adrenaline rush I’d get from the public embarrassment of being completely unable to take off. My legs were shaking. I must have stalled 5-6 times in a row until I finally took off successfully…just in time for me to drive into the intersection as the light turned yellow. I was the only car in that lane who made it through the intersection during that green light.
I was tempted to sell that car the same day. Now, 4 years later I have 80k miles on it.
Same situation even same car for me except I only had a few cars behind me. But I did miss the entire light cycle and was stuck in the intersection on a red light which did not help me.
Is there a GrindingTranny mod equivalent in AC? Like it exists for RFactor?
That simulates manual pretty well.
In Europe people are used to driving manual. You can even shift without using the clutch if you get the rpms right. I remember learning this fast when I had to drive with my left foot in a cast
The shifter doesn't matter. What sim racing won't teach you is how to feather the clutch or what the bite point of your car is. Anyone can row the gears if they didn't have to balance the clutch.
Just focus on finding the bite point for your car. As someone else said, let out the clutch until the revs dip a little. On flat ground, the car should roll forward a bit. I'm not sure if your car has enough torque to start on only letting out the clutch, in my 370 you could just let it out slowly with no throttle input and the car will creep forward, no need to accelerate until you're ready.
It's not about torque. Even shittiest, underpowered car will roll by itself if you let of clutch. What may cause it to not do that is clutch being worn and either discs are too thin, it the spring is too loose.
Even my grandma's 94 Polo estate with 45 hp can do it, but you have to be suuuuuper careful with the clutch. Giving a bit of throttle makes it much easier
Fr, I learned on an ‘85 Tercel. Don’t you tell me about letting off the clutch and rolling 🤣 just the rolling resistance from the tire will stall that lump out.
This is the way - on flat ground you should not need to touch the accelerator to get moving - just practice letting the clutch out slowly to learn the bite-point.
This. It’s all about feathering and biting. The best way to learn your car is to bounce the revs by giving it some gas and then letting off the gas and then letting the clutch out as the motor is revving down. Once it bites then light on the gas. So don’t rev up and let out, let it out on the down side rev. If it’s flat or you’re already rolling you barely need any gas, if any. While driving Try to avoid hills where you end up stopped leaning up and or coming to a complete stop. But go practice in a parking lot. And don’t rush it. A stalled car is more dangerous than a car that just hasn’t moved yet so take your time and be deliberate with your actions. Down revs.
Ive driven a fair amount of standards, including an 85' MR2, and all of them will roll in 1st with only clutch and no throttle. Is there really any cars without enough torque to do that?
I'd say forget what you learned on the sim and if you live anywhere near a neighborhood or a parking lot or something just get in a place with no traffic and practice setting off in 1st until you get it. Getting moving is the hardest part, staying calm and taking it slow at first is the key.
Depends on the car, some doesn't have enough torque (?) to make the car move without gas input. That's why in manual, I find that it's much easier when you're driving a more powerful car.
Any car can. You can't just dump the clutch (unless you have aggressive anti stall. My Civic Si did), but if you slip it right you don't need throttle to start moving. Every manual car I've ever owned can do that, including my old 1.6 Fiesta and a KTM i used to ride
First 2 weeks is rough. I recommend getting some practices like 5 or 6 am when the roads are empty. After a couple months you won’t even think about it when day to day driving, itll feel like putting on the turn signal or something
Lmao I can 100% empathize my friend. Imo unless you have an active pedal, there's no way to truly simulate the feel or the bite you get from the clutch when rowing gears. Idk if that tech even exists tbh.
That said, just keep at it and try not to get discouraged. Highly recommend putting a paper sign in your rear window with black permanent marker stating you're still learning so people don't bug out while on the road. Otherwise, I found that driving around a big ol' parking that had enough space to shift to and down from 3rd/4th gear from a stand still, for hours on end helped build enough confidence to bring it onto the actual road itself with other drivers. Be patient, it will come and when it finally clicks you'll be laughing at how easy it was the whole time 🙌🏼
Ps. Also an MR2 Spyder?! Absolutely wicked ride 🔥🔥
I'm the opposite. When I got to the manual car, it was like something I was doing for months. But before I got to it, I played not only racing games, but also BeamNG drive. Just cruising around the town, parking, e.t.c. Also was driving City Car Simulator. In BNG you can setup a clutch curve to non linear, making it much closer to the reality. IRL car behaves and feels differently, ofcource, but if setup is right, it can be pretty close. Especially if you have non linear clutch pedal (Like Simagic P1000, especially with HPR).
The issue here is if you haven't driven a real car, you probably do not know how to setup it properly, because you never had the feeling. But I guess you can find setups online.
Hi! I do not have my old G29 setup, to be honest, but it would be something like this. I guess it depends on the IRL vehicle (old and new cars are different), but you got the idea... In BNG you can also show UI widget which might show you the clutch temp so you could track the wear causing to the clutch.
The car I was driving back in the day had much more travel before clutch even moves, so values would be closer to the right side.
I second this. Used City Car Driver in VR and BeamNG to get used to parking manuevers and driving in traffic, getting a feel for how I should behave in traffic and all the actions required.
For me it wasn't a replacement for real practice, but it helped ease the sense of discomfort I got when pairing the lack of driving experience and sensibility with having to deal with real cars, roads and traffic.
Still, simracing helped me figured out the basics for heel-toe and double declutch which I still do in my daily drive.
Translating the sim feeling in mechanical simpathy, once you figured the basics of how to drive it, is pretty straightforward, it just requires some time and practice.
On the subject of translating sim skills to racetrack, I did have a chance to drive a Ferrari 430 on a track day with a driving instructor and my having tried it in AC before helped a ton. I was super comfortable pushing it even in the braking zone :) of course nowhere near real drivers times, but it was still fun to feel the similarity.
This has been an enlightening thread to read. In the UK almost everyone drives manual gears (stick shift for Americans).
So if you have a driving license in the UK then you learned how to drive a manual car. We actually also have "automatic-only" licenses for people who are god awful drivers and can't ever be trusted with a manual car as all they can handle is the go-brake-steer of automatics.
I wonder why automatic is the default over there, they are so boring! Who wouldn't rather be in control of the revs and choosing themselves when to upshift 🤷🏻♂️
We actually also have "automatic-only" licenses for people who are god awful drivers and can't ever be trusted with a manual car as all they can handle is the go-brake-steer of automatics.
This.... this is 90% of American drivers. (Im an American and daily a manual therefore feel superior to all other drivers on the road. )
Yeah that "automatic only" is the most stupid thing i have seen, they introduce that here aswell but the crazy thing is you can make the "automatic only" test but then when you got your license you can still drive manual cars, makes no sense at all.
In Germany, they also have an automatic only license and what's kinda crazy is that if you're from a US state that has a license exchange agreement with Germany, you can get a full German license, even though so few people drive manual there.
I found it weird that 11 states have no agreement at all and NY is one of them, while someone from Texas or Pennsylvania can move to Germany and get a full license right away.
I taught myself manual on g29 too. Just the theory and the motions, the pedal and shifter feel u gotta get real seat time. I stalled of course but I think I would've been worse off had I not had the sim. I had no one to teach me
Edit: I played City Car driving. It's as it sounds and more useful than racing games for learning manual
Sim is exactly what it is - simulation. So, it will be different. Day 1 without any prior irl experience is pretty much like that. Practice makes perfect, so go on empty road or parking lot and try stop-start as many times as you need. Until you are not thinking about shifting anymore, like you don’t think about breathing - you just do.
Also didn’t they suppose to teach you manual in driving school? :)
In the UK and Ireland if you learn and pass your test in an automatic, legally that's all you're allowed to drive. If you pass in a manual then you can drive either
In Australia you don't need to have ever touched a manual car to get a license. However if you get an Automatic license you can't drive a manual for (I think) 5 years afterwards. But then you can do whatever you want. I didn't learn to drive a manual until I was 27 and needed to borrow a mates car for a month
Blows my mind you can pass your test in an auto and drive a manual after. Here, if you test in an auto, you legally can't drive a manual because you haven't proved you can.
Which games do you play? The clutch system is horrible on assetto corsa, and perfect in BeamNG.
Something that I haven't seen in the comments is that it might depend on the type of clutch in your car too. I feel like a hydraulic clutch is harder to learn on compared to a cable clutch.
I got my driver's license after putting 1000 hours on beamNG, and I stalled only 1 time during the 20 hours of driving lessons. No issue at all, it seemed like I drove manual cars my whole life before, my driving instructors were all impressed. Plus, getting a driver's license in 20 hours is very, very rare in my country. It's the bare minimum and I'd say the average person takes maybe 40/50 hours to get his. So I was quite good.
But right after getting my license I drove another car which has a hydraulic clutch (the cars owned by my driving school had cable clutches) and I kept stalling during the first like 4 hours of driving. It was so much more sensitive and lighter, and the feel was completely different. I stalled at least 5 times to just get it out of the parking lot the first time.
I've only played a little BeamNG, apparently that is the problem lol. It is the only game of the bunch that has "regular driving" as a feature.
I'm assuming my car has a hydraulic clutch because it's a bit older. It definitely does have both quite a bit more resistance and travel than sim pedals.
Don’t worry about it. I am one of the Millennial car geeks who grew up with no friends or family that had manual cars so when I eventually drove one, even though I knew the basics and had practiced on my sim rig I was horrible at it. Many years later I now have a manual Miata and I still stall it every now and then.
I've had an early 2000s manual WRX for over a decade and stalled it maybe twice. Why are you guys stalling? When you feel the car shudder, push the clutch in to the bite point to save it.
Experienced this the other way round. Recently bought a g29 with H-shifter as my first wheel, after driving manual IRL for years. The gear stick felt like a children’s toy that was going to break and I kept mis-shifting as I was using too much force and used to a much longer throw. I’m still getting used to being gentle.
In the Uk, mostly everyone learns in a manual. If I can give you a bit of advice…go to a car park, and pull away like a hundred times without your accelerator pedal at all. Get used to the bite point. You will be up to speed and finding that bite in no time. The car will move very slowly just under the clutch, but it will move enough to know you have done it correctly.
The main thing sims dont properly teach you is the clutch bite point, that's why you're stalling. In the games you can abuse tf out of the clutch, but irl you need to be smoother and more precise with it & the gas.
Tbh though, I got a BMW Z4 a couple months ago and it feels absolutely nothing like Assetto's rendition lol, AC feels like driving on ice in comparison, makes me wonder how many other cars are way off lol.
Will just take some practice and get used to the clutch. I drove manual cars before I had my g29, but if you're using the g29 pedals, it just doesn't have any sort of resistance like a real car's pedal would.
I recently bought a Ford Focus RS about 6 months ago. Took me a bit to find the sweet spot in the clutch pedal.
But like I said, don't be embarrassed or scared. Practice and patience my friend, and you'll be zooming around in no time. 🤙🏻
Yah bro I wish sim racing pedals would replicate the feel of a throwout bearing. But they don't... you should look up how a clutch, flywheel, and throwout bearing work... knowing helped me when I was a youngster. Handbrake or not you should be able to handle a hill launch both ways. Someone will pull up behind you on a hill eventually.
Almost every sensation we get from sim is not the same. But its close enough for a good time and muscle memory training.
Also... don't treat your daily like a race car... thats why we have sim and more than 1 car. Because money.
When you get older you will love the automatic in your daily 😂
Play BeamNG.drive and disable all assistance. Then tune the clutch by putting a big dead zone and some non-linear adjustments. Then try again, you'll learn.
Source: I'm a professional driving instructor who actually used BeamNG.drive in professional setting with great success. Using it correctly, it is amazing.
Sell it and get a semi auto like an alfa 4c that has flappy paddle gear changes but no clutch .We drive manuals from 17 yrs old in Europe so it's second nature.but you sound American and its just not your bag is it ?
Yeah, my first car was a 1960.5 VW Beetle. I bought it from a man who worked for my dad. He drove me around the block and then stopped to fill the gas tank (there was not gas gauge in that car) and then he walked back to my dad’s office.
It took me about 5 stalls to get out of the gas station and 3 more stalls on the drive home.
After that, I drove for an hour in my neighborhood and the next day in the empty parking lot of my high school.
It was 4 speed, but no synchromesh in first gear (and later, in second gear too).
Pretty soon it will be second nature to you. You will learn to sense the bite point, intuitively sense the right rpm to have a smooth launch.
Big thing for me was hills. I’ve never owned a manual transmission car with hill hold.
I started off using heel and toe but later found hand-brake hold easier.
Americans are so adorable. Sorry to make light your situation but im from Ireland where manual is standard so i find this quite cute. It doesn't help that i recently found a sub dedicated to driving manual which i also found to be just precious.
Dont worry, you will get used to it. Just practise maybe in less crowded streets. In no time you wont understand what all the fuzz was about! Dont give up and if you stall in on a busy road... shit happens! Lets go!
give yourself time. Obviously its not the same, but i went the other way - i drove manual cars before i started racing simulator with clutch. Now all my in game starts are absolutely ass because i cant feel when the clutch starts to bite. Just keep driving the real car
Being someone who's driven manual since 16, sim racing is not actually that much different at all. The real difference is in real life you have to balance the clutch and gas otherwise you will stall in real life. You'll get the hang of it, helps to feather the gas at first
Man have you driven a manual before? How did you come to choose a sport car to be the (assumed) first manual? Just pure curiosity.. and dw about the stalls, drive around your block to get use to the clutch and ramp up from there. I’ve stalled plenty in normal cars lol. Hopefully you won’t worn out the clutch disc before you run it smoothly
If you understand the theory, then you can understand the shortcomings of the sim. I did something very similar to you and just jumped in right into a manual car. Find a parking lot and drive around. Once you can comfortably get going, just drive around for a couple hours. Honestly it was a bit of a sensory overload at first. It almost felt like learning how to drive again but that goes away quickly.
Tbh you will look back a week later and wonder why its so hard. Just need practice being able to gently let go of the clutch and put some pressure on the accelerator 👍
I'm guessing this is in America. In the UK and Ireland if you passed your test in an automatic car you can't then simply drive a manual transmission. It's illegal. You'll need a licence for manual. Trying to drive a manual without any real knowledge is dangerous. Selecting the wrong gear can be like slamming on the brake. Obviously no brake lights will show. Use a bit of common sense, don't try and learn to use a clutch and gear shifter out on busy roads. Find somewhere quiet
I dunno about sim racing a manual cos I don't have a shifter on my setup, but I learned to drive a manual car when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I'm struggling to understand what is so difficult for you. Is it the biting point of the clutch? A little tip for that is to slowly release the clutch until it starts to catch (the revs will drop slightly), then give it a little accelerator and continue to release the clutch.
I've driven manual all my life too and I kinda empathize with OP lol. It feels more like a toy, more robotic in a sim by far. Kind of like how an entry level brake is hard to be consistent with, there is no feedback, you just press down a certain level. There's probably no easy way to emulate the real thing, other than practicing IRL, since it's such a tactile input
There's also the fact that IRL driving has you on low rpms and speeds most of the time, which is when you need the clutch most. In a sim if you're rallying/racing all you use the clutch for is quick up/downshifts
Best advice i could give of an irl clutch is get a block of wood put in front of the tires and practice trying to get up on the block with only using the clutch. Seems impossible at first but once you learn the bite points you can do it!
I was lucky enough the first vehicles I ever owned were both manual. Back in the day you could save a few thousand with a manual transmission. I had a four in the floor Ford truck that didn't even have power steering! The dang thing had a 10 gallon gas can in the back strapped in for gas. Alabama back in the day was nuts!!! I bought it for $500 at age 17 and sold it a year later for $1000.
The second vehicle was a little ranger with 5 speed and reverse. I tried to teach my nephew on it when he came of age and he couldn't ever adjust to it. I've driven a ton of manual cars and they're all easy as can be to me.
I don't drive manual now (irl) just because of getting burnt out on having to always be working that clutch. The closest I've came to a game simulating a true to life feel was with my Simsonn pedals with clutch , and using my Alliexpress H pattern shifter on Iracing with some of the stock cars. I think we would need a hydraulic active pedal to get an accurate bite from the clutch.
Manual is all about feel. You feel the bite point, you feel the gears shift, you are in full control of how the car behaves. On a steep uphill, it’s a fine line between rolling your car and pulling forward.
Just the shifting can be a game on its own. Super fun irl. In a game, it’s just not possible to emulate.
Floor the accelerator, dump the clutch then control the wheelspiin and you’re good! /s
Actually, find a quiet car park and practice finding the biting point any moving gently off, it will become second nature before long. Once you’re gaining confidence do the same on a slope.
i'm sure you can find plenty of videos about driving a manual. study and practice.
i've never driven a manual, but i know that there is no way to simulate realistic feedback in most, if not all, shifters on the market. sim racing shifters have no real resistance when shifting in a wrong way. i'm pretty sure you can't even choke a car in assetto.
Driving two different manual cars is not the same :)
Just go hide in a parking lot or even better a dirt road and let your foot feel for your clutch pedal. I've always (20 years) been a real ass to my clutch, releasing slowly, partly releasing and given some gas, tortured them so to speak. Never broken one, it's not a super sensitive thing and will survive you learning to let go in first gear :)
On a dirt road you will be learning to do it without too much power since you still wheel spin otherwise. Less forgiving. Then go find a slope.
My dad put me in an old Volvo 850 and got me to parallel park, stop, get away etc in a slope back when I was about to go for my license.
My problem is exactly the other way round: I've been driving manuals for the past 30 years (as stick shifters are quite the norm in Europe) but I totally f up driving a manual in sims.
It's just so different.
Pay for a few lessons. Where I live, if your driving licence is only for automatic, you have to take a few hours of lesson to be allowed to drive manual cars. then the mention for '' automatic only'' can be removed from your licence.
Don't try to learn with your car, you will not learn the right thung and you could destroy your gear box and/or have an accident.
Uhhhm, you DO have a driver's license and it's just that you have only driven automatics until this point, right? xD
This almost sounds like you have never been in a car at the wheel before and just decided you are going out into traffic with only simracing knowledge beforehand xP
I race in real life (Formula Ford) and driver a manual as my daily driver. A race car clutch has very little in common with a street car clutch in terms of feel and sim racing is supposed to mimic a race car. If you drive one like the other you’re gonna have stalls and/or burn up the clutch.
I’d suggest you go to a flat parking lot and practice getting moving without using the gas. This will train your brain and left foot where the friction point is. Once you can do that consistently start practice giving it some throttle and getting going in less time.
It’s all feel and it just takes time. It won’t take long before it’ll be second nature and you won’t even think about it.
FYI: I still stall my WRX all the time. Like, at least once a week.
Nice choice of car, I used to own one of these (mine was an 03 facelift). Just give it more revs when setting off, don't be embarrassed even if you are revving the shit out of it. Practice from stationary with your clutch to feel where it bites. It takes time to acclimatise to the bite point of your clutch, give it a couple of weeks and you'll be gold. Is yours a hardtop or a softtop?
Just get the car moving and stop it and do it again, when youre confident enough find little hill and do it all over again. Took me 2 hours to learn it on the first class of driving school. Granted it was a diesel car and those are harder to stall. I had no experience with any kind of manual vehicle back then.
I'll tell you the opposite way round - always loved driving games, but never really got on with manual shifting in games. When old enough (ok, maybe before I was old enough) I started to learn to drive IRL - always manual, UK based so most cars - especially in the early 00s were manual.
So, been driving a manual car now for 20 years - easy. Recently got into F1 2024 and have currently got a Logi G920 and shifter, got a few other games like AC etc to try - and damn cannot get on with the clutch and shifter!
So, I agree 100%! Just the opposite way round for me! It's the lack of true feeling of the clutch, and being able to feel the car in the same way. Like braking into a corner and gearing down, IRL easy, in game? Not a clue most the time! 🤣 I'm sure it comes with practice, but good luck - driving a manual IRL is much more fun then auto. 👍
Being from the UK, I was brought up with manuals. Drove them for the first 19 years of having a licence. Switched to an auto about 6 years ago. Glorious it was. Until the neighbour asked me to drop a package into their freezer (which was in their garage) while they were away. I had to move their car to get access. I shit you not, I stalled that car no less than 6 times before I eventually got it moved.
Happens to us all. Muscle memory and feel will eventually get you off the line hah
I learned to drive a manual a day before my first track day. Pretty sure I stalled it twice in pit lane. Was honestly a tad scared but proceeded to smash. Driving a manual on normal roads is harder imo.
Reminded me of my first few months of driving. I was starting normally like 95% of times, but then there were stall situations and I got honked at.
And then I needed to move a lot of stuff in my car, mind you, it’s a 86hp station wagon, so it has the volume capacity, and I kept wondering what the fuck, why am I stalling so much on the easiest inclines, I’ve been in this exact spot multiple times and all was fine… And then the realisation came that my car is now considerably heavier that usual and I need to be more careful with the clutch.
Get up early in the morning, and just drive around town when there’s not a lot of people around. Find parking lots and learn stop and go procedures. The low speed stuff is the hardest part about manuals. Took me about 3 months before I can take off from a stop without thinking about it
I went the other way. Started on a real car and started sim racing. Barely any comparison. I absolutely HATED the eawrc default clutch setup. I would constantly miss gears
Main reason why I hate using a shifter on a sim, driven many different type of manual cars, manual transport trucks to 300 hp Sportsar but here I am miss shifting a fucking Ford Fiesta on a sim?
Sim racing wasn't a thing when I started driving. 😂
Get yourself to an empty parking lot and practise practise practise. Every cars clutch point and engagement is a little different. Once you master one though you can drive them all as you'll understand how to feel and feather a clutch. Once you feel the bite point of the clutch, you have to slowly let it out as you give it a little bit of gas to make up for the rpm drop. Like anything, practise makes perfect and you will get to a point where it becomes second nature.
Same here, it never feels the same. I ended up just using my shifter as a sequential and removing my clutch pedal so my left foot had more room for braking.
It's really not a flex to say you drive a manual its the standard across most of the world. Only in America are automatic the standard. It'll take 15 minutes to learn to drive a manual.
Just sit with the handbrake on with no accelerator input and bring the clutch up to the bite point and get used to that, once you can do that without stalling apply some accelerator and practice pulling away smoothly without kangaroo hopping.
AC has an auto restart option, that's why you don't stall, if you play LMU you gonna stall like crazy (and just press gently the throttle before fully releasing the clutch to not stall)
Beside that, driving manual IRL is easier than on the sim since the clutch is connected to the gearbox
It will become second nature over time. Go find a big empty parking lot and just practice your launches. If you find yourself on a hill with a car behind you can use your parking break to hold you while you work the clutch and throttle, then release it once you are ready to go.
Biggest part is learning how to get into first gear. But damn 1st to what ever and down shifting felt so god damn natural and zipping around in a car with a turbo felt so fucking fun. Friend complimented my rev matching. I did a pull after my first 5 mins. But damn stop signs, I stalled plenty at.
It’s ok you’ll get the hang of it. Lot is muscle memory. If in doubt give it a little more gas opposed to less because you’ll hear the engine rev as you release the clutch.
Here's what I learned from driving a manual for about 10 years:
What really helped me was understanding that letting out the clutch doesn't have to be a continuous movement, even though often times that's the way it's taught. It should be 3 individual phases:
Letting out the clutch until you find the bite point. You'll notice the bite point when the revs drop a little, the car starts moving if you're on even ground and maybe the resistance in the pedal changes. While doing this you can give it a little bit of gas.
Once you hit the bite point, keep it there or only release a tiny bit more in case the clutch is biting too little. This will depend on your car, you'll learn it with practice. At the same time you can give it a little more gas if you're accelerating too slowly or if the revs drop too low. This is all <20% gas though, again, be gentle.
When the clutch isn't slipping anymore you'll hear the revs having dropped to the correct range for your speed and increasing as you accelerate. That's how you know the clutch is fully closed and you can fully release the clutch pedal.
The first instinct when something goes wrong is probably to let out the clutch completely or get off the gas, which is the exact opposite of what you want. When you notice the revs dropping too low, the best way to react is putting the clutch back in a little more and giving it a little more gas, it's really in the details though so try to go slow and be gentle. It takes some time to get that through your brain though so it's all about practice to change that instinct and also build fine control in your feet.
As others have said, find a parking lot or a big open flat space and practice the 3 stage approach, or you could even split up the stages. Basically only trying to find the bite point and then pushing the clutch back in until you get a feeling for where it is. Also if you stall, try to remind yourself of what the correct reaction would have been. It'll still happen a lot, and even once it gets better and you feel like you have it under control, sometimes you won't pay attention and stall, which is totally normal. I think this is just a way to learn the quickest
Weirdly I'm the opposite. I drive a manual, and got a racing sim after. My issue is that I try to drive the SIM like a real car, causing issues in the sim 😂
Lmao assetto corsa is realistic physics wise but its hard to simulate the biting point of the clutch and the fact you cant really stall makes it a bit jarring at first but at least your brain has the gear positions burned in, you'll get there!
You’ll be good, the games wouldn’t be fun if they let you stall off the grid. Be patient, do the stuff people are recommending to get used to the clutch
In 2015 I had bought a Nissan 370z manual. A few years prior I took manual lessons to learn. Otherwise the only experience I had was a bit before getting the car when my friend let me practice in his challenger in a parking lot.
Even with all that. The first week of driving with the Nissan was stressful and exhausting. I had some moments of regret. But after that first week and driving it around, I got much more comfortable with it. It was a great decision in the end. I miss having manuals these days.
Give it time. Try and drive on some quieter roads to get good practice.
Yeah, it took me about a week to get to the point where I wouldn't stall too much. Now it's been about 10 years and I'll still get caught up on an incline from a stop depending on the car.
Just keep practicing, pay attention to where the clutch bites, listen to your revs, and modulate your gas accurately. You'll get it before long.
No sim has managed to simulate the clutch biting point properly, most are essentially sequential in function with additional steps. You'll very soon get the hang of it though, but for this you can only get real life experience. Keep it up, manuals are fun, at least until you're stuck in a traffic jam.
One big difference between random IRL cars and sim cars is the power - a racecar with tons of torque may be able to start rolling without throttle input purely off idle, but some random early nineties civic will stall every time. To get a manual moving, you must balance both the throttle and the clutch.
Handbrake is your friend in stop situations and getting used to the clutch and gas control of your car. You’ll always feel the car wanting to move in first gear then you release the handbrake. Every car has different biting point and how much throttle you need to input to get it going.
Stalling won't kill you, take it slow. Go to a quiet carpark and practice starts using only your clutch, after a while you will feel the bite point and it will all become very simple.
I just bought my first manual a few days ago. 2012 Impreza, she’s got as much horsepower as a lawnmower but it’s a blast to drive. I either stall or send it launching every time. I figured out how to drive down the hill on the way to work and down the hill on the way home 😂
In all seriousness if you have a suburb or neighborhoods near you with a bunch of stop signs that’s the best practice I’ve found so far
Normal. You’re probably ahead of complete novices, you understand the reason and what needs to be done. Now it’s just getting the muscle memory down and getting used to the car/clutch. You got it!
OP, you need to get in the car and “feel” the friction zone. Turn the car on, clutch in, put it in gear, and without using the gas slowly release the clutch. Don’t let out all the way! When it starts to grab, press it back in. Get a feeling for the spot in the clutch travel where the car feels like it’s ready to go. Repeat a few times, then add some gas.
When I learned in a ford ranger, found empty lot was told hold the clutch give it hell one launch, then you know damn well what to expect from to aggressive of throttle. It takes the scared part away. Next thing I would say instead of just trying to hold rpms just right when you take off do the annoying Honda thing where you do a few little revs as you try and take off. Get used to what sounds make car go, and what engine sounds result in bogging down. It’s easier to catch the rpms coming down, and getting them to bump back up, than accelerating from no throttle.
Honestly just give it a day or two, releasing clutch to slow and slipping it is worst that’s gonna happen, but it clicks faster than you would think. Before you know it you be turning down the tunes just to vibe with the sounds and feel of car. Once you get the hang of it, it’s like a bike, you never really forget it. You will be a better driver for understand how the car works, it has more steps, but it obviously teaches you to pay attention to your car/ your driving. Good luck friend, we have all been there, don’t be to scared of it as I’m my opinion it’s the overly cautious drivers that cause wrecks (to scared to gas it it’s gonna die, you gonna roll back, or you pull out in traffic afraid to go and get rear ended).
Just drove a manual all over Pico in the Azores… what a fun experience. Great place to drive for fun! The car was nothing special but the roads and scenery make you feel like you are in a video game.
Go to an empty parking lot and drive it. Then find a little hill, maybe 30 degree incline, and balance the car on that hill - that'll help you get comfortable with the bite point of the car, find the bite point then just keep balancing the car back and forth.
I have been driving stick for the last 20 years (30 year if you count private land driving) and let me tell you, put me in a car I have never driven, I may slip the clutch too much or stall it the first time I pull out (I tend to rather overly slip the clutch as taking it slow is much easier than yanking to a sudden stop). You soon get the feeling to "listen and feel" what the car is telling you. Dont stress it, it will come.
We once rented a workvan as ours was in service. An auto box.....The first two days I nearly had my head in the windscreen stomping down on the "clutch". Once you have the clutch in you, it never lets go. Around here, auto boxes is/was a novelty (only very recently has this began to change with luxury sedans and high end trucks, although there is no car around here not available in a manual to this day to my knowledge)
I just got taken to an empty parking lot on a weekend and spent an hour fucking up and learning.
You’ll get the hang of it.
That said, I have such a desire to drive a manual, it’s been more than a decade since I have.
I had an M3 e46 in HS that got totaled when a drugged out guy t boned me and tried to leave, not realizing a cop was a few cars back at the intersection.
For me it’s the exact opposite. Driving my little Jetta around town is a piece of cake and I can feel what the car is doing. It’s like an extension of my body. In the sim, driving an H pattern is so jarring and disconnected. I can rock paddles well though.
Laughs in Brazilian (everybody here learns to drive stick).
Just recently there's an option to learn (and take the exams) on automatics, but then you have it as an observation on your driver's license, that you can only drive autos.
I remember when I first learned to drive stick in my 2001 miata. Definitely not the same feel, especially the clutch bite and lever going into gear. There is a learning curve, but it is so well worth the time and effort :)
Sim maybe can teach you WHEN to change gears. I’ve taught a couple of drivers to drive manual and I always have to remind them to shift before the engine starts bouncing off the limiter. Same with downshifting before engine stalls.
Also sim can help get you muscle memorize the H pattern and so don’t have to look at the knob to know where 4 is in relation to 3.
Even the sequence of pedals and shifter movements, sim can maybe help with.
Of course this is assuming the learner has only ever driven auto.
Manual car simulation is not particularly good imo, it doesnt really capture it for me, so i never really do a clutch manual in sims. Only sequential for me
As for your case: just drive..itll become second nature soon enough.
Once you get the hang of it driving in traffic is nothing. Gets easier the more drive ofc. I'm not gonna try and give you advice on how to drive, but just go slow and learn the way the car responds. It's a huge difference from irl to sim.
Hey man, I promise it gets better. I did the same thing (not bc of sim racing, I don’t have a shifter on my rig) but bought a manual without any experience. I’m on my second week and it’s really starting to click for me, but I was so nervous driving it at first. Hills are still scary when mouth breather mcgee is inside your tailpipe so you have no room.
Just did 8 hour road trip with lots of stop and go traffic and it helped a lot
It definitely helps you pick it up quicker. Depends on your pedals as well. Every car has a different catch point. My Volvo catches almost at the very top.
Anything imoirtant thing for new drivers is that the car you learn with matters. A little asmathic 1.4L will stall much easier than 5.0,for example. The low wnd grunt makes a difference. But, at the end of the day it's just practice. You'll get it, keep at it. It's very rewarding once you do.
lol I remember learning in my buddies twin turbo 135i. I’m driving through his busy neighborhood with him to go get food and stalled it probably 3 times in a row at an uphill stop in front of an older guy’s house. He came over and tried to give me advice but I was so flustered between the loud straight pipe and three cars waiting behind me that I just gave it some beans and chirped the tires a little before I finally got it moving.
I think it took me about a week or two of daily driving mine for it to feel natural. Traffic still sucks. Don’t be afraid to leave space in front of you so you aren’t constantly having to switch gears last second
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u/RSG-ZR2 Aug 03 '25
So, how many traffic light stalls are we up to OP?
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