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07-10-2018, 02:53 PM | #1 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 487909
Join Date: Jul 2018
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New to Manual sti
Hi guys,
It’s been a while since I drove a manual car. I just got a new 2018 wrx sti. I know the basic of driving manual car but would love some help since this is my first turbo manual car. I want to learn and know how to downshift properly and little advance stuff. I’m from queens New York if any Subaru owners want to meet up and give me some tips and tricks Sorry again because I’m new to this forums I’m not sure if I’m writing this in the right section. Thanks guys !! I appreciate all your help
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07-10-2018, 02:55 PM | #2 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 460140
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: SOCAL
Vehicle:2017 WRX Premium CWP |
Congrats! Post a pic
I also second the downshifting tips, I’m newish at driving a manual too and my reaction time isn’t that great yet haha been conditioned to be lazy with auto |
07-10-2018, 03:06 PM | #3 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 481354
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Michigan
Vehicle:2019 WRX STI WR Blue |
Quote:
Downshifts really just come down to knowing how much to blip the throttle, which comes with experience. To be safe, you can just blip the throttle a little more than you think you need, and just let the clutch out slowly. Your clutch should mate with your engine rotation speed pretty effortlessly as long as you get it close enough. If you want to meet up in person you could check out your regional forum or board or whatever it's called and see when the next get-together is. |
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07-10-2018, 04:14 PM | #4 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 487909
Join Date: Jul 2018
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Thanks guys! I appreciate it
I just don’t want to destroy the car haha. I know I’m learning on it but these cars are built tough. I get worried sometimes when I’m downshifting and also when to shift gears. I heard shifting too early is bad and shifting too late is also bad for engine so I’m trying to figure out the perfect shift points for daily driving and also when pushing the car. I don’t know much about turbo and psi but looking and learning as I read more articles. I sound like a noob. |
07-10-2018, 04:27 PM | #5 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 481354
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Michigan
Vehicle:2019 WRX STI WR Blue |
Quote:
As far as "shifting too early" being a problem, it's not one that I've ever heard of. It's a problem if you're on a drag strip, but just getting groceries or driving around town there's no problem shifting even at the 2-2.5k mark. Just don't try to go wide open throttle at low RPMs and your car will thank you. In the RPM range, it's business down low, party up top. |
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07-10-2018, 06:27 PM | #6 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 485973
Join Date: May 2018
Location: In a house
Vehicle:2018 WRX STI Red |
Welcome to the awesome world of driving an STI!
I'm not entirely new to stick either, but the STI is a new kind of experience to me too, so you are definitely not alone. It is definitely trickier to drive than my previous BRZ and Mazdaspeed Protege (both of which were 2wd and not as powerful, had a lighter clutch, and had a lot more 'play' area prior to full clutch-flywheel lockup [probably not the right vocab there].) I hope you are finding the learning process as much fun as I am! I could never heel-toe very well on either car...I think this was largely due to pedal placement. I'm getting reasonably good with the STI just a month in, although sometimes I get a little overly ambitious with the throttle and someone next to me probably thinks I am revving on them. The STI seems to have different pedal angles and spacing or something, as it's easier to do with my foot. It may also be in part that the car's civility seems quite a bit more brutal without heel and toe and its forced me to put more effort into learning? I assume you have already read this but this car really dislikes lugging, arguably more than most turbo cars already do. It's not going explode with light acceleration when at lower RPM obviously, but going WOT below 3-4k is generally not an ideal situation. My mind gets blown here every day. For example, even though my MSP was a turbo car, I had it for a brief period and admittedly I did not understand the difference between turbo lag and boost threshold before visiting this forum... |
07-10-2018, 06:29 PM | #7 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 487203
Join Date: Jun 2018
Chapter/Region:
W. Canada
Location: Alberta Canada
Vehicle:2018 WRX STI WR Blue |
2nded for not going WOT at low rpms. Lugging your engine is bad in gereral and even worse for a turbo car. Always downshift for passing on a highway. In gereral when you wa t to floor it 3 and 4th gears above 3.5k rpm is the safest.
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07-10-2018, 07:26 PM | #8 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 7374
Join Date: Jun 2001
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: Gold Country
Vehicle:2023 MAGA Hat Model3 grey, or is it gray? |
I read this 15 or so years ago, and still recommend it to anyone looking to become better at driving a stick shift:
http://www.318ti.org/notebook/shifting/index.html Roll on the throttle so as not to go WOT at rpm's which are too low. Wait for the engine to rev down on up shifts (due to emissions mapping, it is not uncommon for there to be a "rev hang" on most turbo charged cars). Get to know your gear spacing and have fun trying to be as smooth as possible. |
07-10-2018, 07:55 PM | #9 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 463264
Join Date: Feb 2017
Chapter/Region:
E. Canada
Location: Québec
Vehicle:2018 WRX sport, 6MT crystal BLACK silica |
There is also some bad habits a lot of people have:
- The shifter stick is not a hand rest. - The clutch pedal is not a foot rest. - You should be always in gear except at rest. Some people (who learned from "uncle") are coming to a stop from 30mph, third gear, pressing the clutch and the break to a complete stop. - At rest, you put neutral and keep foot on brake. No clutch. Ultimately, you should always be on the right gear for your speed or load. |
07-11-2018, 02:05 PM | #10 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 207263
Join Date: Mar 2009
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Indianapolis area
Vehicle:2019 WRX Limited World Rally Blue |
Gas savings comes from downshifting first, braking afterwards. Especially when doing so to reduce speed on the highway. Brake when you need to slow down rapidly AND drastically or need to come to a stop. Otherwise, rev-match downshift through the gears. Skip a gear if need be (just be sure to give a harder throttle blip).
As long as you don't lug the engine, upshifting early isn't an issue, and downshifting early as long as you're not going to whack the rev limiter isn't an issue either. You will need to learn the turbo's powerband, however, as it doesn't hold out all the way to redline. |
07-11-2018, 02:18 PM | #11 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 314360
Join Date: Mar 2012
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: PA
Vehicle:2021 STI ISM |
that poor clutch, lol.
good luck with it bud. all of these posts are great points, but the real way to master it is to just do it. Repetition is key. |
07-11-2018, 03:31 PM | #12 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 465501
Join Date: Apr 2017
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And don't ride the clutch or else your TOB might wear out early
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07-11-2018, 03:42 PM | #13 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 207263
Join Date: Mar 2009
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Indianapolis area
Vehicle:2019 WRX Limited World Rally Blue |
It'll wear out early (between 50k and 60k) regardless. Not riding it will delay how long it'll take before it breaks up, but it'll wear out before the clutch disc does for sure anyway.
On my 08 WRX (where I did ride the clutch too much b/c I was re-learning stick), TOB gave out around 52k. In my BRZ (which I absolutely did not ride, and knew how to rev match, etc), I had the TOB replaced around 62k and the clutch disc had about 15% life left on the material. TOB on BRZ had seized but had not yet disintegrated. Both gave out before the original clutch disc did. |
07-11-2018, 04:18 PM | #14 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 428511
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: philadelphia
Vehicle:2016 STI |
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07-11-2018, 04:52 PM | #15 |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
No comments on some previous posts.
It's a MT. Don't be stupid on a MT. Turbo, smooth is likely below any real boost, fun is within any real boost. Beyond that, it's a MT........drive it as such. I am not far away, willing to help you out if need be. You get here, maybe beer/Svedka money I will work with you. Otherwise, it's a MT. |
07-11-2018, 04:55 PM | #16 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 207263
Join Date: Mar 2009
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Indianapolis area
Vehicle:2019 WRX Limited World Rally Blue |
Quote:
Yeah, MT is MT, but when you're new to MT and only know the basics, you've got two different practical things to learn: good shifting skills and how to use your powerband with the turbo in the loop. |
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07-11-2018, 05:02 PM | #17 | |
NASIOC Supporter
Member#: 30669
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: USA, North NJ, 07456
Vehicle:1998 Legacy 2.5GT Silver Sleeper BK, 5MT |
Quote:
But, Queens NY, not much chance to get on it locally (notice I am in TriState, have time on the "island"). Driving is one thing, running boost is another. I am sorta going by the OP post. As an aside, brakes are cheaper and easier than a clutch or trans. So, using brakes in the NY metro area is likely cheaper than downshifts, although I can handle that. |
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07-11-2018, 05:03 PM | #18 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 483138
Join Date: Mar 2018
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: CT
Vehicle:2015 STI Crystal black silica |
hey man, congrats. I was right there with you for the first 2 months I owned my car. I am feeling way more confident with downshifting and smooth takeoffs/upshifts.
the clutches on these cars are crazy. I had a stage 2 south bend in my old GTI that I could shift with my pinky, not the case here. There is a lot of great information in this thread alone to become a better driver. Just be confident and don't live in fear of blowing up your motor for the first two months of ownership like I did! |
07-11-2018, 05:27 PM | #19 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 481354
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Michigan
Vehicle:2019 WRX STI WR Blue |
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07-11-2018, 05:36 PM | #20 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 207263
Join Date: Mar 2009
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Indianapolis area
Vehicle:2019 WRX Limited World Rally Blue |
Quote:
Thankfully I live in NEPA and work in the Southern Tier. I'll have FUN drives to work when I get my WRX (had a BRZ that was totaled right before we moved from CA and right around when we have to replace my wife's malibu... we have to save for a bit first before I get my sports car again). Yeah, in Stop and Go traffic, MT is MT: pain in the ass. If that was the majority of my driving, I'd get myself a Prius since there's zero chance of getting to have fun with a car in that city. |
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07-11-2018, 06:48 PM | #21 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 406088
Join Date: Nov 2014
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: Van Nuys
Vehicle:1998 Impreza WRX STI White |
Also, make sure you're sitting comfortably where you can push the clutch in all the way to the floor. Try to not listen to music while driving so you hear the motor until you're confident. Most importantly, just drive the car, it's the only way you're gonna learn manual because it's all about feeling the car.
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07-11-2018, 06:55 PM | #22 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 485435
Join Date: May 2018
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Take it easy
You definitely don't want to replace the clutch after 10k miles. Take it slow until you feel comfortable and slow shifts. The STI transmission can handle alot of punishment so dont beat yourself up if you make a mistake every now and again.
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07-12-2018, 08:05 AM | #23 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 207263
Join Date: Mar 2009
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Indianapolis area
Vehicle:2019 WRX Limited World Rally Blue |
Quote:
After a while, you'll "feel" the engine's response underneath the music. But at first you'll have to hear it. Also, as opposed to an AT/CVT, the most important instrument on your dash is your tachometer, not your speedometer. You can get away with only occasionally glancing at your speedometer as you'll figure out generally how fast you're going simply by looking at the tach and knowing what gear you're in. |
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07-12-2018, 06:00 PM | #24 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 443793
Join Date: Mar 2016
Vehicle:2016 WRX m6 ISM 2005 F-150 FX4 |
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=587096
That thread help me a lot learning from scratch 3 years ago...a great driver once told me the difference in someone who can drive a manual and a great driver is the same as a weekend hack golfer and a professional golfer, I feel this is true. Best advice I can give is learn to feel when the syncros let the shifter in gear while up shifting and don't over power them...two controversial points I believe are correct is giving a little gas to get going, not just using the clutch, and learning to double clutch downshift (since I was learning from scratch I decided to learn the hard way/right way/better way) |
07-13-2018, 11:08 AM | #25 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 487203
Join Date: Jun 2018
Chapter/Region:
W. Canada
Location: Alberta Canada
Vehicle:2018 WRX STI WR Blue |
I'd also add that first gear in my STI is not like any other first gear I've driven. In most other cars first gear is only used to get the car moving from a stop, whereas it seems the first gear in the sti is almost necessary when you are doing slow speed driving.
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