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Need Help with Clutch Control on Nissan Micra :(

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Ok. Let's stop and start again. :p:

You should the car resting in neutral, with the engine on and handbrake on.

Clutch down and hold, and put it into first. touch and hold the gas so that you're resting at just above 10000rmp. 11000-12000 should do fine. Very very very VERY softly, start taking your foot off the clutch. Do NOT move your gas foot. You should, somewhere around halfway up, feel the car dip and feel like it wants to move forward. Take your handbrake off, and the car will start to move. VERY GENTLY put more pressure on the gas, and as you do so, take pressure off the clutch.

Keep practising. You'll be fine, and soon it will come naturally.

Reply 21

Hrov

i find the biting point, use accelerator to get to x revs, bring the hand brake up, and then slowly take ur foot off of the clutch (leaving the other foot on the accelerator at the same revs and slowly balance it out with the clutch).
easy

Reply 22

Rock n Roll

manzi905

Im confused with the bold bits sorry. If the handbrake i up then how will i know im on the biting point, as the car wont be moving.

Also at every traffic light if im gonna be waiting for more than 5 secs my instructor tells me to put the handbrake on. For now I put the handbrake down before giving any gas (which makes me panic as i quickly try to set off), should I give gas while the handbrake is still on?

Your instructor sounds like an idiot to me! Find the biting point with the handbrake on, you'll be able to feel it! And if not, you'll feel the car straining the handbrake, it sounds stupid to find it without the handbrake as you still have to do your all round checks afterwards.

As for at a traffic light, its the same, get ready before you release the handbrake, find the biting point and give the gas, THEN release the handbrake!

Reply 23

Spotty Dog

OP - the best place to practise is in a car park that isn't being used. Book a lesson for about 6:30-7:30 (sundays are the best for this), for an hour, and make it clear to your instructor you want to practise in a carpark where the shops shut at around 4/5 (so you've got rid of most staff/customer cars) and you just want to practise stopping and starting so you've got your clutch control right. Get him/her to show you what the bite feels like by having them do it for you, then change over and you try.

This way, you've got no pressure of hitting things (too much!) and no pressure of holding up other traffic.

Reply 24

manzi905

Ok thanks I understand what to do now. Lift the clutch very slowly while reving engine to 1.5. When the car dips a little i should hold the clutch there until it starts to move off itself.

Also can someone tell me at what spped i should change to what gear as right now i still rely on my instructor to tell me when ti change gears.

Reply 25

Hrov

mine says anything less than 10mph should be first gear. you will soon be able to tell to be honest. suppose all cars are different

Reply 26

M1R4J

10mph - 2nd gear
15-20 mph 3rd gear
30mph 4th gear
45mph 5th gear

Reply 27

Spotty Dog

manzi905

Also can someone tell me at what spped i should change to what gear as right now i still rely on my instructor to tell me when ti change gears.

A car should rev at between 2 and 3. So anything over, go up a gear and anything under, go down a gear.

This comes with experience. Listen to your car. If it sounds like it's struggling, change. Listen to every car your in, and make predictions about when you change in your head, and see if the driver changes then too. If they don't, question them on why they didn't, and you'll quickly learn. :smile:

(ie, they might say, "Yes, but there was x y z happening and I knew if I went up, I'd have to come down in a few seconds, and you'll know to watch for that)

Reply 28

Jonathan

Spotty Dog

Are you driving in thick heeled/soled shoes? I started to learn in vans and couldn't get the clutch control right, so ended up learning in a pair of dolly-pumps.

I often drive barefoot, too. xD

Try and get your hands on some slipper-socks, the sort with gripper pads on the bottom. Toasties? Something like that.

Nononono PLEASE don't drive barefoot.

It's fine until you need to do an emergency stop, when your unprotected foot doesn't have the power (or pain tolerance) to apply enough pressure to the brake pedal.

To the OP. I'm assuming that you know how to find the biting point. Everyone else here has told you.

I seriously suggest that you practise this:

1. Apply a little bit of accelerator (the thickness of a 2p coin) and find the biting point.

2. Hold your feet there and relax - this is much easier with your heels on the carpet.

3. Release the handbrake, but DO NOT MOVE YOUR FEET. I repeat: KEEP YOUR FEET STILL. The car will speed up on its own.

At about 7 or 8mph, the clutch will 'stick' - it will have fully engaged itself - and the car will stop getting faster. At this point you can take your foot off the clutch altogether. It will do absolutely nothing because the clutch will already be fully engaged. Apply a bit more accelerator to speed up if you like, and change into second gear.

Try it. You CANNOT stall with this method, as long as the car is not going up a moderate to steep hill.

Reply 29

Spotty Dog

M1R4J

10mph - 2nd gear
15-20 mph 3rd gear
30mph 4th gear
45mph 5th gear

I would disagree.

My mother teaches it that if you look at your speedo, that gives you an idea. Up to 10=1. Up to 20 = 2. Up to 30 = 3. Up to 40=4. 50+=5.

We have a variety of cars at the moment, and I think all of them would be unhappy in 4th at 30. (The variety, for record, is a 57 Fiesta 1.25, 2000 Kia Sportage 2.0, P-Reg Citroen Xsara 1.6 and L-Reg Escort 1.6)

Reply 30

orionmoo

Spotty Dog

The same with me! I wore vans with a thick sole and i stalled at every single junction. Then I switched to some thin soled vans and converse and I get it perfect now!
So yeah try changing your shoes. Also when you bring the clutch up, you do bring it up slowly and smoothly but what normally is the problem is its ok bringing to bit, you feel the bite and then you take your foot off the clutch. This'll stall the car. Instead keep your foot on the clutch and keep at it the bite position whilst the car moves forward a bit and once its got a bit momentum, then lift you foot off, slowly.

So yes. Try to wear thin soled shoes, and leave the clutch at bite instead of bringing it up in one full movement

Reply 31

manzi905

Thx guys i feel alot better now. I asked my instructor once if i can do the biting point while the handbrake is on on a flat road (which 95% are in my area) and he replied no becuase its no on a hill ot steep road :frown:

Ill ask him again today if i can use this method but this is why i mess it up, as i panic and totally do itwrong by lifitng clutch to fast or not giving enough gas.

Reply 32

M1R4J

I have a site that i would recommend, its pretty useful.

http://www.2pass.co.uk/

Reply 33

Spotty Dog

manzi905

Ill ask him again today if i can use this method but this is why i mess it up, as i panic and totally do itwrong by lifitng clutch to fast or not giving enough gas.

If he's not prepared to go back over weak areas, then I would suggest looking at a different instructor.

Reply 34

orionmoo

Just listen to the engine. It's fairly obvious when to change from 1st to 2nd. 2nd to third when you reach about 20mph. If you're doing 30mph you should be in 4th. However theres different types of roads out there. If your on a fast road, keep it in 3rd gear until 45mph and then change straight to 5th. Equally you can go up to 30 in second and change straight to 4th. All depends on the road type. Going up a hill will require more time in a lower gear and up a big steep hill at 30 should be in 3rd, until your speed is steadily at 30. Equally going down a hill, you can apply break and down gear to 3rd to give you more control over the car.

Reply 35

Hrov

manzi905

Ill ask him again today if i can use this method but this is why i mess it up, as i panic and totally do itwrong by lifitng clutch to fast or not giving enough gas.

Im told to put the handbrake on whenever im still for more than a couple of seconds, hill or no hill. Meaning that most of the time i do the start that you are talking about

Reply 36

JD8891

when to change gear is summit u have to get the feel for as the time to change gears differs in diff situations, its nothing to worry bout, i know it can seem a bit scary at first but its just something that comes naturally as u drive, try not to painic about it as u will shut down and it will take longer to learn. the most important part of learning anything is to not let it stress u out!!!

Reply 37

orionmoo

Spotty Dog

If he's not prepared to go back over weak areas, then I would suggest looking at a different instructor.

I agree. Also, what's he on about. If the hand breaks on, you keep the hand break on until the car reaches bite and starts to move forward. At that point you release the handbreak. You can use the handbreak on a flat road or hill, and its safer to use it all the time on both to secure the car, especially when moving off. It prevents roll back of the car which can and does happen even on flat roads. Just lift the clutch up until you find the bite, as the car starts to pull let the handbreak down and then keep the clutch at bite. As it moves forward fully lift the clutch up. Keep the revs at 1.5, unless on a hill then probably 2.

If you wish to just practice finding bite and using the handbreak in conjunction with the clutch, just find an empty flat road, pull up at the side. Dont apply any gas, just lift the clutch up until you feel the pull, let go of the handbreak and the car will move forward on tickover alone, then just stop on the break and dip the clutch again. Do that a few times and you should have it sorted in no time!

Reply 38

The West Wing

I drive this car and it's almost impossible to use clutch control in many instances. It's really the type of car where you have to press the acc pedal wildly and raise the clutch by milimeters in order to achieve any form of clutch control. Don't be disheartened, it's not an easy car to learn on (brilliant to drive for every day use though).

Reply 39

WelshBluebird

orionmoo

I don't think you can apply that to every car and every road though.
My friend has a 1.1 saxo, theres no way that will do some of the hills around here in 3rd, while another friends 1.3 Ibiza has no trouble doing it.
All depends on the car in question, and the road.