new 08 mazda3, new to standard driving :P

[Mafty]

so new the these boards, this is my second car. i had a 2 door sunfire for 4 years before this one. but i was auto. so this is my first manual car. had it 2 days now. getting the hang of it really quickly. still a bit nerv racking at some lights, but im sure ill get used to it.

ill get some pics up once daylight hits, i just washed it before sundown

[b.rabbit]

Congrats on the new car!

[sudz]

Congrats! I learned how to drive standard when i picked the car up... What made it worse is i picked it up near closing time at the dealer, and had to BACK it up through 300 feet of tightly packed cars. VERY nerve racking! I've driven my brothers old mazda pickup truck once, and my buddy's ralliart once. THe mazda clutch is silky in comparison to those two!

You'll get the hang of it quickly!.... Until then... avoid parking garages! ;-)

[Cardinal Fang]

Congrats Terry. I think you're the third member to go from a sunfire to a Mazda3. Which model did you end up getting?

[Malcolm991]

Congradulation's Terry, something I was told when I learned how to drive stick way back in the day. When in doubt, push in the clutch

[Mafty]

i got a black sport gs. im hoping my old rims fit on it, they had two bolt patterns on my old wheels, by i know my old car was 5x100 and mazdas are 5x114, but heres hoping they fit. it would be nice to have some 18s on my car for the summer.

[Cardinal Fang]

Have a look at our sponsors section. They have some deals on right now for tires and one still has their deals on rims.

[wingnut12]

Congrats on the new car!

I think you'll find it heads and shoulders better than your last one.

[HBP]

do you guys clutch all the way in when shifting?

ive heard it doesnt matter, as long as you pass the engagement point, i still clutch all the way in though. any opinions?

[alhope34]

I always clutch fully between gears. Easier on the synchros that way.

[Notorious MS3]

Congrats man, my speed3 was my first manual car and I remember how nervous I was when I got it. You will get the hang of it soon.

[Wild Weasel]

do you guys clutch all the way in when shifting?

ive heard it doesnt matter, as long as you pass the engagement point, i still clutch all the way in though. any opinions?

Technically you're right in that once the clutch is fully disengaged, there's no further difference in pressing the pedal further.

That said... how can you know exactly where the point of engagement is? Just because you can't feel it yet doesn't mean there isn't a slight bit of friction there.

There's just no value in not clutching right to the floor. If you're trying to shift faster or something, just move your leg faster.

At any given time, the clutch should either be fully in, fully out, or transitioning from one to the other.

My best advice for new manual drivers is this... if something unexpected happens and you don't know what to do or there's an emergency situation and you're about to panic, just drive it like an automatic. Brake and steer.

You might stall it, but at least you'll keep control and keep yourself safe.

[el_gato]

welcome to TM3! i remembered my rookie days of standard driving. i used to dread up hills. i would just be on the gas and clucth because i was worried that i'd back into the car behind me when i switched from brakes to gas. now everything just comes natural.

[theurgy]

LOL.. my first standard was a 91 Civic from way back when.. and after that I ended up always getting automatics.
When I got married the wife only knew how to drive auto... so I was forced to drive the same... now that I'm divorced.. the first thing I did was pickup the Speed3 (which is a 6 speed)...LOL
I was so nervous driving it out of the dealership but I quickly got the hang of it and now I drive it like a champ.
My new girlfriend drives stick... I made sure of that...LOL

[Fuman]

My new girlfriend drives stick... I made sure of that...LOL

insert sick joke here =p.
hard to fine girls that can drive manual or even girls that are willing to learn to drive manual

[theurgy]

My girl even enjoys driving standard and wouldn't be caught dead in an automatic....HEHE... I think I'm in love...LOL

[el_gato]

That's jokes. LMAO

insert sick joke here =p.
hard to fine girls that can drive manual or even girls that are willing to learn to drive manual

[alhope34]

Over the winter I taught my fiance to drive my car, this is the first car she's ever driven.

[ssaroop]

Hey I'm new to tm3... I'm actually picking up my 2008.5 Mazda3 GS - Standard transmission... tomorrow night... and I just learned how to drive a standard this past week... lol this should be interesting...

[JiNuWiNe]

Hi and welcome!

[tinythetiger]

Nice, post some pics! I'm jealous... I wish mine was stick. Tiptronic is as close as I get, but there's nothing like the feel of a nice shift knob ;P, not like the plasticky one on the auto.

[Mafty]

pics are in the members ride section