Driving with manual transmission questions

BTDT. No real problem for me. The pedal dance is about the only one that I can do.

 

Oh come now Tony, don't just sit there, BUST A MOVE!

.. and I want a vid

 

CODE OF VIRGINIA
§ 46.2-811. Coasting prohibited.
The driver of any motor vehicle traveling on a downgrade on any highway shall not coast with the gears of the vehicle in neutral.


Well I'll be damned. I learned something today.

 

Since this thread has turned into mostly BSing at this point;
@su.b.rat any experience with that tune off road? Like extended 4Lo crawling. I’ve yet to read a review of any of these tunes for extended off road use. I’m not too concerned with on road performance (I have my motorcycles for a speed fix), and off road seems fine as is, but if there’s room for improvement my interest would be piqued.

One of my favourite pedal dance vids for staying on topic; The master, in loafers.

 

Interesting that age has been brought into this thread.

 

Leaving in a gear while "coasting" up to a stop will actually save you more fuel than putting in neutral. It's been proven multiple times with mythbusters, GM, Lockheed, and Top Gear even. With the vehicle in gear the engine has to work less hard to stay lit where is it neutral it will always be burning at least a certain amount of fuel.

Weird That that is a law. Like I understand the thinking behind it, but it's also really not enforceable.

31. Guess I'll take the middle ground in the age discussion.

 

I think the coasting laws are mostly meant for transfer trucks that could end up gaining so much speed that the brakes would overheat and become ineffective.

With fuel injected vehicles, the injectors are turned off when you are coasting in gear, so that helps save fuel. Not really relevant in this forum, but you don't get the same benefit from carbureted engines as they always consume some fuel.

 

This is probably in here already, but if you really want to learn where the grab points of any clutch are, go to a flat empty parking lot and practice getting the vehicle moving without ever touching the gas pedal.

 

i almost never use 4lo although i have a great experience on Coyoza with all the low speed stuff in 4hi, and a good ton of traffic jam time and I'm still super happy with it. but your question may be answered here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/coyoza-tune-development-and-feedback.719707/

 

I can barely pull off Bad Dancing. My girls are either embarrassed or laughing.

 

OP, lots of good advice already given. Here’s a couple more:

While you’re learning the feel of the clutch, wear the same shoes while you’re driving. Differences in the thickness of shoe soles may change the perceived clutch “grab point”.

While upshifting, if the shift starts to feel clunky try pushing the clutch back down a little and then back up. This often helps, especially while learning.

Stick with it ! You’ll be a pro in no time.

 

Thanks Already feeling lots of improvement since I posted

 

No Coyza experience for me, but OVT Sfob Is fantastic in 4lo

 

It's been said before on this thread but figured I would also add my 2 cents. Vehicles (both automatic and manual) shutoff/minimize fuel above certain RPMs with no throttle input in gear. Basically, the drivetrain is pushing the engine to keep it running (down to a certain RPM in a certain gear). So coasting in neutral actually uses idle amounts of fuel while coasting in gear uses even less. I coast in gear (it doesn't matter which gear - sometimes I downshift for engine braking) down to about 1000-1200 RPMs before throwing the clutch down and coasting to a stop. You can typically feel the fuel re-engage when coasting in gear. It'll feel like a little bump in the back while coasting, as if your truck is adding a bit of throttle (because it essentially is).

I didn't go through the whole thread but the rev hang in this truck (without the AC compressor on) basically means you have to have patience in that 1-2 shift since it's nearly a 2:1 ratio between gears. It's a big gap! And yes you'll slow down about 2-3 MPH and you will have Debbie in her Mercedes up your ass because of it. I just try not to let it bother me. If they rear end me off a stoplight it's their insurance paying.

Also for those interested I'm 29. Have about 3 years of full time stick driving under my belt and still learning.

 

Illegal in CA too, I remember taking driver's ed back in high school ~2002, they told us if you were doing the driving test with a manual trans vehicle to never let it coast downhill or you could fail the test. Key word for CA at least is "downhill", if it's flat you can coast all you like. Kind of weird.

But anyway, like someone else mentioned how is anyone going to know you're coasting.

 

momentum is your friend. shift to second gear when your RPM reached 2500 ( do that for now while you're still learning). Once you get used to it, you'll learn your way around MT.

 

I never mentioned anything about trying to "save fuel" but the DFCO definitely does save fuel if you stay in gear. If l don't have any traffic behind me and am not in a hurry then l will just throw it in neutral about 50 yards from a stop sign or red light.

 

Really? Better MPG by shifting at higher rpm? Anyone else experiencing this? I've been shifting at pretty low rpm generally because I assumed that would help MPG. I have tried going higher since I read this, and I'm topping out on the speed limit in most cases in 3rd gear before I get to 4k. Maybe save gas because u get to speed faster? Interested in hearing other thoughts.

 

That's how I taught my kids to drive a stick. Jetta, not Taco.

 

keep an eye on your engine load if you have an ultra gauge or scan gauge. Higher rpm doesn’t necessarily mean more fuel consumption. What really matters is staying in the engines power band. Shifting low and lugging it through a gear will cause more fuel consumption than keeping the rpm high enough to more efficiently produce the torque required to maintain speed.