farkmedead

okay so i sorted out the fuel which is around 250km/50L tank, if my maths is right i think thats around it. it' ACCEPTABLE and i would just take the train or something if i needed to.
anyways, before i think of getting ANYTHING, i need a manual car. and obviously a FD would not be a good choice would it? everytime i stall it i'd risk the chance of flooding the engine i heard?

should i just go for a shitbox first. but gosh i want to drive a FD as my first manual car....ohh yess...

farberio

iTrader: (7)

In stock clutch form its probably a good first manual car, no you do not risk the chance of flooding it everytime. Only if you stall it out cold and even then probably not. Deflooding is simple to do anyway.

farkmedead

i see, i was planning to keep it nice and stock anyways. thanks for the input, this makes me want to get this sexy car more now. lol

solareon

iTrader: (1)

driving stick in a rotary is 100x easier than a piston car. the engine just wants to rev so freely it makes it easy to drive.

farkmedead

ah i see, holy **** this is the perfect car for me. i love you rx7...

alt-world

Teaching my girlfriend how to drive a manual with my RX& 1988 GXL, its actually not that twitchy and the rotary engine is more forgiving.

LaSkt9

i agree with the guy above me... best car to drive a manual in i dont feel like im going to get thrown through the windshield everytime my girlfriend stalls

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

The FD isn't a bad car to learn manual in as long as you don't drive in bad weather. It's a powerful car and unless you're pretty smooth at shifting you could cause yourself trouble on a slick road. At the very least I wouldn't want to be a passenger for quite a while when you're driving. Nothing personal, that's just how it is. You also don't want to drive the car hard until you learn to be reasonably proficient with shifting.

The FD's clutch isn't very harsh or heavy, and engagement is fairly smooth. The gearbox could definitely shift more smoothly (particularly 1->2) but that's not an issue except that you should be aware of it.

Do take the time to learn proper manual transmission driving habits. The average person who "knows" stick doesn't have good habits. Things like: using the clutch minimally, putting the car in neutral and releasing the clutch while sitting still / idling, how to engage the clutch without riding it, how to ease off and onto the throttle to eliminate driveline shock and jolting your passengers, heel-toe downshifting, etc. I spent several years driving a 5 speed with a few bad habits and as a result now I tend to be more sloppy.

Dave

Justanislandboy

I learned in 2 Rx-7 cars, a 1979 and a 1991. The 91 was so easy to learn on, it just slides right into gear...

I even had trouble when i went to my friends 240SX after i learned on the RX7.

Haha, i still remember having trouble with first gear though.... lol

Supernaut

iTrader: (83)

Im learning on an FD now. Its great fun. I havent enjoyed driving in years. The FD is also my first car that I have ever purchased. It feels pretty great.

Thanks for your excerpt da geese (see what I did there). I still have no idea what the proper way to drive manual is yet. Some people say I ride the clutch to much some people think its fine. I still have no idea. Generally I've been told to ride it for only 3 - 4 seconds max. I also engage the clutch every time I break when in low speed and out of low RPM zone. Is this correct?

Blitanicle99

It doesn't have much torque so its more difficult to learn to drive stick than other vehicles but its still very doable. Most people can go from never driving a stick to more or less comfortably driving one in a day or so.

Supernaut

iTrader: (83)

Yea thats very true. Its feels so uncomfortable for me to drive an automatic now. Whenever I start the car, I always look for a clutch pedal. Everything just feels so awkward.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Here's the magic techique for using the clutch:

Taking it out of gear is easy: lift the right foot *gently* and push the left to the floor. Shift.

Now for the hard part - engaging the next gear.
(This part is the secret magic)
NEVER stop lifting your left foot. NEVER stop lowering your right foot. The key is to slow them down in the critical part of the pedal travel. Most studdering and clutch riding comes from a driver trying to feel out the friction point and ride on the friction point. Don't. In learning, focus on finding the point of clutch pedal travel where it starts to grab ever so slightly, and quickly let the clutch out to that point. Then seamlessly slow down your left foot and lift it steadily through the rest of the pedal travel. With your right foot, you're trying to add throttle as the clutch can take the load, which is to say that as the clutch comes up the throttle goes down. Never stop one of your feet if you get a harsh bump - just take it slower.

From a dead stop, it's the same thing except your throttle is done to hold the engine at a steady rpm (say, 2000 or 1500) while you bring out the clutch.

Now it will take practice to do this efficiently and quickly, no doubt. To take off going uphill you'll need to get into clutch engagement quickly. But this is skill you should aim for. When done correctly nobody will know when the clutch was engaging and you'll never bump the passenger. They'll simply feel themselves solidly pressed into the seatback. How mild or severe will be under your control.

Dave

TT_FD_Scott

with the stock clutch it will be a great starter.

farkmedead

thanks for the tips everyone.
manual will take some good time to get it perfected.

refused_curtis

The stock clutch will definitely help.

Charb

Rotary is great to learn on, in fact that's what I learned on. Be careful which year you get tho. The 86' I know have a particularly weak transmission for the weight and power of the car, and can therefore cry itself apart which a novice manual driver (hence my 3 rebuilt transmissions in my 86). I believe by 87 the tranny was beefed up, however I can't confirm this right now.

farkmedead

well, i was thinking if i should wait 2 years, yes thats right a WHOLE 2 years, when i can legally drive the twin turbo FD, and get that(aiming for 99+)

OR, get something nice and cheap (integra DC2/DC4) for around 7-below10k, and I could IMMEDIATELY start practising manual on that car so that i would be a more experienced driver before i get my FD in 2 years. so i don't know, there is still a dilemma between waiting 2 years and learning my manuals on the rx7, or learning manual now on an integra.

I was thinking that i could even keep the integra as a daily driver but having 2 cars costs way too much maintenance, services, insurance...you know...argh...so iuno, i have quite a bit to decide, a few months in fact

Anne87RX

I've always found the shifting in the rotaries very easy. Do try a racing clutch if you have the chance though. Your life will never be the same.

BlowenByTwins

iTrader: (6)

my FD was my first manuel car to "own"/daily drive, and i bought it with a stock clutch and it made 330rwhp, one hell of a car to learn on just be careful

Mac_1421

You could always "learn" with a stock clutch and swap it later to a racing clutch when you are reddy. And no offense but switching from a integra to a FD is like switching from a go-cart to a full size car with nuts.

Mac_1421

I would go ahead with the FD with a stock clutch to learn on because you can always put a race clutch in later if you want. And no offense but switching from a front wheel drive integra to a rear wheel drive FD is like learning on a go kart and switching to a full size car with nutts.

Vroman

the first car i ever drove that was a manual was an 86 rex base model and it was soo easy. . . i stalled it ONCE and that was the first time i ever tried taking off from a dead stop (ie when i very first started the car and started to move) but after that it was smooth sailing and then actually got my *** rode up an on ramp to the highway and raced a newer firebird and won lol. . . well either that or they just let up but idk. . . long story short i feel that the rx7 is a great car to learn how to drive a stick because it just shifts so smooth and is very easy to get the hang of

wink1100

I dorve a manual turbo II RX-7 and drives great! even granny shifting like a new driver on the road.

glc93r1

I learned manual back in 1987 as I drove my 83 RX7 off a lot in San Diego. If I had to do it again I would choose a bit smaller city in which to learn LOL