Short version:
Title pretty much explains it!

Longer version:
I just got myself a '05 RX8 about a month ago, and I'm absolutely loving it. Since this replaced my '95 Celica GT(may she rest in piece), I'm teaching my gf how to drive a MT in the 8. Thing is, she did very well in the Celica(only stalled it once in the 2 days of lesson), but she just had her first session in the 8.....didn't go so well, stalled around 10 times. Of course, the problem she's having is taking off. Any suggestions/tips that may help that are more RX8 specific?

 

Give more gas, be smoother with the clutch? The RX8 drivetrain has less intertia than the Celica's 2.2, so it tolerates abrupt clutch application less. On the bright side, if you can be smooth in the 8, you can be smooth in anything else.

Maybe she's not sitting quite correctly also?

 

Practice!
I find the 8 pretty easy, as it's geared so low. Some other cars I've driven have much taller gears and much easier to stall. The 8 is pretty easy to take off without stalling. She just has to find where the clutch engagement is and practice.

 

I know she is sitting correctly. I stood next to her from outside the car, made sure she can easily push the clutch to the floor.

Maybe I'm just a terrible teacher or terrible at explaining things lol.

 

Just takes practice. I taught my mom to drive stick on my car, so I'm sure your gf will get the hang of it.

 

Yeah it can take time.

Use an empty parking lot. See if you can find a slight incline and have her practice finding the engagement point. Just hold it on the incline without using the brake...

 

I mean sure if you wanna burn through your clutch(I guess if she is a quick learner it wouldn't be bad).

 

I don't think so.. If that was the case I'd go through clutches like people go through oil changes..

You are only using the clutch engage point to keep the car from rolling backwards.

I think 8 is harder to learn on due to the tiny torque we have, also your clutch pedal may need to be adjusted

 

You really are abusing the clutch if you do that continually, almost like riding the brakes all the time.

Most owner's manuals will specifically mention not to use the clutch to stay "stopped" on an incline. In fact here is an excerpt from the 2008 RX-8 owner's manual:

"Keep your foot off the clutch pedal
except when shifting gears. Also,
don't use the clutch to hold the
vehicle on an upgrade. Riding the
clutch will cause needless clutch
wear and damage."[bold added]

 

every time I teach someone to drive manual I have them start in second and talk them through smooth application of throttle and clutch until they get it right. Then first is easy!

 

Just had her practice last night. Did a lot better. I explained a few things differently, mainly how the 8 doesn't have the low end torque and super tiny gears of the Celica. That really helped.

Her practicing on my car for an hour at most isn't really going to burn through the clutch. Especially comparing to the sporty driving it was designed for.

 

The clutch can handle some extreme abuse.
I had my 04 GT and put on some 170k daily driving and 2 track days, I did not replace the clutch eventually my motor died at 283ish or 284ish k kms.. My tranny was still super smooth that MAzda Dealer ended up buying it off me for $600 for another customer lol..

Yes, I sort of agree with Love Hound; if you engage the clutch on uphill and at the same time hit the throttle I think that will cause some damage to the clutch and if you do it on a regular basis then you are asking for trouble

In my understanding, engage the clutch so that the car don't roll back and tap the throttle to find a perfect balance an let off the clutch :-)

 

A couple of comments...
It is no fun replacing a clutch, so I choose not to abuse them more than...
No mention of the "handbrake", for me this is most important and must be functional.
Stopping uphill, put it on and put trans in neutral..
Getting ready to go, clutch in, engage 1st.
Going, keep handbrake on, pull up to press in the release button.
Now feel for clutch engagement and slowly release the handbrake while adding gas.
No fear of rolling back and minimal wear of the clutch.
The way I was taught 50+ yrs ago and still works for me, except of course in some stupid cars with a foot pedal p'brake...
No need for heel/toe on the street, but trust you will be teaching the lucky GF to blip the throttle when downshifting to match the revs?
Are you concerned about losing your car??
Have fun
Trevor T

 

I did not see it touched on here, so here is a secret...

As soon as the clutch starts to bite, quite letting it out. The slippage will start the car rolling, then when it is rolling enough, the clutch will bite the rest of the way, then she can let out the clutch. If she gets used to the clutch pedal always moving, there will be an issue.

++ the start in second gear approach. It is all about finding the bite point.

 

It's called the "Friction Zone" 04

Travis

 

When i first started learning to drive stick i had the problem of really jerky shifts. I tried fixing that by gassing less but it wasn't in sync with my clutch foot. So one day i just drove the car for an hour getting in to first gear and coming to a full stop. It didn't click for me until i started giving the clutch foot a brief pause at the clutch point. This made my shifts super smooth because it let me line everything up.

Clutch -> Shift-> Slowly let clutch out until clutch point -> hold at clutch point -> gas a little. After i got used to it i started letting it out at clutch point a little quicker and the pause got shorter and shorter until it became natural.

I'm definitely still practicing manual atm so my advice not be the best on the clutch. But i feel like beginners are gonna end up burning some clutch in some way shape or form anyways. I figure smooth and clean shifts all come from synchronized foot work. Never had a problem moving the car after i realized this.

 

I thought it was the Friction Circle

 

Well, the clutch is a round circle that provides friction, but I believe that term usually describes the diagram used to show the direction that tyre grip is used...

 

Different teachers have different names.

I've heard, friction zone, bite point, grabbing zone, i just prefer to stick with Friction zone.

Even my Motorcycle safety course instructors @ Ft. Bliss referred to the "point where the clutch just begins to bite" as the friction zone. Potato, patato really.
I was just bored when i posted that.

Travis

 

I've taught her all about rev matching. She even knows about heel-toe (only because I do it all the time ), but I'm not letting her try that just yet.

 

What really helped when i was teaching my wife is just finding some flat ground and working on learning the friction point of the clutch.

At a stop, put the car into 1st, then just slowly let out the clutch with no gas. You'll feel the car pull and eventually stall. Then you instruct them to just add the gas once they feel the car start pulling.

The RX8 specifically has some give when you first let off the clutch that throws some people off. Just practicing it without dealing with the gas helps quite a bit.