Starting in First Gear....
 

It's been over year since I drove a stick, so I've got to admit I'm a little rusty.... But....

For those individuals who have not owned a Rotary before, are you having a difficult time letting out the clutch in First Gear. I can't get myself to start off smoothly......

It's probably just me..... I will need to just get out there and drive a lot more :) :) :)

I find it helps to keep your heel planted below the accelerator so you have better control of it. I've had the same problem, but I'm finally getting the feel of how much throttle to feed in.

DRIVE more!!

Actually, it does seem that I need a little higher RPM starting out than I did in my Miata. The first couple of time I started from stop were pretty amusing. :) But that's (I hope) more a factor that the clutch in my Miata was due for replacement.

Dave

If you have the throttle in more (give it some more gas) to get the RPMs up around 6500, and let the clutch out really quickly, you shouldn't have to worry about the clutch problems.

Just make sure to turn off the DSC so the tires will burn out smoothly, otherwise when it kicks in the back tires will start stuttering. And nobody likes that.

;)

Just in case you didn't get it, that was supposed to be a joke.....

It needs to be said.. believe it or not I've read a few threads in other boards where bad things happened...

You're a little rusty & it's a rotary. Double whammy. The GOOD news is - the car's A-OK.

Ahem yes, thanks for the reminder.

THAT WAS A JOKE. DO NOT LET OUT THE CLUTCH AT 6500 RPM OR YOU COULD DAMAGE YOUR CAR.

Thank you for your support.

Re: Starting in First Gear....
 

I'm finding it a bit of an adjustment too. I felt like a real novice when I took it for my test drive! :o :p . I haven't quite gotten a good feel for coordinating the throttle with the longer clutch travel yet. My old car ('86 MR2) had an extremely short clutch travel and was the easiest stick I've ever driven, so it's taking me some time to get used to the RX-8. I guess I just need to drive it a lot more too! :p :D

I still have this problem in my FD. The clutch engagement point is much higher than any other stick I've dirven, and it lacks in torque in the low RPMs. One of these days I'll figure it out.

The clutch disengagement is a little bit tricky.

On my test drive, I was also testing the audio system which I had cranked and the engine is very quiet.

So guess what happened? That's right, at a stop light I stalled the car. I haven't stalled a car out in at least 5 years for any reason.

Oh, the shame...

-Mr. Wigggles

When I was going on a test drive w/ the salesman, he told me to slowly let go of the clutch at abt 3500rpm, which I think is the smoothest. But I am wondering is using 2nd gear to start off fine w/ the engine/transmission?

perhaps it's just me but i find it much easier to drive than my truck. i start ~1500 rpm or so clutch all the way out by 1700-1800 rpm or so which is about 7mph? maybe only 6 or so

The rx8 would have to be one of the easiests cars to drive ,exellent light clucth and baby smooth gear change i hate to say this but if you cant drive this car easily you should not be driving,get out and get more practice.

i agree that it is pretty easy to drive. you shouldn't need more than 2k rpms to get going in first.

I totally understand where you are coming from. I've had a bit of trouble with first in this car too. I think i found the answer in revving the engine a little higher than expected and slowly sliding the clutch out. It also seems a little more bucky when the car is colder anyone else notice this?

The salesman is right. Give it some gas before you let out the clutch. It will become like a second nature for you! I bet that it's a joy to drive!

Just curious here: In the Rx-8 can you disengage the clutch w/o pushing the gas pedal? Has anyone tried this? In my truck I can go from a dead stop to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, then 4th gear without pressing the gas pedal at all. I think this will give a good impression on if there is enough torque for the car.

-JiM

id have to agree...on the test drive i first got into the car and stalled....i was soo embarrased...Im used to giving a little gas in my old car (old integra) before launch, but I assumed that I didnt need to give it some gas b/c there is more power in the 8....i was wrong....

First off, always start the car off in 1st. Rotaries don't like to be lugged at low RPM - it's generally a good idea to drive at 2000 RPM and above. Don't know what the gearing is like on the '8 (I'm an RX-7 guy) but the '7 is geared where it likes to be just over 2000 RPM.

For the guy with the FD with a high clutch engagement point - that means, 9 times out of 10, that your clutch is worn. When the clutch disc starts to get really thin, the engagement point is higher. I've done enough clutch jobs on an FD to know this one :). Good thing is it's a relatively easy car to do a clutch on - easier than an FC, believe it or not.

Again, remember, this is NOT A TRUCK. Don't throw the car in a high gear and tool along at 1100 RPM or the like - you WILL eventually cause engine damage. It's hard on the corner seals. Try and keep the engine at least around 2000 RPM, and you'll be fine. Of course, this is referring to cruising :).

Rotaries are like muscles - they like being exercises. Gimp it around town all the time, never romp on it, keep the revs low - it's like letting it sit on the couch eating junk food all day. You get lots of carbon buildup in the engine, the injectors gum up, the seals stick in the rotors...it's just all bad. Exercise it on a regular basis, and it's much happier.

Dale

I don't know about the FD, or the RX-8 for that matter, but the clutch engagement point should be adjustable. If you're doin the wrenching on your car, check out your maintenance manual. If you take it somewhere, tell them next time you're there to adjust it. It should start engaging (no throttle - tach starts to show a drop in rpm's) about 1" from the floor. The adjustment point is usually at the cable jacket connection near the throwout bearing actuating arm (the transmission side of the clutch cable).

For sure, you want full disengage @ the floor & full engage when released. Some people play with the in-between point to suit their preference. Could be if you have a mechanic, he has it set to his preference.

edit: Yeah, like dcfc3s said there, it might be time for a new clutch disc. Hope not!

Hmmm, good idea. I try not to take it to the mechanic too often. $$$$ I'll figure it out myself I think :D

It is getting near time for a new clutch though, hehe. I've got maybe 5-7k miles left on it. No slipping yet, but it's going.

I don't know about that. I'd be willing to bet my Z28 had plenty enough torque and unless I let out of the clutch REALLY slow I would definately stall the car. If I tried the same thing in any other gear than first my RPM would end up being so low that I'd stall immediately when the clutch began to catch unless I gave it gas.

If you go from dead stop to 1st without using the gas, most likely you are letting up on the clutch so slowly that you're burning it up quicker due to the slow engagement.

I was in my Mazda dealer, back when I had two 1st Generation RX-7's. It was probably the early 90's. A good looking red convertable (2nd Generation) was in the shop getting a new Rotary. It was maybe a five year old car that a lady kept in her garage and only drove it on occasion. I think a serviceman told me that the seals had dried out.

You do need to keep the RPM's up when you drive. Not only for the life of the Rotary, but you'll enjoy it a lot more. :D

Kiss all our arses! And excuse us for not all being Mario Andretti.

Yeah I stalled it a couple of times too. Whoopie!

Yeah, cable clutch to a quiet-revving ride with a hydraulic clutch could be an adjustment. It took me a while to get used to a hydraulic. It's still weird - I liked the feel of a cable clutch (except for when I'd drive around the city for more than 30 minutes).

I should be ready for the 8's clutch, I can't hear the maxima revving with the stereo cranked up :D