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Old 01-04-2010, 08:49 PM   #2 (permalink)
Christ
Moderate your Moderation.
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Troy, Pa.
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Pasta - '96 Volkswagen Passat TDi
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Taking off is probably the worst part of teaching someone to drive stick, but (wasteful as it sounds) the best way I've ever been able to get anyone to learn is to teach them to hold the engine at ~2k and then "feel" where the clutch starts to grab. Once the car starts moving, it's best to just let the clutch the rest of the way out to prevent burning.

So called "dumping" the clutch won't damage anything but your ears when the tires squeal a little bit, and will usually surprise the hell out of the new driver.

Later, as the driver gets used to the operation and "feel" of the pedals, you drop the RPM down to about 1500 holding and taking off (on flats). Don't go all out and put them on a hill for the first time. Stalling can be very discouraging, and an already inexperienced driver may be completely turned off to the whole idea after a day of getting "nowhere".
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