[jetblackcoupe]

There's a good chance I'm getting a 2008 CPO e92 335i 6MT on Tuesday. I've driven stick for a total of ~2 hours so far. Upshifting and braking are easy to me, but downshifting while giving throttle to enter turns is not my strong point. I haven't practiced on uphills either. The drive from the dealer to my house is about 1 hour 15 minutes with several highways and bridges. Is it a bad idea to just do it? I'm not THAT confident in my stick driving abilities, but I've heard multiple times that that's a good way to learn - just learn it on the car you get on the way home. Should I try to find someone who will teach me on their car? No manual rentals and I can't find a manual transmission driving school. Any thoughts are appreciated.

[GarySL]

Take it easy on the way back, you'll be fine. You don't have to drive like Mario Andretti through every corner. In time you'll get better & more confident.

gl

[LAE92]

2 hours is plenty of practice time for most people. I say you drive it yourself, familiarize yourself with the clutch, throttle response, etc. then once you have spent about 15-30 minutes driving the car on side streets you should be fine. When I got my car, it was my first manual car and I just drove it off then and there, but I was verbally told on the procedure by my buddies.

[QC335]

Drove mine back from Atlanta at around 4pm on a Friday afternoon with no previous experience with a stick. It's doable if you are a quick learner.

[JoeyBananaz18]

dude. i learned on my friend MKVI GTi. drove it a couple of times. then i went out and ordered a 335 was a 6MT. the beginning is gonna be a bit rough. but thats to be expected. Launch and 1-2 is a bit notchy. but you will be absolutely fine. Just drive. listen to the car. take your time. and be a little more generous with the clutch. take you foot off the clutch a little slower to feel the friction point each time and you get accustomed to it. you're not setting a Nurburgring hot lap. Just get it home safe and sound. and dont forget to post pics.

[jetblackcoupe]

Thing is, the 2ish hours consisted of 15 minute rides around residential roads... I just don't wanna be stuck on an uphill. Thanks for the responses! More are appreciated.

[LAE92]

Hill assist is common in 335i's have your checked if this option comes with your car?

[JoeyBananaz18]

Originally Posted by jetblackcoupe

Thing is, the 2ish hours consisted of 15 minute rides around residential roads... I just don't wanna be stuck on an uphill. Thanks for the responses! More are appreciated.

Originally Posted by LAE92

Hill assist is common in 335i's have your checked if this option comes with your car?

All BMW manual transmissions come with something called hill assist. Lets say you start on a hill. with your foot on the brake, engage first. when you take your foot off the brake the car will hold for a period of time (depending on grade of hill). this makes launches alot easier. the steeper the grade, the less time you will have.
at the begining, just give it a bit more throttle when taking off. that will make stalling a little harder. just drive around the block a few times before hitting hills.
what dealership?

[jetblackcoupe]

Hassel - driving to northern NJ

Hill assist sounds like a helpful feature..

I have a quick MT question. I know I can find it somewhere, but I'll ask here anyway. Say I'm cruising on the highway in 5th or 6th and I'm about to take an exit with a sharp turn at let's say 30mph. What do I do? Neutral then what gear? Or downshift gear by gear?

[BTTGMan]

Originally Posted by jetblackcoupe

Hassel - driving to northern NJ

Hill assist sounds like a helpful feature..

I have a quick MT question. I know I can find it somewhere, but I'll ask here anyway. Say I'm cruising on the highway in 5th or 6th and I'm about to take an exit with a sharp turn at let's say 30mph. What do I do? Neutral then what gear? Or downshift gear by gear?

Not neutral. Predict the right gear based on how hard you want to come out of the turn, clutch, select gear, hold clutch until ready to engage

Edit: brake pads cheaper than engine. I am not a fan of the downshift-to-slow camp.

[JoeyBananaz18]

throw it into neutral and coast. truthfully, the beauty of the 335s motor is the incredible amount of power you have almost entirely through the rev range. you can be going 20MPH in 6th and still be fine. over time you'll learn how far you can go. a benchmark i use is, never letting the RPMs drop near 500. at around that point you'll begin to feel the engine shutter a tab.
Let's say you're coming to a light and you come to a complete stop. put it into first and just go. when its green. ONLY (ONLY ONLY ONLY) put it into first when you're at a complete stop. if you're moving you'll need to force it in and this puts stress on the synchros.
i dont know what kind or roads you'll be on, but if you keep in in 3rd or 4th the whole ride you should be good if you're just taking your time (that is if you're not letting the car get to red line.)

[JoeyBananaz18]

Originally Posted by BTTGMan

Not neutral. Predict the right gear based on how hard you want to come out of the turn, clutch, select gear, hold clutch until ready to engage

Edit: brake pads cheaper than engine. I am not a fan of the downshift-to-slow camp.

we're trying to get him home without any problems, not training him for the 24 hours of Le Mans.
I do agree with the braking though. you have no real need to down shift just yet. It took me a while to learn how how to kick up the RPMs and choose a lower gear when coming off the highway. i can do it now without my passenger or myself feeling any change.

If you're coming off an exit and you're not coming to a complete stop at 20MPH you can engage 3rd with out any problems. the RPMs will be at the lower end of the range and you'll be able to spen more time in that gear calmly driving. anything less than 20 (like 5-10), step on the clutch, gently give a little bit of throttle, engage 2nd and slowly depress the clutch until you feel that friction point. Remember, as long as you're moving, don't engage 1st.

[BTTGMan]

Originally Posted by JoeyBananaz18

throw it into neutral and coast. truthfully, the beauty of the 335s motor is the incredible amount of power you have almost entirely through the rev range. you can be going 20MPH in 6th and still be fine. over time you'll learn how far you can go. a benchmark i use is, never letting the RPMs drop near 500. at around that point you'll begin to feel the engine shutter a tab.
Let's say you're coming to a light and you come to a complete stop. put it into first and just go. when its green. ONLY (ONLY ONLY ONLY) put it into first when you're at a complete stop. if you're moving you'll need to force it in and this puts stress on the synchros.
i dont know what kind or roads you'll be on, but if you keep in in 3rd or 4th the whole ride you should be good if you're just taking your time (that is if you're not letting the car get to red line.)

Esp for a noob he should avoid neutral and use clutch for coasting instead. He's feeling out the gearbox. Easier to move gear to gear. Clutch vs. Neutral not a wear issue.

[JoeyBananaz18]

Originally Posted by BTTGMan

Esp for a noob he should avoid neutral and use clutch for coasting instead. He's feeling out the gearbox. Easier to move gear to gear. Clutch vs. Neutral not a wear issue.

I agree totally. I'm taking it from the point of getting him home to practice in his neighborhood. the dealership is 1.5 hours away. god forbid something happens and he's that far away from home. I'd feel more comfortable feeling everything out around my home. thats just me.
I don't know how much truth there is to this but a friend told me that if you're using the clutch to coast you risk wearing out the throw-out bearing.

[Bakeme521]

I think you will be fine if down shifting smoothly is your only problem, b/c thats not completely necessary. If not, can you get a friend that is comfortable with it to go with you? I went with my friend when he bought his 335 and test drove it for him and then took him to a parking lot and taught him and he drove home. Our drive back home was 6 hours.

[jetblackcoupe]

thanks everyone

[MrClean]

If 1st gear on a 6MT 335i is anything like my old M3, it is very easy to stall the car from a dead stop. Don't be afraid to give it a little gas. If this fails, start off in 2nd.

Be careful with the downshifts, particularly 5-4. If you hit 2 by mistake, immediately push the clutch back in so you don't screw the pooch with your engine - I almost did this the very first day I had that M3. If you downshift from 5th to 4th with the back of your hand facing your leg (it's a little awkward) it is almost impossible to miss-shift.

J

[Taipei-TT]

Bring a friend who can drive stick just in case you get flustered on in a difficult spot.

And enjoy the feeling...learning to master a MT is such an awesome experience that fewer and fewer people will every enjoy!

[jopa489]

Just make sure you know the route before hand. If by chance there are traffic lights on an incline, maybe find an alternate route or take someone with you who knows MT. You'll be fine.