Chevrolet Cruze Forums banner

Those with Cruze manual shift, need advice

14K views 32 replies 22 participants last post by  Merc6 
#1 ·
I more times than not have been causing the car to judder or shake when starting out in first. I drove manual shift cars from time to time but this is the fist one I have owned. I try various RPMs and like I said more times than not the car shakes and sometimes stalls. Just wanted to see what RPMs everyone else was releasing the clutch at and or if anyone else has any advice for this stick shift virgin. Thanks so much!
 
#2 ·
It may not be the rpms as much as knowing the grab point of the clutch. The clutch on my echo at least has a very early pickup, i can start to feel it grab slightly very early into the upwards pedal travel and it took me a week or so to get used to it compared to the rock hard aftermarket clutch on my subaru.

From a dead stop on a flat surface you should be able to let the clutch out slowly without stalling the car. I would give that a try to help you find the grab point and help your brain start to know where the grab point is exactly.

To be honest i have no idea what rpms i start at as i just got a feel for it after awhile but when i take it for a spin today i'll look
 
#3 ·
some people simply can not learn to drive a stick shift no matter how hard they try.
it takes time and patience. if it take too long and u slip the clutch too much, u will be replacing it.
i learned to drive stick shift on a '51 ford tractor when i was 6, then a '47 ford truck when i was 7. on the farm u have to learn.
i owned a '76 acadian (chevette) from 1980-1989 and it still had the original clutch when i sold it.
 
#14 ·
This is an excellent point.
I learned to drive a manual from a hand-me-down 1981 Ford F-100. Driven and learned to drive a stick by my 2 older brothers before me, we all had to put in a new clutch. It was hard for me(17 at the time) to put in money towards something like that rather then towards my girlfriends, but hey turned out to be the best auto investment I can think of. Before my Cruze Eco I owned only 2 cars over a 17 yr period and never had the clutch replaced, not to mention savings on buying autos with manuals;)
For those that consider buying an ECO should know, for best fuel economy, is too realize you will be shifting a lot, and experience is pretty much a must to get the most out of it.
 
#4 ·
sounds like you're thinking too much
When you drive stick it's all about feeling the car and listening to it ask you for the gear change. If its stalling or jerking you're just not giving it enough gas. nice and easy on the clutch and just lightly on the gas it just takes practice. Avoid getting stuck on a hill until you perfect this.
 
#5 ·
I test drove a manual Cruze on Saturday. Now, my Celica is the only manual I have ever driven. Well I quickly found out that 'grab point' is so much higher from the floor than my Celica. I usually would work the clutch with my heel down and just rock it back. On the Cruze I'm not sure if I can do that because of the high grab point. I'll just have to pick my foot up and be smooth about it.

The Cruze will take a bit to get used to because I can't hear the engine like I could in my Celica. Such a quiet cabin. I bought my Celica before I could even drive it without stalling but I'm glad I bought it. I am picking up my white LS manual from out of state this week. No one had a white manual in Ohio with the connectivity package.

I did have second thoughts about a manual when I stalled the car in a McDonalds drive thru and had an employee sticking her head out the window telling me what to do! Needless to say I didn't go through a drive thru for awhile!
 
#7 ·
So i took a look at what i was doing today and im letting the clutch up before i even hit the gas, it tends to idle at around 900 most of the time so i dont hit the gas till i'm letting the clutch up, when i first got it i was hitting the gas first and thats why i was having a hard time starting it smoothly
 
#9 ·
You can always take it back to the dealership and let someone test drive it. It is possible that the TPS needs to be adjusted.

Look on the bright side, my research showed (when I was looking at various cars to buy before I bought my Cruze) that the Kia Forte manual is an absolute nightmare to shift. Many of the reviewers said they embarassed themselves multiple times--killing the engine when pulling out! :eek:
 
#13 ·
There is not a lot of torque in a little engine so it is easier to stall than a six or an 8. I have a manual in my diesel truck and you can't stall that thing even if you want to. I find the clutch to be very smooth with this car. I only stalled it once and that was on the freeway. The car is so quiet I didn't even realize I had done it. I was rolling a few miles an hour and thought it was in 2nd when I was really in 4th. I let out the clutch and stalled it but I didn't know it until I stepped on the gas and didn't go anywhere. That got my attention....
 
#16 ·
ECO stick is different from the non ECO, tuned and untuned also mad a difference. Plug quality/gap, 87 octane, and a/c usage also play a part on 1st gear. There is also a PI#1052 for this but I was never successful at getting this done. Plug gap and 93 will be the best bet as even on coppers and a tune at times when the heat soak takes place I get the bog.


Sent from my iFail 5s
 
#17 ·
Man this is an old thread.

1st gear is the same between all 1.4 models.

1st on the 1.8 is quite tall, I could see where that one might.

The 1.4 is easy to launch except with AC running, in which case you need to gas up a little and slip the clutch as you release it around 1100 rpm.

Merc6 is right - the copper spark plugs make a huge difference in low RPM drivability.


Sent from Bill the WonderPhone
 
#18 ·
My 2012 2LT came from the factory this way, was only day two on this thing where the engine would darn near kill when taking off in first gear. Working on the coil pack type vehicles before with baked on spark plug boots and spark plugs in aluminum heads that seize. And a brand new engine, knew I wanted to anti-seize the plugs first and use silicone grease inside the boots so they won't bake on.

But got two surprised I didn't like, first was needle point NGK spark plugs, got rid of those, went to town and purchased Autolite double plantiums APP3923 plugs for 16 bucks, and gapped them at 26 mils. Second was, noticed the springs inside of the boots were caught up in the shoulders in the boots. Pulled each boot and stretched out the springs so this couldn't happen.

Man, what a difference, even with an inclined driveway, can ease out the clutch, foot off the gas and smoothly pull into my garage.

But see others on this board also have clutch problems with a huge battle to get these replaced. If the pressure plated is not parallel to the clutch disc, nothing will work until you get it replaced with something decent. With mine, can even do a smooth take off in second gear.

If your dealer tells you, dey all do dis, find a new one. Feel from driving GM vehicles as early as a 30 Olds, Cruze finally got it right, ha, only took them 82 years. With my 04 Cavalier, was still hitting my face with my knee going from gas to brake. 50's British sports cars got it right as did Honda. Cruze is every bit as good if not even better, about time. A joy to shift this car, still get excited every time I drive it.

Also helps to oil the linkage under the hood every once in awhile.
 
#19 ·
I have owned numerous manual cars and they all react differently and grab differently. Even if you put the AC on, you have to give more gasthan normal. It may just take time for you. You will know how the car acts and be able to start fine. Best get used to it before you are sitting on a hill with an whole right behind you and not roll into him.
 
#20 ·
Put something over the tach so you can't see it and practice clutch let up and shifting by ear. That's what all us old folks had to do back in the day. The only guys who had tachs back then were the hot rod guys and they used them at the drag strip. I really don't understand why all these modern little crap cans like the Chevy Cruze have tachs. You can't even run the engine into the red zone due to 6100 rpm rev limiter in 1st gear and 6500 rpm rev limiter in all other gears.
 
#24 ·
You might want to see a hearing specialist. I have no trouble hearing my engine all day long. Econoboxes like the Cruze transmit a lot of engine noise into the interior of the car. Not so much in an Impala or a Buick or a Cadillac. Learned something today - my car has a DFCO. And all the while I thought my slick use of downshifting to decelerate was the only trick. There goes my reputation.
 
#26 ·
I didn't say I couldn't hear the engine. However, I cannot hear the difference between 1500 RPM and 1600 RPM. 1500 won't enter DFCO because the car will decelerate below the DFCO threshold in the two seconds it takes for the ECU to decide I'm off the throttle long enough to switch to DFCO. 1600 RPM will enter DFCO. If you can hear the difference between these two engine speeds you have far better hearing than I.
 
#27 ·
I was a stick shift virgin when I bought my car as well. My Biggest advice is don't THINK don't ask questions on here and don't get pointers they all make you think about shifting and driving you need to FEEL the clutch to know when to let off. No one really can tell you how.. But don't worry I asked a million questions on here and other websites at first, but most of the answers were "don't ask and just drive" It became alot easier!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top