What RPM do you launch at?

3845 Views 22 Replies 12 Participants Last post by ssnscruzeeco2015, Apr 22, 2016

Zyrian

Discussion Starter · Apr 20, 2016

For you MT drivers out there, what RPM do you engage the clutch at when starting from a stop?

Personally, I engage it around 1.5k, but have a friend who doesn't mind taking it up to 2-2.5k to have a smoother takeoff.

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

LiveTrash

· #2 · Apr 21, 2016

Unless you're racing from every single stop and want to replace your clutch much sooner than you have to, don't do that. I wouldn't bring it up much past 1000 unless you're on an incline. I don't know about the Cruze, but I typically don't even have to give it gas when I let off the clutch if I go easy enough.

Reactions: 2

neile300c

· #3 · Apr 21, 2016

I most of the time don't look at the tach, but I believe most of the time it's around 1200 RPMs

obermd

· #4 · Apr 21, 2016

700 - 1500 RPM, depending on the slope of the takeoff and how quickly I need to get moving.

NickD

· #5 · Apr 21, 2016

What you do at the drag strip is floor your gas pedal, ease up the clutch so its slipping like crazy, gives you a torque converter effect for maximum acceleration with maximum engine torque. But this is okay, most important thing is to win that two buck trophy, and after one or two runs, plan on replacing your clutch anyway.

Worse gear for wearing out the clutch is first, don't step on the gas at all, Cruze starts rolling, then apply gas pressure after the clutch is fully engaged. With the other gears, you synchronize the engine speed so there is zero clutch slip This way your clutch will last over 150 K miles. Only hit the gas after the clutch is fully engaged, and with practice, can shift smoother than an AT.

Miserable and a very expensive job to replace a clutch on a FWD, and working in the blind so the throwout bearing doesn't fall out and properly aligning the transmission splines with the teeth on the clutch disc, so I want my clutch to last.

Hot rodders love to ride the clutch or careless people resting their foot on it.

Synchronizing engine speed with vehicle speed, for down shifting really saves the lives of your brakes. Ha, always passed by some idiot at a red traffic light so they have to slam on their brakes, at a traffic, light, they come to a complete stop. I am still rolling when the light turns green and leave them in the dust.

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pandrad61

· #6 · Apr 21, 2016

Synchronizing engine speed with vehicle speed, for down shifting really saves the lives of your brakes. Ha, always passed by some idiot at a red traffic light so they have to slam on their brakes, at a traffic, light, they come to a complete stop. I am still rolling when the light turns green and leave them in the dust.

sorry Nickd this is where you and i see differently. ill down shift and use compression to slow me down but it will be down shifting at an easy speed and just to keep me in the right gear if i have to accelerate vs down shift and at 4k let it wind down. i rather waste a 15$ brake pad and rotor vs a harder to replace clutch and trans.

Reactions: 1

NickD

· #7 · Apr 21, 2016

Ha, you do it your way, I will do it my way, my brakes last a 100K miles.

When I first drove my brand new Cruze home with less than 2 miles on it, engine would kill by easing out the clutch. Spark plugs coil springs were hung up on the should boots, gaps were all over the place, that made a huge difference.

If I do feel a bit of hesitation, time to clean or replace the plugs.

Never hit 4,000 rpm when downshifting, where did you get this from? Thing has six gears for downshifting.

Patman

· #8 · Apr 21, 2016

obermd said:
700 - 1500 RPM, depending on the slope of the takeoff and how quickly I need to get moving.

I am with obermd here. Actually if I hear my engine rev, I wonder what caused me to do this or there goes my clutch. Usually I let out the clutch to the point of moving and then give it more gas if needed.

obermd

· #9 · Apr 21, 2016

NickD said:
What you do at the drag strip is floor your gas pedal, ease up the clutch so its slipping like crazy, gives you a torque converter effect for maximum acceleration with maximum engine torque. But this is okay, most important thing is to win that two buck trophy, and after one or two runs, plan on replacing your clutch anyway.

Worse gear for wearing out the clutch is first, don't step on the gas at all, Cruze starts rolling, then apply gas pressure after the clutch is fully engaged. With the other gears, you synchronize the engine speed so there is zero clutch slip This way your clutch will last over 150 K miles. Only hit the gas after the clutch is fully engaged, and with practice, can shift smoother than an AT.

Miserable and a very expensive job to replace a clutch on a FWD, and working in the blind so the throwout bearing doesn't fall out and properly aligning the transmission splines with the teeth on the clutch disc, so I want my clutch to last.

Hot rodders love to ride the clutch or careless people resting their foot on it.

Synchronizing engine speed with vehicle speed, for down shifting really saves the lives of your brakes. Ha, always passed by some idiot at a red traffic light so they have to slam on their brakes, at a traffic, light, they come to a complete stop. I am still rolling when the light turns green and leave them in the dust.

NickD said:
Ha, you do it your way, I will do it my way, my brakes last a 100K miles.

When I first drove my brand new Cruze home with less than 2 miles on it, engine would kill by easing out the clutch. Spark plugs coil springs were hung up on the should boots, gaps were all over the place, that made a huge difference.

If I do feel a bit of hesitation, time to clean or replace the plugs.

Never hit 4,000 rpm when downshifting, where did you get this from? Thing has six gears for downshifting.

I'm the same way with clutch and brake usage. Part of the deal here is that proper downshifting will keep the car in DFCO all the way to walking pace. I had my brakes checked last fall and the estimated life based on mileage was somewhere over 200,000 miles for my brakes.

NickD

· #10 · Apr 21, 2016

Now if there was anyway to deal with road salt, still the key reason for dumping a vehicle. Good solution for my motorhome, 88 Supra, old 92 DeVille, when they pour salt, just leave them locked up in the garage.

Reactions: 2

pandrad61

· #11 · Apr 21, 2016

NickD said:
Ha, you do it your way, I will do it my way, my brakes last a 100K miles.

When I first drove my brand new Cruze home with less than 2 miles on it, engine would kill by easing out the clutch. Spark plugs coil springs were hung up on the should boots, gaps were all over the place, that made a huge difference.

If I do feel a bit of hesitation, time to clean or replace the plugs.

Never hit 4,000 rpm when downshifting, where did you get this from? Thing has six gears for downshifting.

i hear the way kids these days shift old manuals, poor things are scraping red line when they down shift. they think its cool for the car to make noise and bwapp bwapp bwapp when they shift down. i do a majority city so even with coasting to a stop mine only last 40k or so usually. clutch and trans more expensive to maintain then brakes. i never downshift like kids these days. i value my syncros,clutch/pressure plate, and my 6 hours it takes to take my supra clutch out

jblackburn

· #12 · Apr 21, 2016

1200 most of the time I guess. A little blip to get going.

If I'm creeping along in traffic, often I can just let the clutch out at 800 RPM and it'll creep forward under its own power.

pandrad61

· #13 · Apr 21, 2016

jblackburn said:
1200 most of the time I guess. A little blip to get going.

If I'm creeping along in traffic, often I can just let the clutch out at 800 RPM and it'll creep forward under its own power.

a skilled manual operator can let the clutch out and just let it crawling idle on the verge of a stall but still keep running

Reactions: 1

Vetterin

· #14 · Apr 21, 2016

obermd said:
700 - 1500 RPM, depending on the slope of the takeoff and how quickly I need to get moving.

Patman said:
I am with obermd here. Actually if I hear my engine rev, I wonder what caused me to do this or there goes my clutch. Usually I let out the clutch to the point of moving and then give it more gas if needed.

That makes three of us although I would say 90% of my starts stay under 1100 rpms.

Reactions: 2

jblackburn

· #15 · Apr 21, 2016 (Edited)

pandrad61 said:
a skilled manual operator can let the clutch out and just let it crawling idle on the verge of a stall but still keep running

Not in a Honda. #torquelesswonder

The fact that the Cruze actually applies throttle for you when letting out the clutch really helps with those clutch-only takeoffs.

Reactions: 3

Blancmange

· #16 · Apr 21, 2016 (Edited)

I don't launch often...
but when I do it's at 2500+ RPM

Stay torquey my friends

Alex V.

· #17 · Apr 21, 2016 (Edited)

1,100-1,500 RPM unless it's just inching forward in traffic or on a steep hill. It's a fine line between feeling like I'm bogging the engine and using too much throttle and excessive clutch slippage to avoid lurching forward. (All you clutch guys: better to use up a clutch than score certain parts of your engine and rattle the timing chain as a result of lugging/bogging. But that's my logic with my car.) Racing? I've never done it at the strip but I feel 3,000-4,000 is ideal with all stock equipment. Any less than 3K and the little 1.4's tach really takes a dip it has to climb back out of before it starts pulling hard again.

And chalk me up as one of those who shakes their heads at all the young guys that insist on clutch-braking everything they drive. I rarely use the technique in my Cruze unless I'm in mental "sport mode" and never in my older trucks and Jeeps. A good friend has bad joint problems, yet loves to drive manual trans. cars. I rode with him plenty in his 2.9L/5 spd. Ranger and I honestly think he shifted just because. The way he'd learned (or taught himself over time) he didn't feel right if he couldn't play with the gears, which in the mean time affected how much he could drive before he started feeling it. We had some casual back and forth about technique, me pointing out that I shift out of high gear and coast to stops and just pull through slow curves, etc., in the same gear rather than to aggressively clutch-brake or downshift and punch it. Maybe when he gets ahold of his dream '67 Econoline w/6 cyl. & 3-on-the-tree his habits will change.

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pandrad61

· #18 · Apr 21, 2016

jblackburn said:
Not in a Honda. #torquelesswonder

The fact that the Cruze actually applies throttle for you when letting out the clutch really helps with those clutch-only takeoffs.

IN old hondas they did ok sicne it was a super easy to modulate clutch. in the new one si have a easy time believing it lol.

Zyrian

Discussion Starter · #19 · Apr 21, 2016

pandrad61 said:
jblackburn said:

1200 most of the time I guess. A little blip to get going.

If I'm creeping along in traffic, often I can just let the clutch out at 800 RPM and it'll creep forward under its own power.

Click to expand...

a skilled manual operator can let the clutch out and just let it crawling idle on the verge of a stall but still keep running

I can do that, but not as quickly as I would like sometimes.

Patman

· #20 · Apr 21, 2016

Zyrian said:
I can do that, but not as quickly as I would like sometimes.

No worries, just takes time to get used to it. When I started driving a stick I was always afraid to stall the engine and I would rev the engine a lot more than I do now. I know when my son first drove my car I just think to myself you don't need to do give it so much gas. Now only after driving it a few times, he is doing much better and doesn't slip the clutch at all. You will get the hang of it and it will become 2nd nature in no time. Each car is different! I have been thru a 1957 MGA I swore I would always stall a 96 Beretta, Olds Achieva and Alero and '84 Camaro(2bbl carb.) and my first stick a 1972 Ford 3/4 Ton PU with a camper. You may even think remember when. LOL It will come in no time.

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