Still learning how to drive A manual.

Hello Mazda247, i come here today to meet you all and learn from your experiences, and discuss this cars epic potential. This is my first car, and after driving around for a bit, i have everything but downshifting and starting from a stop learned.
I love how low this car sits, and it does feel really sporty. Sadly, I can not lower the car as I live in a snowy state, but my bay area self wants a lowrider. Im wanting to install a good sound system in this car, and keep this car in tune.

Nice to meet you.

-Greg

just take it to a big ass parking lot and start/.stop over and over and over until its second nature. this is a very easy car to drive but still has a pretty tight feel for what it is. indeed sporty. i have one and an msp and after driving the p5 for only a month im stalling the msp trying to move it around the property lol. just such a plush ride compared to what im used to, and quiet!
still fun though.

yours looks super clean so keep it that way and it will treat you good. dont listen to people who say the engines weak ect. it is what it is, if you take care of it, it will run forever.

you could still lower it on springs and struts. or if you wanted to spend, get into some coilovers.. less than 4" is kind of impractical though if your roads arent glass smooth. i know mine arent.
you can raise it up in winter with coilovers or just buy nice tall tires.

dont totally slam it though. honestly these cars look pretty rediculous THAT low. low enough to get rid of the fender gap is all thats really needed.

Thank you! Ill post pictures of the engine later. I do need to replace a Valve gasket on the car, and some fuses went out so those will need to be repaired also.

good headunit a good 4 channel amp and a 1000w 12 inch subwoofer are in mine and its very loud and sounds great this car makes subwoofers sound loud, the hatch lets the sound flow into the whole cabin. its loud to me and i used to have a 4000watt 4 subwoofer system in a pathfinder with 8 door speakers, yet this car makes systems sound great at lower power and its still louder than i need it to be

when getting going from a stop slowly let the clutch up while slowly giving it gas at the same time until you get going. starting on a hill can intimidate a new manual driver as well, you will roll back some and you need to gve it more gas to get going, post those pics so we can see

Targaryen420 said:

Hello Mazda247, i come here today to meet you all and learn from your experiences, and discuss this cars epic potential. This is my first car, and after driving around for a bit, i have everything but downshifting and starting from a stop learned.
I love how low this car sits, and it does feel really sporty. Sadly, I can not lower the car as I live in a snowy state, but my bay area self wants a lowrider. Im wanting to install a good sound system in this car, and keep this car in tune.

Nice to meet you.

-Greg

Click to expand...

Welcome!

There is lots of information here, and many good helpful folks too. I sure wish I had a place like this when I got my first car/fixer.(hi)

After you master the parking lot, find a hill, and learn how to start / stop on a hill.

Be safe, and don't be afraid to ask questions!(help)

When I was teaching my girlfriend how to drive stick I told her to get the rpms to 3k than slowly let off the clutch.try that

3000 sheesh. I almost ever go higher than 1500-2000 lol.

Neither do I.but if you're learning it helps to not kill the car everytime

3000 rpms is a good starting point for beginners so they don't stall. When I learned my dad basically told me to let off of the clutch smoothly while applying the gas at the same rate, took me a few lessons but I had no problem driving a 4 speed truck at 12. Fast forward to now I don't even need to use the brake on a hilly San Francisco street, I can just stay there while gently rocking on the clutch and gas and never have to worry about rolling back on some jackass who is too close to my rear bumper. This isn't something you learn in a day, a week or even a year. It takes time to develop this skill and familiarity with the vehicle you're driving. A little tip though if you ever get stuck on a hill: apply your handbrake and get the car going before letting off so you don't roll. Good luck buddy, enjoy the Mazda!

Thank you everyone. Happy Thanksgiving as well. Reporting back to let you all know i got back from practice driving again. I joined the forum a bit ago but i've been practicing stick shift and gas/clutch on and off, for about a month. Ill return with pictures of the engine/ disk breaks and what ever else my Galaxy S 5 can snap a picture of. I come back to you all asking, Whats YOUR best advise on teaching a newb how to downshift? Now, When i was turning, i braked and pushed down my clutch, watched my RPMs...and hesitated, threw my car into second gear going about 30-35 MPH. This was because i was panicked and tried to apply what i knew about downshifting. Perhaps i should i have put it into 3rd gear?

Another question of mine, as when i engage(disengage) the clutch, and downshift, my stick is really jerky and doesn't wish to pop into 3rd or second...say from fourth or fifth gear. I would say...the feeling of the stick in my palm is jerky or rough when putting it into a lower gear. What is this? is this normal? Should i be feeling a Smoother downshift?

Thank you all for your input, i want to be a safe driver on the road.

Here's a How-To for driving a stick shift:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123661588-How-To-Drive-Stick-Shift-A-12-step-program

Now here are all the pictures i promised. Just some amateur shots of under the hood plus my wheels/ brakes.

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How do my disk brakes look? Is that battery good? I received the battery from a service shop when they were repairing my fuses and replacing the battery. How does my strut look? How bad is that valve leak? And yes, i needs an oil change.

shes pretty caked with rust get some penetrating oil and get it all off and paint it up to keep it away must be a northern car make sure that oil on the valve cover is not a current leak. those rotors are rusted up, how does the car feel when braking? any shakes noises or pulling? if not should be ok. how do the struts feel? is the car kinda floaty over bumps? if so replace em and the mounts if its firm and somewhat bumpy but not like a boat then your ok. clean those rust calipers up and paint them to protect them. battery seems ok, no corrosion. check for hardened or bloated radiator hoses and check your belts. i would do the timing belt and water pump if you do not know if they have been done. (water pump is driven by t-belt so replace it while your in there) how much tread is left on the tires? (stick a penny with Lincolns head down and if you cant see the tip top of his head your ok) look in the hatch and check where the jack goes (passenger side you will see a hidden door) and check for water puddles if you see one seal up around the tail light assemblies.

I used this stuff called Rust-mort with a old rusty stove and a old chevy that turned the rust to a stone like material.paint it on with a brush it turns a weird grey or off black than you sand it and primer it.its worth it if the rust doesn't go through the metal.just a suggestion

When i brake, i do feel my car pull to the right there is no real shaking yet. The Timing belt was recommended by a mechanic to be replaced. Should that be my next big investment into this car? Then the Calipers and winter tires? That leak is current i do believe.

agr99 said:

I used this stuff called Rust-mort with a old rusty stove and a old chevy that turned the rust to a stone like material.paint it on with a brush it turns a weird grey or off black than you sand it and primer it.its worth it if the rust doesn't go through the metal.just a suggestion

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agreed

Targaryen420 said:

When i brake, i do feel my car pull to the right there is no real shaking yet. The Timing belt was recommended by a mechanic to be replaced. Should that be my next big investment into this car? Then the Calipers and winter tires? That leak is current i do believe.

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i would do brakes first, because if you cant stop no more car, if your even just a little mechanically inclined they are a fun project. i would then do the t- belt and water pump. the valve cover looks like it just needs a new gasket thats cheap and easy as well.

^this. Looking at the pix - you pads on one side do not cover the whole rotor (smaller 'shiny' area with no rust) which would cause the brakes to pull to one side.

Lube the calipers and inspect for brakes that don't slide well...

Assume you need engine mounts replaced.... Unless you know/inspected them already...

Focus on tires and brakes for now.