clutch question
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 16,477
Likes: 26
From: Gone
CI 6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
Whoa, driver's ed deja vu. 
If it's bucking and wanting to stall, you give it more gas. If it's revving and not going anywhere quickly, you give it less gas and let clutch out quicker.
If this car was a recent purchase, it's entirely possible it is not a stock oem clutch, which is about the simplest clutch in existance to manipulate at slow speeds. If it has something aftermarket, it might be lighter, more grabby, and might take some adapting to (for the experienced clutch user even). If that is the case, it isn't helping you with the fundamentals...On a stock C5 you can practically let the clutch out with no gas and it will drive smoothly.
Keep practicing, and no, unless you're revving the crap out of it before letting the clutch out, you're probably not hurting it.
If it's bucking and wanting to stall, you give it more gas. If it's revving and not going anywhere quickly, you give it less gas and let clutch out quicker.
If this car was a recent purchase, it's entirely possible it is not a stock oem clutch, which is about the simplest clutch in existance to manipulate at slow speeds. If it has something aftermarket, it might be lighter, more grabby, and might take some adapting to (for the experienced clutch user even). If that is the case, it isn't helping you with the fundamentals...On a stock C5 you can practically let the clutch out with no gas and it will drive smoothly.
Keep practicing, and no, unless you're revving the crap out of it before letting the clutch out, you're probably not hurting it.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 16,477
Likes: 26
From: Gone
CI 6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
It takes time and practice...that's the best answer you'll get over the internet.
If your dad is with you in these practice sessions, he will know if you're hurting it or not, and should be able to tell you what you're doing wrong in your attempt to get it moving.
With a manual car, it's VERY easy to rev it, drop the clutch and go with good results. The tricky part is getting it moving at a normal (slow) pace, or starting from a stop while going up a steep hill.
You have to develop a natural feel for what both feet are doing, and work them in sync, but in opposite directions. The more you do it, the better you get at it.
And that takes lots of time and practice to excel at...but it will make you a better driver once you do get it down.
If your dad is with you in these practice sessions, he will know if you're hurting it or not, and should be able to tell you what you're doing wrong in your attempt to get it moving.
With a manual car, it's VERY easy to rev it, drop the clutch and go with good results. The tricky part is getting it moving at a normal (slow) pace, or starting from a stop while going up a steep hill.
You have to develop a natural feel for what both feet are doing, and work them in sync, but in opposite directions. The more you do it, the better you get at it.
And that takes lots of time and practice to excel at...but it will make you a better driver once you do get it down.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,754
Likes: 0
From: Nokomis FL
haha i am a good kid and he is a brave man. he let me drive his other corvette (1994 convertible) while i had my temporary license (15.5 yrs old) and on the day i got my actual license i drove it 2 hrs alone to toledo, ohio and back. perfect driving record from day 1 though! no accidents or tickets!
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,421
Likes: 8
From: Lake Mary Florida
The LS1 has a superior torque range, it is not like driving most other engine manual shift combinations.
Here's something to practice, flat surface at a full stop, just slowly let out the clutch until its fully released and let the vehicle move on its own. Do not touch the accelerator pedal. It should just creep along at 2-3 mph and you can even use the brake to bring it to a gentle momentary stop then release and let it recover. It should not jerk at all.
After you have gained confidence in the torque, then start again from a stop and slowly let the clutch out with no accelerator and as it is released then add in accelerator. Accelerate about 1500 rpm and shift to second and let it out gently.
Remember the accelerator is by wire, so it's a bit different in initial response then other mechanical types.
Practice helps. Think in terms of pressure, apply less or more pressure.
Here's something to practice, flat surface at a full stop, just slowly let out the clutch until its fully released and let the vehicle move on its own. Do not touch the accelerator pedal. It should just creep along at 2-3 mph and you can even use the brake to bring it to a gentle momentary stop then release and let it recover. It should not jerk at all.
After you have gained confidence in the torque, then start again from a stop and slowly let the clutch out with no accelerator and as it is released then add in accelerator. Accelerate about 1500 rpm and shift to second and let it out gently.
Remember the accelerator is by wire, so it's a bit different in initial response then other mechanical types.
Practice helps. Think in terms of pressure, apply less or more pressure.
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Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 12
From: Vancouver
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10
The LS1 has a superior torque range, it is not like driving most other engine manual shift combinations.
Here's something to practice, flat surface at a full stop, just slowly let out the clutch until its fully released and let the vehicle move on its own. Do not touch the accelerator pedal. It should just creep along at 2-3 mph and you can even use the brake to bring it to a gentle momentary stop then release and let it recover. It should not jerk at all.
After you have gained confidence in the torque, then start again from a stop and slowly let the clutch out with no accelerator and as it is released then add in accelerator. Accelerate about 1500 rpm and shift to second and let it out gently.
Remember the accelerator is by wire, so it's a bit different in initial response then other mechanical types.
Practice helps. Think in terms of pressure, apply less or more pressure.
Here's something to practice, flat surface at a full stop, just slowly let out the clutch until its fully released and let the vehicle move on its own. Do not touch the accelerator pedal. It should just creep along at 2-3 mph and you can even use the brake to bring it to a gentle momentary stop then release and let it recover. It should not jerk at all.
After you have gained confidence in the torque, then start again from a stop and slowly let the clutch out with no accelerator and as it is released then add in accelerator. Accelerate about 1500 rpm and shift to second and let it out gently.
Remember the accelerator is by wire, so it's a bit different in initial response then other mechanical types.
Practice helps. Think in terms of pressure, apply less or more pressure.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Main point is, you don't need to touch the gas pedal to get it started. On a flat surface that is. If it won't do that then Dad may have a clutch problem. These cars are so smooth you shouldn't have a problem. The only time you need to use the gas pedal is when you want to get off the line faster. Then you'll have to start getting your timing down. But get started by just letting out the clutch with no gas, once you've done that you may understand the process and be better able to adjust for faster starts. There's my .02 
Team Owner
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 22,830
Likes: 13
From: Columbus Ohio
CI 3-4, 8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06-'08-'10
One method is to run the engine up to @ 5,000 RPM and slip your left foot sideways off of the clutch while pressing your right foot to the floor.
The strange sound you'll hear is the engine bouncing off of the rev limiter and the cloud of smoke behind you is normal when starting from a stop this way.
Caution: Does not work well in drive through lines.
If you can master clutch control the way Jet-Jock described you'll be good to go.
The strange sound you'll hear is the engine bouncing off of the rev limiter and the cloud of smoke behind you is normal when starting from a stop this way.
Caution: Does not work well in drive through lines.
If you can master clutch control the way Jet-Jock described you'll be good to go.
Here's something to practice, flat surface at a full stop, just slowly let out the clutch until its fully released and let the vehicle move on its own. Do not touch the accelerator pedal. It should just creep along at 2-3 mph and you can even use the brake to bring it to a gentle momentary stop then release and let it recover. It should not jerk at all.