Hurray - I got my Yaris

[Kioshi]

how fast are you letting it go? If you give gas first and let go of the clutch fast it will jerk/jump. I mean you can have the car not stall and go from first gear but you still get the jackrabbit/jumpy/jerky feeling....I'm tryin to perfect the smoothness from starting off.....pretty damn hard~~

[Meteorite Man]

The Meteorite has landed.....Afternoon all. Just picked up my Yaris. '07 HB, Meteorite, 5spd. Sweet lil' thing. I do know one thing I'll be doing first. I HAVE to hook up a tach. Geeeesssssssshhhh Louise, I drive tractor trailer (two trailers actually) by trade (Luv ya FedEx) and I hardly look at the speedo. It's all sound and tach. I know if I'm in such a gear and I'm at say 1500rpm, I know where I am in relation to the road speed.

I can fill up about 3 times to what it would cost to fill up my Chevy Silverado 2500 I just traded and get more distance per tankful.

I got it at Boch Toyota, Rt1 south in Norwood Ma. As painless as it could ever be. I knew what I wanted, I knew they had it and tada....I was out the door in less than 2 hours. You gotta like a place that has it's own deli/diner inside and a big honkin' screen tv in the lounge. The salesdude told me alot of men come and get thier 'yotas serviced on Sunday so they can eat and watch the ball games depending on the seasons. Football season draws quite a crowd.

That's it for now, If anybody knows a nice tach setup and dyi info, It would be greatly appreciated. Maybe one of those A-Pillar set-ups or just a nice simple install next to the center dash hump.

Toodle Loo,

Chuck,
Taunton, Ma.

[Meteorite Man]

ahhhh.........Kyrdino's, Just before the R/R tracks on 44, haven't been there in a long time.....What would you suggest? I'm pretty hungry and some kind of meat, which just happens to be my favorite vegetable.

Thanks for the hello,

[Edd]

Originally Posted by vasilios

I'm pretty bad at the moment... I'm scared to death of stalling it (I've done it once on the highway and then got so nervous I kept stalling it trying to go). So now I rev it to god knows what (no tach!) and slowly let the clutch go down until the car starts to move. I'm sure I'm slipping the hell out of it because by the time I fully let go of the clutch I have to shift into second.

Once the car is moving I'm fine... it's the getting to go part that's a bitch. I need to practice some more with the taking off on hills... and I def need to practice the handbrake method as I've never done it.

Here's an easy way to learn (I've only been driving for a few months, so I'm just saying what's helped me):
1) Practise starting just using the clutch, you will learn where the clutch has free play and where it engages. These will be slow launches, so practise somewhere quiet. LISTEN to the revs and how they drop and control it only using the clutch. You'd think this would wear the clutch more because you are slipping it more, but it doesn't as you are not adding as much power (just idle) to the slipping clutch.
2) For a reasonable launch, let the clutch up until you start to move, then progressively add throttle as you release the clutch. (This is known as steady revs, because as the clutch is raised, the revs will drop trying to meet the car's speed [0mph], but you are adding power to compensate).
3) Handbrake starts: Practise #2 on flat ground, but use the handbrake. Just pull on the handbrake, release the footbrake, clutch in and 1st, pull handbrake up and push button, start releasing clutch. You will FEEL the car pull forward, then drop the brake as you continue the launch as normal. As I said, practise this on flat ground because you won't roll back if you stall or let the brake off too early. Don't start learning this too early or you will just keep violently stalling - when I started, as I pulled the handbrake down, I kept dropping the clutch.