So I was driving up to a friend's place the other night, and he lives on the top of a mountain. Naturally, there were many inclines, but there weren't too bad because I had gotten better at starting up on inclines. However, there was this super steep incline with a stop sign on it. After letting a car going the other way pass, I attempted to start up again. The engine stalled, and I started rolling back and almost hit the car behind me. I attempted to do so again but right when i let go of the brake pedal I still started rolling down despite having the handbrake on. The car in back eventually reversed and gave me a lot of room so I was finally able to get past the hill, but I think I burned the clutch because I smelled burning rubber. The whole way up my car was struggling until I put it in 1st, and the engine was very loud. I'd never heard it so loud before. I was wondering if you guys on fitfreak have any suggestions for getting past such steep hills, since I've only been driving stick for a few months now. Also, is there anything I can do to give the fit a little more power? I knew it wasn't going to be a powerhouse when I bought it, and I was thinking about going the route of FI but I decided not to spend so much money on an economy car and just save up for a better car. But I'll be going over to my friend's place a lot and so if there is anything that can help let me know thanks!

 

i have the same problem on a hill at the end of my road. i will roll even with the handbrake. I've tested to see how far I'll roll until (or if) the brakes catch. I know when you're on a hill, the entire car will fall backwards, then the ass end will lift up some as it comes to a stop.

I've been driving manual for less than a year, and I'm by no means an expert. Just practice I guess. I got fast enough so I can get going without the handbrake. I try not to come to a stop at hills. I'll slow down enough where I can throw it into first without ever having to rest on the brake and let the car sit back. But if you do it this way be careful not to wear on your clutch.

 

We've all been there. The trick is to relax even though it's hard when the car is rolling backwards. Just practice starting on hills that are less steep until you really feel comfortable. The handbrake will work just fine on hills that aren't so steep. I think the clutch takeup in the Fit makes it a little more difficult to feel when it's going to engage.

I've taught a lot of young people to drive a MT. They always relax once they realize they can start on a hill. I would find an office building with an uphill exit from the parking lot and go there on Sunday when no one was around. It usually takes about half an hour or so until they have it down. I have 100,000 miles on that car now and the original clutch is fine. I doubt that a few mis-steps with the clutch will hurt anything.

I remember learning to drive in a '62 Plymouth with three on the tree. There was smoke pouring out from under the car when I tried to launch on level pavement. I remember when a St. Louis police car pulled right up to my bumper when I was on a hill waiting for the light to change. I popped the clutch and left a trail of rubber and smoke and heaven only knows what else. Fortunately the cop must have had a sense of humor.

If you're having trouble on the hills, practice in a private place until you're comfortable. Then relax and enjoy the car. Fewer people every day can drive MT.

Cheers.

 

You Americans have it better - my GD1 has just 82 HP to work with. And yes my GD1 has three pedals and a stick.

I've clambered up a steep hill with mine, fully laden with 4 people and their baggage with A/C blowing on a hot summer day. Granted, it wasn't very comfortable and you could hear the belabored engine grunting away at 2100 RPM in first gear, but my car did all right climbing up slowly.

Like SportMTNavi says, the key is PRACTICE. The important thing with manual transmissions mounted to low-powered cars (which makes up, oh, 90% of M/T cars here in the Philippines) is to ensure you "blend" the power in correctly. Ease off the clutch as you keep a constant supply of throttle - engage the handbrake if need be, and give it a firm tug to ensure no back-rolling.

Once you're rolling, keep the momentum. Killing the momentum you've generated will just make it even harder for you.

HTHs

 

pull the e brake. when the car starts to move, let it go

 

Just more practice. The e-brake is handy if you've got someone right up behind you on a hill start - but it's been at least 10-12 years since I needed to use it on a start, no matter the incline.

To get really good at feeling/finding the clutch engagement point of your car, and how much throttle is necessary, find a spot with lower traction . . . a hilly dirt road is perfect. Before he let me drive the car on my own for the first time, my Dad made me start on 3 different dirt hills of increasing severity. Mind you, this was after I had gotten my license. But in his words, "If you can't drive a manual, you can't drive."

 

oh gawd... reminds me of the time ithought i'd be a badass and purposely drive down a steep ass underground parking lot with a car full of people. Going down i killed my Megan B-pipe. Going up, i almost stalled, kept flooring it and it BARELY climbed up bogging but pulling at under 800rpm, and when it got to the top, scraped the hell out of my B-pipe again. For those familiar with Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights... that parking lot entrance is a death trap!

 

dont be scared to give fit gas ,i hold my foot on the brake lift the clutch until it starts to grab and give it gas hill= lower gear more gas ive been there done that

 

steep hills are challenging for MT newbs so dont feel bad. ive
burned my clutch many times back in the days when i was
practicing MT driving back in my teen years. you have to go
like 30sec slipping constantly to fully distroy a clutch, so you're
probably fine.

for most inclines i do a heel and toe start where i just blip
the throttle with the side of my right foot while holding down
the brake pedal. so no e-brake is necessary.

but for very steep inclines i am forced to use the e-brake
in addition to my normal up-hill start to assist in that split
second slip while the clutch is engaging to minimize slippage
duration.

the WORST condition is when you need to creep uphill (say
at a left-hand turn lane) behind some pos AT car that's going
less than 5mph cause you are forced to slip your clutch
somewhat. i just let the pos AT car go a full 3-4 seconds ahead
so it allows me more space to gain speed and just let out the
clutch while creeping behind him. also remember that A LOT of
AT drivers are not aware that they too can roll backwards at a
very steep incline and hit the car behind them. so keep a good
distance.

 

As stated above, this is a practice, practice, practice situation. Ideally with no one behind you so you're not sweating it (literally) the whole time. The handbrake can help, but even then practice to get the brake/gas/clutch/handbrake all working in concert is based a lot on experience.

Good luck, be confident that you'll get it, but there are few shortcuts here, trial and unfortunately some errors are the only way.

 

Most of these replies are missing is the fact that he had the handbrake on. I have experienced rolling back even with the e-brake. So it's not a fail-safe. That's why you have to get really good at starting on steep hills.

If the guy behind you is an ignoramus and you're worried about him not giving you enough space for a lil rollback, throw your hazards on. It's ok to drive assertively and claim your space.

 

well, my reply says that my foot is on the brake and blip the throttle
with the side of my foot. the e-brake is there to ASSIST, not to hold
the car in place.

although, if you are strong enough and yank the e-brake
hard enough the car will not roll backwards...

 

I do this all the time Ken. Granted, it takes some more effort yanking the handbrake to secure the car on an incline, but it's possible.

Think of it as the manual equivalent of the fancy-shmancy electronic "hill holder" that comes standard-issue on pricier cars.

 

yeh, i have a 3500lbs+ FR car too and in order to do
a e-brake lock up to turn the car i need about the same
amount of yanking (if not more).

 

I've noticed that everyone on here seems to have learned using the e-brake; I never did. IMO, that's just one more thing to coordinate, and makes it all that much harder. You've just got to learn using the clutch and gas. When you're ready to go, bring the clutch out just to the point of engagement, then, at go time, go quickly from brake to gas while releasing the clutch. The trick is not to be too afraid of looking like a dork for giving it too much gas, over-revving, and lurching a little. It's a little hard on the clutch, but it's not like your going to ruin it, unless your learning curve is really, really steep, because soon you'll be smoother. The 94 Cavalier I learned on never needed a new clutch, although everything else on the car seemed to break. Good luck I'm sure you'll get it in no time, though I must say that it is harder to find that point of engagement on the Fit clutch than on other cars I've driven.

 

When I learned, the parking brake was either a floor-mounted pedal on the left side or a ratcheted handle that you pulled out from under the dash. It wasn't practical to use it to hold the car. I think that for newbies, knowing they have the option of holding the car with the e-brake takes some of the anxiety out of the process. I agree that it's one more thing to coordinate. When I'm teaching them, I hold the e-brake myself so they can concentrate on clutch and throttle. After they get it, I don't know that they ever use the brake, but it's there if they get in a bind.

Cheers

 

Personally, you should just practice Peeling out on a flat road. Ie. Red lights. Just gun it. You will have a much better understanding of your clutch and traction. Yes, you will look like an donkeyhole but screw them.

Once you do that, you will never need to use an e-brake on hills.

 

Nooooooooooo my MPGs!!! We're on summer gas now, time to crank up that mileage! I'm good on the hills; I didn't use the ebrake after my first week or so. I was just saying the ebrake trick doesn't work for me as well as it should.

 

e-break is your friend, if used correctly.... much easer than fumbling with break to gas/release clutch before smaking car behind u... also u tend t over rev the gas and release clutch 2fast.. or the other extereem ... stall.
just use e-break PICK Rpm hold constant, start releasing clutch, tention on drivetrain and release e-break... simple..... well, not realy.....
having driven a motorcycle on major hwy's before being allowed to drive by myself in a car.. is a good teacher...
also if u think somone is going to get 2close to you rear on a hill or other wise, wach your rear view and do a little roll back on them. i hate it when they creep up on you. Just a little tap of the breaks and a slight rollback makes the AT drivers stomp the break and come to a herki jerki stop... try the slight rollback on people creeping up on your ass.... it works, trust me!

 

This is why I rely on the handbrake. The GD's clutch bite point is a lot mushier than my old EF Civic-based Honda City's (which was very aggressive by comparison - very easy to stall).

Drivers here in Manila also don't realize the risk of rolling backwards on slopes, and don't give enough room for such error.