what do you guys do on hills? stick shift

what do you guys do on hills? stick shift

so, i've been driving my tC for about 2 months now, it is my first stick shift car. i learned on a 95 ford aspire with a slipping clutch, so all i got was the basics, no revmatching for downshifting skills or hill startoff skills.

on minor hills, it rolls back about a foot before i can get the car moving forward.

i tend to use the ebrake on steep hills to keep me from rolling back. i have tried the method of letting the clutch out enough to have it catch slightly so i can let my foot off the brake and onto the gas with little roll back, but i will stall easily that way.
i have tried to blip the throttle with my foot still on the brake, i think it's called heel to toe, but i'm not really sure how to do it.

just looking for some suggestions
also, what rpm do you initially let the clutch catch at in frist gear? i tend to let it catch at about 1400 normally. if no one is behind me, i can let it out around 1000 rpm. if i'm rushed, i let it out around 2000.

I used to just let the clutch out until I felt it catching, then quickly went from brake to gas (I was very used to my previous car though), and I could always pull away smoothly from steep hills without rolling back more than a few inches..

i just let it catch some and put some gas in while letting out more on the clutch... I slip it essentially but I have to because I have a stage 3 clutch....

Honestly you have the method let it out til it catches and give it some gas... or clutch drop (sound liek what your doing at 2000 rpm)

Basically you learned how to drive clutch.... the only problem you have now is getting good at it... I HATED huge hills when I first learned but youll quickly get used to it.... In fact nowadays I dont even realize I am shifting sometimes.

if you are having problems on hills, then use the e-brake so you don't slide back

Don't rely on the ebrake unless you really have to. Just go out and practice. Learn to be quick and get the car going before it can roll more than 6 inches or so. That's the only thing I can tell you.

In a few weeks you won't even think about the fact that you're on a hill anymore.

Best thing is to know exactly where you're engagement point is. It's different than just feeling out the clutch. I still have problems on hills. My clutch is so soft that I can't really feel the "sweet spot." It's more of a hit or miss in my car, i'll either do it perfect, or slip the clutch more than I like. IMO, you really shouldn't have a problem in a tC. When I drove it, the clutch felt grabby and it was pretty hard not to feel or hit the sweet spot.

Just keep driving your car normally and let your skill progress. It wasn't until a year of driivng that I felt VERY confident in a stickshift. It's a totally different when you first learn to drive stick.

yeah, i figure i will totally get used to driving stick in a couple of months. as for the tC's sweet spot, the clutch is so grabby that it is completely unforgiving between the friction point and stalling. it's a matter of a couple of millimeters between friction and stall....i guess thats what i get for having a hydraulic clutch, i hope it loosens up eventually.

You'll get to a point where you can feel out exactly those few millimeters and you can play with the clutch as you please. It could be just 3 or 4 millimeters from the sweet spot, and you'll know exactly where the engagement point is and might hover just above it while your foot transfers from the brake to the gas pedal.

The feeling is a little hard to explain, but just keep driving normally and seriously, one day you'll come to a realization of: "holy shit, I can drive stick REALLY good." At least that's what it was like for me. When you get to that point, start learnign how to heal-toe downshift, it makes driving stick a totally different experience.

I let the clutch out at the same time my foot goes from the brake pedal to the accelerator -- if I can't start moving immediately, I'll slip the clutch for a second if I have to..

You'll get used to it, don't worry =)

i remember visiting downtown seattle.. my solution there was.. floor it, pop clutch.. those hills are steep.

Just pratice. That's what i do all the time.

When Im backing out from a parking spot, i dont stop the car completely, leaving it rolling back at about 1~2mph, start 1st gear. This is a situation similar to the on hill thing (i guess). Anyways, I am very confident with driving my XRS now. I still stall out once in a while when Im not paying attention. lol