sensei_steph
New member
As per my intro post, I bought a Sonic last week because my previous lease was up, the dealership staff knew that I liked driving stick, and they had a 2016 still on the lot they were hoping to unload.
I had just spent 5 years driving an automatic, so I'm a bit rusty with the stick shift, but my previous two cars had been standard so I'm not new to it.
I know from Googling that there are a few threads in this forum where people have remarked that the clutch seems "off" in the Sonic.
Here's where I embarrass myself; please be kind: I got the Sonic home from the dealership ok, parked it in my driveway...and realized there was a quantity of smoke coming out from under the hood, with accompanying stench of what smelled like burning electronics. Get it towed back to the dealer, and find out that I've basically fried the coating off the covering on the clutch housing (I'm sure I have the wrong terminology here - I make my living in another field, not the auto industry). No damage to the clutch, but it was a hell of a scare, since I'd owned the car for all of 20 minutes by that point.
Again, I'll mention I'm not new to driving stick. But I'm having a heck of a time getting used to the clutch in this car. I've taken it out a few times since and it's been fine - no repeat of the previous incident until today, when I had some errands to run around town. Got it home today and the smell was back again, although no smoke this time. At least it's giving me some feedback that I may be doing something wrong.
What's the deal with the clutch in this car? The pedal seems really high, with a lot of travel. People have mentioned that it seems to engage near the top, rather than closer to the floor, which is what I'm used to.
I'm also one of those people who are "soft and slow" releasing the clutch after shifting - am I supposed to be yanking my foot clean off the pedal right away with this car? It takes some time to do, since the pedal seems so long; it's a pretty big movement.
I've been working on getting smoother transitions between gears, but am I better off living with the jerky, quick shifts instead for the sake of easing off the clutch faster?
Obviously I'm hoping to avoid repair bills, but I'm also not enjoying feeling incompetent with this car. I never experienced this with my Ion or my Cobalt previously. I have a feeling I could have some real fun with this beast once we understand each other better.
Thanks for your help.
I had just spent 5 years driving an automatic, so I'm a bit rusty with the stick shift, but my previous two cars had been standard so I'm not new to it.
I know from Googling that there are a few threads in this forum where people have remarked that the clutch seems "off" in the Sonic.
Here's where I embarrass myself; please be kind: I got the Sonic home from the dealership ok, parked it in my driveway...and realized there was a quantity of smoke coming out from under the hood, with accompanying stench of what smelled like burning electronics. Get it towed back to the dealer, and find out that I've basically fried the coating off the covering on the clutch housing (I'm sure I have the wrong terminology here - I make my living in another field, not the auto industry). No damage to the clutch, but it was a hell of a scare, since I'd owned the car for all of 20 minutes by that point.
Again, I'll mention I'm not new to driving stick. But I'm having a heck of a time getting used to the clutch in this car. I've taken it out a few times since and it's been fine - no repeat of the previous incident until today, when I had some errands to run around town. Got it home today and the smell was back again, although no smoke this time. At least it's giving me some feedback that I may be doing something wrong.
What's the deal with the clutch in this car? The pedal seems really high, with a lot of travel. People have mentioned that it seems to engage near the top, rather than closer to the floor, which is what I'm used to.
I'm also one of those people who are "soft and slow" releasing the clutch after shifting - am I supposed to be yanking my foot clean off the pedal right away with this car? It takes some time to do, since the pedal seems so long; it's a pretty big movement.
I've been working on getting smoother transitions between gears, but am I better off living with the jerky, quick shifts instead for the sake of easing off the clutch faster?
Obviously I'm hoping to avoid repair bills, but I'm also not enjoying feeling incompetent with this car. I never experienced this with my Ion or my Cobalt previously. I have a feeling I could have some real fun with this beast once we understand each other better.
Thanks for your help.