This is my first stick car (picked it up on Monday) and I took it to one of my local Promenades. I was driving around 10-15mph since there was some traffic in the lots, and I noticed the car was bogging. I was switching between 1st and 2nd throughout driving in the lot.

Was the bogging due to engine strain since my RPM's were too low? It happened even in 1st gear going around 15mph, but while coasting so the revs were going around 1k.

I don't completely understand manual driving yet, so bare with me. Should I have been riding the clutch to keep the drive smooth?

 

Don't ride the clutch, ever. Engine bog is most likely you switching too early, and the engine is stalling out. If you have good control with standard transmission though, it should be fine. Most of the time I pick up on right turns in 2nd because the slight roll is really all you need to keep going.

 

You don't ride the clutch in traffic?

 

Yeah, living in SoCal, where there is TONS of traffic, I don't "ride" the clutch at all. Other than slight catch on the plate when I go from zero to gear. I gauge roll in traffic enough to where I don't have to ride the clutch, just shift up when I get enough space/traffic clears.

 

Wait, is gauge rolling when you are at the sweet spot on the clutch and giving gas to roll? Isn't that riding the clutch? Because that's what I mean when I say riding the clutch, not just leaving the clutch semi engaged while driving around.

 

No, I don't do that, lets say I sped up a bit and traffic looks like it is going to stop, I let off the gas and gauge so that my car naturally slows just enough before I have to engage gear and speed up again, I don't tip the crap out of the clutch in stop and go traffic. Not so many dead stop braking where I have to drop it back up, usually I can leave it in 2nd, and as the engine weight on that gear starts to bear, I can gas it up without depressing the clutch at all.

 

You need to modifies your car

 

One of the biggest reasons that the car "bogs" is that the 4B11 is weak on torque at low eng. rpm. Combine that with the fact that you have the load of turning all four wheels at once and the car is not easy to drive gently. It is particularly tough in situations like you described where you're essentially creeping in 1st and 2nd gear for a long period of time.
The engine like the turbo to help out (that's how it's designed!), so slow-speed driving becomes dificult.

Like the other posters said - you don't want to ride the clutch any more than you need to just to get the car rolling and you shouldn't ride it at all once the car is in motion. With the load of all four wheels and a peaky turbo waiting to spin, it doesn't take much to fry the crap out of your clutch.

(BTW, anyone ever get stuck trying to leave the Kodak Theater parking garage when a show is letting out - not cool!)

 

wild01ride said it best! The engine when not spooled is rather weak, thus hampering the ease of getting all the AWD to move. The turbo will literally fry that clutch in seconds, I still get nervous on steep hills, as I'm sure everyone else does as well!

P.S. While I'm in first gear and the car begins to slow it's self down I get a lot of jerky chatter, you'll quickly notice this as well, the gear ratios are rather steep!

 

I just drove my friend's 07 STI with 450 something WHP and more torque that has a Stage II Clutch Master and I want a clutch upgrade now.

It has a lot of spring to it, but it catches so quickly!

 

Harder clutches are so much pain for daily driving. Try driving SVT Cobras. :-\

 

I've noticed this also. I came from a car with a lot of low end torque and there was never a problem. But the 4B11 is just really weak below 2k rpms. It's almost dangerous when you are trying to pull out onto a busy road or something. And with the A/C on it's REALLY bad!

Like someone else said, you just need to mod the car for some more power!

 

The flywheel is lighter than average for a car of this mass. Not to mention that there are the parasitics of an awd powertrain. It is a little more difficult to drive than regular manual transmissioned cars and truck, with the only saving grace that 1st gear is pretty low.

 

^this!

 

Or just rev the car a little higher and pull out quicker.