[63falcondude]

Originally Posted by MattDinOC

This. When you're using the clutch, do it with the ball of your foot, heel not touching the floor. That way, there's no need for the sole of your shoe to slide along the surface of the clutch pedal.

Also a great suggestion about skipping 2nd gear in relaxed driving scenarios. That 1-2 shift can be hard to do smoothly. When you're shifting out of 1st (to 2nd or 3rd), take your time. You can let the clutch engage gradually going into the next gear to keep things smooth. My shifting tactics change depending on whether I have non-enthusiast passenger in the car (don't want to see their head bobbing forward and back as I shift!), or if I'm not in the mood to hurry, or if I am in the mood to have some fun. When you're out for a fun drive, then you speed things up, bang it from 1st to 2nd and smile if you leave some rubber behind. Most passengers will not appreciate that though.

Best of luck!

I'll have to try it again. The reason why I keep my heel on the ground (when starting off from a standstill) is for a constant point of contact. This helps give me more of a fine control over the clutch engagement. For me, using my whole leg is comparable to trying to modulate a motorcycle clutch using my whole arm (without having my palm against the hand grip).