Jurisprudent

Okay - I keep getting comments from my wife about her inability to drive "our new car," so I can no longer put off teaching her. Her first lesson went reasonably well, as she can at least, move the car. However, the thought of her trying to start on a hill with someone behind her - or start anywhere on a real road - frightens me.

Two questions - 1) What is the best method of teaching someone and 2) how much damage can be done to the clutch in this process?

I learned on my first car (not a MB ML450 like others...), which was a 1988 Nissan Hardbody 5 speed with the Z24 4 cylinder (all of 106 hp). The truck was pretty much indestructible, so no one really cared about the clutch. I don't have that luxury now.

dom

True story. Friend of mine taught his wife how to drive an MT on hill by lying on the ground behind the car. I'd never try it but it apparently worked.

Rusa

Don't even try. Send her to a driving school. Let their clutches be ruined, and your marriage be preserved!

EuRTSX

I don't think my girlfriend would even notice I was laying there.

My significant other is driving an auto

TSX2345

Human speed bump or her motivation to get the car to move forward?

BulldogHockey

Patience first of all... I remember learning on my Dad's '90 Accord Ex when it was 3 weeks old. Some yelling goin' on, I remember that! The progression went:

parking lots --> residential streets --> downtown streets --> hills.

When I taught my wife (g.f. at the time), it was in Duluth, MN. So she pretty much skipped straight to the hills because there's no way to avoid them. Actually that went much better. I didn't have the stones to lay behind the car though!

BTW, your clutch should be okay. As long as she isn't winding it up to 5000 rpms and riding the clutch.

vwong

This is just my experience. In order for someone to really learn MT, first you need to get rid of any AT cars in the house. The reason is that in the back of her mind, she would think that even if she couldn't get it, she still has the AT car to drive around. But if only MT cars are available in your household, she is forced to learn it.

My wife didn't know how to drive MT before. When we were dating, I taught her how to drive MT in my 3rd gen Prelude. She couldn't get it, and she quit. She wouldn't even want to try again. Then we traded her Civic which was AT to the Integra which was MT, she was forced to learn and master MT. I took her to a big parking lot where there are flat area and slight incline. I first taught her on the flat area. When she became ok with it, we moved to the slight incline until she was comfortable. Then we went onto the public streets. After about 2-3 weeks of daily driving, she was totally comfortable with driving MT. Now she's loving it, and wouldn't want to drive an AT car again.

ninjamyst

www.standardshift.com - all your questions will be answered there.

My situation was the reverse since my gf taught me how to drive my new TSX. I think the no gas method is the best for getting the feel of the clutch / pedal synchronization. Even better is the no gas method on a VERY slight incline. And remind her that when in doubt, step on the clutch. Also, try to hit some car dealers to test drive MT cars. Sometimes the sales person doesn't come with you so you can switch drivers down the block.

ILoveMyHonda

The way i taught my wife to drive my MT is i forst took her to an open parking lot. I told her to get all that "balance" idea out of her head. (She had asked her friends for advice, so she kep t asking me "how to balance the gas a clutch)

Anyways, i first showed her how the car dies. i put it in first and let the clutch out, and the car jerked a lil and died. I told her dont worry if it dies it happens and its normal, and I won't be mad if it does.

Then i let her drive. Told her the basics how to start the car....etc. Then i just let her move the car with no gas. Just let the clutch out until she felt the car move or the clutch "catches". Car starts moving, told her to give some gas. Told her as long as the car is moving it wont die.

Then had her let off the gas and feel the engine brake. The car slowed and told her to clutch and brake.

Started again same method, just clutch get the car moving and then gas....etc.

After a while she was excited to start going through the gears, she picked up pretty fast. Now i cant get her to slow down and stop shifting at 4k she loves it to much, especially on the freeway.

The rest i guess all depends on the persons comfort level, but thats how i did it.

Good luck!

psteng19

Do not worry about practicing on hills. You'll only end up unnecessarily burning up the clutch.

Once you (she) masters driving stick on level ground, hills come naturally - just add a little more gas. Make sure she isn't holding the car with the clutch though. That's it.

Jurisprudent

Thanks for the input - These are all good ideas. I think I, too, will can the whole balance spiel and go for the no gas method. That sounds like a good way.

There aren't that many hills around here, but we do have some. Most of you guys just hold the car with the regular brake and then quickly gas/clutch when you're ready? Or do some of you use the e-brake method? I've tried the e-brake way, but I can't do it smoothly.

pbjpb

if that's true your friend needs his head examined.

ChrismanTSX

I agree with the others that you should be able to teach her easily, with minimal damage to the clutch. I taught my mother (at 50) when I convinced her to buy an Integra with MT. I also taught my wife (girlfriend then) on my then brand new 1997 Civic Si (EX in the US).

In both cases, I used the no gas method, preferring to let them get the car moving and then ease on the gas... definitely easier on the clutch. My wife was quickly OK with hills, except for one steep one near her work, where I had to teach her the e-brake technique... while it works fine, i find it much easier to manage without the e-brake... she's also mastered hills quickly.

Of course, the only problem with that is that she insists on taking my car whenever she has the opportunity...

Overtaxed

I second that.

I'm a female that needs stick shift training, and I wouldn't do it on my TSX either.

peter_bigblock

This is an excellent point to consider. My wife has driven MT since her first car, does great. Except she does not follow the "remote areas only" parking lot rule. She is perfectly happy to park next to a banged-up 1978 Monte Carlo parked half-sideways in its space, as long as it's ten feet closer to the mall entrance than a safer spot.

Would that she were unable to drive MT...

Xtremespeed2102

hmph,
my s.o/gf drives a mt. its funny because she has to teach me, on her lime green diesel bug.
what fun!

TheMirror

My sister annhilated the clutch on my '88 Integra when it was new.....and she had a stickshift Toyota.

Teach her to drive stick on someone's Chevy pickup. Pick a vehicle that can take the clutch abuse....without turning it into a chatterbox. Trust me, your clutch will have more shudder than a wet puppy in the snow.

I like the advice to have a driving school teach her. Better their clutches than yours.

-Mirror

excited

I taught my first wife, my sister, my daughter and my brother all the same way and all of them credit that way when they say how they learned n=how to drive a stick. The most important thing is to understand the clutch/gas interface. I always start them on an uphill drive way and let them feel how engaging and releasing the clutch allows them to hold or go up, or roll back down the hill. When they understand that they are all set to go.



Excited

jdmturtleracin

tell her you'll buy her an LV bag if she learns....she'll be driving like a pro in 2 hours or less!!

hyun

^ ahahah


my ex rode the hell out of my clutch. -_- i had to replace it in 2 weeks after that.

xanctus

My girl always prefer MT than Auto, she hates auto big time... :S

pbjpb

AT is for ******s...shh

calgary2800

If it was me no way in hell would anyone learn a stick on my baby. They need to find another answer.

jlukja

Tried to teach my wife on my old Integra. She didn't quite get the hang of it. She didn't drive my Integra often enough for practice so she never succeded.

Jurisprudent

It isn't going all that well now... we made some progress over the Holidays, but she's not ready for the big time. She can do the no gas thing fine, but when we bring the gas into the picture, she's so worried about riding the clutch that she's coming off way too fast. She's making progress, but at the cost of some strain on the marriage...we may hold for a bit.

I think its time to turn my attention to curing all the rattles that are making themselves known the past few weeks.

Newplay1

No other way but "practice makes perfect".

CJ Majesty

Try the no gas method & have her hold the clutch BRIEFLY until she gets good roll going, then adding the gas. I told my girl dont add gas until you get the car to move(you feel it grab), then hold it while the car moves then add the gas in moderation, then slowly start moving the clutch up again. After that I started have her do it faster she rode the clutch a few times, until we got it to where she didnt do it at all. To move on the shifting we had to stop the lesson & start another day, after recaping the last lesson. I also had a time limit on the lessons.... which was whenever I ran out of the liquor I was drinking. I had her on the road after like 5-7 lessons.
I found that with the no gas method its hard to burn the clutch. My situation is different because I first started to teach my girlfriend on my 98 Civic to teach her the basics, Then My 03 RSX Type S to show her that no matter what if she was going to be with me she MUST learn how to drive a stick & I will never get an auto because I am NOT the guy who say I got the auto because my old lady can't drive stick. How I did that... by going to my cousins engagement party & I got SHITFACED... "Sink or swim babes"... If she did something wrong I just LAUGHED & said damn you keep doin that it could get expensive, But Fcuk its cheaper than catching a D-WEE. We made it home in one peice.That was a confidence builder for her. Plus I traded in that Type-S after 9 months anyway. Then one time I started to fall asleep @ the wheel on I 95 after a trip backfrom north carolina to New York. She did half of maryland & all of deleware. Longest distance ever for her. I said if you need to stop short clutch & brake, then went to sleep. She was comfortable, because I was sleep she didnt feel the pressure of me scrutinizing her as a distraction, but I was still there in case anything goes wrong.
If she did anything wrong I explained mechanically why it was wrong, How to over come it, & how much it would cost to fix. (don't worry I'll charge it to the game...It'll come off the price of the diamond..who needs flawless clarity when you have a new clutch hunh??lol j/k) I was calm & said things like "its ok you'll smooth it out the more experience you get". I only yelled when she did something bad that I already told her not to do numerous times.
In my experience, women that give up & stop trying to learn do so because of pressure from the teacher (distracting them & yelling), mixed with the safety net of knowing they can come back to there soft cozy automatic.

Girlfriends are the worst because they would rather give up than have a fight over somethingthey can avoid by just staying the way they are.
NO Baby Automatics are for motorist sticks are for drivers.
WE just came back from MD on Saturday & she drove the TSX while I slept again. I woke up & she was up Cable vans ASS @ 4K RPMS Swerving all over the road talking bout some this is fun You can go back to sleep( I was afraid to look at the Speedo. As I took the keyys she was You sure you dont want my to drive.
Good luck don't give up.

MSO4gtt

When I was in high school, I taught my girlfriend's sister how to drive the 5-speed in my CRX. Piece of cake!

I just told her that the clutch makes the revs fall, the gas makes them increase. If you can keep the tach between 1K and 2K while letting out the clutch, the car will take off smoothly. She got it in about 3 tries. After learning the start, the rest was gravy.