can someone please give me some advice on how to drive a MT, cuz i really don't want to mess up my 06' TL as much when it's the only car that i can learn how to drive MT.

any suggestions that will lead me on how to start and going uphill will definitely help or anything that you guys think is important about driving a MT. =D Thanks

 

How did you get this car?

 

my dad drove the car back from the dealership. lol

 

lol...wouldnt u know how to drive a MT before u buy one?

learning on a hydrolic clutch is easier than a cable..it just takes some practice..and be prepared to spend some money on a new clutch..

practice on flat land first..get the hang of feathering the clutch and gas before u go up hill..give it a couple day practice..and try not to ride the clutch!

GL

 

i know the way i drive will probably kill the clutch pretty fast, so i am saving money up for a new one now, lol!!

 

Hardest part is engaging clutch when stopped on a hill in my opinion, its because its a balance of brake clutch and gas lol. Other easy but important things are knowing when to downshift.

Doesn't matter to me because i have an Automatic yay ^_^

 

Here is some stuff I wrote that you might find helpful. Read post #7, then skip down to post #15. You can also do a search to turn up a bunch of stuff I have posted about this very topic over the years.

There are a few things I would tell you up front which are very important.
o Learn how a clutch and manual transmission work.. especially the clutch.
o Learn to recognize bad habits and avoid picking them up from people who believe they know everything about driving with a manual transmission (knowing how things work will help you trememdously with this).
o Take your time and learn each technique correctly before moving on to a new one.

There's a lot more, but read up first and then come back to me.


https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...l#post10736708

 

I would have your dad rent a manual car for a weekend and learn on that. It'll be well worth the $100.

 

If you can find a rental manual, this is a great way to go. The few dollars spent are well worth it.

Four years ago, I rented a car to attend a wedding and reception rather than take either of my 3G TL's and risk door dings, breakins, or such. The $60 I spent for two days rental was well worth the peace of mind of having both of my TL's safe in my garage at home.

 

f yeah!

 

It doesn't take a long time to learn, 4-5 hours to get the hang of it and then after that just be careful. And in those 4-5 hours I seriously doubt that you will mess anything up. And if you do, then that car was a piece of shit to begin with

 

I personally wouldn't risk "learning" to drive a manual by experimenting on the TL, only because of the risk of damaging the clutch, which is going to happen. Repairing the clutch is not cheap.

I learned driving a manual while still in diapers on a car that was already being worked on so damaging the clutch was not an issue.

If you have to learn on your TL, then I'd suggest being cautious and patient. Stay on flat roads at first and if you have to be on hilly area, do it where there is not a lot of traffic. And, try not to rev the gas too much while your foot is on the clutch.

My

Good luck.

 

ask your dad to show you

 

is it even possible to rent a manual car???

 

Dont think so? I never seen one. maybe the specialty cars like the GT500 from Hertz??

 

You have to be careful doing this because many times, one's dad knows little about the finer points of operating a manual transmission and clutch. And most people are not of a mind to tell their fathers that what they are teaching them is wrong. This then tends to instill bad habits in the learners who believe what they have been taught is right when in fact, it frequently isn't.

 

I respectfully disagree. A hydraulic clutch hides a lot of the clutch "feel" you get with a cable actuated setup. Sure, the same friction zone is there but I think starting out, you get a better sense of when/where the clutch engagement is with cable. Our TL's have a VERY short clutch compared to other vehicles I've driven so that adds to the difficulty in learning as well.

I had a 2003 Maxima 6 speed before my 3G and it was almost as bad trying to teach someone how to drive on it. Although the clutch travel was longer than the TL which made it easier to learn the friction zone, it was "drive by wire" (like the TL) where the computer would take into account your accelerator input, current speed, engine RPM, etc and make a guess as to how much throttle you were requesting. Sounds good but on my car, the throttle input was always inconsistent. Sometimes it was what I wanted, other times it was more/less and the car would jerk from a standstill. I looked like I didn't know what I was doing when I first got it but reading some of the Nissan forums, it is pretty common for that year (my 3G drive by wire is 100% better so I know it wasn't just me). The only way I could mask it was to slip the clutch more than normal (bad ). The point of my long story is that a person need to learn the fundamentals on driving a manual on something simple and less complex before jumping straight to a car like the TL. Heck, I still make mistakes and I have been driving one since I was 15. Can you learn how to drive a manual on the TL? Sure but you will better served practicing on something a little less expensive.

 

The way I learned is to just put it in gear and gradually let off the clutch until the car starts moving, which means the clutch is beginning to grab. Once you get used to the catch-point of the clutch you can begin to add throttle to get the car moving smoothly, or at least smoother than before. Learning how to drive stick is easy and quick, mastering it is the hard part.

Try to avoid revving too much while partially engaging the clutch, as this is how you burn out a clutch. If you step on the gas with the clutch pedal still down and the car feels like its not moving as fast as it should, you probably are hanging on to the clutch too much. Another way I learned is to step on the clutch, shift into gear, rev to ~1200 rpm then let off the clutch gradually until the car picks up, then smoothly let go of the clutch and accelerate.

You'll have a hard time finding a rental car with a manual transmission. I think rental companies figured out a while ago that people would want to rent a car to practice on. Honestly though, you have to be really bad at coordination to damage your clutch while learning. Go to an empty parking lot or something and practice. I learned on the street, which isn't such a great idea since you'll have people honking at you when you stall

 

I would say be very carefull downshifting until you get a good feel for the car. One if the few things that can kill the engine instantly is down shifting into too low of a gear putting the the revs into the red. The TL is super quiet even at high RPMs so no driving by feel.

I bounced off the rev limiter quite a few times when I first got the car because I was used to hearing the engine scream long before redline.

 

I can agree with that! I had a JDM H22 4th gen prelude with exhaust and engine mods....phew that thing screamed. Then I drove this, and it was like sitting in a silent rocket! All that power and very little noise, I was bouncing off the rev too! LOL

 

it use to be. now only very high end rental cars have MT's

 

Listen to this person. He's giving good info.

Yes, the TL has a relatively short clutch pedal travel and an even shorter takeup (the takeup is the distance the pedal travels from initial engagement to full engagement). This causes more difficultly in obtain a "feel" and lends itself to what many people refer to as a "touchy clutch". I like this myself.

 

Thanks man but you know tons more than I do.

Oh and I realized that I didn't define a term I used in my post. I figure I would give a definition for the new guy.

Friction zone - the area of clutch pedal movement that begins where the clutch starts to transmit power to the front (or rear) wheels and ends just prior to full clutch engagement. In short, the friction zone is where the clutch slips and the transmission grips, and partial power is transmitted to the wheels.

It is an old motorcycle term we use with teaching the newbies how to ride but it is the same for cars too.

 

Hmm, I had an 03 Maxima 6 speed and LOVED IT. Never had an issue with it, and the clutch was still going strong at 100K when I traded it for the TL.

Still wish I had gotten a MT in the TL, but I love the AT when I'm stuck in DC traffic (which is quite often).

 

I had not heard the term "friction zone" but since it grew from the bike culture, that explains it. I just learned last year what a "hard tail" bike is.

 

how's your skill on driving a manual now?

 

Whoa, old thread.

I learned how to drive a MT with my TL. I had my brother drive it home the day I got it and I learned it within an hour.

Now I would never go back to auto.

 

Strangely enough, OP logged on yesterday.
maybe this 3 year old thread will get an answer.

 

^^ I'll never go back to auto either MTs are too much fun.

 

Mother of fucking shit.. noobs...