arrogantbastard

My wife is the most mechanically and automotively challenged person in the world. She can drive a stick. So can you with a little practice. Southernboy posted some great advice to keep in mind while you are learning so you don't pick up any bad habits.

Good Luck!

mcflyguy24

I'm going to copy and print Southernboys post there were def a few things in there I've never even heard of. Someone said you can't find an Sti for 10k, I guess there right. What I found and is no longer on craigslist today was a WRX with an STi swap. It was only 7.6k, but the guy didn't mention the mileage.

I guess I could keep waiting a while and pay off more debt...I just got that whole want a new car itch I suppose... I'll have to get with my brother and practice driving stick some too for sure. He's driving some POS Mitsubishi Mirage right now, but I guess a cheap car is better to learn on anyhow.

SouthernBoy

Over the years on this, and another site, I have written much regarding how to properly operate a manual transmission. You would do yourself a great favor to search these discussions from myself and others as an aid in your progress. I will tell you this.

Every time I get into my TL, or whatever I happen to own for my personal driving machine at the time, I thank God that I am able to enjoy the connection between myself and my machine. A manual transmission is a huge part of this connection. Once you have mastered the plethora of nuances available to the manual driver, you will truly understand what I mean by this statement. It is my hope you reach this point in your endeavor.

If this sounds a bit esoteric... well, it is to a degree. Operating a manual transmission for me has never once been a chore or anything like that. It has always been a joy and an pleasure.

If you wish more detailed information, ask.

mwbackus

And the more cuts you inflict on your face...the more tiny pieces of TP you'll have stuck to your face...;-)

neuronbob

Do what Suthernboy says and you will be fine. /thread

I learned on my first car, a 1982 Civic DX, which I bought at a dealer not knowing how to drive stick. It took me about 24 hours to master the basics and I am still learning proper downshift technique 20 years later. Since I was in college in the Bay Area at the time, I did go to SF to practice on hills. Took me a week before I stopped freaking out on uphills.

Driving MT is the greatest joy in driving you will ever have. Learn it, love it, and you will be the rare person who can drive stick......definitely a dying art.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Thank you SouthernBoy.

Pete2010

I couldn't even drive my TL 6MT off the lot when I got my car, had my friend drive it off to a huge parking lot near the dealer. I spent about 30 min learning how to move from a stop (the hardest part). After about a week driving it, I was 100% comfortable, hills (hill assist ftw), no stalling etc... Just do it, anyone can learn, and doing it everyday you'll get better.

Don't worry if you stall at a light, just calmly start the car, shift into gear and go... If you freak out and stall again, you'll just stress yourself out... Don't worry about the other drivers behind you.

Good Luck!

ineedmyfixofacura

iTrader: (2)

Lol it will be easy to learn. I learned my first time every (no bullshit) on a 2003 C5 Zo6 Corvette and it was ok. Stalled twice while parking but whatever. I then got my RSX after my TL and I love having MT it's good shit took me 2 days before I started to smooth my shifts out and what not. I do stall occasionally if I dont give enough throttle but shit happens ya know? BUY IT! I wish I could get an EVO or an STI for Ohio winter.

Shoofin

My advice would be to either take lessons on someone elses car, or buy something real cheap in stick so you can get more adjusted to it. It's easy to learn, but it's not so easy to perfect so quickly. I've been driving manual for over 10 years and I still think there's things I can do to drive even better.

FWIW, I delivered a brand spanking new BMW 128 coupe to a customer 2 weeks back, the father was too cheap to pay the bucks for the BMW label and looked for every way to save, including the transmission choice. Car is for his son. Father knows how to drive stick. Son does not. I shit you not, but EXACTLY 24 hours later the father calls my cell up at 10:30pm frantic that his son is in a parking lot practicing with a friend and the car won't start up. The clutch won't go down, nothing, nada, zip, zilch. His son burned the clutch! It was towed to the local BMW dealer to him and they wouldn't warrant it because it was abuse, not normal wear and tear. We ended up picking it up from that dealer and towing it to the dealer it came from, who somehow is going to find a way to replace it under warranty.

In other words, be careful. Try not to be a hero.

Shoofin

Oh, and I have a really nice '01 Maxima SE 5 speed available!

dallison

i learned on the parents' 84 renault encore at 16. It was the 1st car i ever drove so i had to learn. It was painful for them to see me beat the trans while learning. It took a while but i got it.

I taught the wife to drive stick and she does it well

Pete2010

Damn..that's crazy, what did the kid do, practice holding it on a hill with the clutch?

I think it's ok to learn on any car, your's or someone elses, but make sure you have someone who is experienced in the car with you giving you the basics and feed back when things don't work.

But I did a ton of learning the basics online, Southerboy's post is a wealth of knowledge, but at some point you just need a car and some time to practice, you will stall, it will happen, but take your time and you'll be fine.

SouthernBoy

You know what I learned on?

An old 50's panel truck in a small parking lot in the rear of a warehouse. The truck had no engine or transmission. But it still had the shifter and the three pedals. I spent hours in that truck as a kid, pretending I was driving all over the place. I got the shift pattern from my dad (basic 3-speed 'H' pattern), and had a ball pretending. Also, my dad had a '46 (I think) Buick sedan with a 3-speed column shift. He would let me operate the gas pedal and sometimes the shifter, while he drove. This went a long way helping me to develop a "feel" for shifting and timing.

Then when I was 15, the moment came: the real deal. Several of us were going to go to a dance in McLean, VA one Saturday night and the driver could not drive in Fairfax because he was only 15. I was the only one who could. The reason was because even though I was 15 as well, I had gotten my license before the law changed so I was grandfathered in.

I stalled his Jeep twice on a little bit of a hill at a light, but that was it. So I first drove a manual under fire you might say.

subinf

Best thing that happened to me was after I knew how to drive a stick I went to work at a shop. I must have driven 50 different kinds of manual cars within the first few weeks. That really helped get a sense of clutches and the like. I felt it improved my driving

F23A4

<--- learned on an 87 Hyundai Excel. (My wife actually taught me. NOTE: As I'm originally from NYC, we typically dont consider the purchase of manual tranny cars unless we plan on hiring a driver for it. )

Once I got the hang of it, I realized that it was too slow for even my elementary driving skills and traded it within 6 months for an 89 Dodge Colt GT Turbo.

teranfon

It does take some practice. I learned when I was twelve years old, learning on a two-ton Chevrolet farm truck, and then on an early sixties Chevrolet sedan shortly after. Throughout the years I've always ordered a manual if it were available. Properly driving a manual is one of life's little pleasures. Eventually I learned how to drive a manual not using the clutch except for starting out or stopping and continue the practice to this day. I've never experienced a clutch or gearbox failure, but have replaced or rebuilt more than a few throughout the years. It's really interesting to see the wear patterns on the clutch and gearbox and to determine how the vehicles was driven.


Terry

SouthernBoy

Hey Terry. I HATE SNOW!.

I wouldn't tell them this. Now some people new to manuals are going to go out and trash their trannies trying this procedure. I just had a member send me a PM about this very topic and I responded with what you see below. People who are experienced manual users would do well to know how to do this in the even they need to. However, it is not a recommended method to use in normal driving. If it was, owner's manuals would state this. Also, if the car is in warranty and they break something, you can bet it ain't gonna be covered.


=================================================


Is it possible? Yes, it is.

Is it a recommended method of shifting? Absolutely not.

In order to do this, you must get your RPM's up (or down) to the point where the transmission input shaft speed matches that of the layshaft on which your target gear set is aligned. At the same time, you will need to gently apply pressure (as though you were starting your shift) on the shifter for the shift. This engages the synchronizers so they can help to balance shaft speeds. When these speeds are the same, insertion can be accomplished.

While this is not a bad technique to know if and when a clutch fails to disengage, it is NOT something you should be doing on a frequent and regular basis. I have had to do this twice in my life to get home in a car with a broken clutch cable. So I do know how to do it (I was a teenager at the time), but it is for emergencies only. Now the negatives about doing this.

Synchronizers act like mini clutches in that they match input and lay shaft speeds prior to dog teeth insertion (a completed gear shift). Our transmissions are "constant mesh" manuals. This means that the actual gears are in a constant and fixed position (mesh) with other gears and do not move out of their position. When you shift gears, you are not really shifting gears in the strict sense. What you are doing is moving a collar with "dog" teeth arrayed parallel to the shaft into a gear hub which has female slots to accept the collar's dog teeth.

In a normal shift, when you disengage the clutch, you remove engine torque from the transmission input shaft in preparation for the shift. Three major functions occur to complete the shift. 1) The synchronizers contact each other and start the process of matching shaft speeds. 2) Once shaft speeds are synchronized, blocker rings contact the synchronizer teeth aligned around the synchronizer ring. These teeth move into mating slots in the blocker rings which are aligned with the gear hub slots. 3) The dog teeth are inserted into the gear hub.

If you do not use your clutch for a shift, YOU are the one who must equalize the shaft speeds in advance of these three functions. If you are off a little or are not constant in maintaining shaft speed (remember, the car is probably slowing down during this time), you will hear the dog teeth grinding as they attempt to insert into the gear hub.

Shifting without using the clutch will significantly shorten synchronizer life, could possible damage or destroy blocker rings and dog teeth, and since it takes more time, could endanger the driver.

DON'T DO THIS IF YOU VALUE YOUR CAR.

Shoofin

^ I have done that and can do that. Only if you have a perfectly running car/gearbox I don't think there's a point in doing this. Granted I haven't mastered it that I can do it any time/second, I can do it.

Oh, and my first driving experience was in an old Dodge Ram Truck with a 4 speed. From that, and asking a LOT of questions, I used to go to Las Vegas a few times a year for shows, and would go to those independent rental agencies and pick up something in a manual. First two times I rented a '98/99 Miata (which is VERY EASY to learn on), The first one I rented the clutch was good, the second one it was pretty worn. The other times I've went I upgraded a little, renting a Boxster, Z3 M Roadster, Corvette and even a Viper (that thing was BRUTAL). I used to go to exhibit in a few trade shows there, then after the show was over would drive all night up and down the strip. Aside from the Vegas trips, the few times I went to Mexico with "the boys", we rented Wrangler's and/or Samurai's, which also was pretty interesting to learn on..

teranfon

I have to disagree with this SB. Yes, it is a very difficult process to master, but it can be done properly and without damage to the transmission. The gentleman who taught me to drive a manual so many years ago was an absolute master, and told me if I wanted to learn, then I would learn all facets in regards to driving a standard shift vehicle. I've rebuilt gearboxes on cars that I have shifted in this manner, not because of damage but because of restoration, and no damage was apparent. No, it is not something I recommend, and you're absolutely correct that the process needs to be done correctly, but it can be mastered. Do I teach others this process? No, but if they inquire I explain the processes AND risks involved. After close to probably a million miles on manual gearboxes driven in the same manner, slipping a car into gear with barely a push of a finger is an absolute delight.


Terry

phee

iTrader: (5)

I have to say that ive only been driving a manual for about 8 months. i still have rougher upshifts than i would like. i wish i had one of you guys to ride around with me and tell me what im doing wrong

sanjbaby

Just drove my friends Wrangler last night. I forgot how fun it was to drive MT!

It's been about 9 months since I sold my CL S 6spd. Both the 06 G35 coupe and 09 FX35are AT so no more shifting for me The paddle shifters on the FX are great to use but it just doesn't feel the same as pressing the clutch and using the shifter.

SouthernBoy

Your timing is not quite there. Either you're hurrying your shift or you're waiting too long. This is causing the engine to either be turning too fast for your next higher gear, or too slow.

SouthernBoy

We're really not in any disagreement... not really.

I stated basically the same things as did you to wit; that while this is not a bad technique to know, it is not something neither of us would recommend to others to do. In particular, those new to driving a manual.

I never found this hard at all to master. The car that I mentioned that suffered a broken clutch cable was a 1964 Corvair Spyder. It was my first car. It wasn't actually the cable that broke, but the little fitting on the end with had a "ball" that slipped into the release fork. The ball broke off. I had to drive home about eight to ten miles, with hills and stop lights and stop signs. I know you know what you have to do under those circumstances.

But I also know the short comings, which I outlined in my post. For someone such as yourself, the chance of doing damage is quite low. But for nearly everyone else, I say avoid this practice.

Besides, using the clutch is fun.

afici0nad0

based on your initial post, i wouldn't say it's impossible to pick up the car cold and drive it home. i'd just try to avoid left turns as much as possible.

if possible, however, i'd try to get some seat time in an MT prior to pick-up (i.e. 3-4 hours).

i started out in an RSX-S and a BB6 Prelude, and i stalled numerous times at stop signs, traffic lights, etc.

teranfon

Except in my Peterbilts. Then it's just a pain in the ass.

Seriously though, I wouldn't recommend this practice to anyone unless they are willing to take the time to learn it correctly. It literally takes years. I taught the daughter of a woman I once dated this practice, and surprisingly she decided she would learn. After a few years, she could drive a manual in this manner almost without fault.


Terry

SouthernBoy

The first time that little "ball" fitting broke in my Corvair, I was carrying mail. Back in those days, it was common practice to use our own cars since we got paid for the mileage. So I had to go through most of my route, then drive back home with a broken clutch cable fitting. I don't recall the second time.

The strongest clutch I can ever recall pressing was in two cars: a '67 427/435 L71 Corvette and a '66 Plymouth Satellite 426 "Street" Hemi. Those clutches were serious. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to drive either of these cars, but I did ride in the Corvette - I was owned by one of my cousins. With real torque approaching the 500 ft/lb arena, a lot of clamping pressure was needed.

mrmako

It used to be that the best way to learn how to drive a manual was to join the Army, and they let you loose with a 10 wheel drive 2 1/2 ton "deuce and a half". It worked for me, but those were expendable clutches.