Manual gear shift driving instruction

[Red_Liner740]

back on track...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM3So0U1BMQ

ROFL, DONT do what this numb nut does....

8K on the clock and he now needs a new clutch!

[Vlad]

Get a diesel manual transmission car if you can. Why? Those engines usually have enough torque to start and even shift into first 2-3 gears at idle. Consequently, you can initially forget about the gas pedal and concentrate on the clutch operation.

Once I drove my old Golf diesel for 50Km without using the gas pedal (it wouldn't do me any good if i did because the cable was broken ). Even went up some low hills and managed to shift into third on the level ground without stalling the engine. It was a very good exercise in clutch control with minimum to no chance of burning the clutch.

[mma01]

Get a diesel manual transmission car if you can. Why? Those engines usually have enough torque to start and even shift into first 2-3 gears at idle. Consequently, you can initially forget about the gas pedal and concentrate on the clutch operation.

I took a similar approach with teaching my wife how to drive standard, but I used a 6 spd muscle car that made more torque off idle than many 4 banger econoboxes make at peak. With 4:10 gears in the rear end, it was virtually impossible to stall

[Red_Liner740]

I took a similar approach with teaching my wife how to drive standard, but I used a 6 spd muscle car that made more torque off idle than many 4 banger econoboxes make at peak. With 4:10 gears in the rear end, it was virtually impossible to stall

ahh yes...done this too...well i have, no way would someone else dry my Stang. thing with teaching someone on the mustang is yes, tons of torque, but the way my car was setup, the gas was basically on/off, very hard to modulate by an inexperienced driver....i'd hate to see em either stall it or do a burnout into a pole.

[Stephany]

I tried learning back in the day on my sister's sport z24? Chevy Cavalier and had a horrible time. I was bucking the thing as the light turned green as a cop car pulled up with the 2 guys laughing next door.

Tried again on a Mazda 3 and that clutch is much much easier, very smooth to learn on.

[FiReSTaRT]

Yeah, those older GM clutches do feel stiff and the shifters are vague as hell and feel like shifting through molasses. At least they're better than Subarus in that department Mazdas are stupid-easy and the same goes for Kias and Nissans. Volkswagens aren't as easy but they're bearable. Amazingly, GM trannies improved a lot over the last decade or so and when I drove a Chevy DMax truck, it relatively easy to deal with.

[Bumbobee]

It's not hard, especially since you ride a bike already. My order of shifting went something like this:

Car, took me a few minutes to learn.
Truck, 15 minutes, double clutching is tricky.
Motorcycle, a few minutes.

If you really need it get one lesson, even the extra $ 20 won't kill you, and if you don't know how to drive stick in 1 lesson, you should consider sticking to auto.

[froghammer]

You can't teach yourself how to shift correctly.

Sure you can. I did. Driving a manual vehicle isn't friggen rocket science.

My wife on the other hand.............it was a bit of a disaster.

[knowledge]

Sure you can. I did. Driving a manual vehicle isn't friggen rocket science.

My wife on the other hand.............it was a bit of a disaster.

(Insert woman joke)

[mazdubb]

My wife on the other hand.............it was a bit of a disaster.

My girlfriend has this problem. She seems to drive just fine in a parking lot but when she gets out in traffic panic seems to set in. I just don't get it!

[Red_Liner740]

^^ You just explained it perfectly...

she panics under pressure...

[mazdubb]

^^ You just explained it perfectly...

she panics under pressure...

Yep. She'll get it one of these days. I told her that I'd get her the car she wants when I sell my house and we move in together. The only stipulation is that it has to be a manual.

[Nwambe]

Amazingly, GM trannies improved a lot over the last decade or so and when I drove a Chevy DMax truck, it relatively easy to deal with.

+1. I own a 2007 Cobalt SS supercharged, learned how to drive stick on it. The first couple of times she was an absolute ***** to drive; apparently, launching from second makes her VERY unhappy :P.

Either way, you're absolutely right, the GM transmissions have improved significantly over the last few years, this one's really forgiving and very easy to drive. Unless I'm going in reverse, then she's a ***** :P

[Roy_0611]

Thanks for all the replys guys. As someone else mentioned here, i want to teach the wife how to drive a manual since i am partial to them. And i am not a patient teacher.

I flatly told her that it might end up in divorce if i try to teach her, hence the search for a teacher.