A lot of you knows how to drive stick, I want to learn how to drive a stick, because i am getting a M/T car in a month... and i do not want to mess up my new car by learning it then...

Is there a better way to learn? none of my friends have stick shift cars.... and M/T does look pretty hard compare to auto.

 

don't be afraid of a manual transmission. once you get the basic idea of clutch/shift/gas/release...it'll be a breeze. After 5 years of driving manual - to me its like breathing, I don't even think about it, just do it.

About practice...ask your parents if they know anyone with a manual that would be willing to help you practice. I've taught 3 of my friends how to drive a manual - at first they didn't like it because they couldn't get it. But, after I pushed them to keep trying they turned around and bought M/T-equipped cars

Oh and girls find guys who drive manual sexier (according to a girlfriend of mine)

 

jsut find somone to teach u anyone that knows how to drive it can help you out. and don't give up on the whole thing it sorta sucks when u keep stalling, the way i got most preficant at it was go out by myself after like a week of learning and sit in a parking lot for a couple hours practicing

 

I found the most important thing when learing to drive a manual transmission is knowing when the clutch catches, or engages. When I learned and what I've used to teach others, is to find this point. The biggest mistake and what makes most beginners nervous is finding that point. They try to guess and rev the engine hard waiting for that engagement. When it doesn't happen as soon as they expect they let off the gas too much while still letting the clutch out and WHAM! giant jerking stall.

Try this, go to an empty parking lot and without touching the gas let the clutch out slooooowly until you feel the clutch start to catch. DON'T touch the gas, your car will start to move and continue to, if it's running right and on a flat surface. Do this a few times until you feel like you've trained you left foot to know where that spot is. It will be different on every car, I still make "beginner mistakes" when I drive a new MT car for the first time.

Once you have a good idea where the clutch engagement point is start using small amounts of gas just before that point and see how it goes. I'm sure that within an hour you will feel comfortable enough to start driving around town.

Hills are another issue, but once you know where that point is you can use that to hold yourself on the hill, I know clutch wear, blah, blah, but being a begginer and doing this a few times won't hurt if it's in good shape.

Also on hills don't be afriad to use that handbrake, lightly! It will keep you stable until you get enough power to overcome the light brake pressure and get you going forward. Steeper hills are of course more difficult because they'll require more brake pressure.

Good luck, have fun and let me know if this works for you. I've never tried to explain this in text.

 

Thanks guys

None of my friends have manual cars, except for one, but his is a Celica GTS, New... He didn't offer me to drive in it, and i don't want to ruin his car neither...

I was thinking about renting a Manual Transmission car, but there are none, what about driving school? I might call them up see if they offer any MT training classes...

 

You'll never find an MT rental, unless it's an exotic, i.e. Porsche, Ferarri, etc., which is no more worth the $$$ to learn than finding a driving school to teach you.

My caveat to that, is that if you're willing to spend the $$$ to learn go to a race school, like Skip Barber or Bob Bondurant, and drive their cars. Not only will it make your overall driving significantly better, but you can beat up their cars without worries.

If you want the car, buy it! Don't worry about that fact that you've never driven an MT. You'll learn very quickly and before you know it you'll be looking for a lighter flywheel and more grabby clutch!

:driving:

 

When I bought my '01 Audi it was a manual. I learned how to drive a stick on the way home. It shouldnt hurt your car too much. BTW - I no longer own the Audi

 

I had to learn to drive stick myself...as long as u get the basic idea on how to drive it. Youll get it eventually...

 

Same here, I bought my 2000 Integra LS in April...and learned on it. Most of my friend's have M/T cars...but they didn't want to teach me on their cars...bastards. So, I bought the car, learned on it, and now I'm in month 2 of knowing how to drive a Stick. It only took like 1 week until I could take off without giving myself whiplash. But like Konali said, find the friction/engagement point and you'll be just fine. Plus, if you're getting a Honda, it's hard to mess it up, they're built to last.

 

M/T is a piece of cake. Don't worry you will burn out your clutch eventually. It's inevitable. So just do your thing. Don't coast with the clutch in a whole lot tho. That's not so good for the tranny. Peace.