Rep Power: 0

I'm gonna practice on my friend's POS Dodge Colt. The thing has no tach. I'm 18 and for some strange reason, I think that any man should know how to drive a manual. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] Can any of you give me some tips for a beginner from your own experiences? Thanks.

 
Rep Power: 0

I too am going to try and learn to drive a car with a manual transmission - might come in handy someday. I really think that my next car will be a manual just becuase it seperates you from the rest of the driving community.

 
Rep Power: 0

i learned on a 85 Ford ranger that backfired....learn in a POS...or pay out the *** for new tranny and clutch

 
Rep Power: 0

take a course a driving school offers, it'll save u alot in the long run, wearing out your clutch faster...

just drive an auto, you don't need a 5speed. too troublesome IMO

but i know how to drive stick though, sister has an rsx.... hassle to drive 5speed in traffic but if yer racing its wicked



learning on a pos is alright i guess

once you're custommed to getting from stop to go
1st and 2nd
the rest is real easy

practice on slants and hills practice "hanging"
its fun hehe
dont ride yer clutch too bad
find the engagement points



do a search on the net for tips

but seriously take a course or have someone who has enough experience teach you gluck

 
Rep Power: 0

u know dude! i know wut u saying...... i need to learn manual tranny cuz it DOES make a difference... say ur in an emergency and u dont have an automatic car...... then ur FU.KKED up, GO WALK BOYYYY !!!!..... however, in our house every car is automatic....... cuz we sum lazy fu.kkersssssssss hahahahahhaa

its cheaper too, saves u some $$$ for more FOOD.....

FOR ALL THE MANUAL DRIVERS PLEASE STAND UP............

 
Rep Power: 0

Auto sucks and for lazy people. Manual Rules and Fun to drive.


So my advice is, it's not to late for you to learn to drive a stick just go easy on a clutch

 
Rep Power: 0

I learned on stick. It's the only way to go. and it's not terrible in traffic, just gets a little tiresome. But hell, I couldn't understand anyone who has an auto in a little car like ours, or even a sport ute (you can get the 250hp Pathfinders in 5spd). Only makes sense in the bigass bimmers and Benz's (like 7series and S-Class).

 
Rep Power: 0

aww... man! nobody else is talking to me! oh well, it's getting lame anyway... goodnight!

 
Rep Power: 0

hahahhaah @ MELGA...... no one talking to u? dis aint no AOL/YAHOO chat..... hahahahahha [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

 
Rep Power: 0

i am 15 know how to drive manual.. but yesterday got me in trouble seeming that i was elected to take a joyride w/ my friends [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/IMG]

but remember
1.if it starts to jerk.. CLUTCH
2. dont keep ur foot on the clutch
3. let the clutch out slow after shifting in 1st and second
4. get used to using the friction point on a hill... defintion= where the gear catches on and you start rollin forward a lil bit.


there ya go have fun!

 
Rep Power: 0

I learned to drive on an automatic cuz there are no standards in my family....

I just started learning to drive stick in my uncles duramax deisel with 500ft/lbs of torque..... Sh*t is a beast....1st gear is like WHOAH! Anyway, always being easy on the clutch is the key....from my very limited experience. And to start off, when braking, dont try to downshift, just neutral, jam the clutch and the brake, and find your gear when you start accellerating again heh.

 
Rep Power: 0

Yeah I learned how to drive a car on a manual when I was about 12 or 13. A manual IMO is just more fun.

 
Rep Power: 0

Wish i gotten a manual.....my mom made me get a auto since she is giving me the down payments. She said..if something goes wrong with my 01 accord i can drive your car. Oh well.....i really want a manual, i called the dealer today on trading in my 01 auto for a 02 manual....i will lose around $3000-4000. And i can't cause i don't got the $. man...i hate this.....never listen to your mother. [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] i learned how to drive a manual on my dad's work truck. a 1986 Toyota pickup w/ a 4 speed manual. Stiff clutch...no power steering[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-puke.gif[/IMG] it sucked

 
Rep Power: 0

<< Auto sucks and for lazy people. Manual Rules and Fun to drive. >>



exactly

 
Rep Power: 0

im trying to convince my girlfriend to learn stick and get one when she gets a new car. maybe once i get my civic and she tries to drive it, that will change her mind

 
Rep Power: 0

<< its cheaper too, saves u some $$$ for more FOOD..... >>



DO you mean as far as gas mileage goes? Cuz at the dealer they will charge you MORE for the auto tranny. And as far as gas mileage goes...i dunno. I spend an average of $10.00-$12.00 a week on gas. I dont think thats bad at all. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

 
Rep Power: 0

I learned how to drive a stick the stupid way. I went to a dealer, bought the only newer S-10 on the lot with a 5-speed, and tried to get it home. No one would really teach me.. I'm kind of glad I totalled that truck.. The clutch was going bye-bye real fast.. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] Now I got my new civic..

 
Rep Power: 0

The way i learned is to hold down the clutch, hit the gas but keep the clutch down and slowly release and you'll be able to feel the gears "catch" the engine, and that's when you're actually moving, and then slowly let go of the clutch all the way.
It's all in the timing, just takes practice.

 
Rep Power: 0

Not easy... as I remember, tho I don't remember so well now!

Since my father raced sports cars I had little choice. He taught me stick. I taught my wife and then my sons. 35 years later, I still drive stick.

It makes driving interesting and never far from the machine you control... so you end up with more control than the average person. Tho I can't prove it, I believe that manual drivers are involved in less accidents than owners of automatic transmissions.

Find a deserted road with a good stick man/woman and accept some frustration. You will kill the engine and other "terrible" things too but it's part of the process. Eventually all good shifters realize it's just a mechanical thing first but there's a "feel/zen"thing to it that just goes on and on and makes it all worth while. Thirty five years later I'm part of the proof.

Yes I said stick women. Not that many out there, true. But my wife can out shift/clutch 75% of you reading this and do it so smoothly that you won't remember which suppository was prescribed (heh heh). [IMG]i/expressions/moon.gif[/IMG]

It's not a male thing.... its a all about sound & feel. You got that, you got it all.

Northern Bob
Granpa's Ride

 
Rep Power: 0

The cost differance between our Civics is $700 more (baseline...depends if the dealer jacks it up or not) for an automatic!

 

&lt;&lt;Tho I can't prove it, I believe that manual drivers are involved in less accidents than owners of automatic transmissions.&gt;&gt;


Text


not true!! in my case, i never downshifted when i came to curve in a rural road and bit the dust. it all depends on the driver, and the teacher. my daddy taught me that if you need to stop fast, and are going relatively fast, then downshift from 5th to 2nd while hittin the brake, and everything should be fine. Sticks are just more fun to drive. and more fun to race.

 
Rep Power: 0

<< &lt;&lt;Tho I can't prove it, I believe that manual drivers are involved in less accidents than owners of automatic transmissions.&gt;&gt; >>



i think this could be true, obviously it doesnt mean that manual drivers are involved in no accidents. i wonder if there are any statistics on this

 
Rep Power: 0

Any man? hmmm... my b/f just learned 6 months ago, and I've been driving stick for 4 years. Learned on my dad's chevy truck w/o power steering.

 
Rep Power: 0

I learned to drive manual in an '82 Datsun with broke engine mounts. Everytime I came off the clutch and hit the gas the whole engine jumped. Crappy experience but it worked.
First, get comfortable with your starts. I think import clutches are the easiest to learn on. Everything else is pretty simple.

 
Rep Power: 0

I learned a 5-speed with my 2k2 Civic. Yup, I got the car without any knowledge on how to start the sucka! LoL It took me an hour to learn it. 1st half hour was with a teacher and I accidentally dented his minivan with my driver's side rear view mirror at the beginning of the lesson. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG] I was going in reverse turning... his van was parked in the wrong place and I couldn't find the brake. (I was pressing the gas with one foot and the clutch with the other... the car was in neutral.) This is what I learned...

Most important thing: Our Civics are perfect to practice on. The clutch is really easy.

STALLING IS A GOOD THING. That's how you get better. It gets frustrating but hey, if you wanna get better you're gonna have to get through it!

Master 1st gear.

Let off the clutch slowly.

I don't press the clutch all the way down when I'm at a stoplight. I just have it up enough where I'm ready to let it up and press on the gas. That point right before the car starts to vibrate and/or move forward on it's own.

Practice on hills. The first time I went to San Francisco, I burned my tires going up the hill cuz I was afraid of hittin the car behind me.
A rememdy for that is to use your E-brake and let it down as you depress the gas and let off the clutch. When you've mastered going uphill, you can go anywhere.

All you need to do to start from 1st gear is to get that needle over 1000 RPMs with the gas petal if you wanna practice. Going uphill, I'd go for 2000 RPMs. It doesn't hurt to look at the tachometer when you start just to make sure you don't rev the engine to hard before letting off the clutch. Usually if you go over 3000 you're screetch your tires, but that also depends on how slow you let off the clutch.

3rd gear wears out the quickest. This is just my personal driving style but I like to stay in 2nd gear for a while. You can go up to 55mph in 2nd gear. (3rd gear is... just... there...) I like to stay in mostly all gears for a while (except 1st) also because the more you shift, the more you wear out your gears. I guess most drivers will shift when they reach 3000-3500 RPMs because it's recommended. (I don't know what that means.) [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

4th gear is my favorite on the freeway (unless I prefer a quiet drive). I've gotten into a bad habit of not using 5th on the freeway unless I'm crazy to race someone. I also like to stay in lower gears because it's easier to slow the car down. But hey, that's what downshifting is for I guess.

You can't downshift to 1st. You'll ruin your gears if you try.

Use neutral when moving! SAVE GAS! Plus in the stop and go traffic, you can just go to neutral and keep your foot on the brake without having to keep the car from shutting off. (I didn't know this, cuz I thought that you only had to have the clutch down to keep the car running.)

Manuals are fun overall.

When coming to a stop, try not to press the clutch before braking. You'll wear out your clutch faster that way and it means you also have to brake harder since you've put the car virtually in neutral. Just wait until you're going like 5 or 6 MPH or so, and then depress the clutch. You could put the car in neutral and just use the brake, too.

Like Honda says, "Rev it up!" And good luck!


SoNiCcIvIc

 
Rep Power: 0

thanks for all th tips, they were all usefull. I got it down pretty good in about an hour, but I still need some more practice. My launch is kinda slow, it takes me about 5 seconds to get the car moving.

 
Rep Power: 0

MY 2K1 civic was my fist car i drove frequently that was standard!!!! I LOVE IT and i wouldnt go to a automatic car unless its a big body sedan! i learned got down the 5 speed good in about a week so just keep tryin !!!!!!! and the civic is a good car to learn it has a softer clutch than other cars and is alot shorter clutch!!!!!

 
Rep Power: 0

take a driving course, like supyo said....it'll save you alot in the long run, n u'll learn alot of stuff.

oh ya.....there is two things a guy should know how to do in life
1. drive stick
2. screw [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG] guys should know what i mean, lol

that is what my driving instructor told me, lol[IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

 
Rep Power: 0

Hey, I just noticed something...

Not all import clutches are easy. If you drive an Acura Integra, the clutch on there is SO FIRM. My friend who owns that car (GSX), enjoys driving my car a bit more just because of the easy clutch. I dunno why the clutch is so hard but I wonder if it's changed with the RSX? Someone enlighten me.

I test drove a 2001 Prelude Type SH a few days ago for a friend who wants one (she doesn't have her license yet and hasn't mastered the manual yet). Letting go of the clutch enough where the gears catch requires letting off the clutch a lot further than on the 7th gen Civics, but all clutches are different on different cars I see. That was the second 5-speed I drove. Oh, and it's just as easy as on the Civic.

Get a short shift! I loved that Prelude's short shifter.

 
Rep Power: 0

I want to know where in scarborough, a driving school would teach you how to drive standard. I really want to learn. I don't have my G2 haha, nor a lot of experience driving. I don't really care about an automatic. I just want standard..
vroooooom