jester444

Stick with it, man. Yeah, it's hard and you may not like it, but you won't regret it once you learn. It's much more rewarding to drive manual than auto.

drive_fast_dail

it can take a while, best thing is just stay driving it, and try to stay away from rush hour if possible, being in traffic just puts more pressure on you learning is much easier away. First time I drove mine alone was in rush hour to work, that was rough.

If you are having trouble finding the clutch point on the pedal the best thing to do really is just go in a parking lot that is flat, and just practice no gas starts in first over and over. If you dont use the gas you gotta be easy with the clutch and this is the best way to get a really good feel for it. Of course once you get better you dont want to be dragging on the clutch a bunch, but this is a great way to learn.

Also one thing that could be a problem, if you are used to an auto you may have gotten into a lazy too far back driving position (I know I was). Make sure you can at least get your foot flat on the fire wall in your seat position, this makes sure that your muscles have good control over the range of the clutch.

It takes time but youll get the feel of the clutch eventually, just give it time a manual transmission is well worth the effort to learn.

hawkz99

iTrader: (1)

I'll elaborate on this. When you're on an incline, pull the hand brake. Then let go of clutch slowly & apply gas slowly like you usually do. You'll feel the car rev & wanna move forward. Keeping the clutch & gas position the same, slowly let go of clutch & you'll only move forward, not backwards.

cleancivic 05

keep at it u will get it

DDragon7

For those that think rev-matching is the hardest part, I think that heel and toe is the hardest part, I've been driving manual for almost a year already and I still havent started. Probably I could get it if I ever praticed it or make it easier by moding the pedals a bit.

jester444

What exactly is heel and toe, by the way? I've heard people talk about it and read about it in magazines, but I have no idea.

ex2k3

That's what I said in my post that's how I first learned about my clutch grab point.

heel and toe is a technique that allows you to brake and rev-match in all one smooth motion. It's not necessary for regular street driving that's why no one has really mentioned it being the hardest because most people don't know or even want to try. It's not really hard, it just depends on the pedals placement. Our civics' accelerators are too far back so it's hard to stretch the heel back to it, it just depends on the car. I've found it easier in the civic to do the opposite, put your heel on the brake and blip the gas with your toe, but it might just be me.

jester444

Hmmm... That's interesting... I think I'm gonn have to learn how to do that. Not for any real purpose, just so I know how. Thanks.

DDragon7

^^Just learn to drive properly for now, heel and toe comes later.

slicksivik

iTrader: (9)

took me 2 hours and i never drove before in my life. was 14. wasn't hard. learned to drive stick and drive in general at the same time. practiced starts and stops in a school parking lot that was empty of course, and then practiced on back roads. just dont get jitters when someones behind you at a light and it turns green. just take your time or you'll screech and mess up.

http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/sh...light=heel+toe

read that

jester444

DDragon: No worries, dude, I can drive just fine. I just like to pick up on little tricks like that, no matter how useless they appear.

DDragon7

Actually heel and toe is very useful.

jester444

All the more reason for me to learn how to do it.

Chesskid1

iTrader: (1)

Hooray! I am now driving around by myself now, and I only stalled about 3 times driving about ~15 miles. I practiced in a secluded parking lot that has a slight hill, i did like 50 stop and gos on the hills. Not bad, don't really see the benefits of manual yet (seems like alot of work to me) but my friend rev'ed the engine up really high (6-7k rpms) and took turns like that, and it was alot of fun!! (and i was in the passenger seat), can't wait till i'm able to do that, confidently.

ctx66

the only real benefit of MT vs AT to me is that MT is much more fun to drive. traffic can be a pain in the ***, but its still better than AT overall.

Theres other benefits as well, i think MT is easier to maintain. Fluid changes are easier, drain and fill as opposed to flushing. And theres also less stuff which can break and malfunction in a MT, AT's are probably the most sophisticated part of cars.

Sypher

I suggest for anyone who is having troubles with driving stick to check out www.standardshift.com . Great community there, and very helpful when it comes to driving a stick.