Chesskid1

iTrader: (1)

I just bought my civic about 4 days ago, and i have no experiance with manual, i just drove my 1989 camry automatic since i was 16 (i'm 19 now), then i bought a 2001 civic lx coupe 5 speed. I'm getting VERY frustrated trying to learn it, i've practiced for about an hour for about 4 days now. I barely stall it (i still do sometimes if i don't give enough gas, but this is rare), but I have some very ANNOYING jittering problems. When i'm giving it gas, and theres a car behind me, and i'll let the clutch out too fast and the car will jitter alot, or i'll give it too much gas and the car will screech. I don't know, is it possible someone's feet is too retarded to learn stick? I can drive smooth when i'm letting go of the clutch really slow and feeling for the point where i have to give it gas, but when it comes to going i always do something wrong. I espically hate it when i'm facing up a hill and if i let go off the brake the car will start going backwards and i'm afraid i'll hit the car besides me, and it's hard to find the "spot" of the clutch when holding the brake down. it's just so frustrating, i'm seriously considering just giving up on stick and just trading it in and getting an automatic.

Rennen

iTrader: (35)

took me about a week to get really good at it.

diskreet

iTrader: (1)

Wow, if you want an auto you should swap trannies with me lol.

Seriously, it shouldnt take more than a week or 2 to get good enough to be comfortable with it. It shouldnt take more than a month to make it transparent, aka you not even noticing it.

Some people, like my sister, will never be able to drive a stick well. Others, like me, can get it and drive comfortably after a few minutes, without driving a stick pretty much ever. It depends on the person.

EXsmellsbetter

iTrader: (1)

Traffic lights and stop signs on hills suck, as does any point where you must use the clutch . . . I don't know about Civics specifically though, I drive an auto! I would say go to an abandoned parking lot and do 200 stop and go's.

joescivic02

iTrader: (5)

**** i havent drove stick ever since i sold my civic which was about 6 months ago and i drove a 94 cobra yesterday and it was so fun i miss it once ur comforable ull never lose it...

**** i would borrow a shitty car and learn on that rather than risking my own clutch lol

jcem

iTrader: (2)

To practice hills, try going to a parking lot at night where there's a loading ramp. They're usually pretty steep, so you'll get good real fast.

DDragon7

Yea, learning manual the first time is like learning to drive all over again and you get frustrated and want to drive autos again. But once you learn to drive it, you wont want to go back.

ex2k3

Also, don't be scared to roll back a little on hills, you always have more room than you think you do. I picked up driving a manual gearbox really quick and now I can drive any manual car completely smooth within minutes.
Two things that you need to do:
1. Find a really flat surface and practice letting the clutch out in gear at idle without stalling or giving gas, it is possible if the road is truly flat and no cheating by using a down slope, and
2. Find a slight grade and hold your position just using the clutch. NO GAS OR BRAKE!!
These two things will get you familiar with the grab point of the clutch, then you will be more comfortable with your launches and on hills.

Everything else is about throttle control and rev-matching and it will come as you drive, just take your time and don't let other drivers make you nervous or rush.

jcem

iTrader: (2)

And if all else fails, play it safe and do a big smoky burnout!!! (or at least the closest thing in a civic )

dalaw

use the handbrake on uphill starts until you become pro at it.

2ME_EM2

iTrader: (3)

if you want to learn how to drive on hills just do like me when i started learning stick and sit in your driveway let the car roll all the way back until it stop in the gutter and just sit there and try to find the release point of your clutch and give it some gas it'll take a few tries but hey its better than stalling at a stop light trying to figure it out at least your in your driveway .... good luck just dont give up keep trying

CrazyKnight

I would just keep driving it youll get the hang of it aventually. After a while you wont even notice it. Ive been driving stick since i started driving (4 years ago when i was 16) and i wouldnt want to switch i dont even notice it any more.

clrumivier4life

Your feet will get coordinated soon enough and then you won't be able to stop. I first learned on my civic too! So key.

Devani

iTrader: (2)

in a few months, you will be glad that you have 5 sp..

R1Style

iTrader: (20)

asking us how long it will take for you to get good at stick is like asking us how long will it take you to be good at ping pong.... WE DON'T KNOW! Just keep practicing.

diskreet

iTrader: (1)

I have never got in a manual car, and wanted to drive an auto again. I have an auto, and any time I drive a manual, no matter how akward or frustrating, its so much better than a stupid auto. I wish I had more money so I could do a manual swap.

misterpho7

iTrader: (2)

Manual is so much fun heh, after about a month of only driving manual it'll be just like automatic once your use to it.

One thing though is that you have much more control of the car with a 5-speed.

01HonderCivic

iTrader: (7)

I guess I had the "luxury" of being able to practice on the farm with a 1978 Chevy C-10 252 Inline 6, with a 3 speed transmission. With only three gears , stiff as hell clutch and not a lot of torque, I had to learn the balance between gas and clutch. that's what it's all about. Now, whenever I take it out for a drive, my leg gets sore from using the clutch because I'm used to my Civic. Just keep at it. You won't be disappointed. I'll never buy an automatic car, they're boring as hell.

RHCP0801

iTrader: (3)

if i wouldve bought my civic manual i probably wouldve messed up the clutch or crashed the car, i bought my car from the dealer with 2 miles on it and like 1 hour away from my house, i dont even want to know what wouldve happened if i drove stick that long and far for the first time

Honda_Inspired

Practice makes perfect. Don't give up - like someone else said "you have better control of the car with manual". Manual actually makes the driver think the car is faster than it really is (at least to me it does ) and you get a lot of fun out of it. I will never own an auto in my life. Now that hurricane season is approaching makes me remember last year during hurricane Rita when I was driving on 290 in stop and go 10 MPH traffic from Houston to College Station for 5+ hours. Thanks to continuously shifting, I never once fell asleep behind the wheel. I could have sworn my left calf muscle had a good workout

pbfoot

iTrader: (2)

only an hour a day?? go take a drive in the city, where theres lots of stop and go...youll be a master in no time. lol

stay away from steep hills until youre comfortable. haha

vacivic2005

iTrader: (4)

Took me also about a week, trust me. if you go back to auto after owning stick (and failing), you'll regret it for a LONG time. once you get the hang of it.

just take it one step at a time, and be patient.

Civicracer2002

well it onlyy took me a day and since then i havn't killed it or anything and i just get better by the day

DaddyFatSacks

Every car I ever owned was manual, and i'm still learning thing sand getting better and smoother, it takes time. By the way, i'm 27. How long before you know how to puss your car to the limit takes even longer.

MajinB

iTrader: (21)

1 week to stop chirping. 1 month to get the roughness out. 2 months to learn how to downshift and another week after that to become perfect.

buckshizzo

iTrader: (2)

like everybody said, finding that friction point between your gas and clutch is key. Just keep at it and it will become second nature to you. Pretty soon you'll be able to change cd's, talk on the phone, eat, and shift at the sametime(that's just asking for an accident). Just keep at it man, there are more difficult things than driving a manual.

Mr_Plenty

iTrader: (3)

I've never owned a manual transmission car but my next car will hopefully be a manual. I have driven a stick shift less than ten times (with large intervals between the ten times (months, years)) and i got the hang of it on the fifth try. The way i learned was just take your time and practice maybe im a faster learner because i never practiced for more than 20-30 minutes. rev-matching is the hardest to learn because you have to feel the biting point when you release the clutch, it aint as complicated as it seems and its kinda like second nature to me now but i aint a master at it yet (meaning i still think about what im doing when im doing it while driving).

ctx66

my only advice is to focus less on the amount of gas, and focus more on the clutch pedal. give constant gas pedal pressure, and play more with the clutch to get the hang of it. After you get comfortable with that, then id focus more on both the clutch and gas to get a smooth start.

XxSoVeReiGNxX

iTrader: (10)

my neighbor tried to help me a long time ago but i was young and chicken. I gave up cause i didnt want to mess up his car. he moved away so i never really completed learning to get good at stick

simplicated1979

i drive an auto and i'm telling you to keep the manual....