How well do you drive a stick?
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I learned to drive in the four speed big block Ford listed in my signature. My first Mustang was a 3-speed and I used to show off to friends driving to the top of Nob Hill in SF. I wish I had the funds and time to convert my current Mustang from it C4 slush box, but it is reliable and I've probably moved up the learning curve on track days with one less thing to think about.
Patman
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Originally Posted By: Cristobal
I have an automatic, but you never forget how to drive a stick shift.
I agree, even though I don't own any manual trans cars anymore, I've owned enough of them in the past to have developed good enough skills so that the moment I do drive a manual car I never forget how, and never stall the engine when taking off and never forget how to smoothly shift either. Now that my Corvette is no longer a daily driver, and that my commute to work isn't in brutal rush hour traffic anymore (I go the opposite way to the flow now) I really wish it was a manual instead of auto.
I have an automatic, but you never forget how to drive a stick shift.
I agree, even though I don't own any manual trans cars anymore, I've owned enough of them in the past to have developed good enough skills so that the moment I do drive a manual car I never forget how, and never stall the engine when taking off and never forget how to smoothly shift either. Now that my Corvette is no longer a daily driver, and that my commute to work isn't in brutal rush hour traffic anymore (I go the opposite way to the flow now) I really wish it was a manual instead of auto.
I am presently pumping the clutch at red lights to build up pressure in a wonky slave cylinder so I can get into first gear. If this doesn't work I'll have to shut the motor off, grab my gear, then start it up. Plan to fix it this weekend.
On my old sonoma, I also lost my clutch slave and had to rev-match to shift. I had my new motorcycle in the back, strapped down with what strapping I had. Watched it rock in the rearview mirror as I tried grabbing gears. Had to do several uphill starts and merge into rotaries on that drive.
I'm also pretty good when things are normal. If 2nd gear on a new-to-me-car has a synchro I'm legitimately surprised. Heel/toe and double-clutch as a matter of course.
My tire store asks me if I can drive one whenever they get one in. I think, duh, it should be a prerequisite to be a technician? We aren't allowed to state-inspect our own vehicles so I cringed when another tech backed my car out of the next bay over.
On my old sonoma, I also lost my clutch slave and had to rev-match to shift. I had my new motorcycle in the back, strapped down with what strapping I had. Watched it rock in the rearview mirror as I tried grabbing gears. Had to do several uphill starts and merge into rotaries on that drive.
I'm also pretty good when things are normal. If 2nd gear on a new-to-me-car has a synchro I'm legitimately surprised. Heel/toe and double-clutch as a matter of course.
My tire store asks me if I can drive one whenever they get one in. I think, duh, it should be a prerequisite to be a technician? We aren't allowed to state-inspect our own vehicles so I cringed when another tech backed my car out of the next bay over.
I should work on my double clutching, the 2nd gear syncro has never been good since new in the Tracker, and it takes a while for the engine to drop rpms. But I find I just wait an extra half second for the shafts to match speeds and it slides into 2nd with no fuss.
I heel and toe the odd time for fun too I guess, and it impresses some of my non-racing buddies. Some of my racing buddies seem to have power shifting figured out but I can't bring myself to beat on my cars that much. They are slow and will only be slower if I break something!
I almost bought an old manual tractor where double clutching would be mandatory to shift gears while moving, but I ended up with a new one with a hydrostatic transmission which is nice and productive but I am missing out on rowing the gears on a diesel.
I heel and toe the odd time for fun too I guess, and it impresses some of my non-racing buddies. Some of my racing buddies seem to have power shifting figured out but I can't bring myself to beat on my cars that much. They are slow and will only be slower if I break something!
I almost bought an old manual tractor where double clutching would be mandatory to shift gears while moving, but I ended up with a new one with a hydrostatic transmission which is nice and productive but I am missing out on rowing the gears on a diesel.
I can honestly drive my car and it is just as smooth if not smoother than most autos (especially older autos) can change gears.
Auto's just seem stagnant to me. There's no real user experience or input.
I drive through Philadelphia's city traffic and never have I missed having an auto transmission.
Auto's just seem stagnant to me. There's no real user experience or input.
I drive through Philadelphia's city traffic and never have I missed having an auto transmission.
Don't drive 'em any more and I never really liked driving them in the first place. I did learn how to drive on a manual and I have driven Dump Trucks(6 & 10 wheel) years ago for my uncle along with all of the fleet of P/U's with either 4 on the floor or 3 on the tree. I actually prefered the 3 on the tree if I had to pick one.
The last manual I drove was a buddy's new MINI COOPER summer '11 and every now and again I'll drive a friends Vette or BMW.
I never developed the great skill of driving a manual shift in a sports car, I did learn how not to burn up the clutch when driving a truck with a load. Beyond that, I perfer an automatic.
Worst experience I ever had was driving a 6 wheel dump truck pulling a trailer w/dozer on the back. I stalled at a RED Light on a hill at the intersection of a bussy road. Couldn't get it started again and I wore out the battery trying.
You'd thing that drivers behind me wouldn't keep kreeping up on my backend but they did. Gave me no room to roll back at all and kept beeping their horns. Traffic was building up behing me...I was 17! Hee, hee, hee!!!
Man was I sweating!
The last manual I drove was a buddy's new MINI COOPER summer '11 and every now and again I'll drive a friends Vette or BMW.
I never developed the great skill of driving a manual shift in a sports car, I did learn how not to burn up the clutch when driving a truck with a load. Beyond that, I perfer an automatic.
Worst experience I ever had was driving a 6 wheel dump truck pulling a trailer w/dozer on the back. I stalled at a RED Light on a hill at the intersection of a bussy road. Couldn't get it started again and I wore out the battery trying.
You'd thing that drivers behind me wouldn't keep kreeping up on my backend but they did. Gave me no room to roll back at all and kept beeping their horns. Traffic was building up behing me...I was 17! Hee, hee, hee!!!
Man was I sweating!
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I've driven everything up to and including tractor trailers, and still hold a commercial drivers license.
My favorites are the non-synchronized manual transmissions. If you're going to drive a synchronized manual transmission, you might as well just drive an automatic-there's no real skill involved in driving them. Even my wife, who couldn't care less about a transmission, drives a Subaru with a 5 speed every day without a problem.
That's why I get such a chuckle out of the guys who thump their chests over their "superior" manual transmission driving skills.
My favorites are the non-synchronized manual transmissions. If you're going to drive a synchronized manual transmission, you might as well just drive an automatic-there's no real skill involved in driving them. Even my wife, who couldn't care less about a transmission, drives a Subaru with a 5 speed every day without a problem.
That's why I get such a chuckle out of the guys who thump their chests over their "superior" manual transmission driving skills.
I think I would be fine with most manual transmission passenger vehicles / pickups.
I had a manual transmission Ranger for 4 years and had the shifting down pat. I sold it due to getting the 4x4 bug at the time, but often wish I hadn't.
About a year after selling the Ranger, I had to drive a 7.3L PSD F-250 with a 6-speed for a couple months for a summer job. I stalled it once, but after a minute or so I was perfectly comfortable driving it even though it was the largest, most powerful manual transmission vehicle I had driven. It has been about two years since I drove a manual transmission and I'm probably a bit rusty, but a couple of minutes would probably be all I need to get the feel back.
That said, the PSD is still the biggest MT I have driven and had the most gears. Not sure how I would do with a commercial truck, but I think it would be fun to learn.
I had a manual transmission Ranger for 4 years and had the shifting down pat. I sold it due to getting the 4x4 bug at the time, but often wish I hadn't.
About a year after selling the Ranger, I had to drive a 7.3L PSD F-250 with a 6-speed for a couple months for a summer job. I stalled it once, but after a minute or so I was perfectly comfortable driving it even though it was the largest, most powerful manual transmission vehicle I had driven. It has been about two years since I drove a manual transmission and I'm probably a bit rusty, but a couple of minutes would probably be all I need to get the feel back.
That said, the PSD is still the biggest MT I have driven and had the most gears. Not sure how I would do with a commercial truck, but I think it would be fun to learn.
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
That's why I get such a chuckle out of the guys who thump their chests over their "superior" manual transmission driving skills.
Finally a truism I share. There are a ton of 'manual snobs' here that somehow imagine it endows them with superior skills.
My first car was a stick, I still have one in the fleet, and it's not something you forget how to do.
That's why I get such a chuckle out of the guys who thump their chests over their "superior" manual transmission driving skills.
Finally a truism I share. There are a ton of 'manual snobs' here that somehow imagine it endows them with superior skills.
My first car was a stick, I still have one in the fleet, and it's not something you forget how to do.
At least one of our vehicles has had a MT for the past 20 years....it's like second nature. In certain vehicles I prefer a MT, in others, AT is fine. For pure driving enjoyment and control, nothing beats a MT. Loving the 6sp MT in the VW currently.
Most of my adult driving was with a stick. I'd say 75% of what I've purchased as an adult was a stick. The other 25% either not being available with a stick, or purchased for my wife, etc.
Most memorable story was in Germany, on some NATO Tactical Evaluation. I told one of my team leaders where I wanted the comm center. She said she couldn't put it there. Her soldier driving wasn't sure where I wanted it. I asked him about the shift pattern of the deuce and a half, he told me, and I told him to drop the generator trailer and I'd put the comm center where I wanted it.
I never drove a 2.5T truck before and expertly place it in a spot where it could still be drive out if we had to leave the position.
The soldier and the team leader both just stood there slack jawed as they didn't expect "the LT" to be able to drive their big truck.
Leadership is done from the front, and sometimes you just gotta say, "follow me, do what I do...."
Most memorable story was in Germany, on some NATO Tactical Evaluation. I told one of my team leaders where I wanted the comm center. She said she couldn't put it there. Her soldier driving wasn't sure where I wanted it. I asked him about the shift pattern of the deuce and a half, he told me, and I told him to drop the generator trailer and I'd put the comm center where I wanted it.
I never drove a 2.5T truck before and expertly place it in a spot where it could still be drive out if we had to leave the position.
The soldier and the team leader both just stood there slack jawed as they didn't expect "the LT" to be able to drive their big truck.
Leadership is done from the front, and sometimes you just gotta say, "follow me, do what I do...."
I've owned 5 manual transmission cars in my driving lifetime (I'm 27). I would say I have no problem driving any type of manual but some of the older vehicles are a real workout (my buddy's old Plymouth Valiant comes to mind).
I also feel newer manual Toyotas are unpleasant to drive. Mainly just dead stops to 1st gear. I think it is just because they are too touchy and I am not used to them. A good bit of Torque always makes the driving experience better in a manual.
I also feel newer manual Toyotas are unpleasant to drive. Mainly just dead stops to 1st gear. I think it is just because they are too touchy and I am not used to them. A good bit of Torque always makes the driving experience better in a manual.
Well enough to avoid bucking or stalling or going backwards on hills, not well enough to do rev matched or heel and toe downshifts or to shift without the clutch
When I was a kid the company I worked for sent me out in an old International step van with a floor shifted manual trans. The clutch failed and I drove that truck in Orlando traffic for 3 more days with NO CLUTCH at all.
No trans damage and happy boss, too.
No trans damage and happy boss, too.
OVERKILL
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I learned on a 9N Ford tractor when I was 12 or so.
Most of the vehicles I've driven have been synchro'd. I learned to power shift on a T5, and I can shift without a clutch. Though I don't do it on the M5.
I'd say I'm a decent stick driver. I have a buddy who's better.
Weirdest I've driven was a Freightliner with a "W" shift pattern. That took some getting used to. It was a moving truck a friend of mine operated.
Most of the vehicles I've driven have been synchro'd. I learned to power shift on a T5, and I can shift without a clutch. Though I don't do it on the M5.
I'd say I'm a decent stick driver. I have a buddy who's better.
Weirdest I've driven was a Freightliner with a "W" shift pattern. That took some getting used to. It was a moving truck a friend of mine operated.
Second nature, I find it difficult to believe that there are people who've never driven one or don't know how. I guess my age is showing.
I have driven sticks for the past thirty years plus, and my wife and both of my sons are confortable with them.
Three out of five of our DDs are sticks, as are both of my garage queens.
A stick is just so much more engaging to drive in any vehicle than an automatic.
Three out of five of our DDs are sticks, as are both of my garage queens.
A stick is just so much more engaging to drive in any vehicle than an automatic.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2026
I would say pretty good. The Trans Am is just over 400 hp to the wheels, has a Mcleod twin disk clutch and I have been able to bring home a trophy or two while bracket racing.
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