Idea For Learning Stick

[JimPghPA]

I had a 76 Volare with a 3 speed manual on the column shift and was going to college far away from home, so I seldom traveled home on week-ends. One of the girls was learning to drive, so I let her drive around the big campus one nice winter weekend when the roads were clear. I did not know it, but she was using the side of the road as a guide instead of the whole road ahead of us. We were going up a hill with a turn, she gives it way too much gas, and over-revs second. Before I can correct her about that she goes off the road just a little into the grass because the road turned and her reaction time was too slow due to using the side of the road as a guide. One of the things I made sure of before we started was that she understood that if I ever hollered STOP she was to stomp on the break as fast as she could. So when I screamed stop, she did, and stalled it. I said to her, you were using the side of the road as a guide weren’t you? She said yes. I explained how she had to look at the road ahead of her and memorize it so she was ready for turns when they came. But I was really thinking how lucky we were that it was a stick instead of an automatic, because with the gas she had been giving it an automatic would have been going at least 15 and probably 25 MPH faster, and there was a big rolling hill drop off that we would of went over. I was really glad that car was a stick that day.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
I would never loan a car for someone to learn stick on.
A LOT of damage to all sorts of parts is possible, and some is likely.

You can learn fast, but you can also learn fast with wrong techniques.

Is the question about moral support?


Maybe not lend, but maybe teach a close friend, sibling or offspring?
We all had to learn at some point, after all.
Of course you'd have to own one first, and fewer folks do every day.
If we want to see manuals continue to be available, we have to train the next generation of drivers, and let them spread the word.
At the rate things are going, new manual vehicles will be gone from this market by 2020.

 

[paulo57509]

I learned clutch/gas coordination in my Dad's '65 GMC pick-up while he had it parked on the curb in front of the house.

I think learning to drive a stick is easier in a truck; they're geared lower and don't require a lot of throttle input so you get the feel of the "friction" point of the clutch.

 

[jigen]

The best way to learn stick was just by being left alone. Everyone has their own signature "quirks" with driving a manual. My dad told me the basics and told me to play around in the driveway, mainly reversing and pulling back in. Getting 1st and reverse down fairly well.

After that we went to an old vacant parking lot and he just left me there for a little while. I liked not having to worry about the experienced driver watching everything I did. Too much pressure. Figuring things out on my own was the best method hands down.

You know a good deal about cars and get the mechanics of them. I think it will come naturally.

 

[rjundi]

I honestly think people make a much larger deal out of learning a manual transmission than it really is. I taught my sister and two girl friends who picked it up pretty quick. The clutch lived on. They all could drive not just their manual very well/smooth but any car thrown at them with a proper working clutch.

My wife drives a manual transmission since birth (16) and does it perfectly. My dad taught me to drive a stick in the desert when I was 13 years old in a 1979 K5 Blazer.

 

[Rand]

I'd just buy a MT car...


I can see where owning a prius would make you want more driving excitement.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: The Critic

Therefore, I am currently considering the idea of taking over another person's lease from swapalease.com (or another site). My target would be something < $500/mo with 4-6 months left on the lease. Yes, I would have to register the car and insure it, but this plan would give me more time to learn stick (and practice it) and it would also eliminate the risk issue associated with borrowing someone's car. When I am done, I would just return the car. If anything happens, my insurance would cover it since I would have an insurable interest.


Thoughts?


Thoughts? It's one of the worst ideas I've ever heard.

Driving a manual transmission isn't rocket science. It's not something that takes weeks, months or years to master. It doesn't require a big investment, massive amounts of research or intense planning.

If you really want to learn to drive a stick, go rent a larger U-Haul truck for a day (it might cost around $30 bucks or so for a local daily rental). Have a friend who knows how to drive a manual transmission drive it to a wide open empty parking lot and start practicing. Once you're comfortable in the lot, take it out to the street.

Do this 2 or 3 times and you should have it mastered. If you haven't mastered it after 2 or 3 times, then you should stick to an automatic.

And if you want to discover the nuances of really driving a manual transmission, find one with a non-syncronised transmission and learn to shift without using the clutch.