Manual for everyday driving?

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

i gotta add to thisim from NJ so traffic is always fun and my first two cars i owned were auto... but i always felt like when i was driving that i wanted a stick - had my hand resting on the auto lol

the car i just bought is a manual and i dont see myself going back to auto anytime soon

ppl always tell me how much they **** in traffic - but honestly its not that bad.. and once you get the hang of it you dont even think about it anymore - plus with a stick you can make any slow *** car seem slightly fast and a fast one faster )

truth! hahaha

i remember when i first learned how to drive stick. it was such a WEIRD feeling. really indescribable how a stick feels at first. like your in 1st and you give it some throttle and it goes so slow as compared to an auto, and it seems so stiff. i dont know cant really think of words for it.

but then you get used to it, after like a month or so (not to mention MUCH better at it) and you dont even remember shifting hardly, and its just like driving an auto. expect to stall at a few intersections when your start out...or like me...2 times in the middle of an intersection...which leads to reving up to 4 grand and dumping the clutch to just beat the red light hahaha

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

from everyone ive talked to that had a manual, they love it

so stock clutch isnt that bad, but if you get an aftermarket it makes it harder in traffic and drive throughs etc?

 

[Etac 10+ year member]

i forgot this part tho

the scariest part with a stick at first is rolling backwards on a hill when someone rides your ***...

i didnt know it when i bought it but my subaru has a thing where if you hit the clutch while in neutral - it wont roll which makes my life alot easier

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

truth! hahaha
i remember when i first learned how to drive stick. it was such a WEIRD feeling. really indescribable how a stick feels at first. like your in 1st and you give it some throttle and it goes so slow as compared to an auto, and it seems so stiff. i dont know cant really think of words for it.

but then you get used to it, after like a month or so (not to mention MUCH better at it) and you dont even remember shifting hardly, and its just like driving an auto. expect to stall at a few intersections when your start out...or like me...2 times in the middle of an intersection...which leads to reving up to 4 grand and dumping the clutch to just beat the red light hahaha

i actually LOL'd because i could see me doing that:laugh:

 

[Etac 10+ year member]

all you gotta remmeber is if you dont know what to do - hit the clutch

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

i forgot this part tho
the scariest part with a stick at first is rolling backwards on a hill when someone rides your ***...

i didnt know it when i bought it but my subaru has a thing where if you hit the clutch while in neutral - it wont roll which makes my life alot easier

on a hill ive heard somethign about using the parking brake and finessing the gas or something, not my cup of tea

take the long way around to get away form hills //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

i forgot this part tho
the scariest part with a stick at first is rolling backwards on a hill when someone rides your ***...

i didnt know it when i bought it but my subaru has a thing where if you hit the clutch while in neutral - it wont roll which makes my life alot easier

i definitly hate the asshats that pull up so close to me in traffic...

that feature on a subaru sounds interesting, i wonder what it is doing, if it has a brake lock, or if its keeping the clutch slightly engaged...

 

[Etac 10+ year member]

yea my friend told me about the parking brake too - it works

and yea i took the long way till i figured out it had the anti roll feature

actually the worst expiernce i had with a stick was trying to go in reseverse on a downward slope...

the anti rolls thing- im not sure exactlyu how it works but as long as you have the clutch down it wont roll reguardless (and you have to press the clutch IN nuetral) of whether you press the brake - it will start to roll slightly as you start to let go of the clutch but will catch very quick - you dont get the rolling action in the time between letting go of the brake and pressing the gas

 

[twisztdauthorit 10+ year member]

my volvo was a auto but a pos 1991 isuzu amigo was a manual... this car was ****ing hilarious but theres no way i would drive it if it was auto... Manual makes cars so much more fun and liek everyone says you get used to it after a while... when i go between manual and auto i always seem to find my left foot searching for a clutch... You might stall a few times at first but just learn to feather it... im at the point to where i feel i have so much control over the car... i have a sensitive left foot.... you can almost peel out in any manual too instead of ****ing up an auto...

just my $0.02

 

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

on a hill ive heard somethign about using the parking brake and finessing the gas or something, not my cup of tea
take the long way around to get away form hills //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

or, you can let the clutch out to where it starts to grab while you are still on the brakes, this will start giving the car some pull to either slow or stop the car from rolling backwards //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

the real ticket to starting on a hill though, is knowing where your clutch engages. learn this point and learn what it feels like, and it takes a lot of ease off your mind //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

from everyone ive talked to that had a manual, they love it
so stock clutch isnt that bad, but if you get an aftermarket it makes it harder in traffic and drive throughs etc?

it really depends on how stiff your clutch is.

i had an over spring (i believe thats what its called, i forgot though) design on my 94 explorer. the clutch was super stiff because your working against a spring, and once you get past a certain point it gets retardly easy to push and then the same thing when your letting off.

on my 98 explorer it all hydraulic and its almost as light as my friends civic's clutch (not quite though). WAY easier to drive.

you will like it, im sure. you just feel more in control too. going around corners you can downshift before you get there and be ready to go as soon as you straighten up instead of having to punch it once you get around the turn in an auto. you will just feel more in control, once you get used to it.

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

does that burn the clutch or anything?

someone said an evo clutch is a little stiffer than a honda civic clutch, im assuming those are real soft?

 

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

actually the worst expiernce i had with a stick was trying to go in reseverse on a downward slope...

that is a very akward feeling, because you have to completely take your eyes off your controls and drive solely by your foot. i dont know that it ever gets easier //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

another piece of advice, never learn to drive a manual with a 350Z //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif . possibly the crudest ***** in a late model car...

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

or, you can let the clutch out to where it starts to grab while you are still on the brakes, this will start giving the car some pull to either slow or stop the car from rolling backwards //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
the real ticket to starting on a hill though, is knowing where your clutch engages. learn this point and learn what it feels like, and it takes a lot of ease off your mind //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

truth. and you wont have to stare at your tach to see how your engine is reacting. thats what i used to do when i first started. my friend told me "DONT STARE AT THE TACH! feel the clutch out". youll be glad you did.

as for the 350z comment... i agree. i thought i was the only one that thought this.

 

[twisztdauthorit 10+ year member]

oh yeah and the hill thing... people piss me off when they pull right up on my ***.. . you will get the hang of it after a while... just gotta move your feet quick, i got it down to where the car doesn't even get a chance to roll more then 2" back.

trick is to feather the clutch lightly so it wont roll back while ur moving from brake to gas