Have you taught someone to drive a manual?

"hethoughtofcars" (hethoughtofcars) 01/16/2014 at 13:35 • Filed to: Manual

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My last couple posts about manuals have gotten so many replies I've decided to make this an un-official "MANUAL WEEK" (not that every week at Jalopnik isn't already a manual week..)

Here's my first 2 posts:

What did you learn to drive a manual on?

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Is your daily driver a manual?

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This morning I received the following reply from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! regarding how they learned stick:

VW Golf. On a test drive. Salesman drove it too a parkinglot close to the dealership, taught both me and my girlfriend at the time to drive stick, and she drove it back to the showroom where she bought the car.

Good salesman? Great salesman. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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There are a couple of things here that seem crazy to me. 1) A dealer let you learn to drive a stick on one of their cars? 2) You learned to drive a stick in what was probably only a few hours?

For me, I would say about half of my serious girlfriends have known how to shift for themselves. The other half I have tried to teach....with various results. The first time I tried to teach at 19 on my '89 Jetta I actually made my girlfriend cry (seriously I'm not a bad guy. Promise.). Later, about 25 years old and trying to teach on my '95 Del Sol I had that girlfriend get so angry with the car she started yelling at me (and how stupid I was for this whole owning a car that you had to shift thing). Finally, at 33 in my 2010 Clubman I actually got some success, so much so that she actually ended up in traffic on the freeway but that took several lessons in parking lots, and she happily went back to her automatic Camry.

Part of my issue I think is it is just so difficult for me to explain how to drive using a clutch. Other than "let out on the left pedal, while giving it a little bit of gas" ends up stalling the car 99% of the time. And somehow, they always manage to kill it violently, shaking the car back and forth almost giving one whiplash (a result I can't even recreate when trying).

So what's the secret? Have you taught someone to drive a manual? Were you successful? What kind of car was it? Did they take to the row it for yourself lifestyle or shrug and go back to their slushboxes?

MDP310 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:38

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I tried to teach my brother to drive a stick on my Jetta. He kept stalling and gave up after about two minutes.

He's not One Of Us, though, so he didn't really care.

Sn210 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:39

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I taught two of my friends the basics in high school when I had a Jeep Wrangler. I taught my wife when we were dating in my Saturn SC2 and then she got more practice in my Civic. She hasn't tried my TL yet. I'm not sure if the other guys could jump in and drive away in a manual today, but I know my wife could. She'll tell you otherwise. I think they key is practice and confidence building.

d00mZ > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:41

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Girlfriend. I'll tell you this. Teach a girl to drive stick, she'll drive like an asshole in a few months. FUCKING NUTS

pfftballer > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:43

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Many years ago I taught my ex wife in my C5 Corvette. That stupid 2nd gear skip thing the vette had baffled her. I miss that car, but certainly not that dullard.

TheBaron2112 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:47

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My new gf drives a Hyundai Accent with a slushbox. I intend on giving her the opportunity to learn to drive my Fiesta ST.

So, wish me luck oppo!

GTCL > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:48

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I taught two of my friends, tried to teach my wife ( she gets it just doesn't want to do all of the "work" driving a stick causes), and attempted to teach a friend who failed miserably at it. All of those occurred in my '91 CRX. Oh how I miss that car. I really regret selling it n

liquid1036 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:48

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Bought my first car with a manual transmission, learned from a friend a few years ago but was not use to DD with a stick. So ended up learning myself. My brother got interested and also got his first car as a stick, I helped him learn the basics of rev matching and down shifting. Now he wont drive anything else.

J. Walter Weatherman > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:49

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I have taught a number of people how to drive stick. I always start by explaining to them how a clutch and transmission work, and what (mechanically) is happening inside they car when they depress the clutch pedal/shift gears. I find that helps a lot, because most non-car people seem to have no clue what a clutch even does. For me at least, being able to picture what the clutch is doing makes it much easier to get the feel for using the clutch pedal.

Also, I always try to teach people on a 4x4. Put the car in low range, and it is nearly impossible to stall, which allows for them to get the feel of it without getting too frustrated about stalling all the time. It also cuts down on wear on the clutch.

jariten1781 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:50

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Taught many.

How I do it is put them in first and tell them not to use the gas at all and let the clutch out until the car starts to roll then clutch in. Do that a while then add gas and let the clutch all the way out. Then shifts to second. Once they're there it's pretty much good to go for normal streets. Hills come after they're pretty good getting around in a neighborhood.

One key is to impress on them is if they feel like something is going wrong to clutch in.

The hardest to teach are the ones who have been driving for years in autos and left foot brake. Sometimes I want to give up with them. It's usually pretty easy with folks who right foot brake.

Lekker > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:51

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Ah teaching how to drive manual. One of my favorite lessons.

I personally taught myself how to drive a manual at 7, thanks to a gift I still own (Gran Turismo 2). I told my dad I had taught myself and he laughed and said oh yeah? Go ahead, and had me sit on the driver's seat. The car was a 1994 Chrysler Spirit Turbocharged (this was in Mexico, so I am not sure if its known under other models here in the US). I am quite tall so at 7 I could reach (hardly) the pedals. After about 5 minutes of jolting around and stalling I finally got the grasp of it and was able to take off, park, and go into city traffic. Since then my father kept me training with all sorts of vehicles, since he rented a lot of them for his job.

Fast forward 10 years, and at 17 I was teaching my girlfriend at the time in my first car, 1994 Honda Prelude SI (or whatever the vtech model was). The gf was a bit younger than me so she had no experience driving a manual. In about one hour of driving around a parking lot (and some clutch smoke ) she was able to take off not so roughly, and come to a safe stop/park. Two years later I taught my wife, in a 2004 Civic. Within half an hour of driving in our college parking lot she was able to take off without stalling (not smooth all yet), and choose gears adequately. And last is a coworker I taught about 3 months ago in my 2013 370z nismo, which I will add has a stupid sensitive and heavy clutch for a stock car. My coworker learned within a few hours, and was able to drive on the freeway the next day comfortably.

My technique is usually positive reinforcement and using reference points they already understand, which can vary a lot depending who you're trying to teach. For example when I taught my wife, she knows a lot of chemistry but NOTHING of cars (That of course has changed, now she wants an LFA). So what I try to do is use concepts they already know. If they know nothing in particular that can make it easy, I just use simple concepts. I explain things like the RPMs, and how the clutch actually works before even getting into a car. Then I take them (in their mind) through what actions you actually take when you take off, or come to a stop light, or wanna change gears before even sitting in the car. Most of this is done at a couch, or chair. By the time they actually get in the car and see the third pedal, they expect it and understand its necessary. So I think psychologically speaking it sets them up a little better, and takes off some of the stress. This method has worked for me 3 times or so, and have taught people in hours.

Sorry if it got too lengthy, work is slow :p

notchy > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:52

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Taught my then 16-year-old cousin to drive stick in our '04 Mini Cooper S — which was his dream car at the time. Made him do stops and starts in a school parking lot (empty of course), as well as some hill starts on a loading ramp. Then I made him drive me to go get beer for myself.

I learned in my uncle's 1990 Nissan Sentra. He was taking me to see colleges on Long Island, about a 2 hour trip, and decided he didn't feel like driving — he showed up at 7am, asked if I drove stick. I said no. He said, time to learn. And we went bucking off through NYC and onto the Long Island Expressway. By the end of the day I was downshifting into 2nd on turns and felt like Andretti. More fun to drove a slow car fast versus fast car slow.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 13:55

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Yep, but over here that's just called 'teaching someone to drive'.

There's still a bit of a stigma over here about having an auto-only licence.

Leadbull > jariten1781 01/16/2014 at 14:00

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This. Finding the engagement point without using gas is key, I think. Once you're comfortable with that, the rest really isn't too hard.

Nibbles > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:01

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I tried to teach my wife not too long ago. Multiple trips in the truck and she kinda had the feel of it. Unfortunately we frustrated each other during the attempts so much that it was deemed pointless to even try. Then one day she wanted to give it another go. I decided I would sit in the passenger seat and only give assistance when absolutely necessary

It took her less than a block to have it down pat

hethoughtofcars > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 01/16/2014 at 14:15

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Yeah for me it was "learning how to drive" since I didn't have access to any automatic cars when I was learning. What's "an auto-only" license? Is that like here where you can get your motorcycle license driving with a sidecar (or just any 3 wheeler), but the license only allows you to drive 3 wheelers and not standard motorcycles? What country are you in?

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > jariten1781 01/16/2014 at 14:16

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100% agree this is my strategy as well. Have taught many using this method and it usually works out OK.

hethoughtofcars > Lekker 01/16/2014 at 14:18

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I'm always amazed that people have "learned" a stick shift with a video game. When I try to explain RPMs or even compare it to shifting on a bicycle, their eyes just glaze over.

Lekker > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:22

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Its about dumbing it down. I always start with, well, the wheels spin, right? Well, so does the engine. Referring to the crankshaft motion. I explain the clutch is nothing but a plate that separates the tranny and engine. Which sometimes causes them to look like:

desertdog5051 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:22

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I taught 2 people. My method is to get them on level ground and without giving any gas, start the car off. Practice that until you master it. Then move on to when to use throttle when starting off. Works quite well.

duurtlang > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:24

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I never taught anyone, as I literally don't know and have never known anyone in real life who A. has a drivers license and B. doesn't know how to drive stick. Obviously I don't live in North America.

duurtlang > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:26

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We've got the same thing in the Netherlands (he's from the UK). An auto-only license means you took your driving test in an automatic, and it means you're not legally allowed to drive a manual. It's regarded as a license for the crippled. I (31) don't know a single person who holds such a license.

Casper > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:32

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I have taught quite a few people. I have also simply used it as a chance for great laughs by doing it in my autocross cars on occasion.

ThatWillBuffOut > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:33

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I have taught several people. We are usually out of the parking lot and on the road in about an hour. First thing I do is demonstrate while I explain mechanically what is happening with the clutch and engine, what the tachometer is showing, etc. When we switch places, I also have them visualize balancing the rpms with their left(clutch) and right(gas) foot. Don't let it drop too far below 1000rpms. I will also tell them to slowly let out the clutch until the car starts moving then push the clutch back in to get a feel for it. Then we move on to using the gas and changing gears. I sometimes have them do this while sitting still, to get a feel for it. After practicing that for a little bit, until they are comfortable, we head out onto the road.

hethoughtofcars > duurtlang 01/16/2014 at 14:33

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That's awesome! Europe wins again.

duurtlang > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 01/16/2014 at 14:33

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Not just stigma. Imagine having to rent a van or car while having an auto-only license. It'll limit your options drastically. I'd even argue the added cost of learning to drive a manual (an hour?) is easily paid back by cheaper rental vehicles and the ease of being able and allowed to drive anything.

Bad Idea Hat > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:35

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One of my girlfriends took a 8 hours. I mean, there was lunch and crying and me wanting to hang myself, but it was a full 8 hours of failure.

One of my other girlfriends, who is now my wife, took 24 minutes. I took note of the time just in case I needed it for evidence later, but she surprised the hell out of me.

Actually, I think she took less time to learn to drive a stick than I actually did.

Mazarin > jariten1781 01/16/2014 at 14:37

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Exactly how I taught people on my dad's 94 Escort and my 99 A4.

This was a little bit more difficult on my 88 Starion w/ a lightweight flywheel...

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:41

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I'm in the UK myself, and there are many different tiers of drivers license. A full licence lets you drive any car, tow loads up to a certain weight and drive small lorries (with higher grades allowing you to drive bigger and bigger lorries, and drive MPVs like minibuses and coaches).

Below that is a licence that only allows you to drive automatic cars. Yeah, similar to your side-car thing :)

hethoughtofcars > ThatWillBuffOut 01/16/2014 at 14:46

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But what if, like me, you learned on cars without tachs?

mycarneverruns87 > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 14:53

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I have taught many with great success. I just try to make sure there is no pressure on them and explain everything as best as I can as well as demonstrate. My 18 year old cousin learned in my focus very fast and surprised the hell out of me. I think it may have taken him 15 minutes to get the hang of it. It is always funny when you get rolling in an upper gear and when it comes time to stop they forget the clutch all together lol. Another person who surprised me was a girl back in high school who took maybe 30 minutes to drive very well. I didn't care how long it took since it was her and her friend in my car out on the back roads!

ThatWillBuffOut > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 15:06

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Then I use engine sound. Basically the same principle. I would demonstrate what it sounds like when the engine is about to and does stall.

Local Miata Bro > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 15:09

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I taught my buddy how to drive manual. This led him to getting a job at a local Honda dealer, and he loved it so much he is going to buy one this spring.

bradledy > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 15:29

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Live in jersey went to college in Colorado; drove back and forth every year; needed a co-pilot; had a 2002 wrx; taught two friends how to drive stick to come with me; I'm a great teacher; don't know if I'm actually allowed to use semi colons like this; don't care.

Spaze > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 15:36

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I've taught several people to drive manuals. Most recently my wife when I sold her on having a "fun car" before kiddos. I was teaching her on my truck (2500 diesel) and that went well but she was not so keen on it being the size of the titanic. We ended up buying the car and I drove it home. Over the next 3 days we had several lessons and she drove it to work, and stalled twice that day. As the days progressed there were less problems until about 3ish weeks in she came home and was super excited about "doing it right." Now she LOVES her car and likes that she can use the horsepower when ever she wants, to pass people, or whatever she does with it....?

I've also taught enough friends to drive manual that I have a little bit of a curriculum to go by. I've actually thought about applying for a business license to actually teach this to people, but I'd never make any money doing it.

Spaze > jariten1781 01/16/2014 at 15:42

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I also use this. I make sure the person learning knows when that engagement point is. Mastery of this point will allow them to learn MUCH quicker. There are clues, like the engine RPM dropping, if there is any change to the pedal feel, other noises way before the car even starts to roll. Hell, I even let them take the clutch all the way out (without gas) so they see what happens.

It is important they have a good foundation before they move on to adding gas, and other things. Also, give them a break down of the terms you are using, like "let the clutch out." To us its a common phrase, to someone learning you may as well be speaking Greek. I also think its important for them to fail a little, and you can explain to them what they did wrong.

past that, practice makes perfect.

Meatcoma > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 16:30

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Teaching my 18 yr old son and wife. My son has more seat time and seems to want to learn more than the wife.

davedave1111 > duurtlang 01/16/2014 at 17:08

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"I (31) don't know a single person who holds such a license."

Really? I've never been sure quite how rare it is here, because both my mum and my oldest friend have auto-only licenses. I've never met anyone else who did, though.

EuroJosh > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 18:18

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It may not be the best way but I always make sure they understand that they know what the clutch does, then I make sure they're okay with taking off and shifting, in which afterward I make them give it the spurs a little. That's how I learned to drive manual. By driving it harder than you usually would you get to see how being quicker or harder in your actions changes things. Builds a little confidence too. Makes all the other stuff seem a lot less scary.

McLarry > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 19:01

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I've let several people 'try it out' but not very many stuck with it. There were a few, more serious people I let learn on my car, especially back in my old Hyundai...I knew the clutch was on its last leg so I declared open season for any friends who wanted to give the 3rd pedal a shot :P

JACU - I've got bonifides. > hethoughtofcars 01/16/2014 at 20:48

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Your two best friends when teaching someone to drive a manual is torque and patience. I had one of those aboard when I taught my youngest daughter in my 92 Honda Civic DX Hatchback. She did well, and now at 33 years old she can still drive a stick if she needs to.

ZFTG > hethoughtofcars 01/19/2014 at 09:17

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'89 Jetta, '95 Del Sol, and a 2010 Clubman? That is a sad list of vehicles... Someone should introduce you to Horse Power.

Conan > hethoughtofcars 01/21/2014 at 20:49

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I did. I was successful. It was a 2002 Mustang. We got a divorce. As far as I know, she went back to automatics.