"Rico" (ricorich)
12/30/2015 at 16:00 • Filed to: None
3
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"Rico" (ricorich)
12/30/2015 at 16:00 • Filed to: None | 3
| 22 |
One of the Directors at my job has only owned manual cars his whole life and currently drives an Altima Coupe 6 Speed. He graciously offered to give me a lesson today and boy did I need it. After years of automatic driving this was a bigger change than I expected.
I stalled it 3 times but at speed I was shifting really well and smoothly. My issue was getting into first properly. At first I was having a tough time finding the catch point when letting the clutch out, then I was giving it too much or not enough gas causing it to jerk forward.
Without anything to compare it to I can’t say if the clutch feeling was good or vague. It certainly had a lot of travel and had some weight to it. My other issue was letting go of the clutch too early when getting going in 1st.
Once in 1st getting to 2-3 was a breeze. We were in a cemetery so I didn’t get up much higher than that. Overall I loved the experience and my left foot has never worked harder but I need more than an hour or 2 of practice to really get it. He said in the Spring he’ll give me another lesson so I can’t wait!
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> Rico
12/30/2015 at 16:08 |
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Going from auto to manual is fun.
HammerheadFistpunch
> Rico
12/30/2015 at 16:12 |
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You know, I realize not everyone wants to/does/can drive a manual but I’m still genuinely surprised when I actually talk to someone who never has. Its not that I don’t think these people really exists...its just strange to me somehow.
fourvalleys
> Rico
12/30/2015 at 16:21 |
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I taught two people on Christmas Eve who didn’t have any concept of even the basics. I didn’t expect either of them to do very well, but they both did a great job.
It’s universally true, though - the hardest thing is starting out in first gear. It’s really counter-intuitive to give it more gas while you’re letting off with your left foot. And hey, why am I using my left foot all of a sudden?!
Once they got moving, it was cake. It always is. The whole thing is just a matter of getting used to a new variable thrown into the equation, and I always try to get people to understand what a clutch is and how it works. I’ve discovered that once they can visualize what’s actually going on, it comes pretty easily.
Anyway, I try to teach as many people as I can. It’s a skill I think everyone should have, and I’ve always owned cars with a really really forgiving clutch. It’s mostly a mental thing, but once you’re past that it’s smooth sailing! Good on you!
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fourvalleys
> HammerheadFistpunch
12/30/2015 at 16:23 |
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Right? Pretty much everyone I know can drive a manual transmission, and most of those that couldn’t when I met them certainly do now. It shocks me when I ride with someone who has an automatic. It’s not a problem, just feels kind of odd.
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HammerheadFistpunch
> fourvalleys
12/30/2015 at 16:25 |
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I drive an auto and that’s okay with me because its my only choice for the car I wanted...but...when my coworker said to me the other day that he’s never ever driven a manual I was all
OPPOsaurus WRX
> HammerheadFistpunch
12/30/2015 at 16:36 |
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i was driving my cousin around when I had the WRX and she asked me what was it I kept doing, she had no idea manuals even existed she was 12 or so
BREADwagon
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
12/30/2015 at 16:40 |
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I think the complete opposite is hilarious. After driving my miata everyday for a few years, and literally not driving anything else, I hopped into my sister’s auto Saturn SL2.
I almost pushed my left foot through the floor board when I tried to start the car....it was the exact same feeling as when you’re walking down stairs and think there’s one more step then there actually is.
Then when I started to move my left foot automatically started to raise up.
I didn’t know what to do with my left foot...do I cross my legs? Does the left foot go out the window? I guess I’ll never know.
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Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> BREADwagon
12/30/2015 at 16:58 |
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There's probably a dead pedal or a slanted surface in the left of the footwell for your left foot.
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Rico
> HammerheadFistpunch
12/30/2015 at 17:04 |
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I mean I’ve grown up in NYC all my life. Very few people I know have cars and all the cars have always been auto. Constant traffic, lights, stop signs and I can definitely now see how annoying all that would be in a manual compared to other states with more space and less stop lights. Also I'm 25 and only have been driving the past 5 years.
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Rico
> fourvalleys
12/30/2015 at 17:08 |
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It's like I know visually what it looks like (thanks YouTube) but what I kept doing was letting go the clutch too early (as soon as it caught) and then when it jerked I instinctively take my foot off the gas as I've been ingrained to do since I've started driving and boom stall out. I think with another hour or 2 of practice I can get the hang of it.
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fourvalleys
> Rico
12/30/2015 at 17:12 |
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Yep, the mental bump to get over is that instinct to let off the gas once you feel it start to accelerate. You’ve got to give it more, otherwise those revs are going to dive hard. It isn’t about the gas as much as it’s about the clutch.
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Rico
> fourvalleys
12/30/2015 at 17:13 |
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Definitely difficult to get over! I also kept letting go as soon as it caught even though I know I'm supposed to still let it up gradually while continuing to give more gas.
Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
> Rico
12/30/2015 at 17:18 |
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Nice! It took me two weeks of manual driving before I overcame daily stalls. You’re doing well.
AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
> Rico
12/30/2015 at 17:23 |
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He sounds awesome. I had the same issue when I learned on my friend’s car. I was a little thrown off by not having my left foot planted on the floor of the car so I either applied too much throttle or too little of it causing the car to jump forwards.
jariten1781
> HammerheadFistpunch
12/30/2015 at 18:29 |
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Really? Pretty much everyone I know under 35 can’t drive them. Over 40 they pretty much all can, but many haven’t in multiple decades. Between that it seems to be income based...if you were lower income and had an 80s car as your first you likely had a stick at some point; the ones that grew up middle class and had more late model 90s stuff in their teens never learned. Women are less likely to know across the spectrum (my wife is one of only two women I know who are proficient).
Many car people are an exception, but the younger they are the less likely they are to have driven one. I’ve taught a lot of recent college hires on my car...I feel it’s a duty haha.
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Rico
> AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
12/30/2015 at 19:22 |
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I hate not knowing how to do something so I can't wait to practice again!
wiffleballtony
> Rico
12/30/2015 at 20:38 |
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I drove my first manual a few years ago and it was great. That said, driving an auto is still fun.
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wiffleballtony
> HammerheadFistpunch
12/30/2015 at 20:39 |
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I had been driving for over a decade without ever having a manual. Given the low take rate on them it’s not surprising.
Amoore100
> Rico
01/04/2016 at 22:49 |
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Awesome! I would love to learn myself but we decided an auto was more practical as a daily driver around here and we don’t have the budget for a fourth car currently. However, it has come to light over the holidays that my uncle (who lives about twenty minutes away) has a Golf which is manual, so I may be getting a lesson sometime in the future...
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Rico
> Amoore100
01/04/2016 at 23:10 |
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Get a lesson in, it’s quite the learning experience!
area man
> Rico
01/06/2016 at 16:44 |
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Yes! Nice! When your lease is up you’ll be wishing for a third pedal.
Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
> Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
01/11/2016 at 13:13 |
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Thanks to the hill-hold feature on my Kia Soul, I’ve stalled it more than I ever stalled another stick shift car. I’ve been driving 21 years now.