Manual moral.

"CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)" (ccpbb)
02/19/2014 at 23:40 • Filed to: Manual

A girl who sits in front of me remarked that her mom said you aren't a woman until you know how to drive manual. This doesn't matter to just women. It matters to everyone.

DISCUSSION (21)

MtrRider > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
02/19/2014 at 23:42

Every woman needs to know her way around a stick, 'tis true.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > MtrRider
02/19/2014 at 23:44

It's handy...it's like if 2 people are in a car, ones flat out drunk, and ones sober. The sober person can't drive manual. Coincidently, it's a manual car. They're screwed. If the sober person did know....day rescued!

MtrRider > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
02/19/2014 at 23:47

You never want to get stuck with a girl and you're drunk and she doesn't know how to get it in gear without breaking something.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
02/19/2014 at 23:54

Well, I know how to drive a manual so consider me a woman.

MtrRider > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
02/20/2014 at 00:14

Woman woman woman woman woman woman woman

Matt is 100 percent woman

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > MtrRider
02/20/2014 at 00:33

Have you become a woman yet?

MtrRider > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
02/20/2014 at 00:43

I'll leave that up to your imagination. ;)

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > MtrRider
02/20/2014 at 01:04

I'll just assume you've reached womanhood.

MtrRider > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
02/20/2014 at 01:11

Where's the joke here? I know it's here somewhere.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > MtrRider
02/20/2014 at 01:15

Might have gone over your head a long time ago...

"A girl who sits in front of me remarked that her mom said you aren't a woman until you know how to drive manual. This doesn't matter to just women. It matters to everyone."

I know how to drive a manual, and I am part of everyone, so I must be a woman.

MtrRider > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
02/20/2014 at 01:26

I got that, I was wondering where the joke was after you said "I'll just assume you've reached womanhood."

I enjoy taking things out of context.

OPPOsaurus WRX > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
02/20/2014 at 08:58

I have the task of teaching my wife how to drive manual. Any tips? I'm going easy here when I say its going to SUCK! I just passed 1000 miles today and i'm not ready to replace the clutch yet. Also I would love to make this a separate post how do I do that?

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/20/2014 at 09:47

Find a big empty parking lot that is flat. Have a lot of patience. Practice getting the car moving from a stop. If you can teach her to get the car moving from a stop that is honestly 80% of learning to drive a manual.

The biggest thing is to be patient. No matter how much you want to cry for your clutch, just let it go. Think "serenity now" every time you want to yell and it will help.

Kinja'd!!!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/20/2014 at 09:56

I would tell her not to touch the throttle at the beginning at all. Just have her practice putting the clutch in, putting it in gear, and then slowly, slowly letting the clutch out until she can feel the friction point and the car begins to move. Practicing this way several times (without the throttle at all) will help her know where her left foot needs to be - once she's got a firm grasp of the friction point, you can start adding throttle, and then shifting to 2nd, etc.

Team6.1 > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/20/2014 at 10:06

Have her watch your feet before she tries. When I was learning I was popping the clutch WAY too fast. Once I watched my dad do it and saw how he let it out that is when it finally clicked in my head. Once she gets it flat and wants to practice on hills, I'd suggest finding an empty parking garage. That way you don't have to worry about someone coming up behind you on a street

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/20/2014 at 10:07

If all else fails, The Magliozzi brothers have a nice write up on learning to drive stick. Worth a read.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/learn-…

hethoughtofcars > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/20/2014 at 10:11

I wrote this post about a month ago, along with some other manual transmission articles:

Have You Taught Someone to Drive a Manual?

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The advice in the comments is all pretty solid. Will this be the first person you are teaching to drive a stick? Does your wife want to learn? I found it to be rough going the first few times I tried to teach the art of the manual transmission (actually they were both total, abject failures). Even my sister tried to teach her husband and he promptly went out and bought a 4 speed Automatic Corolla. But the key is patience, not worrying about your clutch (it's still under warranty, right?!?), and not going crazy trying to figure out how someone could stall a car that violently and that often. Give them plenty of space, soothing positive re-enforcement, etc.

Or, alternatively, just get them stuck in traffic and make them learn on the fly. :P

OPPOsaurus WRX > hethoughtofcars
02/20/2014 at 10:19

I'm still pretty much a Noob myself. This is my first car with a stick. She wants to learn so that in an emergency, she will be able to drive but isn't really that thrilled about it. Just hit 1,000 miles so definitely still under warranty. I just figured the dealership wouldn't cover sucking at driving repairs. Being a WRX, it doesn't have much forgiveness where as a 2wd car might allow some wheel spin when u let the clutch out too fast. I'll have to read through some of the links. Thanks for all the advice.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/20/2014 at 10:22

Always be patient. Parking lot is best. I taught a buddy stick once. Starting in 1st gear and going without stalling is a first to achieve...then getting used to it...and then shifting to other gears, and then eventually you're on the street and she's driving. Teach her how to downshift.

hethoughtofcars > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/20/2014 at 10:41

Unfortunately I don't know much about Subaru clutches. The first car I learned to drive on was an 80's GL Wagon on my aunt and uncle's farm that probably was a little more primitive than a new WRX. Clutches are a lot smarter these days. My last two cars, a BMW and a MINI both had hill-holder features when you took your foot off the brake to apply the gas while the clutch is still engaged. I so, so wish I had that feature when I was learning. The two things that terrified me most were stalling it at a light and having everyone behind me honking and/or rolling backwards into the car behind me while we were stopped on a hill. I'm sure you've noticed yourself getting better at shifting (maybe you are not heel-toeing quite yet, but I'm sure it's getting smoother) and you'll get more confidence and you will certainly begin to find it enjoyable. At some point it even becomes something you don't even think about, like you look down at the stick shift and can't remember when you shifted into fourth.

In fact, since you bought a WRX (is this the new sedan, or the older hatch?) I'll go so far as to predict that some day you will become ONE OF US. Those who complain every time a new car is released without a manual. Who automatically vote Crack Pipe if there are only 2 pedals. And of course refer to autos as either "Flappy-Paddle Gearboxes" or "Slushboxes"

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

OPPOsaurus WRX > hethoughtofcars
02/20/2014 at 11:02

Its the last of the hatch WRX's a 2014. I just got it in January after replacing the motor in my Sport Trac and feeling the transmission getting ready to go as well. On my way home from buying it, I got stuck at a light with an f-150 behind me and stalled. He was so close all I could see was the Ford logo and it pretty much filled my whole rear window. He started beeping, I got aggravated and put on my hazards and waited for him to go around me. I can definitely feel myself getting better. I'm still pretty slow shifting and could never imagine being able to get 0-60 in 5.7 seconds like the car is claimed to be able to do. My father got in the car and drove away flawlessly after probably 20 years of not driving a stick. He had 3 different chargers and a couple toyota pick-ups with manuals.