I drove a manual today.

"m-b-w loves his SUBAROO" (m-b-w)
07/13/2014 at 21:49 • Filed to: None

About 20 feet. My friend tried to teach me in his Jeep Wrangler. Due to my height (6'9") it was quite difficult to work the clutch. I stalled it About 3 times. I'll have to try again in my uncles 2013 accord in a few weeks.

In other news, my elantras transmission quit acting funny, so I guess I'll drive on it until something pops up in the future.

DISCUSSION (20)

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 21:52

Since you are so tall, ask your friend to teach you how to heel-toe the clutch, may be easier for you since you only move your foot and not your whole leg.

samssun > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 21:53

When pulling away from a stop, the answer is always more clutch, less throttle. IE, let it out more slowly and don't rev it past say 1500-2000.

You should be able to ease to a roll without touching the gas, and a good way to learn where/how the clutch engages is to ease it out until revs just start to dip, stop moving your foot while the revs recover, then ease it further out as you start rolling.

cabarne4 > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 21:54

Congrats! Couldn't imagine driving a Jeep that tall. At 5'8", my shins still bang into the dash due to its awkward shape (so don't worry too much, the dash makes that clutch a pain in the ass no matter what height you are).

ttyymmnn > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 21:57

I wish I had a dollar for every time I stalled when I was learning. I finally figured it out on my own in a parking lot, just getting used to where the friction point is. Once you get started, it's a piece of cake.

ttyymmnn > samssun
07/13/2014 at 21:59

Yup. It's just a matter of feel you can only get through repetition. And even though every clutch if different, they're ultimately the same.

jkm7680 > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 22:01

Sounds cramped, Haha How old is the Wrangler? The Accord should be much more accommodating for your height.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > jkm7680
07/13/2014 at 22:11

I'm pretty sure it was a 1999.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 22:25

Geez, maybe you should try sitting on a phone book for that last little bit of impossible fit! Keep trying though... like many things, practice makes perfect.

Nibby > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 22:26

To be fair, Wranglers have terrible footwells. I'm 5'5" and I could drive it with the seat all the way back.

My friend is 6'1" or 2" and he complained about the narrow footwell.

Rainbow > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 22:33

6'9"?? Which NBA team are you on?

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Rainbow
07/13/2014 at 22:37

everyone always asks: do you play basketball. I HATE basketball.

stuttgartobsessed > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 23:49

Yes! Finally another tall person understands this! while I'm not nearly as tall as you (measly 6'3" here) I've gotten: "Wow! You're tall. Do you play basketball?" all the time. I hate the sport. And it's much harder for us to fit into sports cars. especially older ones. Lotus Europa? Yah, right. Ford GT40? Try again. Hang in there. And with the manual stuff, its just takes practice, and the will to keep learning after many scary or embarrassing happenings. You'll understand this when you get to learning hill starts.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > stuttgartobsessed
07/14/2014 at 00:01

The worst thing about being tall is that I can not fit in a Miata or a BRZ. I'm looking forward to learning stick in a roomier car.

stuttgartobsessed > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/14/2014 at 00:31

Damn. those extra 6" you've got on me really throw you out of the sports car market. You'll just have to elongate the chassis. nbd.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > stuttgartobsessed
07/14/2014 at 00:33

I guess I'll have to consider a BMW 3 Series a sports car, as thats about as small of a sporty car as I can fit in.

Kinja'd!!!

mizamori > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/14/2014 at 03:42

I think a Jeep is a good place to start with a manual (if it is a 4.0L). I have a manual 2000 TJ as my DD and I learned on it and only stalled it on hills at first. There is enough low end torque that you can hold the Jeep with just the clutch on just about any hill. I would probably stall any lesser engine with how used to it I am. It is all about learning that the clutch is not a switch and to ease it out.

Mattbob > samssun
07/14/2014 at 14:50

good advice. You may be jerky at first this way when the gas is applied, but its way easier on the clutch. Smoothness comes later. Learning to just apply more gas will burn that clutch real fast.

RazoE > samssun
07/14/2014 at 15:17

I learned backwards. You can redline the thing, but as long as you let the clutch out slow, it'll crawl. Bought a manual Supra with no idea how to drive stick and I learned in a few hours.

quarterlifecrisis > mizamori
07/14/2014 at 15:26

This contains some horrible advice. No offense, but you should NEVER EVER EVER hold a vehicle with a clutch. While it's not a switch, its best to be on it for the shortest time possible.

mizamori > quarterlifecrisis
08/28/2014 at 02:15

I don't hold it like at a stop light but I was saying that I can easily hold the vehicle on a hill long enough to move my foot from the brake to the gas without rolling back.