Random Thoughts On Manual Ownership

"PS9" (PS9) 02/01/2015 at 21:36 • Filed to: None

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Remember when you had an automatic and you could scarf down something you got at a drive through on your way to work/school/drug den/brothel? Yeah, you're done with that now. You aren't supposed to be doing that anyway.

You're also done doing any phone-related anything while driving. Maybe GPS, but you'll be setting that up well before you actually turn the key and take off.

"Why didn't you get an auto?" Is a phrase you're going to be hearing a lot anytime you tell friends/family that you brought a manual.

In an auto, every stop is the same. In a manual, there are at least 3 kinds of stops that require 3 different strategies to deal with

Complete stop? Brake->clutch->neutral->stop, Clutch->1st gear-> 1st gear take off procedure

Rolling stop? Brake->Clutch->neutral, clutch -> (appropriate gear) ->accelerate

Hill stop? No. *You're done with hills and inclines forever now.

About that 1st gear take off procedure; it's not going to be easy. Let the clutch out too soon and you will stall. Letting the clutch out too slow is bad for clutch life. Revving the engine too high is also bad for clutch life. Not enough revs and again, you will stall. A really nice take off is something you'll be doing 90-95% of the time once you're at the top of your game, a point you will reach after months and months of practice.

If your car does not have a tachometer, you can forget about playing music loudly while driving. The engine noise is now a key part of the information you need to properly operate the car.

Every other driver around you will seem like a douchebag. The takeover of the automatic transmission has made cars far more convenient for people, and convenience breeds impatience. No one will have mercy on you for being a first time manual driver. Every other driver will expect Stig-levels of car control from you, and the middle fingers and insults will flow like a torrential downpour if (not when) you fail them. The other manual drivers will have patience, but they will unfortunately be few and far in between. :(

*(Joking here of course.)

Manuél Ferrari > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:38

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I can do all those things while driving Manuél

But like you said you shouldn't be doing them anyways, so don't

jkm7680 > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:40

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Or "accidentally" dumping the clutch.

Alex B > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:40

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What is the car?

Brian Silvestro > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:40

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Every time I'm at the front of the line at a stoplight, I feel pressured to launch as fast as possible so the douche behind me is satisfied with my speed.

JustWaitingForAMate > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:41

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Also, you eat in my car, I KEEL YOU.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:42

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You lost me at

Remember when you had an automatic and you could scarf down something you got at a drive through on your way to work/school/drug den/brothel? Yeah, you're done with that now.

Take it from someone who has made multiple 18+ hour road trips in a manual Jeep Wrangler and only stopped for gas and 5 hour energies, and drive through food. You can eat a Big Mac, chicken nuggets (and dip them in your favorite sauce), and/or french fries (ketchup only this time, you heathen) while operating a manual transmission on a major interstate, including while in light traffic.

Is it safe? Eh.
Is it necessary? Not usually, no.
But its possible? You're goddamn right.

PS9 > Brian Silvestro 02/01/2015 at 21:43

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"HURRY THE FUCK UP I'M LATE FOR WORK OH GREAT ITS ANOTHER MANUAL DIPSHIT, WHY CAN'T THESE CAR NERDS JUST GET WITH THE PROGRAM AND BUY AUTOS LIKE THE REST OF CIVILIZED SOCIETY, FUCKING STUPID ASSHOLE CAR NERD"

Brian Silvestro > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:44

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This is probably what they actually think because they can see the "Save the Manuals!" magnet on the back of my car.

whoarder is tellurium > Brian Silvestro 02/01/2015 at 21:45

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Story of my life trying to pull out of the driveway for work in the morning . Car is cold, gearbox is cold... doesnt want to go into gear right away. MN drivers dont slow down for shit...

wafflesnfalafel > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:45

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It's like playing a video game - but for real. Plus the nobody steals your car and chicks dig it. And most importantly, that first perfect near red line 3-4 shift is awesome.

Rainbow > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:46

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Autos are so boring that sometimes on my way home from work, after midnight, when I'm the only one on the road, I'll drive in the grass or play reflector slalom just to keep my mind occupied.

PS9 > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 02/01/2015 at 21:46

4

while operating a manual transmission on a major interstate

Keywords, there. TRY THAT SHIT HERE IN MY HOOD WHERE THERE'S A STOP SIGN ON EVER CORNER AND A COP HUNGRY FOR TICKET MONEY AT EVERY OTHER CORNER

dogisbadob > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:46

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best part of the car

dr861 > Brian Silvestro 02/01/2015 at 21:51

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STORY OF MY LIFE. Although only really experienced the full experience of this in taking out cars from CCCmanhattan. Love the club and but there is no way around the learning curve. After getting into porsche cayman s with performance clutch: "Oh, you've never driven a clutch like this before? You'll have it down in no time. Now go learn how to drive it on the westside highway. (never actually said, just inferred)" Me:

5-Speed Gangsta > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:51

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These aren't necessarily true. My dad always tells me stories about how his best friend's brother can drive stick while eating a bowl of soup without spilling. Also, I've seen my dad drive stick with one foot. And I've seen him do it while eating. I can do it while eating, but I don't eat in my car. I sometimes intentionally take my time at stops to upset people.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:52

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CPT Speedbump > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:52

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I...don't understand a lot of this..I use my phone to do music while driving my manual, I also eat and drink while driving pretty easily, and I bump music super loud in my tacometerless Beetle, isn't that hard to know when to shift in it, lol..also, my Beetle leaves traffic behind usually..my Beetle of all cars :P But you do say at the end your joking :)

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:53

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when ?

I've only driven an auto a couple of times. and I've accidentally hit the brakes with my left foot both times.

tromoly > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:53

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Eat while driving manual? I get Jimmy Johns all the time and eat it on the way back to the office, it's not hard.

Hill stops? As long as the person behind you doesn't get on your bumper you're fine, just be quick on the clutch and swift changing from bake pedal to accelerator. I understand the joke, it's not the hardest thing ever though.

Shifting with no tach? Learn what speed to shift at, not hard at all.

dogisbadob > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:53

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Once you get really good at manual, you'll be able to scarf something down on the way to the drug dealer :)

Too bad the automated clutch manuals never caught on (like Saab's Sensonic that never made it over here and was not reliable)

Brian Silvestro > dr861 02/01/2015 at 21:56

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Sounds like insanity!

dr861 > Brian Silvestro 02/01/2015 at 21:59

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Yea, pretty rough. The worst was when I just pulled out from the club with the FIRST club car I took out, and within sight of everyone at the club, trying to pull away while in neutral. Yea. Most embarrassing moment ever. http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/first-car-from…

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > PS9 02/01/2015 at 21:59

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I get bad dry mouth. I miss being able to drink stuff while driving :(

dr861 > Brian Silvestro 02/01/2015 at 22:03

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Btw, I don't know if you're a manhattanite, but my new fav technique is watching the cross walk that passes directly in front of me. As soon as the don't walk is flashing down to number 1, I put the car in gear, so I'm as ready as possible when green hits.

. . > PS9 02/01/2015 at 22:05

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You're making it sound much more complicated than it really is.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > PS9 02/01/2015 at 22:06

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Eat while driving manual? Check, did so everyday in high school while driving to auto tech class

Using phone while driving manual? Hypothetical check, cause that would be illegal depending on what state you reside

Hill stop? Piece of cake

No tach? Learned how to drive stick without one, dont really even look at it now that i have one

Once u drive manual for long enough its actually quite easy. I would rather have it than an auto any day

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 02/01/2015 at 22:15

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You just have to perfect the art of steering with your knees.

samssun > PS9 02/01/2015 at 22:17

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Practice makes perfect. Left hand for food, right hand for drink, heel of hand can still push shifter. Right foot on throttle, left foot for clutch, left knee for steering. No need for steering input pulling away from a stop, so all you're giving up is shifting around curves.

Next you'll tell me that as a kid I couldn't ride my bike the two miles from one end of my neighborhood to the other without touching the handlebars...

Brian Silvestro > dr861 02/01/2015 at 22:19

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lol I watch the lights all the time to do that when I'm in the city. Makes getting ready to launch so much more efficient.

Übel > dogisbadob 02/01/2015 at 22:22

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Uh, you mean like DCTs? Because that's exactly what a DCT is.

dogisbadob > Übel 02/01/2015 at 22:34

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Yeah, but those can be put in automatic mode. The Sensonic can't. Don't automate the shifting, just the clutch!

Vicente Esteve > Brian Silvestro 02/01/2015 at 22:41

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Every time I'm at the front of the line at a stoplight, I feel pressured to launch as fast as possible so the douche behind everyone around me is satisfied with my speed.

Brian Silvestro > Vicente Esteve 02/01/2015 at 22:57

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this

Jayhawk Jake > PS9 02/01/2015 at 23:07

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All of this is bullshit.

I eat while driving my stick. Phone stuff I avoid anyways, but I've done it all while driving stick.

Literally no one has asked 'why didn't you get an auto?'

Stops are stops. Doesn't matter what it is. Sure bill starts take a little more thought but not really, it's just natural.

You're thinking about it too much if you're concerned about clutch wear at every stop.

What car doesn't have a tachometer? Hell, even if it doesn't why do you need it so bad? Shift based on speed or feel. It's not that hard

People are assholes anyways. It's not the transmissions fault. If you're so bad at driving manual that you need other people to give you extra space and time you need to stop driving on public roads and go practice in a parking lot.

Look, I like manual as much as the next guy. Hell, I own two cars with manual transmissions. But they aren't anything special, and we aren't special for driving them. They don't make you a better driver, they don't prevent distracted driving, they don't take excessive skill to master. Get over yourself

wkiernan > PS9 02/01/2015 at 23:11

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I've driven almost nothing but manuals for over forty years now and I have always been able to eat, drink, etc., etc.* while driving. Two hands and a knee can do it all. Now in my old age and decline I've become cautious, but when I was younger and more reckless I definitely was not, just lucky instead.

* I admit no details as I'm not sure there are statutes of limitations for such appalling vices.

wkiernan > CPT Speedbump 02/01/2015 at 23:14

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my Beetle leaves traffic behind usually..my Beetle of all cars :P

LEAD FOOT CONQUERS ALL

Captain of the Enterprise > PS9 02/01/2015 at 23:21

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Speed holes!

Vicente Esteve > Brian Silvestro 02/01/2015 at 23:22

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When you are in a country where every single taxi driver is a damn pro at driving stick, going fast as hell, point A to point B is a full on race.

Seriously, I have to record just how many taxi drivers I could race (And probably loose to) in the city.

PS9 > Jayhawk Jake 02/01/2015 at 23:32

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I don't understand where the aggression is coming from, but I want you to know that I don't appreciate it. In the future, please address me with the same level of respect that I've used to address you now and in the past, as that is the best way to follow and maintain the #1 rule of this forum.

Literally no one has asked 'why didn't you get an auto?'

Every close friend and two members of my family have asked me that, include one who owns a Manual Mazda 3 hatch. For future reference, our experiences are not universal, and you cannot use yours to disqualify/invalidate my own.

Stops are stops. Doesn't matter what it is. Sure bill starts take a little more thought but not really, it's just natural.

To you. And good for you, that it required absolutely no effort at all on your part to learn how to drive a manual on day-one, moment-one. The rest of us down here on planet earth had to exert timer effort and energy getting it right on day one, moment one which is where I am at right now.

What car doesn't have a tachometer?

Mine. Many cars do not come with them. You are an opponaut, you know this.

Shift based on speed or feel. It's not that hard

* for me, because I've been doing it forever, and have been good at it at day one-moment one, and have never, ever, ever, ever, made any kind of mistake while operating a manual vehicle. Like me, everyone has this down pat whether they know it or not.

People are assholes anyways. It's not the transmissions fault.

Didn't say it was.

Look, I like manual as much as the next guy. Hell, I own two cars with manual transmissions. But they aren't anything special, and we aren't special for driving them. They don't make you a better driver, they don't prevent distracted driving, they don't take excessive skill to master.

I didn't say the manual was special, nor did I say we are special for driving them. I was only relaying my experiences as a new driver of a manual transmission car, nothing more. Maybe other manual drivers have made these kinds of arguments to you before, but that is irrelevant; you aren't talking to those drivers right now.

Get over yourself

I'm not the one who's trying to invalidate someone elses experiences with my own. Given that, I think you should take your own advice.

Big Bubba Ray > PS9 02/01/2015 at 23:43

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Jayhawk can get a bit aggressive for no reason at times. This seems to be one of those instances where he's pissed for no reason. Blow it off.

I drive stick every day and have done so for years with all my cars. I like what you wrote. All these things float in the back of my head when I drive and it's funny to know that I'm not alone!

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > PS9 02/01/2015 at 23:48

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You were far kinder about that than I would have been.

Also...

Lol. Owned.

Jayhawk Jake > Big Bubba Ray 02/02/2015 at 00:11

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Thanks bud.

I wasn't being aggressive, but I don't coddle people. I was making a blunt observation

JasonStern911 > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 02/02/2015 at 00:23

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Automatics have their place. Like, heaven forbid, I ever own a minivan. But if I did, given the inherent physical disadvantage over an equivalent wagon, would a manual transmission save it? I doubt so.

Big Bubba Ray > Jayhawk Jake 02/02/2015 at 00:31

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Reread the first and last sentences of your reply to PS9 and try again to tell me that you weren't being aggressive.

bryan40oop > PS9 02/02/2015 at 01:00

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"Hill stop? No. *You're done with hills and inclines forever now."

No, not really. If it's steep handbrake and go. Now if you have a foot pedal emergency brake, well hopefully you have a lot of low end grunt.

PS9 > bryan40oop 02/02/2015 at 01:01

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

bryan40oop > PS9 02/02/2015 at 01:03

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Oh no, you're right. In certain vehicles you plan to avoid certain hills. Fuck that shit. I can't pedal the park brake with my left foot, clutch with my dick, and throttle out with my right foot.

It would be different if the pedals were set up to heal toe, but most aren't.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > PS9 02/02/2015 at 01:56

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THIS

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Jayhawk Jake 02/02/2015 at 01:58

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Even if you werent trying to be aggressive, you could try to be less blunt. It is possible to not coddle people in a kind, not blunt way. Just try to be aware of your tone and how people might perceive it. Again, Im doing the same thing. Not coddling you and expecting growth.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Brian Silvestro 02/02/2015 at 02:01

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I have a "Real Trucks Dont Shift Themselves Sticker" on my back window, people still ride my ass. They must be blind, and if they are they shouldnt be driving. Im tempted to get one of these bumper stickers:

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > PS9 02/02/2015 at 02:04

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Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > JustWaitingForAMate 02/02/2015 at 02:07

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I have a rule in my truck: I let you eat as long as you keep tidy, but if you prove to be a messy car eater then YOU DIE.

Shoop > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 02/02/2015 at 04:34

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my dad (as all dads do) would drive on the autobahn, eating a sandwich, drinking a coffee, taking a business call and shift gears all simultaneously.

Brian Silvestro > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 02/02/2015 at 08:05

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Or maybe they just don't know how a manual works, and have no idea why we roll back every time

and 100 more > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 02/03/2015 at 18:49

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My ex, back in the day before she met me, would drive her '89 Camaro while drinking coffee, smoking, and putting on makeup.

Thank the gods it was the day before texing took off.