Stick Shift

stacyd1987

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For those who have learned how to drive a stick shift, how long did it take for you to get used to it? I'm going to have to learn now since our car is a stick but I can barely understand mechanics!

Any advice? Ha, I'll probably stall the darn thing a million times before I get good at it.
At hubby's an expert at driving it... not explaining it though.


I might as well ask this too, anybody got a funny story or two when they first started driving a stick shift car?
 

bnwalker2

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John started teaching me almost 2 years ago and I'm still learning! I do really well in the older cars... the Beetles and the little 70s British sportscars that we had for awhile. But I have trouble with the newer vehicles, like the GEO Tracker.
 

glitch

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Okay, when I was learning, I was just told to get in the car and drive!! I made it to the mall before I killed it off! Its hard to learn how to drive with both feet when you've been tought to only drive with one!! After that, I would just get in, and really try to remember to push the clutch in before hitting the gas! My trick was to release the clutch slowly while pressing on the gas! Too fast and the car goes KAPUT!! Its also not a good idea to smoke while shifting, I learned that the hard way too! Im a total dumbbutt when it comes to stuff like that! The first person to ever teach me how to drive clutch was my BF at the time, and well, it didn't end up well! He lost his patience with me in a bad way!! I learned a couple years later with someone who had more patience and just laughed at my dumbness!
 

iluvdevons

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Well, I learned to drive on a stick, but there is a bit of a learning curve
Here are some suggestions:
1) Go to an empty parking lot
2) Stop car and place in first gear
3) Work clutch and gas until car starts moving
4) Come to a full stop
5) Repeat MANY TIMES (also try in reverse)
6) Once you feel comfortable with engaging the clutch, go to a residential road that is not heavily traveled, but has a sharp incline.
7) Stop car and start the same process that you did in the parking lot. Now you will feel comfortable starting the car on an incline.
8) After all the above, start driving residential streeets, and get used to turning and shifting simultaneously. (It was an odd feeling for me when I first learned.)

I was a nut when I first learned. (Thank heavens my Dad is super patient and fearless.
) It just takes some time to get the feel of the clutch. Once you get that down, it becomes alot easier. I remember when my Mom learned to drive stick in her 40s. My brother and I came along just to feel the car jerk and stall frequently (and to hear her swear alot).
 
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stacyd1987

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Originally Posted by bnwalker2

John started teaching me almost 2 years ago and I'm still learning!
2 years! I hope it doesn't take me longer than that. I'm already looking up how-to's for stick shifts... Not helping much.
 
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stacyd1987

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Originally Posted by Iluvdevons

1) Go to an empty parking lot
6) Once you feel comfortable with engaging the clutch, go to a residential road that is not heavily traveled, but has a sharp incline.
Empty parking lot... Hmm, that's really tough to come by here!
As for a residential road, that too is hard to find here in the city unless we drive an hour and a half out to the country.
My Dad taught my Mom as well but I never learned because I grew up driving my Dad's automatic.
 

capt_jordi

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I can drive Garys kia pretty well and it took me about 2 weeks to learn. But I very rarely drive it so I dont get a lot of practice!
But I have to sit on a pillow or I can press the clutch down all the way! LOL! Darn racing seats!
I learned in a church parking lot on like a tuesday afternoon! And then I started to get on the road in the industrial park on a weekend and just try to drive when I can. But his car is his baby so I'm terrified I will hurt it!
 
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stacyd1987

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Originally Posted by capt_jordi

But his car is his baby so I'm terrified I will hurt it!
Same here! I think my husband named the car Amelia.
 

iluvdevons

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Originally Posted by StacyD1987

Empty parking lot... Hmm, that's really tough to come by here!
As for a residential road, that too is hard to find here in the city unless we drive an hour and a half out to the country.
My Dad taught my Mom as well but I never learned because I grew up driving my Dad's automatic.
Aaah - I see, maybe try a business lot off hours? Like a weekend morning? The repetition really does help...but if it isn't possible, I'd go with residential areas and patience
 

capt_jordi

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Originally Posted by StacyD1987

Same here! I think my husband named the car Amelia.
His amazingly enough doesnt have a name... yet...

I just noticed your location and I can imagine finding an empty parking lot to be hard! We drive through there every year!

Just practice a lot and you'll be fine! Even just for like short trips to the store to get something stuff like that!
 

natalie_ca

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Driving a standard is very easy. I taught one of my friends how to do it over the telephone.

Get in.

Pedal order is: Clutch, Brake and Gas Pedal ... in that order from left to right.

Put the car in Park
Put your left foot on the Clutch
Turn the ignition key

Put the stick into First Gear (if you want to go forward. Or REVERSE, if you want to go backwards)

Put your right foot on the Gas Pedal and slowly press down. At the same time as you are pressing your right foot down on the Gas Pedal, slowly lift your left foot from the Clutch. As your right foot goes down, your left one comes up.

You will need to change to second gear to go faster and prevent the car from stalling and burning out your transmission.

The general rule of thumb is to shift gears every 15 miles per hour the vehicle is going. That means that as soon as the speedometer hits 15, you should shift into second gear. Third gear would be needed at 30 miles per hour, and so on.

With your right foot on the Gas Pedal, press your left foot on the clutch, switch the gear stick to 2nd gear. Remove your foot from the Clutch.

You will need to change to 3rd gear. Usually that's the highest gear you will use in the city for normal travelling.

With your right foot on the Gas Pedal, press your left foot on the clutch, switch the gear stick to 3rd gear. Remove your foot from the Clutch.

I just did a google search, and found this great link. It covers what I mentioned above and more.

http://www.standardshift.com/faq.html

.
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.
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dixie_darlin

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One tip if no one has mentioned it yet:

When you are coming to a stop, rather then gearing down through the gears, put it in nuetral and use just the brake.. You also won't stall out like that
 

isabel

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I learned because I had to. I bought a Geo Tracker with a 5-speed (My boyfriend at the time test drove it for me!) and if I wanted to go anywhere I had to learn to drive it. I had driven a stick maybe 3 times before I bought the Tracker (including the one time where I stopped on a hill at a atop sign and rolled into the back of the lady behind me who was waiting for me to take off from the stop sign).

It only took me a day or two to pick it up and I'd say a week before I was shifting and not thinking about it anymore. That was 18 years ago and I still drive a stick...
 

trouts mom

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It took me about 15 minutes to learn..I could drive one if I had to, but I choose not to
. I thought I was going to buy a manual, until my boss told me about hills
. Then I decided automatic would be just fine.
 

beck4582

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I have one and love it. It took some getting used to when I was learning, but now that I know, I really like being in control. All you need to learn is a patient teacher. That made all of the difference to me! Good luck!!
 

mom of 4

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My mother tried to teach me to drive her standard - a three-on-the-tree. The clutch was difficult and I never learned to drive it.

My future husband taught me to drive a 4-speed. The first day he had me drive up a hill, with a traffic light at the top. When the light turned red, I was so scared I would kill the clutch and hit the car behind me.

My favorite vehicles have been 5 speeds.
 
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stacyd1987

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Ours is a 5-speed manual transmission.


Oh, he changed it's name... It's not Amelia now, it's Ameta (Ah-mee-ta). Don't ask how he got that name, I don't even know!
 

sophiec

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Well, it's been 20-something years since I learned how to drive one, so I really don't remember how long it took me. Good luck....I'm sure you'll master it in no time at all. It's really not that hard.

I don't have a funny story about when I first learned to drive a stick....I have a sad story. The girl from across the street had come across and her little kitten followed her. No one knew it was there. My mom was trying to teach me to drive her '67 VW beetle and we were going to my nanny's (godmother) house. I backed out, and well, I think you know the rest. Needless to say, I left the car in the middle of the street and ran to my room bawling my eyes out.
My mom came in and tried to get me to come back in the car, saying it wasn't my fault, no one knew the kitten was there. I did not go with her.
 

capt_jordi

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Originally Posted by StacyD1987

Ours is a 5-speed manual transmission.


Oh, he changed it's name... It's not Amelia now, it's Ameta (Ah-mee-ta). Don't ask how he got that name, I don't even know!
LOL nice!

Another thing I thought of. The first day I went out to try I had trouble coordinating my feet so my boyfriend told me that when I was sitting at my computer or watching tv to try to do the motions with my feet. Like just slowly push down on the floor with your right lift off the floor with your left until you get really fluid with it. It helped me so much! The second day I was doing 50times better with the coordination!
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by Mom of 4

My future husband taught me to drive a 4-speed. The first day he had me drive up a hill, with a traffic light at the top. When the light turned red, I was so scared I would kill the clutch and hit the car behind me.
My ex fiance taught me how. I think I was 20 years old. I do remember that it was 1:30am, in an IGA parking lot after the bars closed, and I was quite tipsy. There was a lot of gear grinding noises when changing gears.

For those that don't drive a standard. Gear grinding sounds are not a good thing!
 
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