manual car

[dshiu]

hi my bro is planning to purchase a new car, and he wants a manual but has never driven one before

all our other cars are automatic, so thers nothing for him to practice on other than the new car.. so should he rent a manual car for a couple days first before driving the new one or something? how much does it dmg the car if you stall it?

[leon200608]

hi my bro is planning to purchase a new car, and he wants a manual but has never driven one before

all our other cars are automatic, so thers nothing for him to practice on other than the new car.. so should he rent a manual car for a couple days first before driving the new one or something? how much does it dmg the car if you stall it?

Some driving schools provide manual courses, call them up and ask. Or buy a old ford escort for 500 bucks and practice.
If you stall it you just put in neutral and step on the clutch and restart, at low speed it won't do much damage.

[M-e-X-x]

Some driving schools provide manual courses, call them up and ask. Or buy a old ford escort for 500 bucks and practice.
If you stall it you just put in neutral and step on the clutch and restart, at low speed it won't do much damage.

don't forget the e-brake when u put it in neutral!

[dealmeone]

When I was 16 and my dad got a new little manual car as a second car, I took a couple of lessons on a manual from a driving school so I would know what I was doing before getting into his new car.

Most rentals here are automatics. If he can afford it, I would say go for a couple lessons with somebody who knows how to teach it. It will cost less than a new clutch.

[MP3_SKY]

First should take 1-2 lessons in drving school, then buy a manual car for dirty cheap OR get a VERY GOOD Friend that let you practice with his manual car.

You will get use to it in few weeks......faster if u practice every day and night, but don't stress yourself for it.

[SkylineGTR]

don't forget the e-brake when u put it in neutral!

Why would you engage the e-brake? If you stall it while moving (hard to do imo) then just push the clutch in, go to 1st gear or neutral and restart it. If you stall it at a stop sign then just push in the clutch and brake and restart it; not sure why you would pull the e-brake though.

Well I got my learners I started on a standard, it takes a bit of time to get the hang of it but once you do you'll never forget.

[thecharlie]

I really don't think driving school is necessary. Learning the basics of how drive a manual should take no more than a few hours. Once you stop stalling and familiarize yourself with your clutch, the rest will come fairly easy.

[M-e-X-x]

Why would you engage the e-brake? If you stall it while moving (hard to do imo) then just push the clutch in, go to 1st gear or neutral and restart it. If you stall it at a stop sign then just push in the clutch and brake and restart it; not sure why you would pull the e-brake though.

Well I got my learners I started on a standard, it takes a bit of time to get the hang of it but once you do you'll never forget.

what bout stall on a hill?

sure the tranny could probably prevent a rollback, but not all the time...

and no duh it's hard to stall while moving lol...

[SkylineGTR]

what bout stall on a hill?

sure the tranny could probably prevent a rollback, but not all the time...

and no duh it's hard to stall while moving lol...

Push in the brake (pedal) and clutch, restart, and then try it again. I see what you mean by using the e-brake on a hill but using the foot brake and learning to be fast off the brake and onto the gas while releasing the clutch to get going with out rolling back to much is key to being a going standard driver.

[M-e-X-x]

Push in the brake (pedal) and clutch, restart, and then try it again. I see what you mean by using the e-brake on a hill but using the foot brake and learning to be fast off the brake and onto the gas while releasing the clutch to get going with out rolling back to much is key to being a going standard driver.

wow, how long have u been driving?

car is stalled, no power brakes, no nothing... how r u supposed to hold the car on a hill with the foot brake? as i said earlier, the tranny could probably hold it

please tell me u've learned a safe hill start before?

edit: i'm pretty sure i know what's key to being a good standard driver :)

[MP3_SKY]

ebrake is a safety habit for beginners.....they will probably stress out when they stall and the car is rolling backward. Just ebrake make sure the car is not moving, start all over again and drive easy.

[SkylineGTR]

wow, how long have u been driving?

car is stalled, no power brakes, no nothing... how r u supposed to hold the car on a hill with the foot brake? as i said earlier, the tranny could probably hold it

please tell me u've learned a safe hill start before?

edit: i'm pretty sure i know what's key to being a good standard driver :)

I've only been driving for about a year with my "N" but that doesn't matter. I have stalled my car a few times on a hill when I was first practicing and all I did was press the foot brake + clutch all while being in 1st gear and re-started the car. Not having power to the brakes doesn't mean they won't work sufficiently enough to hold the car on a hill. I have done it many times and it works perfectly fine.

[SkylineGTR]

ebrake is a safety habit for beginners.....they will probably stress out when they stall and the car is rolling backward. Just ebrake make sure the car is not moving, start all over again and drive easy.

Yep that's a good point. Once you get good at driving a standard and good at starting on hills, it's easier to just use the brake (pedal) in my opinion.

[ItechJester]

yes, definitely try to pick up a cheap beater to practice on, don't worry about losing money on it, because at the very worse you can find scrap yards that will tow ANY car in ANY condition and still give you $300 for it. :lol:

on the plus side, if he ever wants to ride a motorcycle, knowing how to drive manual helps A LOT

[HBP]

meh

youtube videos

jump right in

fast learner over here though

[nibble]

lol... I can't believe people actually buy cars just to practice on. I think that's a crazy waste of money. My advice would be to go through your network of friends/family and I'm sure you'll find someone that knows how to drive stick. They can help teach you, you should be able to drive after a day, and really be comfortable after a few weeks. Also check out some Youtube videos for the basics.

I bought a manual transmission G35 this year with no experience driving manual. I had a family member drive it home from the dealership and spent the day teaching me how to drive in an empty parking lot. That same day I was driving around alone, I did stall a bunch of times but that's normal. Just be careful with uphills since they can be tricky for beginners if you have to stop.

[Vladimir]

Im pretty well in same position as OP brother.
I will be buying a new car early next year and I am planning on going manual. I have never driven one before (actually I did for a couple min once)
I'm going to talk to my insurance, but Im going to see if it is possible for me to drive my old car to work for a week or so, and then just practice with my manual on local country roads for a week.

[squireglig]

Don't bother with buying another car. If you are scared, get someone who knows to drive the car home from the dealer for you. As long as u read up on how to drive, you wont hurt the car by practicing and stalling out. Just make sure you dont ride the clutch or grind the gears and you will be fine.

I bought my first manual car new and drove it home from the dealer. It was terrifying but not as bad as you would think.

[rems]

depends on how coordinated you are but it doesn't take long to learn how to drive stick well enough not to stall.

I bought my car new and is my first manual car. Granted I've driven a few times before on my friend's car and took one lesson to get the proper theory behind driving stick...

[bahasad]

meh

youtube videos

jump right in

fast learner over here though

+ 1. It is a very good starting point, though you will need real practice too.

[M-e-X-x]

ebrake is a safety habit for beginners.....they will probably stress out when they stall and the car is rolling backward. Just ebrake make sure the car is not moving, start all over again and drive easy.

regardless, something to always to remember when stalling, may it be a hill or not...

I've only been driving for about a year with my "N" but that doesn't matter. I have stalled my car a few times on a hill when I was first practicing and all I did was press the foot brake + clutch all while being in 1st gear and re-started the car. Not having power to the brakes doesn't mean they won't work sufficiently enough to hold the car on a hill. I have done it many times and it works perfectly fine.

the thing is, it isn't the brake holding the car on the hill, it's the tranny (it's what i've said like 3 times already)... u might have a few seconds to have the brakes still engaged during a stall... hence u use the handbrake for safety reasons...

[ES_Revenge]

wow, how long have u been driving?

car is stalled, no power brakes, no nothing... how r u supposed to hold the car on a hill with the foot brake? as i said earlier, the tranny could probably hold it

please tell me u've learned a safe hill start before?

edit: i'm pretty sure i know what's key to being a good standard driver :)
I dunno I agree with SkylineGTR on this one, lol. Doesn't matter if the car is stalled, it's not like the vacuum tank purges when the engine shuts off, you still have lots of vacuum assist and the brakes will still hold the car provided you don't sit there and pump away the vacuum reserve. You'd be screwed trying to stop the car if you lost vacuum but you aren't trying to stop it you're just trying to keep it still when it's already stopped--doesn't take much power. Not only that as soon as that engine cranks (even if it doesn't start) you'll have vacuum again which will only help your brakes out (but they don't need help anyway because the car is already holding).

Get on the brakes and the clutch and restart and you're fine; I see no need to use the parking brake either.

[Tomy]

lol... I can't believe people actually buy cars just to practice on. I think that's a crazy waste of money. My advice would be to go through your network of friends/family and I'm sure you'll find someone that knows how to drive stick. They can help teach you, you should be able to drive after a day, and really be comfortable after a few weeks. Also check out some Youtube videos for the basics.

I bought a manual transmission G35 this year with no experience driving manual. I had a family member drive it home from the dealership and spent the day teaching me how to drive in an empty parking lot. That same day I was driving around alone, I did stall a bunch of times but that's normal. Just be careful with uphills since they can be tricky for beginners if you have to stop.


+1.. or just practice on the new car.. i learn how to drive MT on my new car, i did a hell lot of research before i stepped in. and asked for advice... and since it was a new car, i took extra caution driving it :) and i learned it in no time!

[Debonair]

hi my bro is planning to purchase a new car, and he wants a manual but has never driven one before

all our other cars are automatic, so thers nothing for him to practice on other than the new car.. so should he rent a manual car for a couple days first before driving the new one or something? how much does it dmg the car if you stall it?


He should get lessons from a driving school as others have stated - or a friend who can help. It doesnt do any significant damage stalling a couple times but don't quote me on that.

[ES_Revenge]

lol... I can't believe people actually buy cars just to practice on. I think that's a crazy waste of money.
...
I bought a manual transmission G35 this year with no experience driving manual.
LOL say what? Sounds like two different people wrote the one post. :lol:

[bananaman]

I learned how to drive stick by test driving a manual car at a dealership. The salesperson was really nice about it at first, so YMMV.

The test drive was pretty bad. I stalled trying to get into first gear at every stop/stoplight. And I got stopped on an uphill on Spadina and Front. I was sweating like balls because I didn't know how to get out. Took me like 2 minutes to get out, and when I did the car jerked alot, followed by lots of grinding. The salesperson guy was just furious. Luckily, I was doing the test drive on a Monday morning so there was hardly any traffic.

Though in the end, I bought a car from the salesperson because I already knew what I wanted. It was all part of my strategy of wearing down the salesperson by getting him frustrated with me and then when I offer him my price, he'll take anything just for me to get out of his face and move onto the next customer.

The second time I drove stick was when I brought the car home from the dealership a couple of weeks later. I was doing fine, with the occasional stall.

[M-e-X-x]

I dunno I agree with SkylineGTR on this one, lol. Doesn't matter if the car is stalled, it's not like the vacuum tank purges when the engine shuts off, you still have lots of vacuum assist and the brakes will still hold the car provided you don't sit there and pump away the vacuum reserve. You'd be screwed trying to stop the car if you lost vacuum but you aren't trying to stop it you're just trying to keep it still when it's already stopped--doesn't take much power. Not only that as soon as that engine cranks (even if it doesn't start) you'll have vacuum again which will only help your brakes out (but they don't need help anyway because the car is already holding).

Get on the brakes and the clutch and restart and you're fine; I see no need to use the parking brake either.

to each their own... not really gonna change my style... although, i rarely-to-never stall in general anyways...

[Dyno]

The biggest key to learning manual is experience...

I don't agree with buying a beater to learn on either, just buy the car you want (in this case your brother wants) get a friend to drive it home and to give you an hour lesson in a parking lot. Once you are fairly comfortable with it, just go out there and drive.

That's what I did and I wouldn't have done it any other way.

[olddog]

learning to drive manual is just as easy as learning to drive automatic. u just have to learn and before u know it, it will become a maladaptive behaviour that u dont even have to think about: just like automatic. it becomes almost intrinsic.

it is way more fun to drive than automatic though. anytime anyday....

[seftonm]

the thing is, it isn't the brake holding the car on the hill, it's the tranny (it's what i've said like 3 times already)... u might have a few seconds to have the brakes still engaged during a stall... hence u use the handbrake for safety reasons...
If the clutch is in (as in getting ready to restart after a stall), the transmission isn't holding the car anywhere. Same with being in neutral. There will be enough vacuum reserve to stop the car several times before it runs out. Even when it does run out, the brakes will still work. They will just be harder to press.

[dshiu]

ty for all the inputs!

[maniacshopper]

1. to start car, press clutch and crank, make sure that stick is in Neutral
or else when you depress clutch the car will go.

2. press clutch, feel the clutch take, at what point does it bite.

3. good clutch setup, ie when gear in, and clutch depressed should allow you to sit or slowly crawly forward without gas pedal depressed.

4. don't bother shifting to redline when learning, learn to shift at 2-3k rpm,
lift on gas, press clutch, off gas, shift, depress clutch for bite and gas up.
Practice this, if you are smooth, you wont feel the jerkiness or very little jerk.

5. when you stop on uphill for stop sign, press brake or use e-brake then shift and release ebrake accelerate.

I've driven on and off manual cars. Next car is going to be manual. Had to get auto b/c no one in my family drove stick, and unwilling and the car was a good deal.

[SkylineGTR]

I dunno I agree with SkylineGTR on this one, lol. Doesn't matter if the car is stalled, it's not like the vacuum tank purges when the engine shuts off, you still have lots of vacuum assist and the brakes will still hold the car provided you don't sit there and pump away the vacuum reserve. You'd be screwed trying to stop the car if you lost vacuum but you aren't trying to stop it you're just trying to keep it still when it's already stopped--doesn't take much power. Not only that as soon as that engine cranks (even if it doesn't start) you'll have vacuum again which will only help your brakes out (but they don't need help anyway because the car is already holding).

Get on the brakes and the clutch and restart and you're fine; I see no need to use the parking brake either.

There we go that makes more sense than what I as trying to say. :D Thanks.

[Avatar]

Why would you engage the e-brake? If you stall it while moving (hard to do imo) then just push the clutch in, go to 1st gear or neutral and restart it. If you stall it at a stop sign then just push in the clutch and brake and restart it; not sure why you would pull the e-brake though.

Well I got my learners I started on a standard, it takes a bit of time to get the hang of it but once you do you'll never forget.

After driving a stick for 20+ years, I have to say this is the steps I do to restart the car. If what he calls e-brake means hand brake or parking brake, I rarely use it. Probably 5 to 6 times a years I use it. I don't use it even when I park the car. Just use 1st gear or reverse gear depending on up/down hills and turn the front wheels accordingly towards the curb. Mostly engine brakes to 2nd gear. Stops the car with brake and clutch pushed at the same time shifts to 1st gear and kills the engine. Thats it. Fast and effective. Never need to adjust the hand brake cable:-0. Some might said it's not a right way to park the car without hand brake on. Hand brake won't help much if the car got hit.

[BanjoBolt]

I miss manual so much my next car will be a manual. Driving auto for too long makes me feel ********!

Different cars have varying level of clutch freeplay. Spend some time trying to move the car from rest without pressing the gas, you will know the engine's response and clutch engagement characteristics, hence minimize stalling.

[maniacshopper]

After driving a stick for 20+ years, I have to say this is the steps I do to restart the car. If what he calls e-brake means hand brake or parking brake, I rarely use it. Probably 5 to 6 times a years I use it. I don't use it even when I park the car. Just use 1st gear or reverse gear depending on up/down hills and turn the front wheels accordingly towards the curb. Mostly engine brakes to 2nd gear. Stops the car with brake and clutch pushed at the same time shifts to 1st gear and kills the engine. Thats it. Fast and effective. Never need to adjust the hand brake cable:-0. Some might said it's not a right way to park the car without hand brake on. Hand brake won't help much if the car got hit.

leaving the gear in 1st helps prevent rolling back. But the e-brake is best to prevent the car from crawling. It's cable controlled, no worries about hydraulic pressure issues.

[slowtyper]

wow, how long have u been driving?

car is stalled, no power brakes, no nothing... how r u supposed to hold the car on a hill with the foot brake? as i said earlier, the tranny could probably hold it

please tell me u've learned a safe hill start before?

edit: i'm pretty sure i know what's key to being a good standard driver :)

I couldn't get past this post in the thread. You honestly think you can't hold up a car on a hill with a footbrake when the car off???

[isleepinadrawer]

bought a new civic last year, and i just watched a bunch of youtube videos. Took my about a month to not stall it randomly, and another month to get it pretty smooth.

[originalnutta]

OP: My car is on its lasts legs. Its manual, engine works fine, but the transmission refuses to stay in fifth.

I might sell it for $500, or charge $25/hr for manual driving lessons. Most people only need about 5-6 times of driving to understand it.

Let me know if you're interested.

[mikeycanuk]

Just watch that 3rd to 2nd instead of 4th!:-0 Did that on my brand new '96 Firebird, ouch. That car had a easy clutch. My Matrix XRS would not have been fun and would have needed a new clutch @20,000km instead of the 44k I actually did replace it. Replaced it with performance clutch like everyone else who had a 6-speed manual XRS. Damm thing is a torqueless wonder and the tranny was designed for a celica GTS not a heavier matrix. Also a wrong shift @8,200rpm would send the engine to an early grave.:lol:

I had my dad drive my Firebird home. I hated it the first day. I went up bathurst street to newmarket, no problem! I then drove down a busy Yonge street and stalled it at every light!:o:o:o I got the hang of it the next day and managed downtown traffic.:)