Learning manual transmission

B

Beamer12

Active member
Im picking up my new car tomorrow (2011 impreza hatchback)/claim and its a stick. I have never touched a stick shift in my life before. Im having my friend drive it home for me and im going to learn from there (much less pressure then driving it off the lot into traffic) So give me some quick tips. Also I know everybody is different but how long did it take you to learn stick.
 
Go down your street when you get it and just start and stop as much as possible. You'll stall a ton and look like a tool but you'll learn fast. Changing gears at speed is easy, starting is the part that gives people problems.
 
it doesn't take long. it pretty much takes you however long it takes you to learn how to get into first gear, everything after that is cake. For me that was prob. ten minutes, obviously not too smooth but after driving for a day it comes pretty natural. good luck you'll love driving stick, much more fun than automatics
 
Your going to learn to drive stick on a brand new clutch?

Surely you have at least 1 friend that has a stick car you could learn on?
 
I think a lot of people do this? I did and so didn't many of my buddies. There's only one way to learn, right? It's not like it's something that he just won't be able to learn, it takes a second.
 
if you wanted it that bad im sure you have to know SOMEONE who has one that will let you learn on theirs before you go buy your car.

on the flip side OP, if you can ride a dirtbike you can drive your car
 
Why would they want me to fuck up their clutch rather than my own? I guess if they had an old beater but my friends that have stick have nice cars...I dont blame them for not wanting me to learn on a 07 STI
 
I drive a manual and hate driving autos. Stick shifts ftw.

Learn on a buddies car so you dont fuck your brand new clutch up too much. Like someone above said, learn to get started first, its more helpful.
 
best way is to go with someone experienced
also try taking off in reverse rather than first gear..you will become more familiar with the engagement point on the clutch..then once you get familiar with that try 1st gear
cool car...good luck
 
Think of it kinda like a see-saw. At first the clutch is in and the gas is out, and as you start pressing the gas, start releasing the clutch. If you gave it enough gas you should feel it engage. If you didn't give it enough gas you'll stall if you release the clutch. It's a push-pull kind of deal.

Start in a driveway or an empty road and just give it a go. I would suggest keeping the clutch all the way in and feeling out the gas pedal to see how sensitive it is. And you can also go through the gears to get a better sense of the placement.
 
I had a total of 1 1/2hrs of driving experience before i started driving a manual but it honestly came super easy to me. I successfully drove around for over 20mins before I stalled it so things honestly aren't that bad. What I found hardest was programming myself to put it back into first gear everytime I stopped- it needs to become second nature. Other than that I recommend driving around without the radio/with it pretty quiet for awhile because your car will tell you when to shift, once you've got a better feel of the car/in the habit of watching the dash this won't be needed.
 
Yessir!

You will learn very quickly, because you kind of have to. I would say that the biggest thing is finding the point right when you're about to stall and knowing when to let out on the gas. Friction point is key, and once you learn your car it becomes very easy.

Like leet said, I hate driving automatics now. Standards FTW!!
 
just go somewhere calm and just start and stop the car alot, then start shifting up and drive around town, then take a buddy who drives stick and have him/her teach you how to brake on the engine; this is very usefull if you drive alot in the mountains....
 
HILL STARTS!!

It's all about finding the biting point on the clutch, and being able to hold it!

It's fucking easy - it's just in America, all kids are taught how to drive automatics, where in the UK / Europe, everyone pretty much has to learn how to drive manual... you'll pick it up....
 
this.I drive a VW Jetta, and it was by far the hardest stick i've ever driven. But yet my lovely mother can drive it while dirnking keva juice and talking on the phone. (she can shift with her elbow)
 
When I started driving manuals, it wasnt that hard since I could already drive a tractor and the concept is pretty much the same.

Even though i can drive a manual, I bought a automatic since a manual seems like it would be alot of hassle with the 40min of highway driving I do everyday....

I still want one though (once I have the money for a fast car...), their way more fun to drive.
 
at first, just focus on getting the car moving. going from a standstill on 1st gear or reverse is the hardest shift. the easiest way to learn, is to go to an empty, flat parking lot or something. then, you just give it some gas to get the rpm's up to like 2000 or something, and when it gets to that point, you ease up on the gas so that it stays at that point. then, you slowly let go of the clutch until you're moving. keep doing that over and over again until you get the hang of it. thats how i learned and after a nice like 30 minute sesh i was driving like a pro
 
This is god-awful advice that everybody gives that leads to more burned up clutches than anything else.

I have been driving stick for 9 years.

First thing: Find a flat road.

Next. Put the car in first, and let out the clutch as slowly as you possibly can. Learn where it starts to grab, and consequently, where the car starts to move.

Once you are good, you shouldn't need any gas at all to take off, unless you are on a hill.

Do NOT rev the shit out of the car and drop the clutch.

Clutches are car dependent, but you should never need more than 1200-1500 revs to take off unless you are on a steep hill.
 
i learned in a matter of hours, its really easy, just drive around neighborhoods with very low trafic and lots of stops and you will get the hang of it, don't be afraid to kill it because you will. Once you learn to drive stick, an automatic is just boring to drive
 
mommy and daddy bought you a new car eh?

Good choice on the stick, after using one for my first 3 years of driving, ive regretted buying a car with auto transmission for the past 4 years. So fun to drive and you can kill it with city gas milage.
 
lol this makes no sense? highway + manual = win. put it in 6th (or whatever the tallest gear) and cruise...

op my first car was a manual and i had very little experience beforehand. you'll be fine you'll be able to drive pretty much anywhere by the end of the day. give it a few months and you'll be wondering why you hadn't had a stick your whole life...
 
go to an empty parking lot with a buddy who know how to drive stick and get lessons from him. stop and start a LOT, the hardest but most important part of driving stick
 
out of curiosity, do any video games accurately simulate a manual transmission? I feel like it could be done pretty easily, but there could be a backlash amongst gamers constantly stalling from stopped starts.. note, I haven't touched a videogame in 4 years or more, so the last driving game I played was gt3 and the original forza and project gotham 2, none of which had a realistic manual.
 
Yea.... But when its stop and go a good 30% of the time....

Going 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 2nd, 3rd for 20 minutes seems like a pain in the arse.
 
it's actually really easy to learn

just let the clutch out really slow when you are starting moving in 1st

so much more fun than auto

 
Yea.... But when its stop and go a good 30% of the time....

Going 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 2nd, 3rd for 20 minutes seems like a pain in the arse.
 
Deffinatly the best way to learn stick is to just buy a manuel transmission car and force yourself to drive it. My brother taught me stick, it only took a few hours. After the first week of driving it though you should be fine.
 
but what if there was an option in simulators like gran turismo to have one of the triggers act as a clutch? could be epic.
 
a stock clutch is exactly what you want to start with- It really only takes a week of driving to get all of your stop and start, stopping on hills, and matching revs when downshifting down- and then from their it just gets easier and easier.
its not that hard- I learned at 14 on a turbo miata with carbon flywheel and straight up race clutch( I had been racing karts for awhile however)
just dont be afraid of it, practice- as soon as you get the car just drive anywhere and everywhere you can think of.
 
Thats a low blow. Im 21 I haven't seen a dime from my parents since I was 15 and got my first job. Paying for this car myself.
 
ok.. first sit in the car for like 20 minutes, just going through the gears with the car off. using the clutch to upshift, using the gas and everything just like you would if you were moving. this really helps once you get moving to not get lost in what your doing, and keep your concentration more on the road. it also will give you a very good feel for the clutch. when your first starting out, go to a big empty parking lot, or some county road that nobody uses. and sit there, with the car on this time, and slowly let the clutch out until you start to feel it catch, then once you feel it start to catch, put the clutch back in, repeat this like 10-20 times, so you have a really good idea of where the clutch starts to catch, after doing this you should be able to let the clutch out fairly quickly right until the catch point, if you still have to let it out very slow from the start, keep doing this until you know the catch point well enough to get to the catch point somewhat quickly. now without touching the gas at all, let the clutch out so its engaged fully and the car is moving with the clutch out. the car will do it, unless your car is wierd. it obviously takes longer than when using the gas. but it gives you a very good feel for how long it takes from where it starts to engage, to where its engaged fully. and just a good overall feel for how the clutch works. do this alot until you are confident and able to do it without any problems many times in a row. now do it with the gas. first, rev the engine in neutral a little bit, to get an idea of how sensitive the gas is, there really is no magic rpm, or anything, its just what feels right, and what works the best. you really shouldnt have to be over 2, its fine when your just learning, and you definitely shouldnt be over 3. so keep the car at a slightly higher rpm over idle,then do the same thing as before, let the clutch out slowly, this time, adding throttle as you let the clutch out, for the first like 1/3 of the catch point you shouldnt be increasing the throttle very much, it will just slip the clutch a shit ton.so again, do this over and over, starting and stopping, getting used to adding throttle as you let the clutch out. and once you feel comfortable and can do it many times without stalling, then your ready. you will probably be using gas before you engage the clutch for awhile, it does make it easier, but after awhile you will get used to it, and you will just know exactly when to give it gas in relation to the clutch position. starting on a hill is a very very good way to get good at this, because you have to let your foot off the brake and go straight to engaging the clutch and adding throttle. rather than holding the rpm slightly higher before you even engage the clutch.
as for shifting and downshifting, its easy, it just takes time to perfect, downshifting is harder, just start out by downshifting very slowly and at lower rpm's you will get used to it. and if you wanna be super cool, after awhile you can learn to heel toe downshift. which makes downshifts much quicker, smoother and easier on the car.
 
some other things some people have issues with:

reverse

changing gears while going around a corner

i got the basics in about an hour in a parking lot with a friend teaching me, then drove the vehicle back to school 5 minutes away and parked. you can make mistakes with shifting and still recover fine.

if you feel like youre about to stall, push the clutch in all the way and brake, then start over.
 
another tough thing starting out is being stopped going up hill

you drift backwards a little but stay steady and just go slow like you normally would, if you get too excited you will peel out haha
 
I drive a VW Jetta, they are literally the easiest stick out there. You're either handicapped or your transmission is beat to shit. And if you're gonna say yours is old, mines a 97, so the years are getting up there.
 
shit i learned how to drive stick when i was 12 on my grandparents farm. took me about an hour or two to get the start and go part down. after that shifting gears is easy as pie. also chicks love a guy with a dope car, and can drive stick. just don't get pissed at yourself when you're learning when you stall out a bunch. everyone does it.
 
nothings easier than a Honda civic clutch...

And op your a dumb ass buying a 28,000 dollar car and not even knowing how to drive it. Best advice, is go to a parking lot start and stop as much as you can. And to learn let the clutch out as slowly as you can until you know where it starts to engage, once your car is moving you can let he clutch out much faster.
 
thank your friend for not wanting you to learn how to drive stick in their STI. it's a much heavier clutch/more precise gearbox than your impreza, and is inherently harder to drive until you know what you're doing. that said...
i have an 09 impreza. the thing has gotta be the easiest manual i have ever driven, compared to other subi's, hondas, voklswagens, etc. like other people said, go to a flat lot, don't use the gas, and slowly let the clutch out until you get the car moving, it won't stall if you're doing it properly. everyone hypes up how hard it is to shift into first from a stop on an uphill, but guess what? your car has incline assist. it holds the brakes for you when you're on a hill steeper than 5°, so you don't have to freak out and worry about rolling backwards if you're not on the gas quick enough. i live in a really hilly neighborhood and this makes parallel parking much more bearable. trying to park my old legacy wagon on a 20° hill in the snow was miserable. it's cake with the new impreza. be stoked on your new car, it's awesome!
 
WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

do a lot of cars have this? not going to lie i probably peel out half the time i am at a red light on a hill driving my gfs vw beetle, damn you people who pull right up on my ass.
 
Here are some pointers to save your tranny from abuse

1. When rolling up to a stop sign, don't put the car in 1st gear until you are stopped, this will prevent grinding

2. do not coast in neutral, it is better to just put the car in a high gear and coast that way,

3. remember to downshift, doing it right saves the breaks and your gas mileage

4. you are not in a fast and furious movie, shift slowly and smooth

5. If you can learn to start from a complete stop on a hill without rolling back, you will be fine. learn where letting the clutch out will engage the power to wheels, control and feel is what you will learn
 
I have a friend who bought a manual car without ever touching a stick. We make fun of him every day for it since he still can't drive.

The hardest part for me was learning where each gear was. The first two times I tried to drive, I'd shift from first to second smoothly, but I always missed 3 and went right to 5. This will stall your car. Don't think of it as up-over-up and more just up and gradually to the right. The stick will sort of naturally find the next gear if you're not forcing it.

With the clutch, push it in all the way and feather it back out, while gradually applying the gas. Once you get a feel for it it's really easy.

Anyway, don't listen to anyone saying that you shouldn't have bought it. Yeah the clutch is going to go through some rough times, but once you get good at driving it, manual transmission is much better than auto. I normally drive an automatic just cause that's what I have, but I consider manual cars real cars.
 
thats the reason your gunna be a woman for the rest of your life

im not letting some manual noob touch my car its pretty much the only way to learn its not that hard and once you get it its ballin out the game

so basically ur a big pussy whos gunna get asked to drive something one day and ur gunna be like oh no i cant drive standard and they r gunna be like "were ya raised by queers"? then ditch/fire you
 
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