Questions about learning to drive a stick
Jul 10, 2008 at 8:40 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 60

Meloncoly

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Hello,

I've been driving for about two years now on a automatic, and I had a few questions for people with MT cars.

1. Do you rev-match? I know a lot of people say it's redundant, and most people who drive MT cars do not, but do you? And why do you do/do not? Of course if you don't know what rev-matching is, don't worry about it.

2. For drivers of modern cars, do you double clutch rev match? I know it further reduces strain on the syncromesh, that it's really complicated, and that very few MT drivers use this method, but I was wondering if it's worth it to learn it if I'm only hoping to drive modern cars.

3. For people who do rev-match, how long did it take for you to get it down to the point where you can do it with just the engine sound and not looking at the tachometer? I just wanted to get a range.

4. I don't actually own a MT car or know anyone who has one, so what would be the best way to go about learning how to drive a manual? I would like driving school to be the last resort...but it seems like I have no choice. Anyone wanna teach me? =p

5. Just out of curiosity, does anyone use heel and toe on a daily basis on a regular commute, or use it at all? (Excluding track-goers)

Thanks for the answers!
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 9:49 AM Post #2 of 60
Don't you learn to drive in an MT car in America? Weird.
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 10:12 AM Post #3 of 60
I'm Chinese. I'm also first Generation in America, meaning my parents came from China. They all came from rural China, and MT is beyond them. All of them drive AT cause it's simple for them, so I was never taught MT. I want to learn MT but I have no friends either who drives a MT car, only AT. Sad, really.
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 10:24 AM Post #4 of 60
1. right foot off gaspedal/left foot push in clutch
2. push or pull gear shift into correct gear with hand
3. left foot off clutch/right foot push in gaspedal

Repeat step 1, 2 and 3 for reverse. (You might have to push/pull gear down/up while executing step 2 for inserting into reverse)

Done
biggrin.gif
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 11:36 AM Post #5 of 60
Quote:

Originally Posted by Meloncoly /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hello,

I've been driving for about two years now on a automatic, and I had a few questions for people with MT cars.

1. Do you rev-match? I know a lot of people say it's redundant, and most people who drive MT cars do not, but do you? And why do you do/do not? Of course if you don't know what rev-matching is, don't worry about it.

2. For drivers of modern cars, do you double clutch rev match? I know it further reduces strain on the syncromesh, that it's really complicated, and that very few MT drivers use this method, but I was wondering if it's worth it to learn it if I'm only hoping to drive modern cars.

3. For people who do rev-match, how long did it take for you to get it down to the point where you can do it with just the engine sound and not looking at the tachometer? I just wanted to get a range.

4. I don't actually own a MT car or know anyone who has one, so what would be the best way to go about learning how to drive a manual? I would like driving school to be the last resort...but it seems like I have no choice. Anyone wanna teach me? =p

5. Just out of curiosity, does anyone use heel and toe on a daily basis on a regular commute, or use it at all? (Excluding track-goers)

Thanks for the answers!



1. yes, it can make for smoother changes but also provides more constant power making the car more stable if you change through a corner.

2. I find it worth it changing down several gears. Maybe not really much gain over rev matching but why not if you can? Don't both on upshifts but that's because the revs are falling anyway (and I can't get the hang of it as easily!)

3. about 3-4 journeys.

5. no but how easy that is depends to an extent on the pedal arrangment in the car. If you have to slam on the brakes to reach the accelerator then it's not really suitable for the public roads.
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 11:55 AM Post #6 of 60
In modern cars, rev matching and double clutching are completely useless and pointless due to a modern advance that has existed for decades now called synchronizers. Every time I hear about people doing such activities I just laugh. Quite honestly, the only thing you'll do (besides look like a moron) is waste gas, maybe even wear out your clutch faster. And reducing strain on the car??? My family has never owned a car that has had a manual transmission fail. Our old Honda Civic with over 210k miles on it still drove like it was brand new, and we replaced the original clutch on it at around 200k miles. Then an idiot hit me and totaled my car, so I never got to see the end of that car, although I'm working on another of the same vintage with 160k on it right now (but this one doesn't have a tach! kinda sucks). Still, the point is, a transmission should easily outlast the rest of the car unless you have a bad car.

I don't know why people stress about manual transmissions so much. The easiest way to learn is to sit in a parking lot with one and practice instead of posting on it! First learn to drive the car in first and second gear without using the gas pedal, then try adding the gas once your car is moving in a gear. This prevents you from learning the bad habit of gassing the engine before you let out the clutch, which yields a smoother transition for the inexperienced left foot, but will wear your clutch out exponentially faster, and if you burn through three clutches in 200k miles (I've heard of it being done), you're really going to pay (literally) for your bad driving habits. You'll find that driving a manual is much more rewarding in the long run because you feel much more connected to your car and, in my opinion, much more in control (better gas mileage, too!).

Enjoy!
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 11:57 AM Post #7 of 60
1. On mountain roads, yes. Otherwise, no.

2. No.

3. I learned this in a car with no tachometer.

4. Find a flat place. If you're in or near San Francisco, master all basic aspects of handling the car before driving and parking on hills. In general, places like San Francisco and Morgantown, WV are not good places to get started with a manual due to the risk of accidents on extremely steep terrain, but extra fun once you learn to be in complete control of the car.

5. No. I think the risk of making a mistake is too high for driving in traffic on public roads.
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 1:33 PM Post #8 of 60
I had a Tranny fail. Well; it failed while my Son was just learning to drive a stick.

He had a bad habit of sitting at a stop with his left foot on the brake and his right foot on the gas.

...I dunno where he picked THAT up from; certainly not from me!

Anyway; what I suspect happened was when he went to put it into 1st gear with his clutch foot firmly on the brake.....

Our Family Cars have always been Automatics; MY Cars have always been Sticks.

....other than my '69 Mach 1 with a C6!
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 1:48 PM Post #10 of 60
1. sometimes yes, but only when downshifting, usually just give the gas a touch to bring the revs up 50-75% of the difference, nothing precise

2. I've goofed around with it, but as stated, pretty useless with todays transmissions

3. I don't know, maybe a few hundred miles to get it down exactly which I don't even bother doing now

4. find a large empty parking lot, and just ease the clutch out till you feel it start to engage, repeat several times till you get a feel for where it engages without stalling the engine. Then start adding some gas and work on easing onto the gas as you engage the clutch. once you can get it rolling without any issues the hardest part is done, shifting is nothing more then the same thing only faster and easier
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 1:50 PM Post #11 of 60
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dzjudz /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Don't you learn to drive in an MT car in America? Weird.



Not specifically, driving school and such is all automatics out here.
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 2:15 PM Post #12 of 60
I heel-toe through every curve out of habit; I think going into and coming out of a corner in gear is safer and provide better control through the corner.

Note: turbo is harder to control
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 2:34 PM Post #13 of 60
Changing gears in a corner is a bad idea. You'd fail your driving test in the UK for doing it.

I really think the US needs a two tier examination like in the UK. you pass a test in an auto, that's all you're allowed to drive. Gotta take another test for manual.

Pass in a manual and you're allowed both types though. The driving test in the US is absurdly easy compared to UK. Probably explains a lot of the driving levels I see here.. :/
 
Jul 10, 2008 at 2:53 PM Post #14 of 60
You don't need to double clutch or rev match with a modern transmission. I learned how to do them when I had the 1959 Ford F-100 (3 on the tree, 292) I used to poke around central Oregon in. But I got about 145k miles on an Escort (before it was totaled - not my fault) on the original clutch and 22k on the tC with zero problems.

The easiest way to learn to drive a clutch is to go to a parking lot and slowly let the clutch out *without* touching the gas. You'll get a feel for where the take up point is, not stalling it and no jerking start. Once you can repeatedly get the car going in first by only using the clutch, you can start giving it some gas. Going up through the rest of the gears is easy, you can get that in an hour.
 

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