learning to drive a manual (5 speed)

iwantlancergsr · 06-12-2002, 01:11 AM

im 17 and my family only have auto cars, and i wanted to learn how to drive and get my license. so i just learnt and passed the driving test on an automatic car. now i can get my own car soon (got a job) and i want to learn how to drive a manual as the car i want will be manual. how long does it take to learn? how hard is it to learn? any knacks or tricks that could help me? one of my friends are learning how to drive manual now and i was in his car while he was practising and it looked really hard compared to an automatic car. thanks in advance

boingo82 · 06-12-2002, 01:22 AM

Sure it's really hard - until it 'clicks'. It's like learning to ride a bike. What I'd recommend - because it's how I learned - is find a car with a lot of low-end torque, and a tachometer, and practice letting the clutch out sllloooowwllyyy with NO gas, until the car is rolling. This will give you a good feel for where the clutch engages. Every car is different this way but this is a good start. After that, you can try a slight up-hill. You will have to be fast, switching your foot from the brake to the gas, but eventually you will get it. When you try shifting, obviously don't start with speed shifting because you'll miss shifts and probably redline or worse. Start nice and slow, on level ground on a long, deserted straightaway. Get rolling in first, give it gas until you're above 3000-3500 rpm, then press the clutch all the way down, shift to second and slowly let the clutch out. Then of course proceed to third. You want to keep your RPMs between about 1800-2500 for coasting, but of course for power 2500-5000. This should give you a good start. Good luck.

V.S. · 06-12-2002, 02:05 PM

Its not that hard. Just don't worry about stalling the engine a couple times, consider it a cost of buying a 5 speed. Find an empty parking lot or something, take along a passenger that knows how to drive if you can find one, and just drive around for a while. Just make sure you don't go too fast or rev the engine too much and you should be fine.

iwantlancergsr · 06-12-2002, 11:20 PM

thanks for your replies guys, one more question, is having the clutch engaged and in 1st gear the same as just a auto in drive mode ? (no accelerator)

boingo82 · 06-13-2002, 01:12 AM

A manual with the clutch out, in 1st will move at approx the same speed as an auto in drive, if you are on level ground. Uphill, the manual would require some gas or else it might stall, whereas the auto prevents stalling.

iwantlancergsr · 06-13-2002, 01:22 AM

if the car is already in gear, clutch engaged and in 1st gear, can u just press on the accelerator to make the car move faster without jerking or stalling?

boingo82 · 06-13-2002, 01:41 AM

When you say 'engaged' I am assuming you mean the pedal is out...

Yes, assuming the clutch is out, the car is in first, it will be rolling. You can then press the accelerator, and the car will begin to accelerate, and will keep accelerating clear up past redline if you let it. There aren't really any 'safety catches' on a manual, it won't prevent you from doing something harmful. The only safety is that it's impossible to shift straight back from 5th into reverse.

iwantlancergsr · 06-13-2002, 02:35 AM

thanks for all ur help, im feeling abit more confident about learning how to drive stick. thanks again

Bryan8412 · 06-13-2002, 11:25 AM

If the clutch is engaged and you're in first gear but not giving it any gas, the car will die.

There is no simulation of the Drive gear in an automatic for a std transmission, it's a whole other ball game. It's easy to pick up, and if it's a daily driver you'll have no problem at all within a week. The only real problem is first gear and the killing thereof. I still (rarely) kill my dad's miata but it almost never happens anymore and its not even my car, he lets me drive it every once and a while. So if you drive it full time you'll be more than ok.

boingo82 · 06-13-2002, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bryan8412
If the clutch is engaged and you're in first gear but not giving it any gas, the car will die.

That wasn't true on my Sentra. I could let out the clutch INCREDIBLY slowly, and the torque would be able to get the car rolling, at about 2 miles an hour with NO gas whatsoever. This is also possible on my Dad's Spirit, and even easier there, because the Spirit has more low-end torque. Maybe the Miata has no low-end power, or maybe you're not letting the clutch out slow enough. I know, I put 22k on my Sentra in a year and it was a stick.

V.S. · 06-13-2002, 07:41 PM

I know you could "let out the clutch INCREDIBLY slowly" and move, but could you have the clutch completely engaged and still move without gas? I assume thats what everyone else ment, because iwantlancergsr said nothing about gradually releasing the pedal.

ivymike1031 · 06-13-2002, 08:37 PM

yeah, there are lots of vehicles with closed-throttle torque output high enough to keep the vehicle moving. My mom's nissan pickup could idle up a hill w/o gas pedal help.

boingo82 · 06-13-2002, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by V.S.
I know you could "let out the clutch INCREDIBLY slowly" and move, but could you have the clutch completely engaged and still move without gas? I assume thats what everyone else ment, because iwantlancergsr said nothing about gradually releasing the pedal.

Yes, the tricky part is letting out the clutch without killing the car. This is only tricky in cars with little low-end torque. The reason the car dies, is that the engine doesn't have enough power to move the weight of the car, while still keeping itself moving. In my Dad's Spirit, which had more low end torque but less overall horsepower (at peak RPM) than my Sentra, it was very easy to get the car rolling. Once the clutch is out, the car will move forward slowly, and you'd have to try going up a hill to kill the engine once the clutch is fully out.

http://www.1440wnfl.com/Shared/Auto/...earnstick.html

ales · 06-14-2002, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by V.S.
I know you could "let out the clutch INCREDIBLY slowly" and move, but could you have the clutch completely engaged and still move without gas? I assume thats what everyone else ment, because iwantlancergsr said nothing about gradually releasing the pedal.

When fooling around with my car I managed to go up to 3rd gear (30 km/h) without touching the accelerator

As for learning and stalling and stuff - 10 minutes at an empty car park should do it till the end of your life. What you do have to do first is learn the principle of how the clutch / gearbox work. Good luck.

iwantlancergsr · 06-14-2002, 01:09 AM

ok sorry if this is the most stupid newbie question but....

when i drive my auto the engine revs never go above 4000rpm even if i almost floor it. i read some of the other forums and such, and i see people talking about how turbo only begins to kick in at around 5500rpm, and how mivec and vtec engines have their maximum power at 7600rpm and that power increases can be noticed until around 8500rpm. isnt pushing the engine revs that high bad for the engine? or is the engine built to handle that kind of performance (5500 - 8500rpm) and auto cars just keep the engine in the 'good and safe' rpm zones?

by the way thanks a lot for all your replies and tips. im learning more about cars everyday...

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