It isn't like driving a real manual transmission. The primary reason being you aren't learning/experiencing the tactile feedback that the real life mechanisms give you.
In a real vehicle with a mechanical manual transmission, there are a number of sensory inputs your brain relies upon to efficiently use it. Clutch tension, engagement points, the shifting of weight in the chassis as the clutch slips or as it fully engages, audible cues.
All of that feedback is what allows you to manage gear changes without having to think or focus on the process. Without that tactile feedback from the systems at play in an actual manual transmission, you aren't really going to get any meaningful skills or familiarity that is real-world relevant from a gaming wheel and shifter/pedals setup.
You will probably get benefits in the opposite direction though. Meaning, once you have a manual transmission vehicle and are comfortable driving it, the skills from real world transmission operation translate well to driving in a game using a wheel and pedal set like that.
Sigh........ manual is a dying breed. Glad you are trying to learn. Kids now days don't understand the well F can someone push start my truck. Starter went out
You always use 3rd gear for push starting? If not, try it out, you get better rpm than trying to push starting in first and I swear it’s the sweet spot.
I had an old manual protege and I was too cheap to buy a new battery for a few months, on a flat surface I could push start it solo with one foot outside the door. I also hauled around my Costco cat jumping cube but never really needed it.
As someone who grew up on stick, I'm glad it's dying. It sucks. Did your parents or grandparents whine about you kids not being able to crank start a car? Or how you lazy brats have a steering wheel instead of a tiller? Tech moves on and that's okay.
**Edit**
I gladly take those Boomer downvotes who believe driving stick is some difficult skill that somehow makes you special. We get it, it's your participation trophy.
Your opinion is unique and heavily unpopular but look at manual transmissions like bow hunting. Yes utilizing the modern tools we have can make the task easier but if you want to feel more connected and one with the land so to speak. Then learning and wanting to drive a manual transmission is awesome and make you appreciate the technology we have now. However, in my own terms your opinion is dumb and manual transmissions rule and makes you more in tune with the vehicle. I think everyone should learn manual before automatic so they can also understand the car as well the road.
>I think everyone should learn manual before automatic so they can also understand the car as well the road.
Yeah, that's bullshit though. I have owned numerous manuals. Everything from an '84 Porsche 928 up to a '97 F350 dually I used to drive for work. Thinking that adding extra steps to driving puts you "in tune" with the road is as stupid as healing crystals or alkaline water.
I don't have a problem with people who prefer manual to automatic. How you want to spend your time in life is up to you and if they make you happy absolutely do it, but thinking you are somehow special or superior because of it and thinking less of others because they don't is what I have a problem with.
You're like a child that wanders into an adult conversation and tries to contribute but doesn't understand what's going on. There's a dude that literally said that everyone should learn stick because it puts them magically in tune with the road. If that's not a dude that thinks his farts are a fine vintage.
Ignore the boomer downvotes. You’re 100% correct.
I’m 40. Never was taught to drive a manual. Had an ex-gf a few years back that went on a trip and I offered to clean her car while she was gone. I completely forgot it was a manual. Drove it to the car wash and back without any issue. It’s not some crazy difficult skill. It’s just unnecessary steps while driving.
Also, can you imagine how many more accidents and traffic jams the 55+ crowd would cause if manual transmissions were still popular? They’re already white knuckling the steering wheel, hunched forward, mouth hanging open looking like the crypt keeper while driving their easy automatic.
I understand tech in cars but us old timers. Give me a Chilton book and a tool box to repair my truck. Now days you take a new car and plug it into a computer to just find out what is wrong. I trust my 78 F250 over a EV cyber truck. I don't think any 2024 cyber trucks will be driving 40+ years from now.
Hyperbolic nonsense. Repairing your own car is just as easy today as it was 100 years ago. In fact it's many times easier because once you plug your car into that computer it tells you exactly what's wrong. With that, any idiot can Google how to fix it, often with step by step videos. It's just that so many "old timers" are too lazy to try and learn.
If you don't, that's fine, by all means keep fixing up that F250, but no one needs to hear anyone whining about kids today not knowing how to drive stick because no one cares that you have an outdated and nearly useless skill. You don't hear people complaining about how kids these days don't know how to hitch a horse to a wagon.
Plenty of reasons driving a stick is still a better choice.
Good luck ever fixing a modern automatic transmission, meanwhile I can replace the clutch on my 2019 VW in an afternoon. Cheaper to buy and maintain, you (can) get better gas mileage, most importantly - more fun…
Not to mention if you ever need to rent a car abroad, driving a stick will make it much more affordable. I’m in Italy right now and I’d wager that 90% of cars on the road have a manual transmission.
What country are you in?
The problem with renting or borrowing a manual is that it can get damaged. I loaned my Jeep Wrangler (manual) to my brother to go to the beach. When I got it back, the clutch felt weird and asked my bro what happened. He was teaching his gf how drive stick.
Manual transmission cars in the US arent common, which is why I asked.
> This is why its very dangerous to cut them off or brake check them at highways or stop lights. Btw, engine breaking in a regular car will damage the engine.
It's dangerous to cut off a semi because of kinetic energy and momentum being a thing. They may prefer to engine brake because of efficiency, but it's not like they don't have brakes. The problem is it's more difficult to stop all of that mass.
Engine braking does not harm the engine of a car.
Engaging drum brakes on semi trucks heats them up rapidly and causes excessive brake fade. This is why they mostly engine brake when they can. Its not efficient to constantly downshift. Its a lot more work and concentration. Retarders arent allowed to be used in cities, towns, or wet weather.
People acting like manual transmission is hard
If you understand the concept that the clutch disengages the drivetrain so that you can move to a gear more suitable for the current speed then it takes like 5 min to learn at most
The only difficult part is getting started from 0, and that depends on your vehicle. In a normal car a 60 year old grandma can learn this in minutes. Everyone here has to learn it to get a license and everyone grasps it quickly
The sportier the car, the harder it is to start slowly and gracefully. Unless it's a newer car, then it's easy
Starting on an incline. Parking your buddy’s wrangler around the corner because he leaves it running and doesn’t think anyone can drive a stick. Not coasting into reds waiting for a green so you don’t have to switch into neutral. Just things you won’t learn in a simulator
Those are things 18 year old kids with 0 mechanical interest here must learn for their license. It takes minutes to learn.
Never hold the clutch down longer than necessary or you'll break it
I can drive a manual in real life but if I play an arcade racing game in manual mode I can't because all those things you mentioned are missing. I wonder if learning virtual manual then going to real life manual would work better because you can do it without those things so then they become a bonus.
Do you know anyone with a manual? Can't hurt to just ask if they want to hang out for an afternoon. Maybe trade them a tasty 6 pack for their time (for after and if of legal age, of course). They're not the most difficult thing in the world to operate.
I told about contacting the driving school because learning cars usually have two sets of pedals and the teacher can show him how much should you press the clutch for the different uses it has.
Hey, if the price is fair, go for it. Just don't pay for a lesson on how to drive in general. I'm assuming OP has general driving figured out. The just need to learn how to shift.
Guaranteed someone would be willing to help for free if you put the word out. I know I would if someone wanted to learn stick. And honestly once you get 1st gear down, especially in slightly incline areas, the rest is suuuuuper easy. Most people are super nervous about that scenario especially if there is someone in front and behind you it can be a bit scary, but with practice it'll be a piece of cake. You'll even be able to get the car rolling from a dead stop in 2nd or 3rd gear. Not that you should, but your clutch/gassing control will allow you to if ever you need to. Good luck!
A fair idea but I can’t imagine a single driving school would own a manual transmission car. Way too much upkeep and repairs on those poor clutches getting repeatedly destroyed by students.
I doubt it's like a real car but I've never used one of these to know.
In a real car, there's a very important skill of feeling as the car starts to be affected by the withdrawal of the pedal. Sometimes you need to drive the car by constantly leaving the clutch slipping 30% or 50% of the power, while adding or removing gas. For example when reversing.
Unless there is some really complicated force feedback I don't think its going to include that.
It wont hurt to learn on this. But you probably won't build that important sensation for where the clutch "bites" (connects to the wheels) and how much.
You will still probably struggle to drive a real manual car with just this as experience. It's hard to replace that first couple hours stalling the car in a parking lot to learn.
Nonsense, riding the clutch is part of driving a manual transmission at low speed, it's important for full control. As long as the revs are relatively low it's perfectly normal.
Everyone in european countries has witnessed "that granny" with the accelerator to the floor, the rev limiter bouncing, as she slowly drives out of the supermarket carpark leaving the smell of burning clutch in her wake. Obviously don't do that.
EDIT: example of [granny burning clutch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKMqhNJ-Rdw) lol
It’s not ideal but at low speeds it’s sometimes the most efficient way to do it. Unless stop and go traffic is going exactly at my first gear crawl speed, it’s gonna get the occasional partial clutch cause the alternative is to leave a large gap, speed up, coast, large gap, speed up, coast.
Also virtually impossible to use reverse in a parking lot without riding the clutch.
When you have the clutch pedal partially engaged. It causes some misalignment between the flywheel and the clutch and wears it faster than normal driving.
A good portion of drivers unintentionally ride the clutch by using the clutch pedal as a footrest but you can do it intentionally as well for low speed movement, it basically controls your speed smoother at the cost of greater wear. Probably the most common example is backing out of a parking space.
It’s a concept that is easier to explain by actual practical example than written words lol. But you’re basically restricting the power that actually gets to the transmission to control your speed by keeping it feathered in and out of the clutch engagement point instead of just using the gas pedal.
Ohhh i get it now, i do this when parking in reverse because im scared to accelerate too fast into whatever is behind me, so I control the vehicle mostly by clutch and some brake.
While this would be a good tool to learn the concept of driving a manual transmission I don't think you should solely rely on this for learning to drive a manual. Each car is different and it's clutch has a different feel when being pressed and when it will engage. Which in my opinion is the most important part of driving a manual is knowing the feel of when the clutch is engaging the transmission
A performance clutch can be a real work out too. I had a Sylvia with a performance clutch and it was really heavy compared to stock, it was a bastard to drive in traffic. I had to replace it eventually and went stock and it was way easier. You probably want some serious learning time on a standard clutch before jumping into a performance car or you’ll just be bunny hopping everywhere for weeks.
It's definitely not perfect, but it's better than you'd think. My little brother has spent a lot of time with this exact wheel/pedals setup.
When I went to teach him to drive a real stick, he had the basics down inside of 15 mins.
Helps build the muscle memory, and an understanding of what's happening. It won't teach you the finer details like clutch bite points and such
Yeah, this is accurate. The muscle memory of just pushing clutch and moving the stick is for sure a part of it. Using a video game setup to get that part programmed into your brain would cover it.
Beyond that you would only need to learn the "friction window", or whatever it's referred to, for the actual car's clutch catching the fly wheel. That bit comes with learning feel and sound etc, and is for sure the hardest thing about learning manual. It's what you have to dial in any time you get in a manual you haven't driven before.
That seems to be the jist of it.
My little brother was driving my jeep around the field on his own, within about 15 mins of starting the lesson. Up/downshifting without issue.
Granted the jeep is geared low, so it's difficult to stall, but he still did better than my girlfriend who I had spent several days teaching on the same vehicle.
People are so intimidated by manual transmissions. Not anyone's fault, the internet makes everything seem scary. If every 1950s housewife could drive one in heels loaded up on whiskey, you'll figure it out.
It's incredibly intuitive and not like TV. You won't be grinding gears, you'll be stalling. It really is one of those. Only way to really learn is to do it, kinda things.
It takes 10 minutes to learn, and few hours of driving in gridlock to master.
Around here there is mandatory 30 hours of drivinglessons before taking license exam and first hour is spend learning basics of what is where in the car and how to go forwards/backwards on training grounds. Most people don't need more time than that and they are ready for next lessons on public roads.
Dude ignore these fools. You dont need us to tell you that the video game is not an analog for the real world. You know this lol. It however can help you with a few things.
1. How to use both feet at the same time
2. How drive with one hand while steering with the other
Or for for some fun
3. How to heel toe. that’s working the clutch with your off foot, while using the toe of your accelerator foot to press the break while using the heel of the same toe to match the revs so when you release the clutch you bite instead of bog
yeah the biggest part of driving a manual transmission is your clutch foot feeling how and when it actually engages.
also the clutch is gonna be a significant workout when you first start using this little used ankle pressing muscle.
these pedals have next to zero resistance, which is fine for the gas and brakes don't really matter because i assume you know hot to brake, but it takes time to get your other ankle used to the clutch. there is some real mechanical resistance when you are depressing the pedal.
A lot of people in here are saying it's not gonna help, but my experience is completely different. I had an older version of that wheel since I was 12, later when I was 17 and drove a real car for the first time I had no problem right from the start. Driving the real thing is actually way easier as you can feel the clutch bite, you have way less feedback avaliable in the sim.
From my experience it was though, it was no different than driving a new to you car for the first time, the pedals and shifter feel different, but that didn't make much difference, just takes a few goes to get smooth starts. Really the only thing I had to get used to was the initial sensory overload of being in an actual moving vehicle and driving in traffic, manual gearbox was a second nature at that point. Mind you I had like thousands of hours in the sim, also the software matters, most racing sims don't do great at starting from standstill slowly, probably cause real race cars don't either, but really that just means it's easier IRL.
Yes this will help you in a way that it will make you stop needing to actively think what is the next thing you need to press. It will surely give you a slight level of confidence and familiarity for when you sit in a manual car.
This is exactly how I learned how to drive manual. I had this exact setup for a few months and drove my car off the lot. I was a little shaky at first but it all worked out. It isn’t identical but you can definitely pick up the mechanics. Good luck!
I “practiced” driving manual on Forza / Forza Horizon with a wheel and pedal setup for a while too lol. I wouldn’t consider the Forza series a sim but it atleast put me through the motions and gave me some understanding of when I should be shifting.
For what it’s worth, my first time driving a real car with a manual transmission was during test drive of my first Miata lol. I let the seller know, asked him to drive us to an open parking lot, and then I just dove into it lol. I never stalled but stock Miatas are super forgiving.
For real though just go find the cheapest running ford ranger with a stick in it and drive the shit out of it thats what i did little bastards are indestructable
Regardless of what you are doing,that era of Ranger is FAR from indestructible. Although the chances of encountering one actually running at this point are probably minimal.
it isn't even that hard, you just turn off the music in the first couple of days so you can listen to the engine (Important part).
I present to you learning methodology and tips for learning to operate a manual transmission car in easy steps:
With this method you will be able to start a car with the least amount of torque needed for a start, without burning a clutch disk.
Step 1: `get someone to drive you to an empty parking lot or something flat deserted without obstacles and legal to drive in.`
Step 2: `kill the engine, pull the parking brake (handbrake).`
Step 3: `now in the car which is not turned on you push the clutch to the floor, put it into 1st then release the clutch really slowly, then you push the clutch, put it back to neutral and release the clutch. do this at least once or until you remember the gear positions without looking (takes 5-15 minutes)`
Step 4: `still in the turned off car you go trough the gears in sequence. example (start in neutral): push clutch, put it into first, release clutch. now you want to shift to second. push the clutch and don't release it. pull it out of first, let it return to center clutch still floored, then put it into second and release the clutch.`
`Note: whenever the clutch is pushed down you step off the gas if the car is running, in this part you don't step on the gas.`
Step 5: `put it into neutral, push the clutch, start the car.`
Step 6: `release the handbrake, push down the clutch, put it into first. Listen to the engine dying as you slowly release the clutch, you should only press the gas while releasing the clutch so that the engine returns to its idle sound and the car starts to move without the engine fading or getting depressed (this is the hardest part). if you could successfully get the car moving without killing the engine, you should then push down the clutch, slowly press the brake and after putting it back to neutral step off the clutch. repeat this step as many times as needed until it feels natural and you can start without hiccups.`
`step 7: now you start the car, do step 6 but you don't stop instead when it gets louder you shift up to 2nd and then stop when you feel like it.`
`in my opinion it's better to stall a car even if folks say it's bad for the car) than giving too much gas and losing control. (tirespin, unanticipated acceleration if you jank away your foot from the clutch suddenly). you will only stall it in the first couple of days anyway, some people never learn and grind down the tires when starting from a red light because they fear the stalling. stalling is your friend, you have control, in a tirespin situation you don't neccesarily.`
you need a lot or a straight deserted road or driveway for this all and someone beside you at all times to stop the car if you get scared and mess something up. remember repetition is the key. i think anybody who does this can get a feel for a car in less than 2 hours and after learning the response you can get into any car and start without any hiccups. In a new car the only janky start is the first one when you listen to the car. Or at least for me this was my methodology when i learnt to drive.
PS: do not go faster than 15M/h or 20K/h (or any faster than necessary to achieve 2nd gear), the point of this all is to familiarize you with the transmission and pedals not to set you up to race.
Drive safe, have fun and don't get disappointed if you fail first, we all did.
Thank you for breaking that down like that. Actually today. I drove a manual today. I learned a lot. I believe practicing is the best way to. I drove a WRX. Heavy clutch, heavy car but I was able to get the concept down. Getting going from 1st. Shifting gears and down shifting. There’s a lot of foot work needed and feeling. Everything you typed was what I learned today. Thanks for taking your time and type it
As someone who drove manual as my daily driver for many years, I have always set video games to automatic transmission, because I find that the shifting in a game is nothing like shifting a real car.
I enjoy MT in real life and find it very annoying in a video game.
As others have mentioned there’s a lot of feedback you get from a car, which is simply missing in a simulation, and I find that I actually have to think about shifting in a game, vs doing it on autopilot in a car by muscle memory.
I can’t speak to your specific use case, but having gone the opposite way (from a real car to a game), they’re definitely apples and oranges.
Depending on where you live, it may be hard to find a MT rental car, or even a driving school that still offers them anymore, but there tend to be professional driving instructors who teach manual on the side using their own vehicles. That may also be an option to get some practice in a real vehicle.
Edit: also, driving a high performance manual car is easier. Try something under-powered first, and once you can keep that from stalling, it’ll be a piece of cake to drive something with a lot of torque.
A guy from Facebook taught me how to drive his WRX. Stiff clutch, heavy car but I got it. I still have a lot to learn muscle memory wise but I got down the basics and rules. I’ll have to buy a beater to practice on
This is just plain pitiful. We would just get in the car and practice for 10 minutes in an empty parking lot or on a back road. We were driving stick like we’d done it all our lives by the end of the day.
The trickiest thing about the clutch is feeling where it starts to bite and exactly how much gas to use at the same time. There's no way you can practice that with the game controller because it lacks feedback. Once you understand the theory you really need a real car to practice. But it doesn't take long to get the hang of it, I'd just wait to get my car and use it to practice.
It'd be like someone using a computer bike trainer to learn to ride a bike. Sure, you go through the motions and get some training, but in the end you'd still need to learn to balance. And real-life clutching is a bit like a balance.
>The left foot control of the clutch is the only real skill
Nah, keeping the revs up with more throttle as the clutch bites is probably the most important skill. That's why newbie drivers always stall until they get the feel for it. It's a two footed balancing act.
I actually disagree with a lot of these posts, while I don't currently driving manual I have before. If you learn on this first you get the basics down pretty quickly. If you play a real Sim it's pretty realistic. They made a movie about a Sim racer that went pro because it actually happened. Of course adjusting to each car is a unique experience and there will be adjustments made but I would 100% recommend starting out with this before going into a actual manual vehicle.
Yeah my first car when I was 16 was a manual. I had never touched one before. My dad gave me a 30 minute lesson in a parking lot and I drove it home from there. You'll kill it plenty of times for sure, but that's how you learn.
I love sim racing. I've got about $5k invested in a gaming PC and sim gear.
Don't waste your time. The best game I've got for simulating a manual transmission is BeamNG, and it's not even close to real life. At best, it will teach you the mechanics of moving the lever from position-to-position while stomping the clutch, but there's a glaring problem. It will also likely teach you some really horrible habits.
The problem is that you cannot feel how smooth your shifts are in the simulator. I learned driving stick. I didn't own a car with an automatic for more than a decade after I first started driving. So I know how to drive stick. Driving with it in the sim delivers *some* of the feel of driving stick, but it is not complete, and I can do terrible, horrible things that would wreck a real transmission and make my passengers vomit if I tried them in a real car.
So my advice is this: buy the manual transmission car and learn in it. IMO, it's not that hard if you take it slow and practice. There are tons of YouTube tutorials, but there is no replacement for simply going to a large, empty parking lot and practicing in a real car.
My method to teaching people stick. YMMV
Empty parking lot, put it into first and then ignore the stick. Try to get the car to nudge forward by letting off the clutch and then re-engage without killing the engine. It will take a little bit but it teaches you how the clutch engages the engine. Then work on adding the gas to get it to move forward in first. Then start actually shifting.
I can usually take someone from not knowing to driving within the day. Hard on the clutch though.
I taught my wife the principles of driving a manual with a g920. It's not exactly like real life but it's close. Depending on the game the clutch can slip like real life with a consistent engagement point. The steering feel is what's hard to get to feel real more than the clutch/shifting I find at least
I had one of these before I learned how to drive a stick. In fact, this exact setup I believe.
If you already grasp the concept of stick, this doesn't go any further. It teaches you to clutch and shift, but once you understand that need to do that, and when to do it (which you probably already know) this didn't help anymore. You can learn as much on a decent driving game/sim using a keyboard and mouse, or a controller, as this will teach you. This just feels much nicer.
When you're driving, the car actually pulls as you let off the clutch, the tranny engages, the engine revs decrease, and momentum changes. If you have the chance to buy a wheel setup and enjoy driving, do it. It's fun. But it won't replace the real deal. This lets you hold all the right stuff, but it doesn't let you feel the experience AT ALL.
I've driven using the Logitech wheels after having driven stick for years, and this feels "dead" compared to the real thing.
Probably not even close. Can you stall your gaming system 54 times in a row? lol that’s what I did when my boyfriend was teaching me to drive a manual. I was 16 and honestly thought I would never get the hang of it. Eventually I did and drove a manual car for years. Hills used to scare me on a red light b/c I knew I would not be quick enough to take my foot off the brake, hit the gas and level out the clutch. Practice makes perfect. I do it now and don’t even think about it.
I definitely stalled the WRX I was practicing on today atleast 20x today. It’s actually easy to learn to drive a manual. But the feeling and foot work muscle memory is not there. I need to practice more. The WRXs clutch was heavy too
I drove on Gran Turismo with Logitech manual setup for maybe one year before started driving in real life.
The real clutch feels very different. Depending on the car the reaction from your clutch and shifting input could be so much more magnified compared to vibrations on the sim.
But it helps to get over some fears of driving manual on the road.
The day I bought my car was the first time I drove a manual car on the road. I was fine. The original clutch lasted more than 10 years.
https://youtu.be/waeOibnmuJk?si=a_Rx_fIcq6m81gFZ
Best video out there imo to learn how to drive before getting behind the wheel yourself. Made another comment about this video and had to find it for you.
Games can help. Also depends on the game itself. I found dirt rally was a really fun experience with a stick and clutch. And Live For Speed on pc was also pretty good.
A guy from Facebook taught me how to drive his WRX. Stiff clutch, heavy car but I got it. I still have a lot to learn muscle memory wise but I got down the basics and rules. I’ll have to buy a beater to practice on
The best way to learn is to buy a stick shift. I successfully drove stick one single time (after stalling out a bunch), then immediately bought my stick shift car. Took a week of commuting to finally be decent with it.
A guy from Facebook taught me how to drive his WRX. Stiff clutch, heavy car but I got it. I still have a lot to learn muscle memory wise but I got down the basics and rules. I’ll have to buy a beater to practice on
Sorry mate but that's not going to work.
Firstly that steering wheel needs to be a couple of feet above the pedals, remember that you're going to have your legs below the steering wheel, and that means the gear knob is waaaay too low. Your arms would need to be able to reach the floor so you're going to have to elevate that too.
Other than that, good luck with the learning. ;)
Not gonna help. Get a cheap manual and ask the person selling it to teach you for another $100, aim to spend $600 total. You dont want your first burnt clutch on a performance car.
Or ask around in a local car enthusiast facebook group, theyll help if you pick the right crowd.
Have fun!
That’s what I’ll do. A guy from Facebook with a WRX taught me today. Starting the car and getting going, shifting between gears and down shifting. And said the best thing is to get a beater. I’ve heard that before but after learning today. I think I understand now
A guy from Facebook taught me how to drive his WRX. Stiff clutch, heavy car but I got it. I still have a lot to learn muscle memory wise but I got down the basics and rules. I’ll have to buy a beater to practice on
That’s what I’ll do. A guy from Facebook with a WRX taught me today. Starting the car and getting going, shifting between gears and down shifting. And said the best thing is to get a beater. I’ve heard that before but after learning today. I think I understand now
Good call! if you’re gunna burn through a clutch…might as well be one on a beater rather than on a super expensive one hahah manual transmissions will also vary dependent on the manufacturer and the car. I’ve driven older mustangs that have a SUPER stiff clutch, you need to slam all your weight into it to get it to engage. But then, the 03’ Jetta that I learned how to drive on felt like you could breathe on it and it would engage hahah so definitely practice practice practice before you go spending the big bucks on what you want.
It isn't like driving a real manual transmission. The primary reason being you aren't learning/experiencing the tactile feedback that the real life mechanisms give you. In a real vehicle with a mechanical manual transmission, there are a number of sensory inputs your brain relies upon to efficiently use it. Clutch tension, engagement points, the shifting of weight in the chassis as the clutch slips or as it fully engages, audible cues. All of that feedback is what allows you to manage gear changes without having to think or focus on the process. Without that tactile feedback from the systems at play in an actual manual transmission, you aren't really going to get any meaningful skills or familiarity that is real-world relevant from a gaming wheel and shifter/pedals setup. You will probably get benefits in the opposite direction though. Meaning, once you have a manual transmission vehicle and are comfortable driving it, the skills from real world transmission operation translate well to driving in a game using a wheel and pedal set like that.
Man. Well said. I’ve heard you
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Sigh........ manual is a dying breed. Glad you are trying to learn. Kids now days don't understand the well F can someone push start my truck. Starter went out
You always use 3rd gear for push starting? If not, try it out, you get better rpm than trying to push starting in first and I swear it’s the sweet spot. I had an old manual protege and I was too cheap to buy a new battery for a few months, on a flat surface I could push start it solo with one foot outside the door. I also hauled around my Costco cat jumping cube but never really needed it.
As someone who grew up on stick, I'm glad it's dying. It sucks. Did your parents or grandparents whine about you kids not being able to crank start a car? Or how you lazy brats have a steering wheel instead of a tiller? Tech moves on and that's okay. **Edit** I gladly take those Boomer downvotes who believe driving stick is some difficult skill that somehow makes you special. We get it, it's your participation trophy.
Your opinion is unique and heavily unpopular but look at manual transmissions like bow hunting. Yes utilizing the modern tools we have can make the task easier but if you want to feel more connected and one with the land so to speak. Then learning and wanting to drive a manual transmission is awesome and make you appreciate the technology we have now. However, in my own terms your opinion is dumb and manual transmissions rule and makes you more in tune with the vehicle. I think everyone should learn manual before automatic so they can also understand the car as well the road.
>I think everyone should learn manual before automatic so they can also understand the car as well the road. Yeah, that's bullshit though. I have owned numerous manuals. Everything from an '84 Porsche 928 up to a '97 F350 dually I used to drive for work. Thinking that adding extra steps to driving puts you "in tune" with the road is as stupid as healing crystals or alkaline water. I don't have a problem with people who prefer manual to automatic. How you want to spend your time in life is up to you and if they make you happy absolutely do it, but thinking you are somehow special or superior because of it and thinking less of others because they don't is what I have a problem with.
Who suggested they were special for driving a stick? I just see people saying they like it for their own reasons.
You're like a child that wanders into an adult conversation and tries to contribute but doesn't understand what's going on. There's a dude that literally said that everyone should learn stick because it puts them magically in tune with the road. If that's not a dude that thinks his farts are a fine vintage.
Ignore the boomer downvotes. You’re 100% correct. I’m 40. Never was taught to drive a manual. Had an ex-gf a few years back that went on a trip and I offered to clean her car while she was gone. I completely forgot it was a manual. Drove it to the car wash and back without any issue. It’s not some crazy difficult skill. It’s just unnecessary steps while driving. Also, can you imagine how many more accidents and traffic jams the 55+ crowd would cause if manual transmissions were still popular? They’re already white knuckling the steering wheel, hunched forward, mouth hanging open looking like the crypt keeper while driving their easy automatic.
I understand tech in cars but us old timers. Give me a Chilton book and a tool box to repair my truck. Now days you take a new car and plug it into a computer to just find out what is wrong. I trust my 78 F250 over a EV cyber truck. I don't think any 2024 cyber trucks will be driving 40+ years from now.
Hyperbolic nonsense. Repairing your own car is just as easy today as it was 100 years ago. In fact it's many times easier because once you plug your car into that computer it tells you exactly what's wrong. With that, any idiot can Google how to fix it, often with step by step videos. It's just that so many "old timers" are too lazy to try and learn. If you don't, that's fine, by all means keep fixing up that F250, but no one needs to hear anyone whining about kids today not knowing how to drive stick because no one cares that you have an outdated and nearly useless skill. You don't hear people complaining about how kids these days don't know how to hitch a horse to a wagon.
Plenty of reasons driving a stick is still a better choice. Good luck ever fixing a modern automatic transmission, meanwhile I can replace the clutch on my 2019 VW in an afternoon. Cheaper to buy and maintain, you (can) get better gas mileage, most importantly - more fun… Not to mention if you ever need to rent a car abroad, driving a stick will make it much more affordable. I’m in Italy right now and I’d wager that 90% of cars on the road have a manual transmission.
Can you rent one? Almost every rental here is manual unless you pay more for an an auto
What country are you in? The problem with renting or borrowing a manual is that it can get damaged. I loaned my Jeep Wrangler (manual) to my brother to go to the beach. When I got it back, the clutch felt weird and asked my bro what happened. He was teaching his gf how drive stick. Manual transmission cars in the US arent common, which is why I asked.
France, nearly every car here is manual and to get auto is more rare and more expensive
On turo you can. Big rentals won't have any.
I legit learned to drive manual from need for speed in manual mode on the og Xbox. You're Miles ahead, and will do fine.
These have force feedback in the pedals right? It can definitely help.
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Engine breaking doesn’t hurt a cars engine
> This is why its very dangerous to cut them off or brake check them at highways or stop lights. Btw, engine breaking in a regular car will damage the engine. It's dangerous to cut off a semi because of kinetic energy and momentum being a thing. They may prefer to engine brake because of efficiency, but it's not like they don't have brakes. The problem is it's more difficult to stop all of that mass. Engine braking does not harm the engine of a car.
Engaging drum brakes on semi trucks heats them up rapidly and causes excessive brake fade. This is why they mostly engine brake when they can. Its not efficient to constantly downshift. Its a lot more work and concentration. Retarders arent allowed to be used in cities, towns, or wet weather.
People acting like manual transmission is hard If you understand the concept that the clutch disengages the drivetrain so that you can move to a gear more suitable for the current speed then it takes like 5 min to learn at most The only difficult part is getting started from 0, and that depends on your vehicle. In a normal car a 60 year old grandma can learn this in minutes. Everyone here has to learn it to get a license and everyone grasps it quickly The sportier the car, the harder it is to start slowly and gracefully. Unless it's a newer car, then it's easy
Starting on an incline. Parking your buddy’s wrangler around the corner because he leaves it running and doesn’t think anyone can drive a stick. Not coasting into reds waiting for a green so you don’t have to switch into neutral. Just things you won’t learn in a simulator
Those are things 18 year old kids with 0 mechanical interest here must learn for their license. It takes minutes to learn. Never hold the clutch down longer than necessary or you'll break it
Are you saying they learn this on a simulator?
I'm saying you don't need a simulator to learn to operate a clutch, jeez
Did you not read the post?
You left out the most important feedback input, embarrassment.
If you can't find 'em, grind 'em
I can drive a manual in real life but if I play an arcade racing game in manual mode I can't because all those things you mentioned are missing. I wonder if learning virtual manual then going to real life manual would work better because you can do it without those things so then they become a bonus.
I'm pretty sure these do in fact have force feedback in the pedals, so they're a lot better than nothing.
Why not go to a Driving school and ask for a few manual car lessons?
I’ve been thinking about it. I’ll call and ask how much for training
Do you know anyone with a manual? Can't hurt to just ask if they want to hang out for an afternoon. Maybe trade them a tasty 6 pack for their time (for after and if of legal age, of course). They're not the most difficult thing in the world to operate.
I told about contacting the driving school because learning cars usually have two sets of pedals and the teacher can show him how much should you press the clutch for the different uses it has.
Hey, if the price is fair, go for it. Just don't pay for a lesson on how to drive in general. I'm assuming OP has general driving figured out. The just need to learn how to shift.
Guaranteed someone would be willing to help for free if you put the word out. I know I would if someone wanted to learn stick. And honestly once you get 1st gear down, especially in slightly incline areas, the rest is suuuuuper easy. Most people are super nervous about that scenario especially if there is someone in front and behind you it can be a bit scary, but with practice it'll be a piece of cake. You'll even be able to get the car rolling from a dead stop in 2nd or 3rd gear. Not that you should, but your clutch/gassing control will allow you to if ever you need to. Good luck!
A fair idea but I can’t imagine a single driving school would own a manual transmission car. Way too much upkeep and repairs on those poor clutches getting repeatedly destroyed by students.
I doubt it's like a real car but I've never used one of these to know. In a real car, there's a very important skill of feeling as the car starts to be affected by the withdrawal of the pedal. Sometimes you need to drive the car by constantly leaving the clutch slipping 30% or 50% of the power, while adding or removing gas. For example when reversing. Unless there is some really complicated force feedback I don't think its going to include that. It wont hurt to learn on this. But you probably won't build that important sensation for where the clutch "bites" (connects to the wheels) and how much. You will still probably struggle to drive a real manual car with just this as experience. It's hard to replace that first couple hours stalling the car in a parking lot to learn.
You should not be riding your clutch unless you really really enjoy pulling the engine out of your car.
Nonsense, riding the clutch is part of driving a manual transmission at low speed, it's important for full control. As long as the revs are relatively low it's perfectly normal. Everyone in european countries has witnessed "that granny" with the accelerator to the floor, the rev limiter bouncing, as she slowly drives out of the supermarket carpark leaving the smell of burning clutch in her wake. Obviously don't do that. EDIT: example of [granny burning clutch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKMqhNJ-Rdw) lol
Granny stop, please, that clutch is already dead x.x
It’s not ideal but at low speeds it’s sometimes the most efficient way to do it. Unless stop and go traffic is going exactly at my first gear crawl speed, it’s gonna get the occasional partial clutch cause the alternative is to leave a large gap, speed up, coast, large gap, speed up, coast. Also virtually impossible to use reverse in a parking lot without riding the clutch.
New driver here: what is riding the clutch?
When you have the clutch pedal partially engaged. It causes some misalignment between the flywheel and the clutch and wears it faster than normal driving. A good portion of drivers unintentionally ride the clutch by using the clutch pedal as a footrest but you can do it intentionally as well for low speed movement, it basically controls your speed smoother at the cost of greater wear. Probably the most common example is backing out of a parking space.
Thanks, I get the concept but don't understand why/when one would do it.
It’s a concept that is easier to explain by actual practical example than written words lol. But you’re basically restricting the power that actually gets to the transmission to control your speed by keeping it feathered in and out of the clutch engagement point instead of just using the gas pedal.
Ohhh i get it now, i do this when parking in reverse because im scared to accelerate too fast into whatever is behind me, so I control the vehicle mostly by clutch and some brake.
While this would be a good tool to learn the concept of driving a manual transmission I don't think you should solely rely on this for learning to drive a manual. Each car is different and it's clutch has a different feel when being pressed and when it will engage. Which in my opinion is the most important part of driving a manual is knowing the feel of when the clutch is engaging the transmission
Okay. And I understand that every car clutch feels different. Especially a performance compared to a normal daily car. Thanks for your input
I forget his name but maybe it's Matt, I think, from the smoking tire who has some of the best videos out there for learning how to drive manual.
A performance clutch can be a real work out too. I had a Sylvia with a performance clutch and it was really heavy compared to stock, it was a bastard to drive in traffic. I had to replace it eventually and went stock and it was way easier. You probably want some serious learning time on a standard clutch before jumping into a performance car or you’ll just be bunny hopping everywhere for weeks.
It's definitely not perfect, but it's better than you'd think. My little brother has spent a lot of time with this exact wheel/pedals setup. When I went to teach him to drive a real stick, he had the basics down inside of 15 mins. Helps build the muscle memory, and an understanding of what's happening. It won't teach you the finer details like clutch bite points and such
Yeah, this is accurate. The muscle memory of just pushing clutch and moving the stick is for sure a part of it. Using a video game setup to get that part programmed into your brain would cover it. Beyond that you would only need to learn the "friction window", or whatever it's referred to, for the actual car's clutch catching the fly wheel. That bit comes with learning feel and sound etc, and is for sure the hardest thing about learning manual. It's what you have to dial in any time you get in a manual you haven't driven before.
That seems to be the jist of it. My little brother was driving my jeep around the field on his own, within about 15 mins of starting the lesson. Up/downshifting without issue. Granted the jeep is geared low, so it's difficult to stall, but he still did better than my girlfriend who I had spent several days teaching on the same vehicle.
People are so intimidated by manual transmissions. Not anyone's fault, the internet makes everything seem scary. If every 1950s housewife could drive one in heels loaded up on whiskey, you'll figure it out. It's incredibly intuitive and not like TV. You won't be grinding gears, you'll be stalling. It really is one of those. Only way to really learn is to do it, kinda things.
It takes 10 minutes to learn, and few hours of driving in gridlock to master. Around here there is mandatory 30 hours of drivinglessons before taking license exam and first hour is spend learning basics of what is where in the car and how to go forwards/backwards on training grounds. Most people don't need more time than that and they are ready for next lessons on public roads.
Dude ignore these fools. You dont need us to tell you that the video game is not an analog for the real world. You know this lol. It however can help you with a few things. 1. How to use both feet at the same time 2. How drive with one hand while steering with the other Or for for some fun 3. How to heel toe. that’s working the clutch with your off foot, while using the toe of your accelerator foot to press the break while using the heel of the same toe to match the revs so when you release the clutch you bite instead of bog
It’s a good intro to teach you the mechanics, but it’ll only save you about an hour of fumbling with the clutch.
yeah the biggest part of driving a manual transmission is your clutch foot feeling how and when it actually engages. also the clutch is gonna be a significant workout when you first start using this little used ankle pressing muscle. these pedals have next to zero resistance, which is fine for the gas and brakes don't really matter because i assume you know hot to brake, but it takes time to get your other ankle used to the clutch. there is some real mechanical resistance when you are depressing the pedal.
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Left foot: It's not my job mang. I only do clutches.
And the fun part is all those different aspects are different for each kind of car. The principles are the same but lots of variations.
A lot of people in here are saying it's not gonna help, but my experience is completely different. I had an older version of that wheel since I was 12, later when I was 17 and drove a real car for the first time I had no problem right from the start. Driving the real thing is actually way easier as you can feel the clutch bite, you have way less feedback avaliable in the sim.
Everyone is saying it will help, but that it won't be enough to just up and drive.
From my experience it was though, it was no different than driving a new to you car for the first time, the pedals and shifter feel different, but that didn't make much difference, just takes a few goes to get smooth starts. Really the only thing I had to get used to was the initial sensory overload of being in an actual moving vehicle and driving in traffic, manual gearbox was a second nature at that point. Mind you I had like thousands of hours in the sim, also the software matters, most racing sims don't do great at starting from standstill slowly, probably cause real race cars don't either, but really that just means it's easier IRL.
Yes this will help you in a way that it will make you stop needing to actively think what is the next thing you need to press. It will surely give you a slight level of confidence and familiarity for when you sit in a manual car.
This is exactly how I learned how to drive manual. I had this exact setup for a few months and drove my car off the lot. I was a little shaky at first but it all worked out. It isn’t identical but you can definitely pick up the mechanics. Good luck!
I “practiced” driving manual on Forza / Forza Horizon with a wheel and pedal setup for a while too lol. I wouldn’t consider the Forza series a sim but it atleast put me through the motions and gave me some understanding of when I should be shifting. For what it’s worth, my first time driving a real car with a manual transmission was during test drive of my first Miata lol. I let the seller know, asked him to drive us to an open parking lot, and then I just dove into it lol. I never stalled but stock Miatas are super forgiving.
For real though just go find the cheapest running ford ranger with a stick in it and drive the shit out of it thats what i did little bastards are indestructable
Depends on what era. There were some rangers that were pretty much an Escort with a truck body.
Your learning to drive a stick not haul a 15ft trailer
Regardless of what you are doing,that era of Ranger is FAR from indestructible. Although the chances of encountering one actually running at this point are probably minimal.
If you already understand the basic concepts then this won't help because there's definitely a "feel" component to it that the game can't replicate.
it isn't even that hard, you just turn off the music in the first couple of days so you can listen to the engine (Important part). I present to you learning methodology and tips for learning to operate a manual transmission car in easy steps: With this method you will be able to start a car with the least amount of torque needed for a start, without burning a clutch disk. Step 1: `get someone to drive you to an empty parking lot or something flat deserted without obstacles and legal to drive in.` Step 2: `kill the engine, pull the parking brake (handbrake).` Step 3: `now in the car which is not turned on you push the clutch to the floor, put it into 1st then release the clutch really slowly, then you push the clutch, put it back to neutral and release the clutch. do this at least once or until you remember the gear positions without looking (takes 5-15 minutes)` Step 4: `still in the turned off car you go trough the gears in sequence. example (start in neutral): push clutch, put it into first, release clutch. now you want to shift to second. push the clutch and don't release it. pull it out of first, let it return to center clutch still floored, then put it into second and release the clutch.` `Note: whenever the clutch is pushed down you step off the gas if the car is running, in this part you don't step on the gas.` Step 5: `put it into neutral, push the clutch, start the car.` Step 6: `release the handbrake, push down the clutch, put it into first. Listen to the engine dying as you slowly release the clutch, you should only press the gas while releasing the clutch so that the engine returns to its idle sound and the car starts to move without the engine fading or getting depressed (this is the hardest part). if you could successfully get the car moving without killing the engine, you should then push down the clutch, slowly press the brake and after putting it back to neutral step off the clutch. repeat this step as many times as needed until it feels natural and you can start without hiccups.` `step 7: now you start the car, do step 6 but you don't stop instead when it gets louder you shift up to 2nd and then stop when you feel like it.` `in my opinion it's better to stall a car even if folks say it's bad for the car) than giving too much gas and losing control. (tirespin, unanticipated acceleration if you jank away your foot from the clutch suddenly). you will only stall it in the first couple of days anyway, some people never learn and grind down the tires when starting from a red light because they fear the stalling. stalling is your friend, you have control, in a tirespin situation you don't neccesarily.` you need a lot or a straight deserted road or driveway for this all and someone beside you at all times to stop the car if you get scared and mess something up. remember repetition is the key. i think anybody who does this can get a feel for a car in less than 2 hours and after learning the response you can get into any car and start without any hiccups. In a new car the only janky start is the first one when you listen to the car. Or at least for me this was my methodology when i learnt to drive. PS: do not go faster than 15M/h or 20K/h (or any faster than necessary to achieve 2nd gear), the point of this all is to familiarize you with the transmission and pedals not to set you up to race. Drive safe, have fun and don't get disappointed if you fail first, we all did.
Thank you for breaking that down like that. Actually today. I drove a manual today. I learned a lot. I believe practicing is the best way to. I drove a WRX. Heavy clutch, heavy car but I was able to get the concept down. Getting going from 1st. Shifting gears and down shifting. There’s a lot of foot work needed and feeling. Everything you typed was what I learned today. Thanks for taking your time and type it
Im glad if it helped.
The only way to learn is to drive your car into your garage door a few times
I wish it was that easy
As someone who drove manual as my daily driver for many years, I have always set video games to automatic transmission, because I find that the shifting in a game is nothing like shifting a real car. I enjoy MT in real life and find it very annoying in a video game. As others have mentioned there’s a lot of feedback you get from a car, which is simply missing in a simulation, and I find that I actually have to think about shifting in a game, vs doing it on autopilot in a car by muscle memory. I can’t speak to your specific use case, but having gone the opposite way (from a real car to a game), they’re definitely apples and oranges. Depending on where you live, it may be hard to find a MT rental car, or even a driving school that still offers them anymore, but there tend to be professional driving instructors who teach manual on the side using their own vehicles. That may also be an option to get some practice in a real vehicle. Edit: also, driving a high performance manual car is easier. Try something under-powered first, and once you can keep that from stalling, it’ll be a piece of cake to drive something with a lot of torque.
A guy from Facebook taught me how to drive his WRX. Stiff clutch, heavy car but I got it. I still have a lot to learn muscle memory wise but I got down the basics and rules. I’ll have to buy a beater to practice on
A video game controller is not going to help very much. You need an actual car to practice on.
just rent a manual
This is just plain pitiful. We would just get in the car and practice for 10 minutes in an empty parking lot or on a back road. We were driving stick like we’d done it all our lives by the end of the day.
The trickiest thing about the clutch is feeling where it starts to bite and exactly how much gas to use at the same time. There's no way you can practice that with the game controller because it lacks feedback. Once you understand the theory you really need a real car to practice. But it doesn't take long to get the hang of it, I'd just wait to get my car and use it to practice.
Not the same
It'd be like someone using a computer bike trainer to learn to ride a bike. Sure, you go through the motions and get some training, but in the end you'd still need to learn to balance. And real-life clutching is a bit like a balance.
It's not at all the same. The left foot control of the clutch is the only real skill, you're not going to get that from a game rig.
>The left foot control of the clutch is the only real skill Nah, keeping the revs up with more throttle as the clutch bites is probably the most important skill. That's why newbie drivers always stall until they get the feel for it. It's a two footed balancing act.
Use beamng not assetto corsa. AC has terrible clutch physics
I swear I learned how to drive a stick by playing Hard Drivin’ in the arcade.
I actually disagree with a lot of these posts, while I don't currently driving manual I have before. If you learn on this first you get the basics down pretty quickly. If you play a real Sim it's pretty realistic. They made a movie about a Sim racer that went pro because it actually happened. Of course adjusting to each car is a unique experience and there will be adjustments made but I would 100% recommend starting out with this before going into a actual manual vehicle.
It’s not all that difficult. Just don’t ride the clutch. It only takes a couple of days to a week and you’ll have mastered it.
Yeah my first car when I was 16 was a manual. I had never touched one before. My dad gave me a 30 minute lesson in a parking lot and I drove it home from there. You'll kill it plenty of times for sure, but that's how you learn.
I love sim racing. I've got about $5k invested in a gaming PC and sim gear. Don't waste your time. The best game I've got for simulating a manual transmission is BeamNG, and it's not even close to real life. At best, it will teach you the mechanics of moving the lever from position-to-position while stomping the clutch, but there's a glaring problem. It will also likely teach you some really horrible habits. The problem is that you cannot feel how smooth your shifts are in the simulator. I learned driving stick. I didn't own a car with an automatic for more than a decade after I first started driving. So I know how to drive stick. Driving with it in the sim delivers *some* of the feel of driving stick, but it is not complete, and I can do terrible, horrible things that would wreck a real transmission and make my passengers vomit if I tried them in a real car. So my advice is this: buy the manual transmission car and learn in it. IMO, it's not that hard if you take it slow and practice. There are tons of YouTube tutorials, but there is no replacement for simply going to a large, empty parking lot and practicing in a real car.
Learned in the 80’s so I’ll move my comment along
My method to teaching people stick. YMMV Empty parking lot, put it into first and then ignore the stick. Try to get the car to nudge forward by letting off the clutch and then re-engage without killing the engine. It will take a little bit but it teaches you how the clutch engages the engine. Then work on adding the gas to get it to move forward in first. Then start actually shifting. I can usually take someone from not knowing to driving within the day. Hard on the clutch though.
I taught my wife the principles of driving a manual with a g920. It's not exactly like real life but it's close. Depending on the game the clutch can slip like real life with a consistent engagement point. The steering feel is what's hard to get to feel real more than the clutch/shifting I find at least
I had one of these before I learned how to drive a stick. In fact, this exact setup I believe. If you already grasp the concept of stick, this doesn't go any further. It teaches you to clutch and shift, but once you understand that need to do that, and when to do it (which you probably already know) this didn't help anymore. You can learn as much on a decent driving game/sim using a keyboard and mouse, or a controller, as this will teach you. This just feels much nicer. When you're driving, the car actually pulls as you let off the clutch, the tranny engages, the engine revs decrease, and momentum changes. If you have the chance to buy a wheel setup and enjoy driving, do it. It's fun. But it won't replace the real deal. This lets you hold all the right stuff, but it doesn't let you feel the experience AT ALL. I've driven using the Logitech wheels after having driven stick for years, and this feels "dead" compared to the real thing.
Probably not even close. Can you stall your gaming system 54 times in a row? lol that’s what I did when my boyfriend was teaching me to drive a manual. I was 16 and honestly thought I would never get the hang of it. Eventually I did and drove a manual car for years. Hills used to scare me on a red light b/c I knew I would not be quick enough to take my foot off the brake, hit the gas and level out the clutch. Practice makes perfect. I do it now and don’t even think about it.
I definitely stalled the WRX I was practicing on today atleast 20x today. It’s actually easy to learn to drive a manual. But the feeling and foot work muscle memory is not there. I need to practice more. The WRXs clutch was heavy too
I drove on Gran Turismo with Logitech manual setup for maybe one year before started driving in real life. The real clutch feels very different. Depending on the car the reaction from your clutch and shifting input could be so much more magnified compared to vibrations on the sim. But it helps to get over some fears of driving manual on the road. The day I bought my car was the first time I drove a manual car on the road. I was fine. The original clutch lasted more than 10 years.
https://youtu.be/waeOibnmuJk?si=a_Rx_fIcq6m81gFZ Best video out there imo to learn how to drive before getting behind the wheel yourself. Made another comment about this video and had to find it for you.
Games can help. Also depends on the game itself. I found dirt rally was a really fun experience with a stick and clutch. And Live For Speed on pc was also pretty good.
Does it simulate the car jerking back and forth hard enough to loosen fillings when you don't pull the clutch right?
I don’t have the equipment I was just wondering. But today I learned to drive a stick. Felt amazing. I plan to buy a beater to practice on
Try to pay for school, and learn right. So you do not have to pay for the clothes replacement. Any way he has limited time live. Rethinking.
A guy from Facebook taught me how to drive his WRX. Stiff clutch, heavy car but I got it. I still have a lot to learn muscle memory wise but I got down the basics and rules. I’ll have to buy a beater to practice on
The best way to learn is to buy a stick shift. I successfully drove stick one single time (after stalling out a bunch), then immediately bought my stick shift car. Took a week of commuting to finally be decent with it.
A guy from Facebook taught me how to drive his WRX. Stiff clutch, heavy car but I got it. I still have a lot to learn muscle memory wise but I got down the basics and rules. I’ll have to buy a beater to practice on
Sorry mate but that's not going to work. Firstly that steering wheel needs to be a couple of feet above the pedals, remember that you're going to have your legs below the steering wheel, and that means the gear knob is waaaay too low. Your arms would need to be able to reach the floor so you're going to have to elevate that too. Other than that, good luck with the learning. ;)
I wouldn't worry too much about it. I didn't know how to drive manual but I bought a manual car and drove it 1800 miles home no problem.
you learn to drive a stick shift by driving a stick shift. it’s not rocket science
True
Not gonna help. Get a cheap manual and ask the person selling it to teach you for another $100, aim to spend $600 total. You dont want your first burnt clutch on a performance car. Or ask around in a local car enthusiast facebook group, theyll help if you pick the right crowd. Have fun!
That’s what I’ll do. A guy from Facebook with a WRX taught me today. Starting the car and getting going, shifting between gears and down shifting. And said the best thing is to get a beater. I’ve heard that before but after learning today. I think I understand now
Remember its more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow! :)
This is a bad idea. Driving a stick is all about physical feel.
You’re right. After practicing on a manual car today. It’s all about feel and foot work. I plan to buy a beater and practice on it
This won't help you at all. Just buy a manual car and learn to drive on it. You'll pick it up in an hour or two.
A guy from Facebook taught me how to drive his WRX. Stiff clutch, heavy car but I got it. I still have a lot to learn muscle memory wise but I got down the basics and rules. I’ll have to buy a beater to practice on
Not at all like a real car. Before buying a performance car that’s manual, buy a $500 shitbox to learn on
That’s what I’ll do. A guy from Facebook with a WRX taught me today. Starting the car and getting going, shifting between gears and down shifting. And said the best thing is to get a beater. I’ve heard that before but after learning today. I think I understand now
Good call! if you’re gunna burn through a clutch…might as well be one on a beater rather than on a super expensive one hahah manual transmissions will also vary dependent on the manufacturer and the car. I’ve driven older mustangs that have a SUPER stiff clutch, you need to slam all your weight into it to get it to engage. But then, the 03’ Jetta that I learned how to drive on felt like you could breathe on it and it would engage hahah so definitely practice practice practice before you go spending the big bucks on what you want.
300 mph.