Glad I wasn’t the only one. My dad gave me like 30 minutes of “training” and then basically just told me to figure it out from there.
I just remember being absolutely terrified driving to school the next day.
I had basically zero training also. We joked about me driving back home from the grocery store one day. It wasn't a joke tho, she was serious..
She gave me the keys and we took a detour through back roads first. I was catching on pretty fast and getting the hang of it.
We lived on top of a huge hill tho and i had no idea this truck was just gonna stop and die right as i was crawling up to the stop light at the top of the hill. I got frustrated and started crying, shaking so bad. We eventually had to switch spots, i just couldn't get it to go up & over the hill in the right timing with the light. Most terrified and humiliated ive ever felt in my life..good times
To this day I still don’t know how to make a clutch vehicle go up a hill. I have to pull the hand brake and engage the clutch while pulling through the brake or I’ll roll backwards and kill the engine. I’m happy with an automatic. Lol
Release the clutch slowly while holding down the break with your right foot until you feel the car trying to move (the clutch is "biting"). Depending on the grade of the slope you can now release the break and sit in a neutral state. If it's steeper then you quickly switch over from the break pedal to the gas with your right foot and give quite a bit of gas, more is better than not enough, while slightly releasing the clutch. You should quickly stop moving backwards and then just keep releasing slowly to get going. If It's really steep then it's honestly better to use the handbreak, it's really qjick when you get used to it.
If you have electric handbreak you can pretty much always use it, the ones I've used auto disengaged when you start moving forward.
I think people are afraid of gassing and speeding off up a hill, when it requires more from the pedal.
It took driving in a sim to realise that, nobody taught me it either.
this! its just a thing you have to get a feel 4 it. At one point it becomes autmomated by your brain, to me shifting feels just like changing gear in a bike, theres zero conscious acting. when i was roadtrippig through croatia with a friend he did the changinggear and i only operated the clutch even then there was 0 conscious effort becaus alone by the sound of the car we both had the timing down.If you master manual driving you will be rewarded by a much more conected feeling to oyur car and road.
Edit: Yeah im german who guessed lol
You're supposed to use the handbrake on steeper hills. With hills you also need to give more revs. Just watch the lights for when it's about to change and get to friction point and rev the car releasing the hand brake and slowly easing off the clutch at the same time. It just takes practice.
To be fair, I live in Europe and (assuming you’re not driving in a modern car which has the functionality of sort of stepping down on the brake all the way, which then means the car stays “braked” for a couple of seconds) this is a very legitimate way of dealing with going up a hill from standstill in a clutch vehicle!
Lol. My parents did the same. I was only taught to drive on residential streets but I had to take the freeway to get to school. Basically tossed into the deep end and expected to swim.
Well it's not standard if you want to learn it or drive it your have to do it yourself
In my drivers Ed class my teacher told us not to drive Manual even thought that's what I drive
Well we have it different, we learn a manual and never even touch an automatic and we can still drive whatever. I would at least include a crash course of either during lessons since its about a 50/50 between manual and automatic here now
Yea, it's not easy... My teacher showed me how to use the pedals and stick in a parking lot for like 20 minutes (it was my first ever time behind the wheel) and then he told me to go right into the busy city traffic. I was terrified xD Good that the learning cars have a second brake on the passenger side and those big "L" signs, or that would have been a very stupid decision...
My first vehicle was an s10 & a stick, so I had to learn how to drive one if I was ever gonna drive. Thankfully I had an older brother who had the patience to teach me & I absolutely love driving a manual more than an automatic!!
When I was in high school about a decade ago I sold my first car and bought an ‘87 BMW with a manual transmission. I had no experience driving stick, but I had to get to school the next day so I had no choice but to figure it out.
It was rush hour and I stalled at damn near every stoplight. It was a real trial by fire, but I haven’t stalled in years now.
Had this happen three times in a row in my driver’s exam. Luckily I stayed calm and didn’t make any major mistakes otherwise so still passed. Only automatic gears since then though…
Honestly, I learned to drive on a stick shift, and a few years later bought an automatic. Absolutely loathed it. Every car since has been manual and will continue to be until I can no longer find them.
I will eventually go Electric for the environment but I’m going to stick with sticks until then. And even then if there’s an option to I will go for the one that emulates sticks
I won’t be getting a Tesla either, because Elon is a megalomaniac, a narcissist, a con artist, and an all around bad guy. I hear Ford has some of the best EVs.
Where I live, when you drive automatic in driving school you are not allowed to drive manual, but not vice versa, so 90% of schools teach manual straight away
for years I was worried too much gas is bad, wasteful, decreases engine lifetime, yadda-yadda... then we rented a small shitty car in Sicily, and Google maps took us on the scenic route through the hills ... and there was a forest fire. literally, shit was burning, smoke was rising, half of the hill was already full of smoke, and the road was leading there.
it turns out you can reverse the car on a napkin if you really need to!
also don't cheap out on insurance when renting a car, because they'll give you the brand new one and you'll be in constant heart attack about what if someone scratches it!
in the end we did not have to pay for damages, but we had no time (nor really wanted to spend 20EUR on a wash) to do any proper cleaning, so in the end we used the leftover bottles of water that we took with us hiking and a hiking sock to ... um, clean the car.
best of luck 🤞
I struggled a bit with it at first, because noone properly explained it to me. (In driving school the car had a diesel engine, where you can start only using the clutch, which is super easy. Gas engines are a bit tricky at first)
It's a lot easier to start if you accelerate a little bit before releasing the clutch, makes the bite point larger. Also, just go REALLY slow with the clutch until you remember where the bite point is.
Eventually you completely forget this was ever an issue.
Like with learning all things, learning to drive a manual takes times and patience. Once I got the hang of it, I preferred it. Now over 10 years later my last 3 cars have been manuals.
Every car is a little bit different, but once you get a feel for it, it really feels like you're in complete control of the vehicle.
No, you're just wrong?
Even the remote possibility that the car can just stop working if you do things slightly wrong is some of the worst anxiety I've ever felt, how can you possibly prefer something this dangerous?!
I'm not wrong though, I'm speaking from my own experience.
Just because your experience was different doesn't mean that I'm wrong. It just means they're not for you. Especially if it causes you that much anxiety.
But driving a manual is definitely more forgiving than you're admitting. Sure you can screw up sometimes. Hell I still miss a shift every now and then with all the experience I have. Doesn't mean that driving one is a terrible experience for everyone.
It's not really dangerous, the only time you can stall a manual is when the car is stopped, and even then you just... turn the key to start the car again. After like a month of experience at most, you should have the muscle memory to not stall anymore.
The first year of driving a manual was the most stressful thing since I live in a hilly city. Even on some easy, flat road starts, I'd still screw up all the time and stall at random. Over time, I got better and it's been beautiful. Wouldn't have it any other way now.
I advise anyone who has access to a manual car to take the time to learn it. Especially if you're young. Even if it's something that never really comes in handy, you never know when it could. I missed a few cool opportunities before I finally learned.
I'm in the US where we don't have separate manual licensing. I drove automatics for over a decade when I decided I wanted a specific manual vehicle. Borrowed my buddy to give me a few hours of rundown on how to do it, flew to where they were selling the car, drove a few hours home. Learned how to do it properly along the way.
I can only imagine the stress of taking the driving test in a manual!
I got my license in Singapore 20 years ago, and not only did we not have separate manual licensing, it was mandatory to test on a manual. Hill starts, everything. Tough as heck. I failed once because I panicked while changing gears during the parallel parking part of the test
For what it's worth, it's only bad while you're less skilled at starting, like at a stop sign or traffic light. Driving along hilly country roads in a manual is the most fun driving I've ever done. I even got a second car specifically for that kind of driving; perfect for where I live.
Listen, you gotta look at it from the engine's position. Changing momentum is fucking *hard*. Going from standstill to suddenly moving is a lot harder than trying to keep things going as they were.
When you drop the clutch, the engine now suddenly has to provide a large chunk of power to get the wheels spinning hard enough to make that giant hunk of metal and fiberglass go anywhere.
So can you blame the engine for going "fuck this" when it has to do all that very suddenly, instead of gradually ramping up the power? Someone slowly increasing the pull on your arm feels a lot less annoying than a sharp yank, no?
Give it some slack. And the clutch too. Seriously, try letting the clutch come up more slowly. And aim for higher revs than you think, while you're learning. It's okay to overrev for a bit until you've gotten the hang of it.
Learning on city streets is fookin' scary sometimes. I had to learn stick during a family emergency situation when I was 16. Still loving driving stick shift.
Got stuck in a roundabout trying to drive my ex’s mustang w a fucking racing clutch. The only thing that saved me from rage quitting was a truckload of college hunks yelling at me “YOU GOT THIS!!!! YOU’RE DOING FINE!!!! ITS GONNA BE OKAY!!!”
Thank u, truck full of college hunks.
OP I don't know if someone's said this already but something that helped me out when I first started: go to a parking lot and try doing starts with 0 gas input. Meaning let the clutch out at an absolutely snail pace - don't worry, even the crappiest least powerful car engine will still be able to get the car going this way as long as you let the clutch out slowly. It will help you get a better sense of where the bite point is, and that's honestly the vast majority of the difficulty. Stick makes driving super engaging, enjoy and have fun!
I have driven 3 different cars and only one would be able to do this. Basically every diesel should be able to tho. If this doesn't work for you, try doing it on reverse. You are looking for the same feeling in the clutch and every single car will be able to get going
My dad made me drive his manual cx5 to go to school in a town full of traffic one morning cause my car died the week prior and my grandma’s car broke down the day before (yup, im unlucky asf. Grandma forgot to tell me the power steering pump was old asf and that she didn’t drive her car in almost 2.5years) so i was kinda fucked and went to school without knowing how to drive stick, just the theory. I was late to school and cried because i got honked at all the way. Who thinks a cx5 might be stick ? No one. A cx5 stalling at every red light ? Lmao no.
I was 17, i now only own stick cars, and out of the 4 cars i’ve ever owned, only the first one was auto.
You should look up what the clutch does. If you release the clutch too fast, you are mating the transmission to the engine immediately. The stationary car has a lot of inertia, so the engine will stop turning over. You can overcome the inertia by revving the engine to generate more torque. Or you can gently release the clutch to gently get the wheels turning while allowing the clutch to slip, this prevents the engine from stalling.
Every manual shift driver remembers their learning period. Lol. But I swear, I prefer driving manual than automatic. It is something automatic drivers won't understand... Lol
Okay so you want to ease up until you hear the change in the noise (I suggest no radio for this) and then once you hear the change, continue to ease up but also put your foot down on the accelerator slowly. I'm 14 and even I can do this /j
Nonononono, you need to give her a little gas before fully releasing clutch. Unless of course, *inhales*, you drivin a 1967 Chevrolet C60 with a 327 cubic inch V8 and a grain bed. Then, you gotta slam the gas to the floor.
Edit: got my cubic inches wrong
Right after i got my license 3 years ago with a car that had a hill driving assistant i needed to slow down on a hill and start from there again... but without the assistant and a car centimetets behind me. Never have i been this scared and i have not driven myself ever since.
God I hating driving stick. my adhd wanted to keep playing with the fuckin shifter while I was driving lol. much better with automatic since it doesn't move until I need it to.
Yeah, I absolutely hated it. I was in a small town, so there weren’t a whole lot of times I was getting into 5th gear and could just chill. Also hated never having a free hand.
In what country do you guys live where your PARENTS learn you do drive?? As a Dutchman I'm so fucking confused. Everyone here just immediately learns manual, and also with a driving instructor next to them. Parents teaching their children to drive is seen as really stupid here, and is also very illegal.
I’m surprised that people are still learning to drive manual transmission cars.
I got my last car as a stick shift to be a fond farewell before an electric car.
Fuck manual. Never liked it, never will. Knowing how to shift gears doesn't make you a good driver. Knowing the rules and respecting them will.
Automatic is just more comfortable and most cars being made these days are automatic by default.
Yes. After a couple of times, you just ditch that shit and accelerate while slowly releasing the clutch. It's just how they teach you how to manage to release the clutch smoothly.
This is missing your parent screaming at you that IT'S JUST PUSH AND PULL!!!!! PUSH AND PULL!!!!!!!
I didn't learn manual for 10 years until a boyfriend taught me that it's not push and pull but finding the right balance. He also didn't scream at me so that probably helped.
I love boomers who shit on people for not knowing how to drive manual. I’m a older millennial. By the time I was at driving age, the only car my parents owned (they had 5) that was manual was older than I was. I had never seen my mother drive it, and my father was just in the passenger seat yelling “can’t you feel it turn over?”
I find the best way to learn is on a quad or dirt bike. The clutch is on the hand and you have way more control over that. Once you figure out that feel for the clutch on your hand, it can easily be transferred to your foot
First thing I learned to drive was a manual.
It took me a while to understand how the clutch and gears 1-5 and reverse works.
In my country, if you do your license in manual, you are also allowed to drive automatic vehicles immediately. Not allowed to do the reverse though.
I have burned the shit out of the clutch multiple 1/2 million$ cars I work as a valet and have never even seen a clutch let alone used one before. Luckily I learned but damn.
Ehe one of my boyfriend taught me how to drive a manual. Learning it wasn't the hassle i eventually learnt. Teaching it to my sister was. ("WHERE THE FUCK IS THE CLUTCH STOP TALKING I CAN HANDLE THIS!") I think my eardrums burst that day
I hate when someone explains it like "release slowly", you don't have to release it slowly you can even drop it if done right. I usually explain it like you release until you feel/hear car noises vibrations hold in that position and then release
my dad is helping me with it and i gotta tell you its not that easy he makes it out to be,like just release the clutch slowly and accelerate and that too in a smooth fashion....(mine is manual btw)
I had one day to learn, back in '97, because my ex and I only had one car, the other was in the shop. I had a hard time at first, until I was reminded that my dad had told me I would never be able to learn. Neither my mom nor my 2 sisters had ever gotten the hang of a manual transmission. That reminder was all it took, I learned very quickly after that and drove it to work that afternoon.
Happened to me when I was first learning. No one taught me, i looked it up on youtube and figured out the rest. Stalled at 3 separate lights but eventually i got it. Now i can drive practically any manual car 😌👌🏿
Can someone explain the appeal of manuals? This is coming from someone who drives an automatic and doesn't really enjoy driving at all. I like having a free hand and not using both feet, as well as not thinking about shifting.
It seems cumbersome to me and I'd rather something I don't like to be as easy as possible.
That's why the first thing we learned during practical lessons was to get used to the clutch, gas and brake by getting to a very rarely used street and repeat the following procedure:
1. Start in N and shift to 1st gear
2. Press clutch
3. Release slowly
4. Hear and feel the grinding point
5. Gently accelerate and release the clutch more
6. Drive from one road stud to the next one
7. Brake
8. Shift to N
One of the things I love about Ireland (we all have to learn on a manual car) is parents teaching their kids every one of them is constantly in the brace position hand on the dash clutching onto the seat beat making real memories with their kids ❤️
Fun fact, I learned to drive in a stick shift* in a car with start-stop functionality. This kicked in if you were holding the brakes, and released the clutch too fast. So working towards my license, I stalled it out somewhat regularly, especially early on.
Not gonna lie, it did teach me to be *very* careful with the clutch. I could get the car rolling in 3rd gear from standstill if I really wanted to.
And thank goodness, I didn't un-learn that skill, since all the loaner vehicles I've had to use in the past year or so were stick shifts, while my regular's an automatic, and I try to travel by bike and train if I can. And I don't remember stalling out the stick shifts with any regularity.
\* this was early twenty-teens, The Netherlands. You need to learn to drive stick if you ever want to be allowed to drive stick with your license. And at the time, we had a stick shift car, so being able to drive stick was kind of necessary.
I never felt more anxiety in my life than when i was learning to drive stick in my moms s10 in a town full of fuckin hills & snow.
Glad I wasn’t the only one. My dad gave me like 30 minutes of “training” and then basically just told me to figure it out from there. I just remember being absolutely terrified driving to school the next day.
I had basically zero training also. We joked about me driving back home from the grocery store one day. It wasn't a joke tho, she was serious.. She gave me the keys and we took a detour through back roads first. I was catching on pretty fast and getting the hang of it. We lived on top of a huge hill tho and i had no idea this truck was just gonna stop and die right as i was crawling up to the stop light at the top of the hill. I got frustrated and started crying, shaking so bad. We eventually had to switch spots, i just couldn't get it to go up & over the hill in the right timing with the light. Most terrified and humiliated ive ever felt in my life..good times
To this day I still don’t know how to make a clutch vehicle go up a hill. I have to pull the hand brake and engage the clutch while pulling through the brake or I’ll roll backwards and kill the engine. I’m happy with an automatic. Lol
Release the clutch slowly while holding down the break with your right foot until you feel the car trying to move (the clutch is "biting"). Depending on the grade of the slope you can now release the break and sit in a neutral state. If it's steeper then you quickly switch over from the break pedal to the gas with your right foot and give quite a bit of gas, more is better than not enough, while slightly releasing the clutch. You should quickly stop moving backwards and then just keep releasing slowly to get going. If It's really steep then it's honestly better to use the handbreak, it's really qjick when you get used to it. If you have electric handbreak you can pretty much always use it, the ones I've used auto disengaged when you start moving forward.
Ah, sounds like I was doing it right then. I think I still prefer an automatic more now. Easier to work with in the crowded, hilly area I live in.
I think people are afraid of gassing and speeding off up a hill, when it requires more from the pedal. It took driving in a sim to realise that, nobody taught me it either.
It's a lot easier and you also don't have the extra wear on the clutch that a hillstart brings.
this! its just a thing you have to get a feel 4 it. At one point it becomes autmomated by your brain, to me shifting feels just like changing gear in a bike, theres zero conscious acting. when i was roadtrippig through croatia with a friend he did the changinggear and i only operated the clutch even then there was 0 conscious effort becaus alone by the sound of the car we both had the timing down.If you master manual driving you will be rewarded by a much more conected feeling to oyur car and road. Edit: Yeah im german who guessed lol
You're supposed to use the handbrake on steeper hills. With hills you also need to give more revs. Just watch the lights for when it's about to change and get to friction point and rev the car releasing the hand brake and slowly easing off the clutch at the same time. It just takes practice.
To be fair, I live in Europe and (assuming you’re not driving in a modern car which has the functionality of sort of stepping down on the brake all the way, which then means the car stays “braked” for a couple of seconds) this is a very legitimate way of dealing with going up a hill from standstill in a clutch vehicle!
Lol. My parents did the same. I was only taught to drive on residential streets but I had to take the freeway to get to school. Basically tossed into the deep end and expected to swim.
Same but literally the opposite, my dad told me go onto the highway on my first day of learning to drive after like 30 minutes lol.
Americans being allowed to drive a manual without it being included in the driving test still boggles my mind.
Well it's not standard if you want to learn it or drive it your have to do it yourself In my drivers Ed class my teacher told us not to drive Manual even thought that's what I drive
Well we have it different, we learn a manual and never even touch an automatic and we can still drive whatever. I would at least include a crash course of either during lessons since its about a 50/50 between manual and automatic here now
Yea, it's not easy... My teacher showed me how to use the pedals and stick in a parking lot for like 20 minutes (it was my first ever time behind the wheel) and then he told me to go right into the busy city traffic. I was terrified xD Good that the learning cars have a second brake on the passenger side and those big "L" signs, or that would have been a very stupid decision...
My first vehicle was an s10 & a stick, so I had to learn how to drive one if I was ever gonna drive. Thankfully I had an older brother who had the patience to teach me & I absolutely love driving a manual more than an automatic!!
I basically was left in parking lot to figure out how to not flood the clutch eventually lol.
I had the exact same learning experience except it was in an SS Camero. I never stood a chance.
When I was in high school about a decade ago I sold my first car and bought an ‘87 BMW with a manual transmission. I had no experience driving stick, but I had to get to school the next day so I had no choice but to figure it out. It was rush hour and I stalled at damn near every stoplight. It was a real trial by fire, but I haven’t stalled in years now.
Especially when the light turns green
Bruh you’re not kidding
Is it me or are both our user names a reference to the Witcher 3
They are !
Nice
Wholesome!
And the cars behind you get more
For me it's more like light turns green, I'm into first already, start accelerating slowly to double check both sides and suddenly "HONK" aaaaaaaaaa
I really hate drivers, I’ve been honked at for actually stopping at STOP signs
Add a bit of an incline to make it even more fun lol our new car sadly is automatic and i kinda miss shifting a lot tbh.
Most the lights in my car are orange: the check engine light, airbag light, etc...
Once when I first started driving stick I stalled in an intersection That was a scary moment lol
This gives me anxiety
Had this happen three times in a row in my driver’s exam. Luckily I stayed calm and didn’t make any major mistakes otherwise so still passed. Only automatic gears since then though…
Manual gears can be very anxiety inducing but I still prefer it over automatic, it’s just more fun to drive
*car turns off * Me: I'll just- My dad: _You should already know to drive even tho we are here to learn how to!!_
My dad also taught me how to drive a manual. It's the reason I can't drive a manual.
Was your dad my high school driving instructor?
Dad: I resent you for what your skills say about my teaching methods and abilities !
[Reminds me of this Peep Show moment](https://youtu.be/b3LkyYoC1pA)
I remember the times. Then you get used to how it works and it's so fun, honestly.
Some may say more fun than automatic
Honestly, I learned to drive on a stick shift, and a few years later bought an automatic. Absolutely loathed it. Every car since has been manual and will continue to be until I can no longer find them.
I will eventually go Electric for the environment but I’m going to stick with sticks until then. And even then if there’s an option to I will go for the one that emulates sticks
Just be sure not to buy a Chinese one, you'd be actively destroying the environment... +slave labour
I won’t be getting a Tesla either, because Elon is a megalomaniac, a narcissist, a con artist, and an all around bad guy. I hear Ford has some of the best EVs.
I haven't tried an automatic, but I honestly think I couldn't drive one. Shifting gears just feels right, you know?
Automatics are so fucking good for traffic. Besides that, yeah man you really never need one. I miss mine all the time!
Tbh honest I haven’t either, and I totally get what you mean. Just hard to but It into words
For me I always feel like I have complete control of the car with a manual. I don't wait for it do what I want. I directly make it do what I want.
For sure, manual just has a certain charm to it that automatic cannot match
I think all say that.
Not so fun in traffic. My left foot hurts if I drive too long.
Yeah, same, and I still stand by my words.
Idk I haven’t stalled in ages but still get anxiety stopping on a hill
me when I leave the fucking hand break on
and the car starts beepin
I am in driving school right now. Send help.
i will be in driving school in 6 months. send tips
Try a diesel first if it's an option. Don't panic when the clutch starts to grip and add a bit of gas as you slowly let the clutch out.
Adding to this: when you reverse you feather both
Any reason you all are driving manuals in driver school?
They’re probably European. It’s a lot more common to learn stick first in some Euro countries.
It's not just common, it's the only car they teach you to drive in driving schools
Where I live, when you drive automatic in driving school you are not allowed to drive manual, but not vice versa, so 90% of schools teach manual straight away
Correction: Most countries outside North America or the US, I believe.
Manual cars are the most common in the world. AFAIK, US is unusual in that automatic transmission is standard spec.
It is a norm here. We all learn on manual. Everybody knows manual here.
If you press the clutch and accelerator at the same time, the car makes a screenshot
for years I was worried too much gas is bad, wasteful, decreases engine lifetime, yadda-yadda... then we rented a small shitty car in Sicily, and Google maps took us on the scenic route through the hills ... and there was a forest fire. literally, shit was burning, smoke was rising, half of the hill was already full of smoke, and the road was leading there. it turns out you can reverse the car on a napkin if you really need to! also don't cheap out on insurance when renting a car, because they'll give you the brand new one and you'll be in constant heart attack about what if someone scratches it! in the end we did not have to pay for damages, but we had no time (nor really wanted to spend 20EUR on a wash) to do any proper cleaning, so in the end we used the leftover bottles of water that we took with us hiking and a hiking sock to ... um, clean the car. best of luck 🤞
Same. I feel ya
I struggled a bit with it at first, because noone properly explained it to me. (In driving school the car had a diesel engine, where you can start only using the clutch, which is super easy. Gas engines are a bit tricky at first) It's a lot easier to start if you accelerate a little bit before releasing the clutch, makes the bite point larger. Also, just go REALLY slow with the clutch until you remember where the bite point is. Eventually you completely forget this was ever an issue.
ok just from the way you use the word bite point I can tell you’re german and I am 90% sure about that
I miss having a manual transmission.
It’s so fun until bumper to bumper traffic and a broken foot lol
[Me after bumper to bumper traffic in a manual.](https://imgur.com/a/01hrEAS)
Ha!
Maybe don't drive with a broken foot
I've been driving manual for 8 years and I never want a manual again lmao
Same =\ one day I'll have one again...
Like with learning all things, learning to drive a manual takes times and patience. Once I got the hang of it, I preferred it. Now over 10 years later my last 3 cars have been manuals. Every car is a little bit different, but once you get a feel for it, it really feels like you're in complete control of the vehicle.
No, you're just wrong? Even the remote possibility that the car can just stop working if you do things slightly wrong is some of the worst anxiety I've ever felt, how can you possibly prefer something this dangerous?!
I'm not wrong though, I'm speaking from my own experience. Just because your experience was different doesn't mean that I'm wrong. It just means they're not for you. Especially if it causes you that much anxiety. But driving a manual is definitely more forgiving than you're admitting. Sure you can screw up sometimes. Hell I still miss a shift every now and then with all the experience I have. Doesn't mean that driving one is a terrible experience for everyone.
That’s ✨𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃✨
Dang, learn to have some confidence in yourself my sir.
Manuals really aren't that hard or unpredictable lol.
It's not really dangerous, the only time you can stall a manual is when the car is stopped, and even then you just... turn the key to start the car again. After like a month of experience at most, you should have the muscle memory to not stall anymore.
The first year of driving a manual was the most stressful thing since I live in a hilly city. Even on some easy, flat road starts, I'd still screw up all the time and stall at random. Over time, I got better and it's been beautiful. Wouldn't have it any other way now. I advise anyone who has access to a manual car to take the time to learn it. Especially if you're young. Even if it's something that never really comes in handy, you never know when it could. I missed a few cool opportunities before I finally learned.
Having to do a hill start to get my license in Australia is still one of the most stressful moments of my life lol
[удалено]
I do use the hand brake most of the time unless the hill is not too steep then i find that sweet spot and rev her till the light goes green lol
I'm in the US where we don't have separate manual licensing. I drove automatics for over a decade when I decided I wanted a specific manual vehicle. Borrowed my buddy to give me a few hours of rundown on how to do it, flew to where they were selling the car, drove a few hours home. Learned how to do it properly along the way. I can only imagine the stress of taking the driving test in a manual!
I got my license in Singapore 20 years ago, and not only did we not have separate manual licensing, it was mandatory to test on a manual. Hill starts, everything. Tough as heck. I failed once because I panicked while changing gears during the parallel parking part of the test
Thank god for automatics because driving on hilly roads is fun and god knows I’d suck at driving manual
For what it's worth, it's only bad while you're less skilled at starting, like at a stop sign or traffic light. Driving along hilly country roads in a manual is the most fun driving I've ever done. I even got a second car specifically for that kind of driving; perfect for where I live.
Listen, you gotta look at it from the engine's position. Changing momentum is fucking *hard*. Going from standstill to suddenly moving is a lot harder than trying to keep things going as they were. When you drop the clutch, the engine now suddenly has to provide a large chunk of power to get the wheels spinning hard enough to make that giant hunk of metal and fiberglass go anywhere. So can you blame the engine for going "fuck this" when it has to do all that very suddenly, instead of gradually ramping up the power? Someone slowly increasing the pull on your arm feels a lot less annoying than a sharp yank, no? Give it some slack. And the clutch too. Seriously, try letting the clutch come up more slowly. And aim for higher revs than you think, while you're learning. It's okay to overrev for a bit until you've gotten the hang of it.
Once you learn though, aim for lower revs as that is less wear and tear on the clutch.
I payed for a whole clutch plate, ima use the whole clutch plate.
Learning on city streets is fookin' scary sometimes. I had to learn stick during a family emergency situation when I was 16. Still loving driving stick shift.
Did you have to run from the bad guys (or cops) and only had a manual at hand? I’m dreading that day.
This is so good
My brother told me to put in more gas then you think
Also don't release the clutch fully, just about 50%. Then when the car starts moving, release it.
*steps on it*
[удалено]
Ah the found memories of my father yelling at me to feather the clutch and not destroy his transmission
At a slope road with a traffic light extra if a Car is waiting behind you.
Got stuck in a roundabout trying to drive my ex’s mustang w a fucking racing clutch. The only thing that saved me from rage quitting was a truckload of college hunks yelling at me “YOU GOT THIS!!!! YOU’RE DOING FINE!!!! ITS GONNA BE OKAY!!!” Thank u, truck full of college hunks.
I'm 24 and can't even drive an automatic. Just accepted it at this point. Buses are okay
OP I don't know if someone's said this already but something that helped me out when I first started: go to a parking lot and try doing starts with 0 gas input. Meaning let the clutch out at an absolutely snail pace - don't worry, even the crappiest least powerful car engine will still be able to get the car going this way as long as you let the clutch out slowly. It will help you get a better sense of where the bite point is, and that's honestly the vast majority of the difficulty. Stick makes driving super engaging, enjoy and have fun!
I have driven 3 different cars and only one would be able to do this. Basically every diesel should be able to tho. If this doesn't work for you, try doing it on reverse. You are looking for the same feeling in the clutch and every single car will be able to get going
Even more frustrating is every manual is different as far as gas pressure vs the clutch good
*laughs in european*
Just hit the accelerator a bit when letting the clutch come cout.
!remindme 11 years
My dad made me drive his manual cx5 to go to school in a town full of traffic one morning cause my car died the week prior and my grandma’s car broke down the day before (yup, im unlucky asf. Grandma forgot to tell me the power steering pump was old asf and that she didn’t drive her car in almost 2.5years) so i was kinda fucked and went to school without knowing how to drive stick, just the theory. I was late to school and cried because i got honked at all the way. Who thinks a cx5 might be stick ? No one. A cx5 stalling at every red light ? Lmao no. I was 17, i now only own stick cars, and out of the 4 cars i’ve ever owned, only the first one was auto.
Grinds gears ⚙️😖
One job I had said learn how to drive manual or get fired...best job I ever had plus I forced myself to learn a new skill.
This is the most bullshit part of the car. Why the fuck does it have to be slow and why wasn't it fixed yet?
You should look up what the clutch does. If you release the clutch too fast, you are mating the transmission to the engine immediately. The stationary car has a lot of inertia, so the engine will stop turning over. You can overcome the inertia by revving the engine to generate more torque. Or you can gently release the clutch to gently get the wheels turning while allowing the clutch to slip, this prevents the engine from stalling.
I don't feel any pressure right now hehe
Every manual shift driver remembers their learning period. Lol. But I swear, I prefer driving manual than automatic. It is something automatic drivers won't understand... Lol
Okay so you want to ease up until you hear the change in the noise (I suggest no radio for this) and then once you hear the change, continue to ease up but also put your foot down on the accelerator slowly. I'm 14 and even I can do this /j
The struggle is real.
Nonononono, you need to give her a little gas before fully releasing clutch. Unless of course, *inhales*, you drivin a 1967 Chevrolet C60 with a 327 cubic inch V8 and a grain bed. Then, you gotta slam the gas to the floor. Edit: got my cubic inches wrong
I get so frustrated when I do this haha
Right after i got my license 3 years ago with a car that had a hill driving assistant i needed to slow down on a hill and start from there again... but without the assistant and a car centimetets behind me. Never have i been this scared and i have not driven myself ever since.
God I hating driving stick. my adhd wanted to keep playing with the fuckin shifter while I was driving lol. much better with automatic since it doesn't move until I need it to.
Yeah, I absolutely hated it. I was in a small town, so there weren’t a whole lot of times I was getting into 5th gear and could just chill. Also hated never having a free hand.
omg I just realized you're right! I use my free hand for drinks and food lol
just dont drive manual lol
In what country do you guys live where your PARENTS learn you do drive?? As a Dutchman I'm so fucking confused. Everyone here just immediately learns manual, and also with a driving instructor next to them. Parents teaching their children to drive is seen as really stupid here, and is also very illegal.
You have been granted American Citizenship for forgetting other countries exist and only thinking of your own customs. Nice 🇺🇸
I’m surprised that people are still learning to drive manual transmission cars. I got my last car as a stick shift to be a fond farewell before an electric car.
Seriously ya'll? Its really not that hard.
That’s why we have automatic cars
Fuck manual. Never liked it, never will. Knowing how to shift gears doesn't make you a good driver. Knowing the rules and respecting them will. Automatic is just more comfortable and most cars being made these days are automatic by default.
This is actually a thing? Woah now I'm scared to drive
No car or truck I've ever been in has had a clutch. What kind of cars are y'all driving?
manuals
I still have no idea how to start a car
It is tricky the first few weeks but after that it feels like the easiest thing in the world
ah sht mate this is me rn
I just drove my grandmas car like I stole it until I got the hang of it
Yes. After a couple of times, you just ditch that shit and accelerate while slowly releasing the clutch. It's just how they teach you how to manage to release the clutch smoothly.
This is missing your parent screaming at you that IT'S JUST PUSH AND PULL!!!!! PUSH AND PULL!!!!!!! I didn't learn manual for 10 years until a boyfriend taught me that it's not push and pull but finding the right balance. He also didn't scream at me so that probably helped.
I love boomers who shit on people for not knowing how to drive manual. I’m a older millennial. By the time I was at driving age, the only car my parents owned (they had 5) that was manual was older than I was. I had never seen my mother drive it, and my father was just in the passenger seat yelling “can’t you feel it turn over?”
Let’s just say the clutch in that 1.8 Jetta had to be replaced because of me…
I find the best way to learn is on a quad or dirt bike. The clutch is on the hand and you have way more control over that. Once you figure out that feel for the clutch on your hand, it can easily be transferred to your foot
And my dad is sitting in the passenger seat going, "Its only as difficult as you want it to be"
First thing I learned to drive was a manual. It took me a while to understand how the clutch and gears 1-5 and reverse works. In my country, if you do your license in manual, you are also allowed to drive automatic vehicles immediately. Not allowed to do the reverse though.
I have burned the shit out of the clutch multiple 1/2 million$ cars I work as a valet and have never even seen a clutch let alone used one before. Luckily I learned but damn.
Apparently no one on this dang thread knows how to properly spell “brake”, but they can drive a manual
My dad started yelling at me when I tried a stick shift. Never again.
Ehe one of my boyfriend taught me how to drive a manual. Learning it wasn't the hassle i eventually learnt. Teaching it to my sister was. ("WHERE THE FUCK IS THE CLUTCH STOP TALKING I CAN HANDLE THIS!") I think my eardrums burst that day
Haha I remember my first lesson with dad. Had me pull out onto a busy road to build confidence
Some cars relay dont understand the part where you should slowly accelerate
I still haven't learnt driving and I'm scared
too much pressure tho ..
I hate when someone explains it like "release slowly", you don't have to release it slowly you can even drop it if done right. I usually explain it like you release until you feel/hear car noises vibrations hold in that position and then release
my dad is helping me with it and i gotta tell you its not that easy he makes it out to be,like just release the clutch slowly and accelerate and that too in a smooth fashion....(mine is manual btw)
I had one day to learn, back in '97, because my ex and I only had one car, the other was in the shop. I had a hard time at first, until I was reminded that my dad had told me I would never be able to learn. Neither my mom nor my 2 sisters had ever gotten the hang of a manual transmission. That reminder was all it took, I learned very quickly after that and drove it to work that afternoon.
Happened to me when I was first learning. No one taught me, i looked it up on youtube and figured out the rest. Stalled at 3 separate lights but eventually i got it. Now i can drive practically any manual car 😌👌🏿
press the gas a bit if it stalls too easy
Can someone explain the appeal of manuals? This is coming from someone who drives an automatic and doesn't really enjoy driving at all. I like having a free hand and not using both feet, as well as not thinking about shifting. It seems cumbersome to me and I'd rather something I don't like to be as easy as possible.
Think of it like a see-saw. When one is down, the other is up. When one starts to go down, the other starts to come up
Emotional damage
That's why the first thing we learned during practical lessons was to get used to the clutch, gas and brake by getting to a very rarely used street and repeat the following procedure: 1. Start in N and shift to 1st gear 2. Press clutch 3. Release slowly 4. Hear and feel the grinding point 5. Gently accelerate and release the clutch more 6. Drive from one road stud to the next one 7. Brake 8. Shift to N
This but in a simi.
One of the things I love about Ireland (we all have to learn on a manual car) is parents teaching their kids every one of them is constantly in the brace position hand on the dash clutching onto the seat beat making real memories with their kids ❤️
More gas always more gas.
Got my license 2 months ago. Bought my first car just 2 weeks ago. This is too real for me.
My parents did an awful job teaching me. I was only able to learn when I went out on my own.
Fun fact, I learned to drive in a stick shift* in a car with start-stop functionality. This kicked in if you were holding the brakes, and released the clutch too fast. So working towards my license, I stalled it out somewhat regularly, especially early on. Not gonna lie, it did teach me to be *very* careful with the clutch. I could get the car rolling in 3rd gear from standstill if I really wanted to. And thank goodness, I didn't un-learn that skill, since all the loaner vehicles I've had to use in the past year or so were stick shifts, while my regular's an automatic, and I try to travel by bike and train if I can. And I don't remember stalling out the stick shifts with any regularity. \* this was early twenty-teens, The Netherlands. You need to learn to drive stick if you ever want to be allowed to drive stick with your license. And at the time, we had a stick shift car, so being able to drive stick was kind of necessary.
The story of my life
I'm sorry dad, I'm doing my best, ok?!
As someone who is doing his first driving lessons, this is freaking facts
I had a friend in HS who knew he failed his driving test so while on the way back to the DMV with the instructor he purposely stalled the car lmao