FR-S as first manual car?
 

Hi,

I've owned an automatic FR-S for just about a year - and the longer I've owned the car the more interested I have started to become in cars (after having no real interest before owning a FR-S).

I've recently kicked around the idea of trading/selling my current FR-S and buying a manual despite having never owned a manual car before...

Does anyone have any experience with a FR-S as their first manual car?

Are there any particular things I should know prior to purchase? How does maintenance differ from the automatic? Have any tips / things to watch out for?

Would it be better to buy a beater first and learn on that?

Thanks to all those who reply!

---

edit: I've got no real time frame here as I love my automatic (purchased used, fully paid off) and there's nothing wrong with it... I guess it's just for the first time in my life I'm "intrigued" by the "other side" (stick vs. slushbox). I also have a love hate relationship with the color of my car - gray - and wouldn't mind owning a brand new vehicle now that I know the FR-S definitely suits my needs / tastes.

This is not my first manual car by a long shot but I would highly recommend it.
Probably one of the nicest MTs I have ever driven and that number is someplace in the 1,000s.
Maintenance has minor variations but nothing huge.
Getting a beater to learn on would just be a waste since you would have to relearn for this car and any money you spent could have gone to repairing the clutch in the very very remote chance you damaged it.
The hardest part of learning to drive a MT is getting over the fear of learning to drive a MT. They are not the complicated contraptions many seem to make them out to be.

Do you have equity in your current car? If you're upside down, I'd just keep what you have and not worry about it.

As far as maintenance, change the fluid every 30K miles and change the clutch when it starts to fail.

Things to watch out for: downshifting too far. Going from 5th to 2nd instead of 4th and then letting the clutch out is a great way to get a mechanical over-rev and possibly blow your engine. Otherwise, as a first time manual, you'll put additional wear on your clutch until you figure things out. Not a big deal.

I've seen several threads just like this on this forum. The FR-S manual transmission is easy to learn on. It's up to you to decide if you want a manual bad enough to trade. Find a friend with (any) manual transmission car and see if they'll let you learn/try it out.

<sigh> Back when most cars were manual, no-one thought learning or driving an MT was any big deal. It's just what you did. No special techniques, no big deal. And new manuals are far more refined and user-friendly than our old 3 and 4 speed boxes from the '50s, 60's, and '70s.

I recently taught my 13 year old granddaughter to drive my FRS. After about 2 hours, she could smoothly pull away from a stop, run up through the gears, slow dons, down-shift, and come to smooth stop. She could back up and do a K-turn. No pretty little girls, grandpas, or cars were hurt.

Thank you for fighting the good fight.

FRS/BRZ is great to learn manual on, simply because the car is so much fun that you get a great payoff for doing it right.
Once you force yourself to drive out a few times, you'll get over the fear and be driving like a pro in no time.

Also an old hand at driving a stick. This would be an excellent choice for your first manual trans.

It's as easy to learn as any other MT. It'll be 2nd nature inside of a week.

Damnit Bill now I need to change my age old saying!


Your Mother drove standard
Your grandmother drove standard
Your great grandmother drove standard
If you are young enough your great great grandmother dove standard.
Your 13 year old granddaughter can drive standard.
What is so mysterious or difficult about driving standard?

get a mustang bro...manual is so easy on them

you put your left foot in

you put your right foot in

you put your left foot out

???

profit!!!

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

that's how they run into people at car meets... :burnrubber:
On topic, i got the car with absolutely no knowledge of how to drive a manual, my parents had to drive it out of the lot

just try to replicate what this guy is doing with his feet and you'll be good.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JNnzqwTUMI"]spoon s2000 2.2L - YouTube[/ame]

This was my first mt op, It took me a few days to learn it... It truly is a really easy car to learn on but it would be a lot easier if you take out the helper spring that makes the clutch have no feel. Id have done it right after i bought this car if i had known lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Now THAT is one handsome granddaughter ...... :thumbsup:

Good on you for teaching her how to drive a stick......:)


humfrz

It will be a fine machine to learn how to drive a manual.

A heck of a lot easier to drive that the one I learned on ......;)


humfrz

Pshhft! Easy...

There are only 3 things you need to know to drive a MT.

1) step on the clutch

2) select the gear

3) release the clutch.

But what do I do with my hands?

Back in the day, after the 2nd to 3rd shift, I would slide my right hand down my dates leg ...... to see how far I could get ....... :D

And then go to the drive in movie and try with my left hand while the right hand was trying to unfasten her bra ....... :popcorn:


humfrz

[QUOTE=02.ACCORD.DUDE;2737959]Hi,

I've owned an automatic FR-S for just about a year - and the longer I've owned the car the more interested I have started to become in cars (after having no real interest before owning a FR-S).

I've recently kicked around the idea of trading/selling my current FR-S and buying a manual despite having never owned a manual car before...

Does anyone have any experience with a FR-S as their first manual car?

Are there any particular things I should know prior to purchase? How does maintenance differ from the automatic? Have any tips / things to watch out for?

Would it be better to buy a beater first and learn on that?

Thanks to all those who reply!

---

As a matter of fact, I just got done doing exactly the same thing. I've never driven a manual, never knew anyone who had one except an uncle who lives really far away, and bought a 2013 10 Series AT FR-S over a year ago. I visited my uncle and while I was there he taught me how to drive stick for about 1.5 hours and the rest was just studying the concept of it online. I was super afraid of the test drive and looking like a dumbass but I made it through it without stalling (peeled out in second a bit though lol). Anyways, I love it. First week was a little rough but not bad, the car is very responsive and I think in general a good car to train on, if you do something even slightly incorrect the car is so light that it definitely lets you know. I'm in my 4th week of owning my 2016 Scion FR-S Halo w/ MT now and it's basically like I've been driving it my entire life at this point, still mess up now and again but from what I understand, it happens to the best of them. Its funny you got interested in cars after buying the AT, your story is like me exactly to a T. I wanted to invest some money in aftermarket parts for my FRS but I just couldn't do it to an AT.

Oh, and I should add that while I was timid to go through with the transaction, I would encourage anyone to do so without even being remotely afraid of their ability to drive stick. took me like 2 days to figure it out, the 4 after that to confidently get going quickly at stop lights without stalling occasionally, and just perfect the E-brake start for hills if you need it, but I bet by the time you're over a week in you won't even worry about people pulling up right behind you on hills. Also, don't listen to anyone that tells you, "you don't want to drive a manual in traffic" I drive for work and in dense traffic on occasion, its really not that bad, and I actually find the commute goes by quicker because I'm more absorbed in driving than before.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=109168&page=3

this was my thread a month ago about doing this exact thing, a lot of good info in their that you're probably looking for, also posted a lot information as I gathered it for the trade-in and purchase. I didn't like the 2017 FR-S styling so I took advantage of remaining dealer inventory of 2016 Scion FRS now that all the dealerships are taking their emblem down for SCION, and I got a good deal and sweet financing through Toyota. Don't let them tell you they still have to abide by "pure pricing" anymore, they don't.

The FR-S is not my first manual transmission. That was my 2005 MINI Cooper S, which for the time was also a really easy car to learn how to drive MT on. My first time rowing my own gears was that test drive, and I maybe stalled it once (the first time getting it moving), then never again that day.

The FR-S has a really easy to work clutch (though it's also a bit "dead" if you're looking for something more tactile and engaging), and pretty nice short throws. IMO it's pretty easy to learn on because of that. I drove a coworker's mid-2000s Mustang and felt like I was going to break my left foot trying to clutch that thing.

I really am not sure why there is such fear and trepidation behind MTs any more. Sure ATs have come a long way and can actually be pretty good, but there is really nothing complicated about manuals. Listen to the engine, clutch down, off the gas, shift gears, on the gas, clutch out. I taught myself after looking at one website, watching a YouTube video, and listening to when my AT car would shift.

If sliding your hand "down" the leg you were doing things wrong!

Very similar to the late 40s Chevrolet Load Master hay truck that was the first manual (outside of tractors) that I drove as a kid (in the early 90s).

As for leaning to drive in traffic, it was my first car - a 1989 Cherokee XJ with the horrible Peugeot BA10/5 transmission. If you can learn to drive one of those smoothly, you can drive anything. The FR-S manual is light years easier to drive, even with its very vague clutch feel.

.

Haha, it's like the hokey pokey song! Except the last line would be "then you take the whole crowd out" :eyebulge:

i didn't want to scare the OP off from buying a mustang....couldn't actually tell him what happens when you take your left foot out

No Hands

Sooooo .........I used to have a foot fetish ....... :(

One could suck on toes at the drive-in, without getting thrown out ...... :D


humfrz

Not much to add; this is a great transmission, and you'll be fine. The only caution I'd give would be to find a kind friend who'll let you drive their manual first, just to make sure you LIKE driving manual. There are folks who just don't like the extra "work." Me, I HATE driving automatic cars. Maybe it's the control freak in me.. I don't know. There's bound to be folks who feel the same way about manuals. It'd be good to make sure you're not one of them before buying a manual car.

Automatics are nice if you drive in a LOT of stop and go traffic jams; that's the only time that, after a half hour or so of that garbage, I kind of start to appreciate the automatic tranny of our SUV. Other than that, give me a manual anytime. Learned to drive on a 1960's four speed VW bus.

The MT in this car is super fun, but if you are in heavy traffic daily (which I am) you might regret your choice a little bit (at least till the traffic becomes lighter LOL) The clutches are pretty stiff and they have a high release point which doesn't allow for much feathering. Coming out of a manual it took me a minute to learn this one, its not like a lot of manuals. But the car is so much fun when you rip those gear in high rpms

5/7, would highly recommend this car to anyone learning. I did not learn on it, but prior to my girlfriend ordering her first ever manual (2017 wrx), I taught her on my 2013 frs and she picked it up no problem. In my experience of maybe...i dunno, 10-15 manual cars--it's easily one of if not THE easiest to shift.

Stiff?????
This is easily the lightest clutch I have ever driven by several degrees of magnitude. The high release point does take some getting used to but for anybody that has never driven MT before it won't matter since they will not know the difference. To them the low release point of other cars will feel weird.

Have you tried adjusting the release point? I'm curious, I haven't messed with it because it never felt THAT weird to me...but maybe i'm missing out on an even better driving experience?!?!

Yep, ours was a 1941 Ford 1 3/4 ton truck ....... that my father could manage to get 2 1/2 tons of grain on.......:D

A ferguson tractor was my trainer for clutching ..... :)


humfrz

I suggest you leave it alone ..... the engagement point is where it is for a reason...... :)

For the reason, check with @Tcoat or @Ultramaroon ...... :D


humfrz

Yes is a good car to be the first manual..

I drove my MT brz out of the dealer with no experience lol
(dealer wont let me test drive an auto too).
The process of mean leaving the dealer was SMOOTH..
I thought" Hey ..MT is not that bad"...............until i hit my first stop light and car behind me. :P PRESSURE IS ON..

Stall a couple of time and eventually made it home.

But if you know some one that can help you drive the car to an empty log to practice before you get on the street, it would be ideal.

Dont worry about Stalling, is not embarrassing.
We all have to start some where. Practice makes perfect.

There is a lot of thing to learn driving MT but is a fun.

The stock engagement point with assist spring on is very..........ambiguous .....
is very high up, and with the assist spring on , you will feel like there is 2 zone of tension when you step on clutch.

I left my Assist spring on for the first 6month ..thinking i can get use to it...hahaha but that not the case ..and i took it off

Stock is super soft...

And yes ..the high engagement point hard to get use to..

(is my first MT.. and even i find it super high.)

It bite just right before you left off completely

FR-S was also my first manual. Like others have said, it took me a while to get used to the high engagement point, because frankly I taught myself off of Youtube videos and other cars seemed to have a lower engagement point. Otherwise I find the manual pretty nice to use as soon as I learned to be really smooth with clutch, particularly with the 1-2 upshifts that I had a hard time smoothing out for a while. At this point I'm pretty comfortable, but I find my heavy acceleration shifts could be smoother.

The other thing that I've noticed is that the engagement point seems high when starting off, but it doesn't seem as high when going through the other gears. Don't know if this is me being crazy, but that's what it feels like to me.