Drove my BRZ today, did not crash...

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Are you always above your average?

...

Nah below half the time but above the other half.

[DrButtDrugs]

Yeah it's definitely worth saying to newer mt drivers. I've been driving stick for 10 years and I still miss my shifts, over- and under-rev, and hell I have grinded going into 2nd and 3rd in the last 6 months. It happens to everyone, not a big deal. It's always when I'm driving like a **** and I use those times as opportunities to learn that I should not be driving that way.

[Brink]

Drove my BRZ today, merged onto 101 behind another BRZ at one point. Had some fun for the mile or so before we both exited the freeway again, definitely made more lane changes during that stretch than I normally would have. Did not crash.

[Chikna]

Now I know why in US people don't have patience, because almost all of them drive an automatic cars. Study shows only 7% people drive manual and I believe in few years even those 7% people will disappear. Manual cars are really fun to drive.

By the way, evening drive was smooth as butter. Tomorrow will be even better.

[DrButtDrugs]

Originally Posted by Chikna

Now I know why in US people don't have patience, because almost all of them drive an automatic cars. Study shows only 7% people drive manual and I believe in few years even those 7% people will disappear. Manual cars are really fun to drive.

By the way, evening drive was smooth as butter. Tomorrow will be even better.

It gets worse. Because auto transmissions are ubiquitous it is very easy to "learn to drive" with hardly any effort. Most states have a written exam, which is more of a literacy test than anything, and a 10-20 minute spin around a parking lot testing whether you can stop at a stop sign and park between the lines at age 16ish. Then you pay your $35 and are handed a license for the next 60 years, because what could possibly change?

I don't know how it is in other countries, especially those where autos are not so common, but there is a very large proportion of drivers on the road that have absolutely no business being in control of 3000 lbs of steel flying down a highway.

[wolffbite]

Originally Posted by DrButtDrugs

It gets worse. Because auto transmissions are ubiquitous it is very easy to "learn to drive" with hardly any effort. Most states have a written exam, which is more of a literacy test than anything, and a 10-20 minute spin around a parking lot testing whether you can stop at a stop sign and park between the lines at age 16ish. Then you pay your $35 and are handed a license for the next 60 years, because what could possibly change?

I don't know how it is in other countries, especially those where autos are not so common, but there is a very large proportion of drivers on the road that have absolutely no business being in control of 3000 lbs of steel flying down a highway.

My province has "graduated licensing". https://www.icbc.com/driver-licensin...licensing.aspx

The rules were slightly different when I got mine, but it still took nearly 3 years to get my full license and I took my tests as early as I could. I drove a manual for my final road test, but there is no difference in tests regardless of transmission type. The vast majority of people here can only drive auto as well, and manual is mainly used by car enthusiasts.

It's a decent system in theory, but only applies to brand new drivers. You can get your license anywhere else and just pay a fee to have it transferred to a full BC drivers license.

I voluntarily took a "defensive" driver training course, and I know it has saved my bacon many times and contributed to my 11+ years of no accidents *knock on wood*

[Willie Swoopes]

MT is for those who want to DRIVE their car and not have the car drive for them.

I think before my time is over, the city will be owned by driverless cars, and the country will be the only place for those who still enjoy being in control.


"Red Barchetta" by Rush

My uncle has a country place
That no one knows about
He says it used to be a farm
Before the Motor Law
And on Sundays I elude the eyes
And hop the Turbine Freight
To far outside the Wire
Where my white-haired uncle waits

Jump to the ground
As the Turbo slows to cross the borderline
Run like the wind
As excitement shivers up and down my spine
Down in his barn
My uncle preserved for me an old machine
For fifty odd years
To keep it as new has been his dearest dream

I strip away the old debris
That hides a shining car
A brilliant red Barchetta
From a better vanished time
I fire up the willing engine
Responding with a roar
Tires spitting gravel
I commit my weekly crime

Wind
In my hair
Shifting and drifting
Mechanical music
Adrenaline surge...

Well-weathered leather
Hot metal and oil
The scented country air
Sunlight on chrome
The blur of the landscape
Every nerve aware

Suddenly ahead of me
Across the mountainside
A gleaming alloy air car
Shoots towards me, two lanes wide
I spin around with shrieking tires
To run the deadly race
Go screaming through the valley
As another joins the chase

Drive like the wind
Straining the limits of machine and man
Laughing out loud with fear and hope
I've got a desperate plan
At the one-lane bridge
I leave the giants stranded at the riverside
Race back to the farm
To dream with my uncle at the fireside

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Willie Swoopes

"Red Barchetta" by Rush

My uncle has a country place
That no one knows about
He says it used to be a farm
Before the Motor Law
And on Sundays I elude the eyes
And hop the Turbine Freight
To far outside the Wire
Where my white-haired uncle waits

Jump to the ground
As the Turbo slows to cross the borderline
Run like the wind
As excitement shivers up and down my spine
Down in his barn
My uncle preserved for me an old machine
For fifty odd years
To keep it as new has been his dearest dream

I strip away the old debris
That hides a shining car
A brilliant red Barchetta
From a better vanished time
I fire up the willing engine
Responding with a roar
Tires spitting gravel
I commit my weekly crime

Wind
In my hair
Shifting and drifting
Mechanical music
Adrenaline surge...

Well-weathered leather
Hot metal and oil
The scented country air
Sunlight on chrome
The blur of the landscape
Every nerve aware

Suddenly ahead of me
Across the mountainside
A gleaming alloy air car
Shoots towards me, two lanes wide
I spin around with shrieking tires
To run the deadly race
Go screaming through the valley
As another joins the chase

Drive like the wind
Straining the limits of machine and man
Laughing out loud with fear and hope
I've got a desperate plan
At the one-lane bridge
I leave the giants stranded at the riverside
Race back to the farm
To dream with my uncle at the fireside

But did he crash?

[Willie Swoopes]

That would depend on your outlook on life.

[Brink]

Drove my BRZ today, at one point at a stop light in Redwood City had LEOs just about all around me - CHP in front of me, 2 cops to my left (1 directly to my left, the other in front of them), Sheriff directly to my right. Did not crash, did not get pulled over (though I did see someone else get pulled over a couple cars ahead of me later in the day. LEOs everywhere today).

[R_E_L]

I have the week off, and while the plan was originally to drive up to Big Sur, I figured all this smoke was gonna detract from the experience. As bad as the haze is here in LA, I can't imagine how it is up north. I hope all our NorCal friends are safe and well. Still I wanted to take advantage of the free time during the week and drive the car.

Lot's of fun on these empty roads, but on the way back down I decided to take it easy to find some nice spots for pictures. Good thing I did because a spooked deer ran in front of the car as I came around the corner. But I was only doing 15 so thankfully I had plenty of time to let it go by. Did not crash.

[accwai]

Originally Posted by Chikna

Today was my 3rd day and I am getting better with gear changes now, I still have issues with slow start from 1st and jerk and I get nervous from impatient drivers from behind honking. I noticed that from 1st taking off I need to raise throttle to 1500 RPM or else stalls could be less power?

It probably has more to do with dropping the clutch too quickly for a particular engine RPM than the RPM itself. On level ground, it's actually possible to start the car from engine idle and even keep the idle afterwards for very slow move. As long as you release the clutch slowly enough. The important thing is only teasing the clutch at the engagement point to get the car rolling, then slowly allow the clutch to grab harder. In his book Lost Art of High-performance Driving, Ross Bentley advocates practicing this slow start in an empty parking lot over and over to develop fine muscle control on the left side.

Of course more RPM is fine too. There is a lot of flexibility here. Realistically idle start is way too slow for street traffic. On the other hand 1000 RPM is enough to get the car going on a significant incline (got to hold the car still with handbrake at the beginning of course). So I normally don't go much higher than that to start. The other thing about 1st gear is engine braking is quite significant at high RPM. So upshifting smoothly from high RPM in 1st into 2nd requires really good coordination. Therefore I normally take things easy in first gear. I suppose that's why I got honked at traffic light quite a bit, especially by SUVs. Normally I would ignore these people, but if I'm in a bad mood, I would take my time shifting smoothly into 2nd then take off big time. This often catch the SUV by surprise and they would not know what to do. But I always back off at the speed limit, and some of them would do a really fast flyby later. I don't waste my energy responding to those.

In any case, of the close to 30 years I've been driving, I only had one automatic car - a Prius for 13 years before the 86 now. Before the Prius, there was a string of VW TDIs. The 86 seems to need to be kept at a good RPM at all times. I don't recall the TDIs being nearly as finicky. Last month, a bunch of us at work went out for lunch in one of the guys' recent manual Honda. The guy was short shifting through the whole trip. Basically nothing outside 800-2000 RPM and mostly on the low side. And the thing didn't choke! There's no way you can do that to a twin variant. Plus the twins are easy to stall if you're not smooth. So for sure the manual twins have a significant learning curve. But work with it and you'll be a better driver in the end.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by accwai

It probably has more to do with dropping the clutch too quickly for a particular engine RPM than the RPM itself. On level ground, it's actually possible to start the car from engine idle and even keep the idle afterwards for very slow move. As long as you release the clutch slowly enough. The important thing is only teasing the clutch at the engagement point to get the car rolling, then slowly allow the clutch to grab harder. In his book Lost Art of High-performance Driving, Ross Bentley advocates practicing this slow start in an empty parking lot over and over to develop fine muscle control on the left side.

Of course more RPM is fine too. There is a lot of flexibility here. Realistically idle start is way too slow for street traffic. On the other hand 1000 RPM is enough to get the car going on a significant incline (got to hold the car still with handbrake at the beginning of course). So I normally don't go much higher than that to start. The other thing about 1st gear is engine braking is quite significant at high RPM. So upshifting smoothly from high RPM in 1st into 2nd requires really good coordination. Therefore I normally take things easy in first gear. I suppose that's why I got honked at traffic light quite a bit, especially by SUVs. Normally I would ignore these people, but if I'm in a bad mood, I would take my time shifting smoothly into 2nd then take off big time. This often catch the SUV by surprise and they would not know what to do. But I always back off at the speed limit, and some of them would do a really fast flyby later. I don't waste my energy responding to those.

In any case, of the close to 30 years I've been driving, I only had one automatic car - a Prius for 13 years before the 86 now. Before the Prius, there was a string of VW TDIs. The 86 seems to need to be kept at a good RPM at all times. I don't recall the TDIs being nearly as finicky. Last month, a bunch of us at work went out for lunch in one of the guys' recent manual Honda. The guy was short shifting through the whole trip. Basically nothing outside 800-2000 RPM and mostly on the low side. And the thing didn't choke! There's no way you can do that to a twin variant. Plus the twins are easy to stall if you're not smooth. So for sure the manual twins have a significant learning curve. But work with it and you'll be a better driver in the end.

But did you crash?

[Lynxis]

If you are having some issues taking off from a stop, I recommend finding a parking lot or empty road somewhere and practice taking off without using any throttle a few times. As long as it's flat, it will work fine. Stop, then put car in 1st, and just let out the clutch slowly without touching the throttle until you've fully released the clutch and the car hasn't stalled. If you do it right, you can get the car moving without touching the throttle. I practised this 2-3 times a week for 2-3 weeks when I first got my car to get used to getting it moving from a stop. After a while, you will know when to feel the engine engage and the car start moving and once you know where in the clutch throw that is, you can start feeding in gas for a quick and smooth start.