Manual driving method

[Grishbok]

Originally Posted by steeloyangster

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Since I don't really talk to anybody about these techniques I don't really remember what they are called. I just use them on/off the track and nobody really asks me about what I do. Most of my buddies also aren't "into" cars so I don't get a chance to talk to anyone about this stuff.

haha no problem man. Im all about it so feel free to converse anytime!

[IntotheOcean]

I wish I had a guy friend who could teach me this.
Girlfriends don't know what cylinder is or litters....(not surprised) -_-
Even the guy friends I have are clueless. "Whats a brake caliper, Horsepower? whats that"

I have this love for cars and all I have is this forum, youtube and wiki to teach me
man this sucks

[Lee358]

hey when i drive around my neighborhood i usually keep it in 3rd even turns and stuff the motor feels like it has to work a little more how bad is that im usually in 3rd down to like 13 mph

[2point0]

Originally Posted by IntotheOcean

I wish I had a guy friend who could teach me this.
Girlfriends don't know what cylinder is or litters....(not surprised) -_-
Even the guy friends I have are clueless. "Whats a brake caliper, Horsepower? whats that"

I have this love for cars and all I have is this forum, youtube and wiki to teach me
man this sucks

If you really want to learn, there are plenty more forums than just this one. Also, most community colleges have auto shop classes. I'd highly recommend taking a few, especially if they're cheap. There were a couple of gals in one of my auto classes, one of them really knew her stuff.

Originally Posted by Lee358

hey when i drive around my neighborhood i usually keep it in 3rd even turns and stuff the motor feels like it has to work a little more how bad is that im usually in 3rd down to like 13 mph

I think that's excessive. There's no need to baby it so much, the engine likes to be in its powerband. If it feels like it's trying too hard, you should downshift. This lil motor likes to rev.

I keep reading about people keeping RPMs so low and staying in higher gears to save a little gas. That's what hybrids are for. I came from an STi that got 18mpg on a good day, anything in this car is better than that! So what if you save 3mpg babying the car? I'd rather pay an extra couple bucks and actually enjoy this thing.

[DanoFA20]

Originally Posted by IntotheOcean

I wish I had a guy friend who could teach me this.
Girlfriends don't know what cylinder is or litters....(not surprised) -_-
Even the guy friends I have are clueless. "Whats a brake caliper, Horsepower? whats that"

I have this love for cars and all I have is this forum, youtube and wiki to teach me
man this sucks

What part of NewYork do you live in?

[whaap]

From reading this thread I have the opinion that too many people are going too slow in too high a gear. A good example is to think about riding a 10, 12 or 15 speed bicycle. If you're on the big sprocket in front and the small sprocket in back you know how difficult that is, especially when you're going a slow speed. You're really having to strain your legs to keep moving. You also know what an all-of-a sudden relief it is when you drop to a smaller front sprocket. Your legs are suddenly spinning much more freely and with considerably less effort. Think of your cars engine the same way. Entertain the idea of letting your engine turn a little more freely and there will be a lot less strain on all the internals.

[IntotheOcean]

Originally Posted by DanoFA20

What part of NewYork do you live in?

Long Island, Massapequa/Wantagh area

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by whaap

From reading this thread I have the opinion that too many people are going too slow in too high a gear. A good example is to think about riding a 10, 12 or 15 speed bicycle. If you're on the big sprocket in front and the small sprocket in back you know how difficult that is, especially when you're going a slow speed. You're really having to strain your legs to keep moving. You also know what an all-of-a sudden relief it is when you drop to a smaller front sprocket. Your legs are suddenly spinning much more freely and with considerably less effort. Think of your cars engine the same way. Entertain the idea of letting your engine turn a little more freely and there will be a lot less strain on all the internals.

This is the example I used to use, too, until I started noticing that times they are a-changing and today's kids go from being driven to school to getting their own cars, and largely miss out on the whole bicycle thing. It also helped me understand why so many of them struggle to grasp the concept of gearing.

Howstuffworks.com has (had?) a series of articles that explain it all. You can jump right to the ones about gear wheels, but to really get an understanding of the underlying principles, start with the article about levers.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by IntotheOcean

I wish I had a guy friend who could teach me this.
Girlfriends don't know what cylinder is or litters....(not surprised) -_-
Even the guy friends I have are clueless. "Whats a brake caliper, Horsepower? whats that"

I have this love for cars and all I have is this forum, youtube and wiki to teach me
man this sucks

Actually there are more of us than you think For example, check out Jean Jennings' new website jeanknowscars.com and/or her articles in Automobile. Also, as @2point0 mentioned, there are lots of other car forums and almost all of them have at least a handful of female members; for some makes/models quite a few even. And if you look hard enough, you can even find all-women clubs

[DanoFA20]

Originally Posted by IntotheOcean

Long Island, Massapequa/Wantagh area

i live about 2 hours from there :-) i used to live in port washington

[jarviz]

Originally Posted by Realm

First thing I did was turn my gear indicator/shifting light on... I can't remember exactly how, but you hold the "odo" button down (make sure you leave the engine OFF, just activate your senors).

Edit: here is how I figured it out by another poster: "To get the G-Off/On, you have to hit the ODO button when the car is off but the key is in the ACC position."

Also, am I the only person who does not down shift? I like to keep strain off the transmission and just take it out of gear before a stop. Breaks are cheaper than transmission parts

I stopped using that indicating light about 7000 miles ago. I realized it's not possible to drive economically in this car.

Originally Posted by IntotheOcean

I wish I had a guy friend who could teach me this.
Girlfriends don't know what cylinder is or litters....(not surprised) -_-
Even the guy friends I have are clueless. "Whats a brake caliper, Horsepower? whats that"

I have this love for cars and all I have is this forum, youtube and wiki to teach me
man this sucks

Don't forget Initial D too hahaha

Originally Posted by IntotheOcean

Long Island, Massapequa/Wantagh area

awww some nice roads out there... me jelly

[frosty86]

Originally Posted by jarviz

Don't forget Initial D too hahaha

[IntotheOcean]

Originally Posted by DanoFA20

i live about 2 hours from there :-) i used to live in port washington

If I do get this car *cough cough hell yeah* -spring 13-
We'll have to go to a frs car show-Theres gotta be one around here. I have no clue where you find out about those things?
Driving to work one day I saw a camaro lineup in the parking lot and was like "I NEED to get over there" haha I started to brake and everything.
But don't get me started on mustangs-I feel like I cant throw a rock without hitting one. (No offense to anyone just my opinion)
*yep totally off topic, sorry*

[IntotheOcean]

Originally Posted by jarviz

I stopped using that indicating light about 7000 miles ago. I realized it's not possible to drive economically in this car.



Don't forget Initial D too hahaha



awww some nice roads out there... me jelly

What no, I think you are thinking about Suffolk county. haha-I have traffic here
BUT my commute to work *Driving from massapequa to oceanside* (yeah I know not too far, but enough to be annoying) I have a few nice turns.
Which leads me to two questions
1. Mastering stick in traffic
2. Doing turns in this bad boy with out fish tailing.

Any tips?
This thread has really helped me out. But I want a good understanding of how everything works, in relation to one another-I think its only than that Ill be good at driving stick.

I still have time to learn-So I'm reading as much as I can, Watching good videos on youtube and soon will be practicing in my moms 93 Ford Escort (Yes, it is still alive and running)