Where to learn how to drive manual....

[Saibot]

Just curious!
I dont really want to take classes (500 bucks!? yeah right) and i barely know anyone that drives manual.. I want to learn stick just for this car..

Now in the past (actually only once), i lied to a dealer and said i knew how to drive stick and i got to test drive one (epic fail, couldnt get out of the parking lot for like 10 min.. then stalled in the middle of an intersection LOL)..

So. should i just buy a manual and learn how to drive it on the way home or would you guys suggest a better way...

[ayau]

Originally Posted by Saibot

Just curious!
I dont really want to take classes (500 bucks!? yeah right) and i barely know anyone that drives manual.. I want to learn stick just for this car..

Now in the past (actually only once), i lied to a dealer and said i knew how to drive stick and i got to test drive one (epic fail, couldnt get out of the parking lot for like 10 min.. then stalled in the middle of an intersection LOL)..

So. should i just buy a manual and learn how to drive it on the way home or would you guys suggest a better way...

some car rental places might carry a manual. you'll have to call around.

if you can drive on smaller roads, i don't see a problem buying a manual and driving it home. i did this when i bought the s2k.

[neutron256]

Go out and buy the cheepest working MT you can find (probably for less then $500) then teach yourself in that. If it still runs when you're done resell it.

[Pakjk89]

Same problem I have...do they really have classes for driving manual? I live in northern virginia and it doesn't seem like there are any of those classes or rental places. Do those big chain car rentals really have manuals (ie enterprise, hertz?)

[Sport-Tech]

^^ Instant cheap solution to your problem:

1. Go and buy a G27 racing wheel from Logitech, and rFactor or GTR2 (available online)
2. Practice with cars set up for manual, H-gate (non-sequential) shifting only, no automatic clutch.

Having both a manual transmission car and the above wheel I can tell you that the G27 pedals and shifter are realistic enough to learn from, both in their feel and their action (clutch take-up point, shifter movement, etc.). I intend to use them to master heel-toe downshifting without damaging my car.

[neutron256]

Originally Posted by Scion FR-S

^^ Instant cheap solution to your problem:

1. Go and buy a G27 racing wheel from Logitech, and rFactor or GTR2 (available online)
2. Practice with cars set up for manual, H-gate (non-sequential) shifting only, no automatic clutch.

Having both a manual transmission car and the above wheel I can tell you that the G27 pedals and shifter are realistic enough to learn from, both in their feel and their action (clutch take-up point, shifter movement, etc.). I intend to use them to master heel-toe downshifting without damaging my car.

If you've never driven a manual before practicing on a video game might help but it's not going to really give you the feel you need. You don't get the realworld feedback you need to work the clutch properly.

[ayau]

Originally Posted by Scion FR-S

^^ Instant cheap solution to your problem:

1. Go and buy a G27 racing wheel from Logitech, and rFactor or GTR2 (available online)
2. Practice with cars set up for manual, H-gate (non-sequential) shifting only, no automatic clutch.

Having both a manual transmission car and the above wheel I can tell you that the G27 pedals and shifter are realistic enough to learn from, both in their feel and their action (clutch take-up point, shifter movement, etc.). I intend to use them to master heel-toe downshifting without damaging my car.

this a joke?

the hardest part about a manual is feeling the clutch engaging/disengaging, not rowing through the gears.

[Longhorn248]

I like the idea of buying a super cheap MT car to learn on. Just go find a big empty parking lot and spend a few hours there starting and stopping.

The best advice I can give is to start off with the car on a down hill (it's a lot harder to kill the engine when the car is rolling), then move to flat ground, then once you've mastered that work on starting from a stop while going uphill.

[Jehuty77]

Find a friend who has a manual and practice in a parking lot.

There's a place in hamilton that charges about $200 i think for a lesson.

My buddy went there right before he bought his AE86.

[Sport-Tech]

Originally Posted by ayau

the hardest part about a manual is feeling the clutch engaging/disengaging, not rowing through the gears.

That is the one thing that nothing but a very expensive simulator setup can duplicate, but if you manage to learn the rest of it via simulation you can really focus on that when you actually get into a car as the rest will be automatic, so you'll learn that skill much more quickly and have less chance of damaging your tranny/clutch.

[Jehuty77]

From Stop(For beginners)

1) Rev Engine to 1500 - 2000rpm or so
2) Start releasing the clutch while maintaining the revs
3) Away you go

You'll refine it the more you do it so you dont need to rev so high.

[Sport-Tech]

^^1500 will be a bit low for a beginner, danger of stalling. Minimum 2000 rpm. And give yourself a good 3 seconds to fully release the clutch when you are just starting to learn.

[val_lixembeau]

Originally Posted by Saibot

(epic fail, couldnt get out of the parking lot for like 10 min.. then stalled in the middle of an intersection LOL)

Doesn't sound that bad to me... If you stalled in an intersection, that means at a minimum you were able to get the car a) moving b) in traffic and c) you must have shifted out of first. Pretty good for your first time! I would just buy the car and practice a lot late at night or early in the morning once you have it. If you are really nervous about driving home, get the sales guy to deliver it for you.