Simulator to learn MT

[WingsofWar]

most guys learn driving manual in an average of 1 day. No need for a beater in this sense, just buy a FRS and learn from it. Simulators will only teach you concepts, but you will still need to experience the actual clutch feel.

Besides the 1st clutch you own will get replaced sooner than the 2nd clutch you own on any vehicle. Regardless of seasoned drivers.

[bucket]

Go to a dealer and test drive a manual transmission car. That is how I "learned"...nobody ever really taught me. You just kind of figure it out as long as you can think logically and have any idea at all about how mechanical things work.

The hardest part was when I got myself into a situation where I needed to do a 3-point turn on what was about my 3rd attempt at getting the car going from a stand-still. At that point, my only guaranteed way of not stalling out was to rev the engine and dump the clutch

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by bucket

Go to a dealer and test drive a manual transmission car. That is how I "learned"...nobody ever really taught me. You just kind of figure it out as long as you can think logically and have any idea at all about how mechanical things work.

The hardest part was when I got myself into a situation where I needed to do a 3-point turn on what was about my 3rd attempt at getting the car going from a stand-still. At that point, my only guaranteed way of not stalling out was to rev the engine and dump the clutch

If you're actually going to buy the car then it's OK but a dealer is not there to let you learn on their cars... especially a new car.

[MF_DEUCE]

GRAN Turismo

[ESBjiujitsu]

i agree with some others on this one buy a manual frs and learn on the ride home lol.....no but seriously its not that bad i bet you could learn over a weekend enough to get around and so long as your not an ass to your clutch you wont damage anything serious i have taught several people hot to drive stick on my cars and never any damage done

[bucket]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

If you're actually going to buy the car then it's OK but a dealer is not there to let you learn on their cars... especially a new car.

With all of the shenanigans that dealers pull, I have little sympathy for them. I would at least suggest a used car though.

[dsgerbc]

Originally Posted by WingsofWar

most guys learn driving manual in an average of 1 day.

"Learn in 1 day" is a big overstatement, imo. More like 'understand how-to'. Executing smoothly with mental effort will take some time. Executing smoothly w/o much mental effort will take longer.

I guess properly set-up gaming rigs can help develop some muscle memory, but not while "driving". There are exercises to do that involve rowing up and down through the gears many times do develop proper leg and hand work. Those could be done in a rig (with an added benefit of giving an idea how a seating position should be in a real car). I'd still repeat them couple of times in an actual car (not running) before trying for-real (to learn the position and feel of the gears and pedals).

[GenkiElite]

This is a real thread? Lolz! Did you need a simulator to learn to ride a bike? Just get in a car and learn.

[old greg]

Originally Posted by GenkiElite

Lolz! Did you need a simulator to learn to ride a bike?

Do training wheels count?

[Brett]

My wife is learning to drive stick on our FR-S. I'm not too worried about it.

Brett

[Smitty_89]

I just learned on my friend's car in the last 2 days (about an hour each day). I have learned everything (parking, backing out, up and downshifting, and starting on a hill, etc) but I'm not perfect by any means, obviously need to practice to get better but I could drive the FR-s off the lot today if I wanted or needed to....It's not that hard, go find someone with a manual and go to an empty parking lot. Only takes an hour to get the basics down, after that its all practice.

The hardest part is obviously 1st gear, I'm still rough with it but I rarely stall out anymore.

[Deslock]

Though a simulator is no replacement for the real thing, it's still useful to start with because it's safe, quick, cheap, and (most importantly) diverts some of the initial abuse you'd be exposing a real clutch to. You could try this:

1. 20-30 minutes in a simulator (if you don't have a console with a wheel/pedals setup, use a friend's)
2. 20-30 minutes in a real car in a parking lot
3. 20-30 minutes in a real car on secondary roads

With someone coaching you, that's all it takes to learn the basics.

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by bucket

With all of the shenanigans that dealers pull, I have little sympathy for them. I would at least suggest a used car though.

It's not just about the dealer, it's about the person actually buying the car too. When I was a car salesman, there were times when I would go out with kids who would grind the gears or totally abuse it and then afterwards let you know they didn't have any intention of buying, nor did they have the money. That's just plain rude and unfair to the person actually buying the car. Even though dealers usually suck, doesn't mean you're entitled to driving and learning on their cars. But I would always give people the benefit of the doubt and let them drive or at least ride with me in an Evo X if they wanted to get an idea of the car.

[eifer]

Originally Posted by GenkiElite

This is a real thread? Lolz! Did you need a simulator to learn to ride a bike? Just get in a car and learn.

Yeah this is the only way. There is no substitute for learning how it actually feels and reacts in the real world