Driving a Standard AKA Manual AKA Stick

Try this:

When the shifter's in first gear and the clutch is in, slowly start letting the clutch out. Just the clutch. Eventually, you will notice that the gear is catching when the engine slows down or acts like it's about to stall. Don't let the clutch out any farther than that without gas. That's the break point. Play with it a little bit - it's different on every car - and get the feel as to where that break point is. Once you're comfortable with getting your left foot to about that spot, you can begin adding gas. You'll notice that when your left foot's hovering on the break point, any gas added with the right will actually make the car go forward a little. Once it's at that point, the foot coordination no longer has to be too precise...you can afford a little slippage because it's already essentially in gear and still running.



EDIT: The incline thing is because while the clutch is in, your car is in neutral. Neither of your feet can be on the brake because they're both occupied with the clutch and accelerator. A car in neutral with no brakes will, of course, roll. So you're essentially having to race that little process of getting it into first against gravity rolling your car into the one behind you. A tip to help that problem is use the handbrake. If the car has one of those floorboard emergency brakes that you have to use your foot for, this doesn't work as well. But in a Tiburon, the e-brake is right there in between the two seats. So, if you're on a hill waiting on a red light, put the car in neutral and apply the handbrake. When the light turns green, leave the handbrake alone and put the clutch in and the shifter into first. Get the car into gear, and notice that it starts to pull forward against both gravity and the brake. Then, reach down and slowly let the handbrake off and you'll be going forward with no rollback at all.

 

I'm not sure there are any real tricks to being smooth with your launch... perhaps it's just a grabby clutch or you haven't gotten enough practice on the Hyundai.

Also, stopping on an incline and starting isn't a big deal unless you're stuck in traffic and you can't roll backwards at a start as that's what you're going to do unless you ride the clutch on said incline. I overheated and ruined my clutch while stuck on the bridge between Louisiana/Texas. An hour of going about 1.5 mph up a steep incline will do that I suppose.

 

Redline her and pop the clutch. Have fun!!!

 

Just keep driving. Every car is different, and has its own tendencies and you'll soon figure those out once youve been driving manuals long enough. For now, just enjoy it and have fun in a manual...unless you're in traffic, then manuals blow donkey b@lls

 

Helps to first have a few beers first and to yell "WooHoo!!" out of the wndow when you pop the clutch. I predict poeple will get out of your way.

 

and don't forget to go back and pick up your transmission

 

Practice makes perfect...

 

I suck at driving manuel. I guess a lot of people learn that first, because automatic won't be a problem, but I never took driver's ed because there wasn't one at my school. So I just taught myself how to drive with my dad's van when he was out of town. I did learn the basics of driving stick though, because we had this old Datsun pickup at my school that we used for hauling fallen branches and sticks out to a pile in some near by woods. Now, put me in traffic though, I'll be stalling out and skipping gears all the live long day.

 

to drive from a standing position: first, accellerate just a little (otherwise, the engine may stall). Let up on the clutch as slow as you can. When you feel it kick in, and the car starts to move, slowly give it more gas as you slowly keep letting up the clutch.

The incline is a big deal when you're, say, entering a stadium parking garage. You may be in a line of cars, with a care right friggin behind you as you are on an incline. When you come to a stop, you can't just leave it in gear and hit the brake - the engine will stall. You have to push in the clutch and hit the brake. So, with your left foot on the clutch, you have to QUICKLY move your right foot from the accelerator to the brake. But in that fraction of a second, your car could roll back a foot if you're on an incline. If the car behind you is tailgaiting, you could bump into him.

For this reason, an experienced driver always leaves room in front of him in these conditions in case the person in front of you may be driving a stick shift and may not be good at preventing the roll-back.

 

I really laugh at people that tailgate Semi's and other large trucks a stop lights. These things roll back on even the slightest incline no matter how good the driver is. Not to mention that the driver probably doesn't even know that you are back there.

 

Droxford has it dead on if you are starting out. Just rev to around 2000-2500 and right when you do that just keep at it and let off the clutch. When it catches just accelerate a lil bit and it should get you going about 95% of the time. I still stall from time to time if I've been driving an automatic (my parents' cars) for a while or if I'm not paying attention.

As to hills, same as before but rev higher and let off the clutch faster. I think in Europe they teach you that when you are on an incline to leave the parking brake in. Press down the clutch and shift to first and put ur shifting hand on ur parking break. Leave the clutch in, and rev the engine a bit and slowly let off the clutch as you slowly release the parking brake. I must admit, it does work well but the first time may seem weird. I go to school in Austin so I had to do this quite a few times but I've reached a point where I can just clutch and go.

 

Let me add this: you do not have to touch the gas pedal at all to get a car into first gear 95% of the time. If you're careful enough with the clutch and the car idles naturally at 1,000+ rpms, that's enough gas to get a car into first on a flat surface. People who drive automatics already know how to use a gas pedal. Where you need to learn is on the clutch. Don't confuse yourself with the gas. That doesn't make a difference other than burning the clutch out prematurely because you're revving the engine even faster than the dead-still gear you're trying to attach it to. True, you'll eventually need to give gas to accelerate in a timely manner in traffic, but picture two gears. Picture one of them spinning insanely fast and the other sitting still. Now picture that spinning gear easing closer and closer to that idle gear. When the teeth of the gears touch, what happens?

 

I was forced to learn manual when my first car I got when I was 16 was a manual. I'm glad I learned how then...I don't even notice much difference between automatic and manual anymore unless I'm in a lot of traffic.

Which brings me to my next point, do not get a manual if you're driving routines have you stuck in traffic a lot. It sucks.

Learning to drive one just takes time and practice. Just drive around back roads a lot until you get the hang of it. The hill thing will take some time...but hell, if someone gets to close to you on an incline and you bump into them its their damn fault for being too close to you.

 

The car will die when you hit 0 on the odometer. The way I originally learned how to start from a complete stop in a manuel was to watch the odometer and make sure that I didn't let it hit zero. You obviously want to ween yourself off that to where you can do it by feel, however.

 

I think you meant tachometer. The odometer shows how many miles you have gone. The tachometer shows how many RPM's(revolutions per minute) the engine is turning. The is why if you let the car get to 0 RPM it stalls because it already has. It isn't turning over anymore. BTW not every car that has a manual transmission has a tach.

 

You're right. I'm still half asleep. I didn't realize not all cars had one.




arkoe, don't say stupid things. arkoe, don't say stupid things. arkoe, don't say stupid things.

 

Does Manuel have a last name? Do tell.

 

DallasThomas has some good advice.

Go to an empty parking lot and practice. First thing, practice using ONLY the clutch to get the car moving. You'll have to be smooth in order to do so, or you'll stall. After you've mastered this skill, learn to feed in the gas smoothly.

For inclines, some cars have a system called the "Hill Holder" system to prevent rolling back. If you're on an incline, you push the clutch and brakes all the way in. When you let off the brake, the car will stay in place as long as you hold in the clutch.

 

AWESOME.
Oddly enough, when I came to the states and the history teacher said: "the U.S. economy in the early 1800's thrived on Manuel labor" I wondered they were over-working the guy.