My boyfriend tried to teach me how to drive a stick...I ended up buying a car with a manual transmission and teaching myself.
I don't ever want another automatic.

 

Good choice. They're so much fun to drive.

 

I've taught numerous people to drive standard, I taught my friends daughter at a car meet with my 300whp suby with stage 3 clutch. She did fine. I taught my g/f on the same car. and she practices on the mini occasionally. Never had any issues. Aslong as you are patient with them, you'll be fine. when you get nervous or tense - then they will and it all goes down hill from there

-B

 

Tried teaching the GF once, she got frustrated very quickly.

Anyone have tips on overcoming fear of roasting the clutch? I learned on a Subaru STI with a very old clutch, so I wasnt worried too much. She's petrified that she'll burn the relatively new JCW clutch.

 

throttle control is the best thing to do. have her hold the throttle at your preference, i taught my girl at around 2400rpms. made her practice just starting from idle going to 2400 and holding it before she brought in clutch play :-D

-B

 

I suspect that if I let my girlfriend drive our MINI my wife would get pissed.

 

 

she's probably petrified because you or someone else made her that way. just explain how difficult it actually is to burn a clutch, and even if she does glaze it you can easily fix it. clutches are a lot more durable that people give them credit for. this is not a race clutch, it doesn't need to be treated as if it is. it's meant for daily driving which means it can take a hit and keep going.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. I've taught quite a few people in my MINI, my two kids and a couple of neighborhood kids. I'm still on my origional clutch with over 309,000 miles.

Nik

 

Funny!!

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I taught my wife how to drive when she turned 16 in my slammed honda civic lol and then a few years later I taught her how to drive standard when I bought my STi. Your girlfriend will love you for having patience and helping her out . My wife still remembers both those experience and now she is asking me to take her auto-X for the first time in my MCS. I guess after 13yrs I've rubbed off on her lol.