Quote:
Originally Posted by MGCMAN
x2 on the above!

I went for the clutch in my new-Dad-in-law's Lincoln once... with him and my new wife in it. At a toll plaza. 20+ years later my wife still remembers.

 

I was a very stubborn teenager, to the point that I refused to learn to drive at all until I was 17. I rode and showed horses and was very reliant on a horse's instinct to survive. I knew that my horse would never run into a wall or off a cliff!! Anyway, my parents finally told me I had to get my license and I agreed but I told them they had to pay an instructor, there was no way I was going to let one of them teach me! Well, I finally learned and got my license and of course learned to love driving. The next logical step was my own car! The best I could afford was a used Datsun pickup truck with a stick. I had my brother drive it home for me and show me the basics and then I took it out in the neighborhood (full of hills and stop signs) and drove for hours until I wasn't totally panicked about getting to work the next day. There's nothing like a little pressure to make you learn fast!
I'm currently teaching my son to drive and decided he might as well learn to drive a stick while we're at it. I've just taken him to the local office park lots on Sundays and let him at it. He has had to go in countless circles, but finally made it into 3rd gear. Hopefully next time we'll make it onto the real road soon. Thankfully, he loves driving a manual and has decided that's what his first car will be.
Annette

 

LOL :D

 

I know the feeling about driving an auto vs a manual. I alternate between an auto and a manual for my daily drivers.

with the 6 speed i look for the non-existent 7th. *sigh*

 

I've done that


Also thankfully there is a neutral in my Dad's Camry I tend to push up to first at stop lights, usually gets me a honk when the light turns green and all I do is rev the engine.

My mom drives a Dodge minivan, I've slammed my hand into the radio looking for a 3rd gear a few times, hurts the wrist more than anything.

Like I said I much prefer to drive a manual.

 

I was doing that same thing yesterday while my dad's S4. It needed a good run so I decided to take her out. Several times I tried pushing my left foot on the clutch realizing that there was none.

Driving sticks are fun only if you can drive them well I say.

I must say though that I still need to learn to heel & toe downshift. I breifly tried it acouple weeks agoand while trying to give the car some gas, I pushed the brake pedal even more. I guess I need to work on that. I'll get it eventually.

 

Yeah, what do you do with your clutch foot? Also, my right hand feels restless in that situation.

 

I taught my sons the same way my dad taught me (I am female). I gave them the keys and an empty parkinglot, explained the basics and got out of the car. (its easier to keep my mouth shut that way) When they invited me back in, I was able to give some reminders before we tried the street. One son who had been driving for a few years needed no more than that 15min of free trying. The second son who had been driving for less than a year needed a few weeks of practice (though he did "try" the streets several times.) He has a much tougher vehicle though, an old lifted Ford Ranger with a cranky tranny.

 

Hey guys looks like this is a good thread, and a funny one. Ive read very funny stories.
Two things, Im using my mini to teach her, and i hurt so bad ... but i have no choice, because we dont have any other car and non of our friends have a "stick"... and second, we are doing better now, she can go from 1st. to 4th without much problem, but some time when she has to stop, she forgets the clutch pedal (it hurts deep inside of my heart )... last friday she got mad , so i will take an advice from you guys... ill let my brother do the teaching hehehe ... and yes, if you love your mini, dont using for teaching.

MAC (keep posting your story of "how did you learn")

 

akkk, now you got more problems to worry about cause now, your gf's
going to like your brother more than you.

 

I HAD A PROTEGE5 BEFORE MY MINI TOO!!!!

 

The best way to teach someone how to use the clutch,
is to have them practice the following exercise,

Start from a dead stop, without using the gas pedal, only the left foot on the clutch pedal, then when the car starts moving, go thru a couple gears the same way.
Stopping the car using clutch and brake, and then restart the all process again.

Without ever touching the gas.

This will give them a really good feel of the cluch, and will teach them how to operate it properly.

Some of us, expert drivers should use also try this.

Victor

 

i wanna see someone do this in downtown SanFran. lol

 

When I was young(er) we used to have competitions on what was the highest gear you could pull away SMOOTHLY in with no gas pedal usage.

Fantastic for clutch control.

FWIW I held the 'record' of 4th gear in a 1988 BMW 325iS, dead stop, flat surface, to 20ish mph with no gas pedal usage - simply clutch control.

Tried it in the Mini - I can reliably 'pull away' in 1st and 2nd with no gas, third requires raised revs, 4th is possible too but 5th is just too high or there is not enough low-end torque.

 

yah, but my wife giving up MT was not the only reason i sold that pos.

 

May show clutch control, but does nothing good for the clutch.

Mark

 

That's good advice, pick a large parking lot and go over the basics and just practice launching without stalling.

I also suggest that you get out of the car at some point and let the person practice on thier own.

 

A great way to teach stick is to drive the car yourself and let the passenger do the shifting. That way they have to hear the engine and feel when it is right. This way you still have control of the clutch and gas. Once they are comfortable with listening and feeling they can give it a try from the driver's seat. You will still get the lurching and stalling but not as frequently.... Good luck!

 

yep, nothing like 5500rpm clutch drops.

 

I feel very smart by reading how girls/wives/girlfriends give up on learning stick. My boyfriend tought me how to drive stick when I bought my mini. I had to learn if I wanted an S. He's very patient. Took me 1.5 hrs to practice 1st gear on an empty parking lot. And after that I drove us to the mall. It also helped that I'd go to work at 4am and not during rush hour my second day driving it, I went to walmart after work, lost track of time and when I got out of there, my surprise was rush hour which helped so much becasue after that I was a pro.
I used to think, if there are a million people driving stick, why couldn't I!?!?!? and I did it!!! I'd never go back to automatic.
Don't give up girls...y'all can do it! Show the boys girls can drive!

 

1. If your relationship can't survive learning to drive a stick, then you have bigger problems than your transmission preference.

2. I fail to see why this is a women-specific issue, as we learn fudamental concepts in a similar fashion and there's nothing all that interpretive about driving a manual. It's not like you use special techniques to teach women mechanical things.

3. I concur that the thing that helped me most when Leif was completing my instruction was for him to get the hell out of his (poor) car and let me figure it out. I was horrified when he exited the vehicle for a spot under a tree, but I picked up more in that 20 minutes than I had during our entire previous session. I taught a friend's son to drive in my MINI and this is basically the technique I used -- showed him what to do, then he got himself into a pickle on a slight slope so I got out and stood behind the car. It didn't roll that time, and he cruised around the parking lot for awhile after that.

4. Mr. Clutch is your Friend.

 

Sounds like teaching time is over and it is time to give her the keys and let her drive off with out you. Seems you have already gone over the basics more than once and I am sure having you sit in the car with her makes her more nervous.

That is how my Mom taught me (female) and all of my sisters how to drive stick. We would do the empty parking lot then drive Mom home and take the car out on our own.

And know this is not a gender issue as others have mentioned. I know plenty of men who have never driven a manual transmission and have refused when I have offered to teach them.

 

ok, ok, ok.. Im gonna give her the keys on saturday ... l prefer that than her falling in love with my brother ... pray for my car lol.

MaC

 

My advice.....ask someone else to teach her. Brother, Father, Sister....someone other than you. You guys are in an relationship and this will make the teaching/learning that much more difficult.

Now you may be asking yourself what to you know.

I met my wife when she came into the flight school I worked for. She started taking flying lessons and after awhile we started dating, once that happened the chemistry of teaching changed 180 degrees. I have also seen my best friend try and teach his one time girlfriend how to ski.....it did not work one bit.

So, find someone else who does not have a vested interest her to teach her.

And do not use your Mini! Rent a beater to teach her.

 

All you guys talk about how it is to teach your wives/girlfriends and how hard it is on the relationship... sheesh, you ought to be a woman trying to teach her husband/boyfriend. Now that goes over like a lead balloon.