I just got my first car. A 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid Stick.
It's been 2 weeks. I started with stalling it like 10 times a day. now I can drive it around the city stalling once.
The thing i have trouble with is Starting and Hills.
How the fuck do i fix those? Today my dad were driving and almost exited out the highway but a dude was RUNNING across the exit. So i hit the breaks and forgot the clutch and the car stalled out.
Now my dad doesn't wanna practice with me... So i'm all by my own.
How do if fix those two problems? I get scared and paranoid as fuck driving it around. And my dad says im a shitty stick driver and shouldn't have bought a stick. I think it's fun but i just cant for the life of me fuckin' learn it.
I feel like i wasted my money by getting something that's way over my head.
Practice.
If you have a long driveway try and just go up and down that without using the accelerator,this gives you a bit of clutch control, just use the clutch. Or if it's on a hill try hand brake starting up it, just don't go far each time.
I had trouble getting used to my third car, a Kia Rio 2008 as the clutch was much higher than what I was used too in my 1998 Lancer. But I practiced and I have no problem.
[QUOTE=Hana-San;40565790]Practice.
If you have a long driveway try and just go up and down that without using the accelerator,this gives you a bit of clutch control, just use the clutch. Or if it's on a hill try hand brake starting up it, just don't go far each time.
I had trouble getting used to my third car, a Kia Rio 2008 as the clutch was much higher than what I was used too in my 1998 Lancer. But I practiced and I have no problem.[/QUOTE]
That's the thing. He wont let me practice on a driveway "OR YOU WONT GET BETTER" he made me dive right in live driving. It takes me like 4-5 seconds on the traffic light or stop sign to get the car moving lol.
[QUOTE=Region;40565812]That's the thing. He wont let me practice on a driveway "OR YOU WONT GET BETTER" he made me dive right in live driving. It takes me like 4-5 seconds on the traffic light or stop sign to get the car moving lol.[/QUOTE]
Find a back street and just go around.
And that's not true at all. My dad told me to not use the accelerator in my first few times driving with him. So I spent hours going around without the accelerator. Sometimes you need to go slow before you can drive normally.
Half the problem is that a lot of parents learnt that way and they think that everyone can learn that way too.
So just tell him that it's what YOU need to do. It's how YOU can beter and not be a part of the death toll because you couldn't drive properly.
ANYONE can learn to drive a standard... 90% of it is muscle memory, your left leg learning where the clutch grabs and how to control it. You just have to DO it a fuckton, I think practicing on a hill with no traffic is good, that's how I was taught lol my dad tossed me the keys to his car and said "keep trying to drive up this hill until you can do it right, then you will know how to drive stick"
also easier to figure out when you don't have the pressure of traffic or someone breathing down your neck lol
Your dad sounds like a real winner.
Just practice. Put yourself in situations you're bad at in controlled environments and go over and over.
I just drove around my neighborhood for a while, alone. It's a lot easier to learn without having the pressure of someone else being in the car. Just don't forget to put your handbrake down.
[editline]7th May 2013[/editline]
and do what watevaman said
Thanks guys. Honestly i think it's for the best that i do it alone in a parking lot by my house. i just gotta find a hill to practice on without him hitting the car and getting mad everytime i stall or roll back
I wouldn't even touch hills until you get comfortable starting off imo. As you said, find a parking lot. That's where me and everyone I know that drives manual started.
Starting out is something you'll have to get used to. 1st gear is the hardest to master. Hills - you have a fear of rolling back so you give it too much gas. and jam off the clutch to hit it. While you're still learning, come to a stop on a hill facing uphill. Shift into first with your foot fully on the clutch. Pull the handbrake back hard, and let off the brake, but keep your left foot on the clutch. The car will still sit still. When you have to start up again, slowly feather off the clutch and onto the gas while gently releasing the handbrake as you move forward uphill. Once the car is moving freely, let your hand off the handbrake fully, and accelerate as you would normally, and shift into 2nd when it's time. Does that make sense?
It took me about two weeks to learn fully with no one teaching me. My first experience was driving a friend's 91 ranger from California to Washington in one shot. He pulled over in Oregon somewhere on the freeway and told me to take the helm so he could rest. I got it started and drove down the freeway for about 150 miles before we needed gas. Getting it off that stop light was stressful. I kept stalling and the car behind me just sat there. He understood, but I felt he was mad at me or something so I kept stressing out and stalling. Eventually I told my friend to switch seats with me to get it into the gas station. I would not take the anger for learning to drive a stick. Once you have it down, you'll have it for life. What others suggested by driving in a parking lot is really the best thing. Drive in circles till you get it. Then pull back onto the street and learn some more. My dad used to do similar stuff when teaching me to drive. They just get frustrated if you don't get it quickly. You're not retarded, you just are learning a multi-tasking excercise with all kinds of variables.
Definitely hand brake hill starts. It also helps to figure out where your clutch catches, so you know where to start letting off the handbrake (and once you get good enough, how quickly to let it out on hills without using the handbrake)
Braking without the clutch is just something you learn to stop doing, I used to do it too but now it's natural.
As for starting, that's something you have to get used to too. It took me a bit to realize that you can hold the clutch partially down when starting from a stop in order to stop conking out (and I don't know why..). Obviously if the RPMs dip too low you can just push it down a bit more. It's practice.
Drive around the neighborhood, if one of your friends has a jeep, learn stick on that and then move on to a car like yours with low torque.
Also starting on hills is a bitch without a handbrake, especially in a CJ5 with a noob like me.
Like serj said, use the handbrake method on hills and you will be good, I taught my other friend who has a stick mazda 6 to do that and he was really happy.
I learned in a fight or flight situation. My neighborhood exit is a huge hill and people pull up your ass. I dont have a parking brake. I just outclutch and press the gas enough to not roll back.
It also helps that I am driving a bigass 5.7L v8 that doesnt need gas to sit on a hill.
I learned on my brothers old v6 bronco 2 and again on his 06 ford ranger. I have owned it for a week now and I am decent on the clutch. Still working on smoothness.
I also own a 98 yamaha xj600. The hand clutch helped me out learning the foot clutch.
I enjoy 3 footing it.
Its fun.
[sp]Also its funnie to roll backwards into your friends when they have big ass bumper guards.
SIR STOP EATING MAI BEEDAL WITH YOUR DODGE DUALLY[/sp]
Find a nice empty area and practice letting your foot off the clutch, do it until you know exactly where the "friction point" is. Knowing exactly how much you need to let off the clutch is very useful for starts and hills
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. So this is normal right? I feel like i have to get it before a certain time or I'm considered stupid hah.
Again thank you all.
[QUOTE=Hana-San;40565790]Practice.
If you have a long driveway try and just go up and down that without using the accelerator,this gives you a bit of clutch control, just use the clutch. Or if it's on a hill try hand brake starting up it, just don't go far each time.
I had trouble getting used to my third car, a Kia Rio 2008 as the clutch was much higher than what I was used too in my 1998 Lancer. But I practiced and I have no problem.[/QUOTE]
Pretty much this.
Before you can start driving a manual transmission vehicle, you have to understand how this system works and operates. Start watching Youtube videos and doing your own research on the mechanical designs of these transmissions. Then you can understand how important it is to use the clutch pedal. Then practice on a slanted place and feel out your clutch and how it operates.
You'd have to practice on your own. I had to tell my dad to piss off because its really detrimental to your own learning experience to rely on other's. Only you can teach yourself. Drive alone by yourself and you'll learn eventually. Practice stopping and going. Practice shifting while turning, even braking abruptly. Practice all of these by yourself in an empty parking lot. Get a feel for the car. [B]Also, don't give it too much thought. It's really simple and something you shouldn't delve on too long.[/B] There are more techniques like rapid shifting, down-shifting, rpm-matching and heel-toe to be learned later...
When I bought my manual 240SX, I just dove right into driving it on the road without fear; but without me studying the inner workings of the transmission and how it worked first.
Ive also got a quick question about driving a manual.
Ive only driven one, my dad's 2000 Ford F250. Its a 7.3l Powerstroke with a superchip and a 6 speed.
Im really good at driving it, however, since its a diesel with a shitton of torque (700lb-ft or so,) its a lot different from driving a gas job.
For instance, on flat land, you can take off in second (third gear if you count low) if you lightly rev the throttle when you let out on the clutch. On most hills, you can take off in first gear without touching the gas. On very steep hills, you can throw it in low without touching the gas.
I was wondering, how hard will it be for me to learn to drive a regular gas job? Ive got the shifting down, clutch engagement, etc. Im just not used to driving a low torque manual
I had trouble starting on hills (even the smallest of ones) for the first or second day I was practicing. I would get to the hill, hold the brake, then try to release the brake, dump the clutch and hit the gas all at the same time. Didn't work so well.
What I do now is hold the brake, bring the clutch up just to the friction point (RPM will dip a hair on the tach), release the brake and hit the gas while letting the clutch out that final bit. The clutch should hold you in position while you get to the gas, and at the very least you have less distance to travel with your foot, which should help prevent stalling and rolling.
(Oh also, when I say 'brake' I mean the pedal brake, not the parking brake.)
[QUOTE=FordLord;40571662]Ive also got a quick question about driving a manual.
Ive only driven one, my dad's 2000 Ford F250. Its a 7.3l Powerstroke with a superchip and a 6 speed.
Im really good at driving it, however, since its a diesel with a shitton of torque (700lb-ft or so,) its a lot different from driving a gas job.
For instance, on flat land, you can take off in second (third gear if you count low) [b]if you lightly rev the throttle when you let out on the clutch[/b]. On most hills, you can take off in first gear without touching the gas. On very steep hills, you can throw it in low without touching the gas.
I was wondering, how hard will it be for me to learn to drive a regular gas job? Ive got the shifting down, clutch engagement, etc. Im just not used to driving a low torque manual[/QUOTE]
Just do this
[QUOTE=Jaehead;40572043]Just do this[/QUOTE]
I was assuming it was along the lines of that.
On hill starts with the diesel, what i do is ease up the clutch until it starts to grab, ease up on the brake, and once the clutch is engaged enough to move forward, i let off the brake. From the sounds of things, a gas job doesnt have the torque for that?
One last thing, with the diesel, you can skip gears. On flat land, you can go 2,4, then 5 (3,5,6 counting low) Somewhat hilly roads, you can go 1,3,5 (2,4,6.) Is that doable on gas jobs?
[QUOTE=FordLord;40572277]I was assuming it was along the lines of that.
On hill starts with the diesel, what i do is ease up the clutch until it starts to grab, ease up on the brake, and once the clutch is engaged enough to move forward, i let off the brake. From the sounds of things, a gas job doesnt have the torque for that? [/QUOTE]
If it's a truck engine [i]maybe[/i], but you won't get a car rolling up a hill without giving it some gas.
[QUOTE=FordLord;40572277]One last thing, with the diesel, you can skip gears. On flat land, you can go 2,4, then 5 (3,5,6 counting low) Somewhat hilly roads, you can go 1,3,5 (2,4,6.) Is that doable on gas jobs?[/QUOTE]
Depends on the transmission and how high you rev it, if I'm going flat out I will take first and second to redline then just skip to fifth because I'm already up to speed (this is in a 4cyl sentra not a truck)... but I find most of the time skipping gears is not really practical
[QUOTE=FordLord;40572277]I was assuming it was along the lines of that.
On hill starts with the diesel, what i do is ease up the clutch until it starts to grab, ease up on the brake, and once the clutch is engaged enough to move forward, i let off the brake. From the sounds of things, a gas job doesnt have the torque for that?
One last thing, with the diesel, you can skip gears. On flat land, you can go 2,4, then 5 (3,5,6 counting low) Somewhat hilly roads, you can go 1,3,5 (2,4,6.) Is that doable on gas jobs?[/QUOTE]
hill starts with just the clutch isn't doable from my (limited) experience. I either use the handbrake if i'm tight on space, or just let it roll a bit and proceed as normal.
In terms of skipping gears.. I can't speak for any other cars out there but for my nissan cd009 trans it specifically states in the manual not to skip gears.
[QUOTE=TweaK2007;40573149]If it's a truck engine [i]maybe[/i], but you won't get a car rolling up a hill without giving it some gas.
Depends on the transmission and how high you rev it, if I'm going flat out I will take first and second to redline then just skip to fifth because I'm already up to speed (this is in a 4cyl sentra not a truck)... but I find most of the time skipping gears is not really practical[/QUOTE]
I do 2->5 all the time with my 1.4L carb sunny (aka sentra)
[editline]9th May 2013[/editline]
It doesn't matter if it's gas or diesel. Revs and gearing matters
[QUOTE=Region;40567390]Thanks for all the suggestions guys. So this is normal right? I feel like i have to get it before a certain time or I'm considered stupid hah.
Again thank you all.[/QUOTE]Yeah not everyone can pick manual up easily, people like you and me are the unlucky ones :v:
find a parking lot and try to get going without using the gas for a few hours. eventually you'll get to a point where you don't even think about it and it's just driving you know bro. with hill starts: once you get the muscle memory of where the clutch grabs youll just kinda release the clutch till it grabs and then just flick over to the gas and you'll start moving no problem. you said it takes like 5 seconds for you to get going, thats probably mostly just your clutch foot trying to find the engagement point dont worry about it you'll only get better
also your dads an asshole
[QUOTE=TweaK2007;40565918]
also easier to figure out when you don't have the pressure of traffic or someone breathing down your neck lol[/QUOTE]
So many times this.
Applies to everything really. During driving lessons, I was always nervous because my instructor was kind of a bitch and would rip out the dashboard with her teeth in fury if I did anything wrong at all.
After passing the exam and driving on my own, goddamn I am the king of the motherfucking road, and I can almost drive with my eyes closed.
Not that I would do it ofc, but it really is much less nerve wrecking. Went from driving very shakingly on a car in which you just release the clutch uphill and it starts going, to driving a car more than 20 years older that goes down if you don't put some throttle while starting it up in a normal street with no climb, and doing it perfectly.
Goddamn I love manual gears.
My car lost the top row of gears at one point. So I only had second, fourth and reverse.
Drove like that for a week before getting it sorted.
Not trying to contradict anyone or give bad instructions, but it seems like learning with the handbrake would be a worse way to go. You end up having to learn how to take off from a hill twice. Wouldn't that just lengthen the learning time?
Coming from a person who litterally just learned to drive stick ~6 weeks ago, I'm glad I didn't learn that way. Granted, I have a foot brake instead of the convenience of the hand brake, but finding an empty hill and trying to learn the correct way seems much more efficient. Once you find that spot where you can feel the car try to move forward, just let off the brake. I guess it'd be a little harder on the clutch when you're learning but for a new stick driver, that's the least of the clutches problems...
[QUOTE=SilentOpp;40585070]Not trying to contradict anyone or give bad instructions, but it seems like learning with the handbrake would be a worse way to go. You end up having to learn how to take off from a hill twice. Wouldn't that just lengthen the learning time?
Coming from a person who litterally just learned to drive stick ~6 weeks ago, I'm glad I didn't learn that way. Granted, I have a foot brake instead of the convenience of the hand brake, but finding an empty hill and trying to learn the correct way seems much more efficient. Once you find that spot where you can feel the car try to move forward, just let off the brake. I guess it'd be a little harder on the clutch when you're learning but for a new stick driver, that's the least of the clutches problems...[/QUOTE]
I dunno, I'd say the handbrake trick is for people who are still taking like five seconds to slowly let the clutch out because they don't know where it grabs yet, once you get better at launching it's not really any different going up a hill you just give it more gas and be quick so you don't roll back.
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