• Driving a manual.
    56 replies, posted
I've been driving a manual car for 3 years and I use the handbrake on hills. Hell I use it at any point I'm stopped for more than 5 seconds. At this point it's no slower or quicker than not using the handbrake. The car does not roll back [i]at all[/i], It's better for the clutch (That is if you hold the car on a gradient with the clutch, I cringe when I see that) and at night you aren't blinding the guy behind with your lights.
How are you doing, OP?
[QUOTE=Alec W;40598524]How are you doing, OP?[/QUOTE] well i drove it for about 15 miles today. Stalled ONCE on a hill. Used the handbrake so all was well. My dad agreed not to get pissed or yell and shit. So i was more relaxed and driving it was easier. I got it down. Now all i need to do is work on polishing it. When i change gears it's still kinda rough. One instance i didn't even change the gear fully and realized it and quickly hit the clutch and readjusted. But other than those minor issues i feel like i can start driving in a week or two. Also the auto stop on the 2005 honda civic hybrid is annoying as fuck. Apparently you have to hit the clutch a couple times for it to snap out of auto stop. even when i change it from neutral to 1st. I think it's just a matter of me keeping my foot on the clutch too long when auto stop happens. so it's fixable. Thanks guys.
Quick driving lesson: drop the clutch.
[img]http://i2.asntown.net/15/europe-3-pedals-the-origin-of-the-saying-that-women-cant-drive.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Region;40602707]well i drove it for about 15 miles today. Stalled ONCE on a hill. Used the handbrake so all was well. My dad agreed not to get pissed or yell and shit. So i was more relaxed and driving it was easier. I got it down. Now all i need to do is work on polishing it. When i change gears it's still kinda rough. One instance i didn't even change the gear fully and realized it and quickly hit the clutch and readjusted. But other than those minor issues i feel like i can start driving in a week or two. Also the auto stop on the 2005 honda civic hybrid is annoying as fuck. Apparently you have to hit the clutch a couple times for it to snap out of auto stop. even when i change it from neutral to 1st. I think it's just a matter of me keeping my foot on the clutch too long when auto stop happens. so it's fixable. Thanks guys.[/QUOTE] What is auto stop? I have an 04 civic lx and i don't know what this is.
Oh shit, I just had a realization. OP, you picked a bad car to learn on. Every newer civic that I ever drove with a stick had that same 3rd / 5th issue where you think it's in gear but its not. I didnt even think about it till you mentioned it. They have short shaft play, and very short throws. Also they have a tendency to "spit" the shifter back to neutral but look like its in gear unless you mash it in there. How's the handbrake working out for you?
The clutch is different on every car. A -88 Nissan Bluebird had a nice smooth one, loved it, but my sisters Peugeot 206 has a really steep clutch. Like, it locks at halfway up and it is terrifying. I first learnt the clutch on the Bluebird and within 10 minutes I didn't stall that much anymore and within 2-3 days it was really easy to drive. But the ~5 minutes I drove in the 206 I stalled 3 times.
[QUOTE=Dylan_94;40607875]What is auto stop? I have an 04 civic lx and i don't know what this is.[/QUOTE] They're only in the hybrid cars. Specifically The HCHs i think. Whenever it's in neutral, the engine turns off to save gas. Which gets rather annoying when you stop at a traffic light, put it in neutral, and then put it in gear only for it to stay stuck on auto stop. So you have to keep changing from neutral to 1st for it to work again. Doesnt happen to my dad. So im guessing its just somethin im doin wrong. [editline]11th May 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Serj22;40607933]Oh shit, I just had a realization. OP, you picked a bad car to learn on. Every newer civic that I ever drove with a stick had that same 3rd / 5th issue where you think it's in gear but its not. I didnt even think about it till you mentioned it. They have short shaft play, and very short throws. Also they have a tendency to "spit" the shifter back to neutral but look like its in gear unless you mash it in there. How's the handbrake working out for you?[/QUOTE] It's weird. Part of it is probably my fault for being nervous and not pushing the gear in all the way. But once i have it down i hope that problem wont persist. As for the handbrake method, i actually haven't been needing to use it as much. I used it only once or twice on the big ass inclines but that's about it.
Ew that does sound annoying... so it's supposed to start back up when you put it in gear? Or maybe if you blip the throttle, idk... Come to think of it, I've never really seen a hybrid with a manual transmission I thought they were all auto lol
[QUOTE=TweaK2007;40608324]Ew that does sound annoying... so it's supposed to start back up when you put it in gear? Or maybe if you blip the throttle, idk... Come to think of it, I've never really seen a hybrid with a manual transmission I thought they were all auto lol[/QUOTE] I'm probably doing something wrong with the clutch. I did think it stalled out on me a couple times. Which resulted me in trying to turn it on and almost killin it.
I'm pretty sure it has drive-by-wire and if you press the throttle it will start right back up, you can't think of a hybrid as two different engines. The electric motor part of it is essentially part of the gas motor, Honda's hybrids don't even use the starter most of the time as the electric part of the motor it does it much better. "Additionally, vehicles equipped with IMA can shut off their engine when the vehicle stops and use the electric motor to rapidly spin it back up when the driver releases the brake pedal. They also have a conventional starter as a backup, making it the only production hybrid system which can operate with its high voltage electric system disabled, using only its engine like a traditional vehicle. However, since the IMA also acts as the vehicle's alternator, eventually the 12 volt accessory battery would require an external charge." [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Motor_Assist[/url]
Today I was leaving a shop and the road was being worked on with tons of gravel every were, as I approached drive way my was was like okay this is just a tad steep nothing I cant handle. Than a fucking brand new laguna seca mustang pulled within 3ft from my bumper. I thought about going and trying to minimize as much wheel spin as I could on the driveway but about that time he grew impatient and right up to my ass. NOPE cant do it with out causing wheel spin. So I got out told mustang old man that hey I have a clutch in that der' saturn and she likes to play wheel spin on gravel. He sayed "Sorry, I would have never guessed that a saturn vue would ever have a manual transmission. My bad." Disaster averted. [editline]fgkgmn[/editline] Thought this would be nice to go in manual thread because fuck gravel + steep hills.
The difficulty of some manoeuvres depends on the car. In my learner car hill starts were a nightmare. I had to use the handbrake a lot and find the biting point before releasing etc. Since I got my first proper one, which is a 2 litre diesel with ridiculous amounts of torque, I can just pull the clutch up on a hill and away I go. In fact by just using gears and no accelerator I can get up to about 40mph (albeit with a lot of lugging) :v: Applying any more than a tiny amount of throttle causes the wheels to spin madly, which was a pain to get used to after doing the handbrake crap every time. as a general rule if it's stalling give it more fuel
I should learn manual just because, if I ever get in an emergency, and don't have my automatic, I'm fucked my dad [B]only[/B] goes stick
i can't imagine not driving manual tbh, but i suppose most people in the UK drive manual so it's perfectly normal to me.
Driving a manual is tricky at first, but now I would take it over automatic any day. It can kind of be a bitch when you're tired in the mornings, but it's worth it for those fun drives flying down a back road or something, so much more fun with stick :v:
[QUOTE=DPKiller;40611772]Today I was leaving a shop and the road was being worked on with tons of gravel every were, as I approached drive way my was was like okay this is just a tad steep nothing I cant handle. Than a fucking brand new laguna seca mustang pulled within 3ft from my bumper. I thought about going and trying to minimize as much wheel spin as I could on the driveway but about that time he grew impatient and right up to my ass. NOPE cant do it with out causing wheel spin. So I got out told mustang old man that hey I have a clutch in that der' saturn and she likes to play wheel spin on gravel. He sayed "Sorry, I would have never guessed that a saturn vue would ever have a manual transmission. My bad." Disaster averted. [editline]fgkgmn[/editline] Thought this would be nice to go in manual thread because fuck gravel + steep hills.[/QUOTE] our momsquad group of miatas went on some gravel and needless to say, such a lightweight car should never travel on that shit glad the guy behind you was understanding
If anyone wants an update. I've been driving by myself for a day or two now. Hill starts are easy. And haven't stalled for a while.
Nice to hear you figured it out. I was going to say that it's a stupid idea to have you start practicing in live traffic. Imagine a university professor telling his medical students to operate on live patients before they've ever practiced anything on a piece of dead meat. Like in every other field there is, you start practicing "in the dry", and then once you've mastered the basics, you start to get out there and apply your knowledge. I hate to say it, but your dad was being an asshole. Not saying he [i]is[/i] one. Just saying he was being one. You just don't tell your kid that he's stupid for not figuring something out. No matter how stupid your kid really is. You just don't do it. Period.
Sounds like such an odd system to me, is it common in the US to just buy a car and learn to drive by just getting in and having a go by your self, rather than having actual lessons? congrats on getting it down by the way
I don't know anyone that took lessons, everyone I know has had someone just teach them in a parking lot.
I learned manual on a 5 speed, 2 cylinder, 3 wheeled golfcart. Such a good thing to learn on and its a tank so you can drive it like an asshole and it's fine :v:
My parents bought my brother lessons. I learned by myself...after buying a car to replace the car my parents let my brother drive to pieces.
In NJ if you do the payed lessons you can get your permit 6 months earlier than people who learned with their parents.
An alternative to using the hand brake is to learn to run the brake and gas pedal against each other with your right foot. What you will do is roll your foot off of the brake as you clutch out and for a breif moment, while the clutch is engaging, you are using all three pedals. This prevents you from moving backwards on a hill. You can practice that on flat ground as well. Alternatively, you can throw the revs up with a quick blip on the throttle while still holding the brake. Then engage the clutch quickly to minimize the rollback.
Am I the only one who could do hill starts without rolling back? My dad made me go down this road at least 300+ times, every day after school, for half an hour I would drive up and down, starting in 1st and stopping. He also made me do it quickly, in case it was a hill. [sp]I only stalled it like 200 times or something :([/sp] Now I drive my car every day and my dad has much more trust in me. :D
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