If You're Driving A Stick....

[blas]

Just to be clear, I am not speaking of hills and inclines. Flat road, flat out red light stop lights where traffic should be totally stopped.

I know from riding with my brother (who refuses to drive automatics save for his Fiero) that with a manual, when you first go, it will hop back a tad, that's not enough to scare anyone.

It's the idiots who sit at red lights and roll backwards more than just a tad before they go...like the light is red and everyone is supposed to be stopped and they just roll back because they are too lazy to make sure their vehicle is totally stopped.

[Pagan]

What I hate are the people that sit there and roll back and forth. That's gotta be hell on the clutch and brake.

Come to think of it, one of my ex's drove a stick and he never rolled back, even on hills.

Technically, the space between non-moving cars should be enough that someone can see the rear tires of the person in front of them.

I was taught all of the license plate.

[Kogarashi]

Technically, the space between non-moving cars should be enough that someone can see the rear tires of the person in front of them.

I was taught all of the license plate.

My Driver's Ed teacher taught me same as Exaspera; make sure you can see the rear tires of the driver in front of you when stopped. That allows for normal manual roll-back, but not the yahoos that do the back-n-forth at the light.

[Polenicus]

Bah, this is terrible driving.

I've driven stick for years, I greatly prefer it to standard. And y'know what? I never roll back. When I'm at a stop light on the hill, I shift into neutral and use the brake. I can shift back into gear, clutch, give it some RPMs and get moving before I move backwards at all. If it's a VERY steep hill, I'll use the handbrake.

The douches who rock back and forth are just riding their clutch because they're lazy, and/or they don't know how to start up on an incline. Which leads me to suggest they look into the fine selection of automatic transmission vehicles available. Stick shift does not a 'leet racing d00d' make, and if you can't even start up on an incline without riding your clutch, then you don't know what the hell you're doing, and a stickshift isn't going to make you any faster anyway.

[protege]

I drive a stick shift...and there's very little roll-back on hills. Of course, I know what I'm doing, so that helps

When I'm sitting at a light, I put the car into neutral, and put my foot on the brake. No sense in having the clutch in if I don't have to I also don't spin the wheels, unlike many of the idiots around here. Again, why screw up the tires I don't have to?

But, what really annoys me, are the idiots who *purposely* roll-back their cars...to try to make people *think* they have a five-speed. Seriously?

[mattm04]

I just had that happen the other day. I could see the tires and some pavement in front of me and the idiot kept rolling back. I honked, he stopped and we repeated this several times. By the time the light changed i could barely see his plate. Jerk.

[Racket_Man]

try having a large semi-truck do the rolling back thing on a reletively flat road. several have darn near taken out my front end

[Mikkel]

Well, I only have 2 feet, and a manual has 3 pedals. I will be on the brake while stopped but at some point in time I have to have one foot on the accelerator and one on the clutch, What is your suggestion?

If the hill is steep, use the handbrake. That way you can use a hand instead of the third foot you lack .

[Andara Bledin]

Technically, the space between non-moving cars should be enough that someone can see the rear tires of the person in front of them.

The way I was taught, you should always be back far enough that you can see where the rear tires on the car ahead of you meet the road.

But for the ones that refuse to hold the brake pedal down while waiting to go, that's wrong.

I'm afraid I'm guilty of this. If I'm on an incline where I need to hold position for a bit before moving forward again, I will often not use the brake at all and just hold the throttle at the point where I'm not moving or moving forward a very slight amount. Although, if there is no other vehicle near me, I will do the rocking thing.

It's kind of hard to have one foot on the clutch to prevent stalling, one on the brake, and one on the gas pedal.

In my VW, I used to be able to use my left foot to go from brake to clutch without any rollback. Unfortunately, my current car isn't designed in a way that I can do that.

I know from riding with my brother (who refuses to drive automatics save for his Fiero) that with a manual, when you first go, it will hop back a tad, that's not enough to scare anyone.

I have never had a stick that would go backward on a flat road when starting. Ever. That includes the MG Midget, the Datsun 280Z, the VW Bug, a friend's car I drove once because he was drunk, and my current Toyota Tercel.

Although, since it's been brought up, I've seen a lot of tractors that will hop back slightly before moving forward. Does anyone know why this happens?

The douches who rock back and forth are just riding their clutch because they're lazy, and/or they don't know how to start up on an incline.

I admit that I rock because I'm lazy. But when there's someone behind me, I don't rock, I just hold position.

One thing to note is that for some people, hills are a very rare thing. I encounter a stop with an incline about once a month, if that. Until it was brought up in an earlier thread here, I'd never even heard of the thing with the parking brake.

^-.-^

[Midnight_Angel]

Which is why, if the car is on a steep enough slope that it will start to roll before you can reach them, the hand brake should be left on until you can adjust the clutch & accelerator to the biting point (which will hold your car on an upwards slope without rolling). Most British cars are manuals (stick shifts) & knowing how to do a hill start is part of the practical driving test.

Same thing here in Germany. If you can't start uphill without the car rolling back, there's no driving license for you.

[Chromatix]

This *is* one of the trickiest parts of driving a manual. You have to understand how it all works to use all the controls effectively. Once you do understand it, it's not difficult but still annoying to start on an uphill.

First of all, DO NOT hold the car on the clutch for more than a second or two at a time. You will wear it out very quickly - and clutches are expensive - as well as becoming the idiot who rolls back and forward in the queue. It also wastes fuel.

To start up a steep hill, you WILL need to use the handbrake, because you only have two feet and need to operate three controls simultaneously. This is true even if you have only had to stop for a second because the idiot in front of you (driving an automatic) was fiddling with his radio instead of watching the queue in front of him.

The handbrake has a ratchet on it. If you hold the catch in, you can freely move it between applied and released positions without any delay. This is useful.

Anticipating this, get into a habit of using the handbrake whenever you come to a stop using the footbrake and won't be starting again *instantly*. Stop sign on level road where you can see the road is clear - you can save some time by just starting without the handbrake. Stop sign on an uphill - you'll need the handbrake. Traffic light or motorway queue - use the handbrake and change to neutral.

Whenever you use the handbrake, check that it's on hard enough. If you start rolling, even very slightly, when you release the footbrake, it's not enough - press the footbrake again and *then* adjust the handbrake. (If the handbrake won't hold it however hard you pull it, hold the footbrake for now, and get the handbrake seen to ASAP.)

The technique for starting: press clutch, first gear, balance clutch, apply throttle if required, listen/feel for tension on the handbrake ("trying to move"), release handbrake, release clutch once moving.

[Department stores *sigh*]

I think the OP is referring to what I call 'Rockers' where their vehicle is moving back and forth at a light. I have seen one or two who move a good 1-2 ft back and forth for no apparent reason other then to keep their feet active and look cool I guess.

[HYHYBT]

You all keep saying "handbrake." Do that many cars still have those? Everything I've ever driven, and all but two vehicles I've ridden in have a foot-powered parking brake, and while the release is often done by hand, it's also located where you have to bend forward to use it. Yes, I learned to do it that way when absolutely necessary, but it's not as easy as you make out. (I've found it easier to work the three pedals with two feet.)

[Kogarashi]

You all keep saying "handbrake." Do that many cars still have those?

I seem to be the opposite from you. All but one car I've been in (where I've been in a position to notice) has had the handbrake between the driver's and front passenger's seats.

[Shalom]

I think it's more a function of where they put the shift lever. Cars with a floor shift (both automatic and standard) generally have the handbrake; those with a column shift tend to have the foot-operated emergency brake. (Which means that if you are lucky (?) enough to have a three-on-the-tree, you've got four pedals to deal with down there. Five, if the headlight dimmer is on the floor as well.)

Then there's the old Renault 4, which had the shifter sticking straight out of the dashboard, and in which you couldn't pull the handbrake when it was in first because the two levers got in each other's way. Wonder what genius came up with that design.