Counterproductive doesn't mean making counters...

[WhiteRose]

New driver here, got my NY state permit a few weeks ago and learned standard in five minutes....now i'm working on perfecting it. Stopped at a light, doing well that day, only stalled it five times in the city...literally, light turns green and i'm getting ready to let off the break and press the gas. some constipated old grandpa with a grump for a rump decides to HONK at me...which startled me into taking my foot completely off the clutch without gas at all....for those that don't drive standard, this automatically stalls it....so i had to push in the clutch, re-start the car and work on getting going all over again...light turned yellow just as i got going...oh, karma, how i love thee...

[AriRashkae]

Ugh, standard can be such a pain until you get used to it. I compared it to riding a bike or using a spinning wheel. My Dad has offered to let me borrow his truck on occasion when our car was unavailable. While I'm comfortable handling the truck itself (Ram 3500. biiiiiig truck) I haven't driven a standard in over 10 years and I'd rather not screw up his main source of income while my body remembers what it's supposed to do.

You'll get it, eventually. And then you'll wonder why you ever thought it was hard.

[protege]

Standard transmissions are fun, but a bitch to learn I had to learn after my Tempo destroyed itself. It was either that...or not drive the Toyota Tercel that I was to get. Instead, I'd have inherited my father's shitbox Taurus. Anyway, I learned the basics in the dealer's parking lot. But, I didn't truly master the four-speed...until after I'd already bought the car. By then, I'd take it around the neighborhood, through the cemetery, etc. but not out on the main roads yet. 15 years on, I actually prefer a five-speed over an automatic. More fun, plus certain relatives can't "borrow" my vehicles

I still have to sometimes remind myself that the MG does *not* have a 5th gear, and that Reverse is on the *left* side of the gate.

[Andara Bledin]

I had trouble learning to drive a manual until my aunt told gave me one bit of advice: Lift your whole leg when releasing the clutch, not just your foot.

My uncle had been riding with me while I was learning, and he wasn't really very good at driving a stick-shift. As soon as my aunt told me that, I quickly became a better driver than my uncle.

^-.-^

[Stormraven]

Outside of Stop-and-Go traffic, I prefer stick - just can't drive one anymore because my knee doesn't like working the clutch.

[WhiteRose]

I've heard arguments for both kinds of cars...I actually like stick shift, as long as i'm not in a rush...I think that people in this fast-fast-fast-now-now-hurry-up economy are a little too pampered with automatics....THEY don't have to worry about shifting or getting the car rolling before taking off or anything, so THEY can get out of the way faster. which automatically makes THEM better...

[dougall]

Automatics get on my nerves for some reason I end up with my left foot doing nothing but I am British and most cars over here are manual because of the higher fuel prices and manuals having better fuel economy.

[Andara Bledin]

I think that people in this fast-fast-fast-now-now-hurry-up economy are a little too pampered with automatics....THEY don't have to worry about shifting or getting the car rolling before taking off or anything, so THEY can get out of the way faster.

I can get off the line in a manual a lot faster than in an automatic.

^-.-^

[WhiteRose]

yes, but you're also understanding of those that have to take a little more time to do what they need without stalling or squealing out...

[mikoyan29]

when I had my stick shift, I could get going faster than my automatics...especially on a hill because I got good enough to balance the accelerator and clutch and to get going, just had to give it gas.

[WhiteRose]

i'm nowhere near that good...

[marlovino]

I have been riding a motorcycle for 5 years and as far as I know (i only drove one once years before when I was learning to drive) I still can't drive a manual transmission.

Think about it for a minute.

[Andara Bledin]

Marlovino, I'm certain all you need is a decent teacher, and you'll be just fine.

Sometimes, on hills, I like to balance the gas and clutch and hold position that way instead of using the break. It's a lot easier to get going that way, and a lot less chance of a stall, or drifting back into someone.

^-.-^

[WhiteRose]

but sometimes i have the clutch and gas balanced and all of a sudden it'll stall...although i DID manage to squeal the tires while going DOWNHILL....i usually don't give it enough gas, so i tried giving it a bit more...

[crafty]

My friend drives an automatic, I offered to move her car once (it was blocking me in), then realised I hadn't the foggiest idea how to get it going!

Manual transmission is far more common in the UK. I find it more fun - you're more involved in the driving process. The only thing is its crap in slow traffic. You end up with an aching left foot. But I know all the tricks - holding it on a hill, burning off the line etc.

In the UK if you pass your test in an automatic, thats all you're allowed to drive. So most people pass in a manual - you can drive both. Resale is poor for automatics too - most people dont want a second hand auto.

By the way, out of interest, deisel engines are far harder to stall than petrol. I have a diesel car, and I can take it to about 30mph without pressing the gas. It'll drive on the clutch at 800rpm (obviously slowly). I can hold it on a shallow hill without gas too.

The thing I'd find wierd is shifting with my right hand! The driver sits on the right in the UK, so we shift with the left hand. Swapping over would be so wierd!