If You're Driving A Stick....

[Geek King]

Pickup Truck, floor shift, foot parking break.

But I know how to drive my car, and can start from a stop on a steep hill without significant rollback. I've heard of the breaks-and-clutch method, but its not how I was taught, yet I do just fine. I suggest people rolling back either don't know how to drive a stick, or are just jerks.

[protege]

Wonder what genius came up with that design.

Probably the same genius who thought that selling the 5 as the "Le Car" on our shores was a good idea

[Chromatix]

Wonder what genius came up with that design.

Either a Frenchman, or a Dutchman who'd been to too many coffee shops without actually drinking any coffee.

[HYHYBT]

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.)

I don't think so; the manuals I've driven have all had the shifter on the floor, and also all had (or have) a parking brake pedal (though the two with the hand brake also had manual shift on the floor.) The automatics have been pretty well split between floor and column (by the way, I vastly prefer the column shift for automatics, but it's hard to find nowadays and I cannot figure out why.) Every one of them had (has) the brake on the floor, though now that I think on it, they're also all American makes. Perhaps that has something to do with it.

[Pagan]

You all keep saying "handbrake."

I think we mean the parking brake and I'm really hoping that all vehicles do still have them.

The automatics have been pretty well split between floor and column (by the way, I vastly prefer the column shift for automatics, but it's hard to find nowadays and I cannot figure out why.) Every one of them had (has) the brake on the floor, though now that I think on it, they're also all American makes. Perhaps that has something to do with it.

Hmm, I've been in several American-made cars that have the parking brake on the right of the driver's seat. Two Chryslers and two Saturns (one of which I drive now). The Chryslers, the gear shifts were on the steering column, the Saturns, both in front of the parking brake.

My best friend's car is a Toyota and her parking brake is on the right side of the driver's seat, too.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

There's still one thing I don't understand. (One thing?)

Why do you need to have your foot on the clutch, brake, and GAS when you are stopped in a manual? I drive an automatic, but one foot is plenty for operating both gas and brake.

[Magpie]

Why do you need to have your foot on the clutch, brake, and GAS when you are stopped in a manual? I drive an automatic, but one foot is plenty for operating both gas and brake.

It's not for when they stop, it's for when they start. You need to switch very quickly from brake to gas so as to avoid rolling backwards.

[Sunsetsky]

I usually put it in neutral and keep my foot on the brake at a light. Less wear and tear on the clutch.

Yea. That's how I do it too. I learned how to drive a car in a vehicle that was a stick. I used to hate having to stop on steep inclines. I was paranoid that I would coast backwards and be unable to move forward quick enough.

I never understood while people coast back and then move forward and then coast back, etc...I'd imagine you would be wasting a little gas doing that apart from giving the person behind you a heartattack.

[AriRashkae]

Try learning to drive manual on a tractor with $h!tty brakes, and a father standing behind you yelling "Don't pop the clutch!" And of course, you're driving b/c you have to pull another tractor (or worse, his truck) out of the mud in the barnyard.

To this day, while I am physically capable of driving standard, I'm terrified to do so because I'm afraid I'll kill the clutch within 48 hours.

[Magpie]

Wait... I thought the point of learning to drive on a tractor was that they were really difficult to kill, so you could learn more safely.

[AriRashkae]

No, he was more worried about me yanking the chain and ripping off important parts of the truck and/or tractor. And I don't think we have 5 straight feet of flat ground down the barn, so I was always trying to balance the clutch while easing the tractor forward because the brakes suck and the gas is done by hand over the steering wheel. So, no brakes, 1 foot on the clutch, 1 hand on the gas, trying to see the chain behind me, while steering the tractor on the most level path I could find ahead of me. It's a wonder I'm willing to get behind the wheel of anything!

[HYHYBT]

My "favorite" moment learning to drive a manual was when we took a trip to Michigan, and it snowed. The road we were on (no other cars around, or likely to be) was mainly ice, and Dad wanted me to get a feel for what happens when you slide (which I already knew, but just hadn't done in this particular vehicle.) So he told me to get it going, and then hit the brake as hard as I could. Problem: he'd recently been getting after me about my apparently bad habit of putting in the clutch at the same time as the brake; he said you should not touch the clutch until you've slowed down first. See where this is going? Following these directions, odd though they were, I hit the brake hard without using the clutch. Suddenly stopped wheels + engaged, heavy-duty clutch +running engine = broken universal joint + one end of the driveshaft lying on the ground.

[AriRashkae]

You know, that makes me feel better. I don't think anything I do could ever top that. My condolences.

[protege]

Odd. Of course, I don't slam on the brakes all that often. I do know, that with my Corolla (and the Tercel before it), if you slammed on the brakes the clutch would actually disengage. Nice to know that if I have to do that...I'm not going to stall the car too

[Andara Bledin]

Problem: he'd recently been getting after me about my apparently bad habit of putting in the clutch at the same time as the brake; he said you should not touch the clutch until you've slowed down first.

Why would you not shift out of gear as soon as you knew you were slowing (while being prepared to go back into gear, should you need to maneuver)?

^-.-^