Learning a manual tranny on my own

[tailes151]

But it isn't practical, especially where the parking breaks were/are in my vehicles, and is better to learn how to start right off with minimal rollback.

Your brakes are down by your feet I take it? Mine's directly behind the shifter. And it may not be the best way to learn, but it's a hell of a lot better than ramming into the car behind you if you haven't quite gotten it down yet.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Obviously you don't know shit about clutches...it's easy as hell to FUBAR a clutch...the worst thing you can do to/with a clutch is to keep your foot on the pedal...even just a bit.

Most people don't seem to grasp that about them...they think it's like gently touching the brake pedal with your toe...

However, once you learn to properly drive a manual transmission, the clutch should last almost forever.

I sold my 96 Dakota 4 years ago...it had 215K miles on it...and still the original clutch.

I've always wondered this - what physically happens to wear out a clutch by just having your foot on the pedal? Or your foot completely pushing in the clutch, which means the friction plates aren't touching and therefore no wear on the friction plates?

 

[BoomerD]

I've always wondered this - what physically happens to wear out a clutch by just having your foot on the pedal? Or your foot completely pushing in the clutch, which means the friction plates aren't touching and therefore no wear on the friction plates?

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/youngdrivers/articles/116920/article.html

"If there's a philosophical way to think about how to treat your clutch, this could be it: Whenever the clutch pedal isn't all the way up or all the way down, you're putting wear on your clutch. Picture a big red light mounted on your dashboard. Whenever the clutch pedal isn't fully depressed or fully released the light is on, and your goal is to keep the light off.

That's a general way you might think about how to drive a manual transmission vehicle. In truth it's OK to spend a second or two in the process of pressing or releasing the clutch pedal (you certainly don't want to treat it like a light switch), but in general the less time spent in this transitional period the better. "

Here ya go OP...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdfRoobnIz8&feature=player_embedded

 

[lxskllr]

Resting your foot on the pedal loosens the tight grip of the clutch plate, and can cause slippage over time as it wears out. Keeping the pedal fully depressed can wear out the throwout bearing over time, and you won't be able to actuate the clutch with the pedal. That's not a fatal condition. You can drive a car without a clutch(pedal) at all, but it isn't for the faint of heart ;^)

Edit:
clarity

 

[BoomerD]

Resting your foot on the pedal loosens the tight grip of the clutch plate, and can cause slippage over time as it wears out. Keeping the pedal fully depressed can wear out the throwout bearing over time, and you won't be able to actuate the clutch with the pedal. That's not a fatal condition. You can drive a car without a clutch at all, but it isn't for the faint of heart ;^)

I rarely use the clutch except to stop and start...the rest of the time, it a matter of matching vehicle speed with engine speed...and the shifter slides into the next gear ever so quietly...it does take a bit of practice though.

 

[lxskllr]

I rarely use the clutch except to stop and start...the rest of the time, it a matter of matching vehicle speed with engine speed...and the shifter slides into the next gear ever so quietly...it does take a bit of practice though.

That's a skill I never developed, and the clashing of gears when I tried made me cringe :^D

 

[Malak]

When did people stop saying spider?

 

[kitchiku]

I rarely use the clutch except to stop and start...the rest of the time, it a matter of matching vehicle speed with engine speed...and the shifter slides into the next gear ever so quietly...it does take a bit of practice though.

Thats a skill I'd like to learn.

 

[duragezic]

If you're learning in a remote area/little to no traffic, then yeah no problem.

I first drove a manual when I was about 15 and didn't even know how to drive that well. It was on my dad's really crappy old truck with like a 3 speed column shifter. I pretty much sucked with that and stalled it a number of times just to get going. But once going did alright (county back roads). A few years later when I was driving a friend's manual Geo Storm, it was much easier. I don't think I ever stalled it.

So you should be able to get the basics of it with an hour in the back roads.

 

[DivideBYZero]

I rarely use the clutch except to stop and start...the rest of the time, it a matter of matching vehicle speed with engine speed...and the shifter slides into the next gear ever so quietly...it does take a bit of practice though.

While that sounds impressive to your average auto-only driver, in reality it's pointless.

 

[0roo0roo]

lol hell no unless you get someone else to drive it off the lot for you and train you. you will seriously fail at driving if you've never done it, and perhaps get pulled over or worse. seriously bad idea

 

[Possessed Freak]

I rarely use the clutch except to stop and start...the rest of the time, it a matter of matching vehicle speed with engine speed...and the shifter slides into the next gear ever so quietly...it does take a bit of practice though.

I do that in my POS Saturn all the time. When I get lazy I actually use the clutch though.

Goose throttle, pull out of gear. Let throttle wind down, slide into next gear. Downshifting is a bit more of a challenge since you have to throttle up more.

 

[amdhunter]

I was thinking about this, too.

Likely to get a new manual Mustang next month, and I've never driven stick before.

Hell yes. :awe:

 

[NetWareHead]

On large hills (I do this anyways a lot, but...), I just idle the clutch at friction point so I don't roll.

I see a new clutch in your future...

 

[amdhunter]

lol hell no unless you get someone else to drive it off the lot for you and train you. you will seriously fail at driving if you've never done it, and perhaps get pulled over or worse. seriously bad idea

No one trained me. I was able to move the car within 10 minutes of trying, and able to "drive" within the hour. It took me close to two months before I got comfortable though.

 

[AstroManLuca]

For a short time my brother had a 1987 F-250 diesel. Had a five speed manual. But it was so forgiving. You could put the thing into gear and let the clutch out quickly, no gas, and it wouldn't stall. It'd just start creeping forward like you were in an auto. It had so much torque it was easy to start even in third, and you didn't even need to use the brakes for more than completing your stop because the engine braking was so strong.

I really wish I had taught my wife how to drive a manual in that thing. My little econobox is way too touchy and stalls really easily. She just can't get the hang of it... in fact, she's actually gotten worse since her first lesson. Not sure where I'll be able to find another old manual diesel truck I can use to teach her. Maybe post an ad on CL looking to rent one for a day?

 

[Tristicus]

Your brakes are down by your feet I take it? Mine's directly behind the shifter. And it may not be the best way to learn, but it's a hell of a lot better than ramming into the car behind you if you haven't quite gotten it down yet.

Directly. The one in my Jeep is to the left of the clutch, and the one in my Amigo was to the right of my gas pedal.

 

[PricklyPete]

My car is in the shop and the place near me offers cheap rentals, with manual transmissions being an option.

I've never been behind the wheel of an MT before, but understand the concepts of it--and figure now is as good a time as any other to learn. Is this just a fail in the making or should I just go for it?

Go for it...but expect to see some interesting stares as you pull out of the parking lot.

 

[PricklyPete]

Now that autos get better mileage, look for them to begin to dominate, even in places where manuals dominate now.

The autos also need to become cheaper, longer lasting, and easier to work on before they totally dominate in other markets.

 

[PricklyPete]

I rarely use the clutch except to stop and start...the rest of the time, it a matter of matching vehicle speed with engine speed...and the shifter slides into the next gear ever so quietly...it does take a bit of practice though.

My hats off to you.

 

[Old Hippie]

By the title I thought you were learning to repair one!

Why would you not want to learn?

Learning anything is an advantage.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Now that autos get better mileage, look for them to begin to dominate, even in places where manuals dominate now.

Irrelevant unless you don't plan on traveling in the next 5 years. Also I question the hypothesis - automatics have been getting better mileage for years, yet you can't find an automatic-equipped rental car in Europe without paying a lot more. My secretary took a trip to Ireland a few months ago and she and her husband paid $1,700 to rent a car with an automatic - the same car would have been $700 with a stick! Even SUVs and vans, and cars made by manufacturers like Mercedes (which doesn't sell a manual-equipped cars in the US) are only available with a stick overseas as renters.

 

[Syringer]

If you're learning in a remote area/little to no traffic, then yeah no problem.

I first drove a manual when I was about 15 and didn't even know how to drive that well. It was on my dad's really crappy old truck with like a 3 speed column shifter. I pretty much sucked with that and stalled it a number of times just to get going. But once going did alright (county back roads). A few years later when I was driving a friend's manual Geo Storm, it was much easier. I don't think I ever stalled it.

So you should be able to get the basics of it with an hour in the back roads.

I actually live in downtown San Diego..right on the outskirts of the super crowded areas, but it's far from the backroads

 

[sonicdrummer20]

Good idea! My second car is a manual, it was rough at first but I soon learned, just remember to feather the gas when letting off the clutch.

 

[Imp]

I first learned standard on a bike and picked it up (except for the clutch in on stop) after an hour.

If you're doing it for the first time, just try to pick up the car during off peak hours. Fewer obstacles (peddies) to nail, fewer assholes with no patience. When I was with my driving instructor, I wasted an entire light cycle cause I stalled it off the start, and kept stalling 3 more times, honks came later since it was a clearly marked learners car with "standard shift" on the rear bumper.

Also, learn in a parking lot or the burbs. Most of my concentration was on the gearing/clutch early on, not anything on the road.