Manual Transmissions: Who is the worst MT driver you know?

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Kaido
Wait, wait...I don't understand. What else would you do at a light? Put it in neutral?

Yup, there are people out there who actually put it in neutral. They're the automotive equivalent of the people who belive that Bill Gates will send them money for forwarding E-mails.

ZV

Wow, you'd get slaughtered on Connecticut. If you're not rolling as soon as the light turns green, you get honked at. You'd get honked at 3 times in the time that it took you to engage first gear from neutral at a light, lol.

I take my car out of gear on long stop...never cared to have the clutch depressed for 2-3 minutes. I just watch the lights of the perpendicular traffic to anticipate when my light will turn green. Am I really lazy? I know my Miata has a fairly light clutch, so I know how much more I would dread holding down the clutch on a Mustang GT like Zenmervolt's.

I do the same. I just dont like being forced to apply constant pressure to a stiff pedal or else my car violently stalls.

 

[DainBramaged]

Andrew Sisson

 

[Britboy]

I remember looking for student houses in England and having an Indian guy drive us around to some of his properties. He was a terrible driver, no doubt he had never been taught how to drive didn't have a license. He would literally pick gears at random, if the car overevved or got ready to stall he would try another one. We would go from 2nd to 5th to third etc.

 

[newParadigm]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: newParadigm

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Ilmater

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: DougK62
It's not the WORST practice, but it peeves me when people are stopped (like waiting for a light) and they have the clutch pedal depressed the entire time.

You have something against people who drive properly?

ZV

That's not proper, but I do it sometimes. The problem is two-fold. One is the wear and tear on the assembly, two is the fact that if someone hits you from behind, your foot will likely fly off the clutch, and you'll lurch forward, possibly causing more problems.

The "wear" on the assembly is irrelevant as those pieces, even with that wear, have a service life longer than the clutch disc and are always replaced during a clutch job. I have never, in my life, seen or heard of a throw-out bearing failing before the clutch for this reason. (I've seen T/O bearings fail from not having been lubricated properly, and I've seen them fail because they were installed improperly, and I've seen them fail because they were defective or because they weren't changed during the last clutch job, but I've never seen or heard of one failing because of holding the clutch in during a stop.)

As for lurching forward, I don't know what kind of car you've been driving, but it must be idling at 2,000 RPM if dropping the clutch at idle doesn't immediately puke the engine. If you are hit from behind and your foot slips off the clutch, the engine will die immediately and will therefore provide additional braking force resisting being pushed forward. If you have the car out of gear and you are hit from behind, you will be launched by the guy who hit you and will travel forward (without the resistance of the stalled engine) into the car in front of you at a much greater velocity.

Both of your problems are myths. Pure and simple.

ZV

Though you are taught to put car in Neutral in driving school (at least I was) at a stop.

Really? I've never heard this and I've been driving stick for years...

A long stop. Such as a traffic light, not at a stop sign.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: newParadigm

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: newParadigm

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Ilmater

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: DougK62
It's not the WORST practice, but it peeves me when people are stopped (like waiting for a light) and they have the clutch pedal depressed the entire time.

You have something against people who drive properly?

ZV

That's not proper, but I do it sometimes. The problem is two-fold. One is the wear and tear on the assembly, two is the fact that if someone hits you from behind, your foot will likely fly off the clutch, and you'll lurch forward, possibly causing more problems.

The "wear" on the assembly is irrelevant as those pieces, even with that wear, have a service life longer than the clutch disc and are always replaced during a clutch job. I have never, in my life, seen or heard of a throw-out bearing failing before the clutch for this reason. (I've seen T/O bearings fail from not having been lubricated properly, and I've seen them fail because they were installed improperly, and I've seen them fail because they were defective or because they weren't changed during the last clutch job, but I've never seen or heard of one failing because of holding the clutch in during a stop.)

As for lurching forward, I don't know what kind of car you've been driving, but it must be idling at 2,000 RPM if dropping the clutch at idle doesn't immediately puke the engine. If you are hit from behind and your foot slips off the clutch, the engine will die immediately and will therefore provide additional braking force resisting being pushed forward. If you have the car out of gear and you are hit from behind, you will be launched by the guy who hit you and will travel forward (without the resistance of the stalled engine) into the car in front of you at a much greater velocity.

Both of your problems are myths. Pure and simple.

ZV

Though you are taught to put car in Neutral in driving school (at least I was) at a stop.

Really? I've never heard this and I've been driving stick for years...

A long stop. Such as a traffic light, not at a stop sign.

That makes more sense.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: newParadigm
A long stop. Such as a traffic light, not at a stop sign.

That makes more sense.

Oh yeah, clearly not a stop sign. That would just be stupid.

 

[bootymac]

.

 

[imported_goku]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Tell me about the worst manual transmission (MT) driver you've ever seen.

This weekend I drove with someone that just got a new Mazda 6. He said he'd driven a MT before and preferred it, but after watching him drive, I wonder...

He was alright out of first gear, but 2 - 5, he would hold the clutch in while he sped the car up for a not-insignificant amount of time. I would say he left the clutch at least partially in WHILE he was accelerating for 3 - 4 seconds before he finally took his foot completely off. Amazing. The car had < 2k miles on it, and he'll be lucky if that clutch lasts to 30k miles. Sad.

So who was the worst MT driver you've ever seen?

Irony--->For me, first gear is a bitch but once I'm in 2nd gear, everything is smooth rolling, I don't see how you can fsckup once past 1st gear.

 

[imported_goku]

Originally posted by: DougK62
It's not the WORST practice, but it peeves me when people are stopped (like waiting for a light) and they have the clutch pedal depressed the entire time.

WTF How do you mean? I'm a noob at this, is the clutch considered engaged when you press DOWN on the pedal?

 

[bootymac]

.

 

[MBrown]

My friend Brad is the worst I've seen. He will get it down one day but then the next day he will forget everything he learned. I think im a decent driver for someone who has never driving one while having a license. I learned my freshman year. I have to drive them at work. I change tires at BJs wholesale.

I just want to ask this question instead of starting anothing thread. Which one costs more to maintain; MT or AT?

 

[funboy6942]

<------Knows how to shift without the clutch in cars and semis
Clutch is used only for 1st and reverse. Other then that it shouldnt be used at all

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: funboy42
<------Knows how to shift without the clutch in cars and semis
Clutch is used only for 1st and reverse. Other then that it shouldnt be used at all

Depends on the transmission. I can do that in my 951, but the blocking rings in the Tremec T-3650 in the Mustang are strong enough that I need massive pressure on the gear lever to shift without the clutch, it's not optimal.

I've shifted without the clutch on Eaton-Fuller transmissions though. I like those.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82
I take my car out of gear on long stop...never cared to have the clutch depressed for 2-3 minutes. I just watch the lights of the perpendicular traffic to anticipate when my light will turn green. Am I really lazy? I know my Miata has a fairly light clutch, so I know how much more I would dread holding down the clutch on a Mustang GT like Zenmervolt's.

I do the same. I just dont like being forced to apply constant pressure to a stiff pedal or else my car violently stalls.

The clutch on the GT is feather-light. Cars like the Miata, I can't feel any resistance to the clutch pedal at all; I get in the car and I feel like I should check to see if the clutch pedal is actually connected to anything.

ZV

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82
I take my car out of gear on long stop...never cared to have the clutch depressed for 2-3 minutes. I just watch the lights of the perpendicular traffic to anticipate when my light will turn green. Am I really lazy? I know my Miata has a fairly light clutch, so I know how much more I would dread holding down the clutch on a Mustang GT like Zenmervolt's.

I do the same. I just dont like being forced to apply constant pressure to a stiff pedal or else my car violently stalls.

The clutch on the GT is feather-light. Cars like the Miata, I can't feel any resistance to the clutch pedal at all; I get in the car and I feel like I should check to see if the clutch pedal is actually connected to anything.

ZV

I can't comment on any particular car other than my own, but stop and go traffic is certainly unpleasant in mine.

Either way, its a matter of opinion. If I don't want to hold the clutch down, I won't. So if the planets align, and someone hits me in such a way that I'd have been better off still in gear, so be it. If I was afraid of something like that, I wouldn't get in a car to begin with.

 

[caveman017]

My dad's Audi A4 is a MT. I need to learn how to get off from a start better, I do stall now and then... of course I only drive it when hes on a business trip oh:

 

[tfinch2]

Probably me. I'm capable, but I don't drive them enough.

 

[rachelmb]

definately me. i've only driven one 3 times...and it was awful!! i felt bad for my ex's car

 

[Tab]

Wait I am confused...

When I come to a stop I press in my clutch, appply break while coasting, put it in first, give it a little gas then let out the clutch to start moving? Correct?

Anyone know how long it's roughly going to take to learn a MT car? I want to buy one, but school starts in less than 2 weeks I need know learn how quickly

 

[Toastedlightly]

Well, if braking in neutral is bad (while slowing for a stop sign or whatnot), then thats me. Anyone have comments on that?

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Kaido
Wait, wait...I don't understand. What else would you do at a light? Put it in neutral?

Yup, there are people out there who actually put it in neutral. They're the automotive equivalent of the people who belive that Bill Gates will send them money for forwarding E-mails.

ZV

Wow, you'd get slaughtered on Connecticut. If you're not rolling as soon as the light turns green, you get honked at. You'd get honked at 3 times in the time that it took you to engage first gear from neutral at a light, lol.

Well, I put the car in neutral at long lights, because I see no point in holding it in. You're not going anywhere until that light turns green and the car in front of you moves, so why pretend? However, I'm attentive enough to see when the light's changing, and so I NEVER hold up the line.

I know it doesn't mean much on the internet, but I'm a good driver, and a number of people have said as much after riding with me.

Originally posted by: bootymac
Yes, engaging the clutch would be stepping down on it. When I was a noob I would keep the clutch engaged at interesections and not bother shifting to neutral. Now I know better

No no no...the clutch is "engaged" when the pedal is RELEASED. Because then it's being squeezed between the flywheel and the pressure plate. When the pedal is DEPRESSED, the clutch is then disengaged.

Originally posted by: MBrown
My friend Brad is the worst I've seen. He will get it down one day but then the next day he will forget everything he learned. I think im a decent driver for someone who has never driving one while having a license. I learned my freshman year. I have to drive them at work. I change tires at BJs wholesale.

I just want to ask this question instead of starting anothing thread. Which one costs more to maintain; MT or AT?

Depends on the driver; your average moron will probably thrash the clutch on a MT a lot more than the AT driver will need to change the fluid.

 

[HomeAppraiser]

A guy named Eddy I knew in college. He hung on to the wheel with both hands so when he let his right hand go to shift, he would drop his left hand turning the wheel that way. Scared the sh!t out of any one riding with him as he frequently veared into the left lane!

 

[NaOH]

I don't have one to drive regularly. I love my automatic on my commutes, but long for it to be manual one day......

 

[mitaiwan82]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The clutch on the GT is feather-light. Cars like the Miata, I can't feel any resistance to the clutch pedal at all; I get in the car and I feel like I should check to see if the clutch pedal is actually connected to anything.

ZV

Well I must have a weak left leg then

I'm certainly a noob compared to you (only been driving MT 1 out of 8 years of driving), but my '94 Miata clutch is heavier than some of my friend's cars (Hyuandai Elantra, Focus SVT) and about the same as a RX-8.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Toastedlightly
Well, if braking in neutral is bad (while slowing for a stop sign or whatnot), then thats me. Anyone have comments on that?

Well yeah, thats pretty bad. Don't put it into neutral until you're stopped...at most disengage the clutch until then.

But you save more fuel by keeping it in gear as long as you can.

If I'm slowing for a red light, I leave it in whatever gear I was in when the stop creeped up...let it coast, apply brake as necessary, when revs get to near idle, push in clutch, pop into neutral, and stop.

If its just a stop sign, I'll do the same, except I wont put it into neutral...I'll go down to 2nd, and slow down to a creep, then launch from there.