Driving stick

[Chaos81]

Re: Driving stick

Well 1st off.....driving tests in the USA is a joke. All you do is drive around the block, make 2 left turns, 2 right turns and thats it. Within 3 minutes you are done.

Would have been awesome if that's all I had to do. We drove for about 15 minutes and did all sorts of things.

[Spectre]

Re: Driving stick

I definitely can see where you guys are coming from- driving autos would seem terribly boring after driving stick.

Thanks for the very detailed tips too Blzer!

I'm strongly leaning towards giving this a shot.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Driving stick

Wow that sucks for you. Did you take it in a major city or did you take it in a small town or surburb ? I have noticed people who take the test in a major city or a big city end up having longer tests.

I grew up in Chicago however I took my driving test in a small town. I kid you not, this is exactly how the test went.

Test Guy: Ok lets go to your car.

Me: Ok

Test Guy: Make a right turn coming out the parking lot.

1 block later....

Test Guy: Make a left turn at the light.

2 blocks later....

Test Guy: Make a left turn at the corner.

1 block later....

Test Guy: Make a left turn at the stop sign.

2 block later....

Test Guy: Make a left turn at the light.

half a block later

Test Guy: Make a right turn into the parking lot and park anywhere

Test Guy: Ok that's it you passed, give this to the clerk for you can take your picture.

Me: That's it ???

Test Guy: Yep

total of 3 minutes 38 seconds. That is how long my test was.

[shugknight]

Re: Driving stick

My BEST tip? Do what I did. Just take it out by yourself on an empty road. When you have a chance of stranding yourself because you can't shift to 2nd, you'll learn reallllllyyyyy quickly.

[pk500]

Re: Driving stick

Everyone should learn how to drive a standard transmission, for these reasons:

1. Cars with standard transmissions get better gas mileage. A nice plus now that gas is more than $4 per gallon.

2. Certain cars, like your WRX, beg to be driven with a stick. I simply can't fathom driving a high-performance car with an auto tranny. You're missing half the fun.

3. You have better control under braking in slippery conditions with a stick due to downshifting.

4. Driving a stick is a hell of a lot more fun than an auto tranny!

The best way to perfect your technique with a stick is to practice. Drive. Start in a parking lot and then work your way to the open road.

A few tips while you're perfecting your technique:

1. Don't ride the clutch. I know people who stood on the clutch as soon as they started braking, even before they started downshifting. That will wear out your clutch in a hurry.

2. Lift the gas a split-second before you shift. This will ensure smooth upshifts and downshifts more than anything. You don't want to over-rev your engine in that short moment in neutral between gears.

Good luck!

Take care,
PK

[ndeezlo]

Re: Driving stick

My BEST tip? Do what I did. Just take it out by yourself on an empty road. When you have a chance of stranding yourself because you can't shift to 2nd, you'll learn reallllllyyyyy quickly.

how do you get it to the empty road if you can't drive stick?

[Altimus]

Re: Driving stick

Everyone should learn how to drive a standard transmission, for these reasons:

1. Cars with standard transmissions get better gas mileage. A nice plus now that gas is more than $4 per gallon.

2. Certain cars, like your WRX, beg to be driven with a stick. I simply can't fathom driving a high-performance car with an auto tranny. You're missing half the fun.

3. You have better control under braking in slippery conditions with a stick due to downshifting.

4. Driving a stick is a hell of a lot more fun than an auto tranny!

The best way to perfect your technique with a stick is to practice. Drive. Start in a parking lot and then work your way to the open road.

A few tips while you're perfecting your technique:

1. Don't ride the clutch. I know people who stood on the clutch as soon as they started braking, even before they started downshifting. That will wear out your clutch in a hurry.

2. Lift the gas a split-second before you shift. This will ensure smooth upshifts and downshifts more than anything. You don't want to over-rev your engine in that short moment in neutral between gears.

Good luck!

Take care,
PK

Excellent points.

I couldn't imagine driving my Z in automatic. Not only are you losing performance but the fun as well.

[Spectre]

Re: Driving stick

Thanks to all, especially pk. I had an auto WRX in the past and I agree with what you said- there's no fun. The gear ratios are terrible, I got very frustrated in the car whenever it languished in a lower gear for no reason.

I'm going to put off my next car purchase for a couple of years because there's a strong chance I'll be in NYC in a couple of years for work and I don't know if I'd need a car then anyway. Regardless, my next car will definitely be stick.

I'm gonna spend the next couple of years getting good at this though

Altimus, I was just killing some time and looked at some GT-R pics... WOW! That is one sexy car.