I've driven one just about every day for the last twenty years. Good luck getting the feel for your clutch. Once you've got it, you'll be just fine. If you know how to drive one well, whether you are on a steep hill or level ground, you should have little to no roll-back. Welcome to the Club.
Poll: Escapist: Can you drive a Manual?
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although I'm still only on my learners, I can drive both pretty easily.
My dad taught me how to ride a motorbike when I was a kid, so I got the hang of manuals quite easily.
The difference between manuals and autos is this:
Auto > Manual: You know how you take your foot off the accelerator for a moment and it changes gear automatically? in addition to that, you have to hold down the clutch and move the stick, which has the advantages of you choosing what gear you want, and can save fuel.
Manual > Auto: This'll be easy. Instead of using the clutch and the stick, just ease your foot off the accelerator when you hear the revs going up, and you'll shift upwards. Ease off when the revs are low, and you'll go down a gear
My dad taught me how to ride a motorbike when I was a kid, so I got the hang of manuals quite easily.
The difference between manuals and autos is this:
Auto > Manual: You know how you take your foot off the accelerator for a moment and it changes gear automatically? in addition to that, you have to hold down the clutch and move the stick, which has the advantages of you choosing what gear you want, and can save fuel.
Manual > Auto: This'll be easy. Instead of using the clutch and the stick, just ease your foot off the accelerator when you hear the revs going up, and you'll shift upwards. Ease off when the revs are low, and you'll go down a gear
I can, but it's really not safe for me to do so. My hands mirror one another, and shifting while a vehicle is in gear runs the risk of my other hand jerking the wheel, even when concentrating. I have managed to find workarounds to many issues this causes, but if I couldn't drive an automatic, I would probably never get behind the wheel.
I learned how to do it, but I see no point to it so I still drive automatic 100% of the time.
Gas mileage isn't that much better and I can easily afford the difference and for me, driving is something that's relaxing and enjoyable, not something I want to have to stress about.
Kind of surprised at the level of European elitism in this thread. Ah well, I guess you owe us a few for that whole LIBERTY AMERICA FREEDOM FUCK YER thing.
Gas mileage isn't that much better and I can easily afford the difference and for me, driving is something that's relaxing and enjoyable, not something I want to have to stress about.
Kind of surprised at the level of European elitism in this thread. Ah well, I guess you owe us a few for that whole LIBERTY AMERICA FREEDOM FUCK YER thing.
- Speed matters to certain people. Also if I need to accelerate quickly you can down shift or even go down 2 gears for optimal speed. This is important as a lot of the UK is country roads where you need to accelerate quickly when you get to a straight as you dont get many chances. My commute to work is full of tractors and lorries which you ideally need some decent acceleration to passAccursedTheory said:
- I tell a lie. Manuals can be less efficient but you have more control on how efficient it is. If you change up early and stay in a high gear you can get really good MPG
- It doesnt exactly scare me its just that you feel as if you dont have as much control as you do with a clutch.
- In general (at least in the UK) automatics are expensive compared to the equivalent manual box
I wouldn't say I was elitist. I just prefer a manual
You cant do this in a manual because? In a manual you dont change gear all the time. You change gear when the road changes (e.g a bend, a junction etc)
I've been riding motorcycles since I was a kid and pretty close to 100% of all motorcycles are manual so making the transition to a manual car was a no brainer when I learned how to drive. I honestly can't stand automatics. They don't have that precision control you need to make every turn and hill start as smooth as butter.
Of course, there are people in manuals that don't use their gears correctly, taking a turn at 60km/hr in 4th gear is not clever, and gearing down incorrectly is gonna cost you a lot of dosh when you have to get a service. And there's always those people that can't manage a hill start to save their lives but a good driver will always have a better experience driving in a manual than an automatic.
Of course, there are people in manuals that don't use their gears correctly, taking a turn at 60km/hr in 4th gear is not clever, and gearing down incorrectly is gonna cost you a lot of dosh when you have to get a service. And there's always those people that can't manage a hill start to save their lives but a good driver will always have a better experience driving in a manual than an automatic.
I was taught driving with stick shift...
But once I tried auto, I will never use manual, unless my life depends on it.
Had buddy of mine purchase stick shifter recently, despite my urging not to - now he regrets his stubbornness. I can't think of one reason to prefer manual, aside from plain vanity.
If you see a guy stall out in the middle of the intersection - you better believe that he's driving stickshift.
But once I tried auto, I will never use manual, unless my life depends on it.
Had buddy of mine purchase stick shifter recently, despite my urging not to - now he regrets his stubbornness. I can't think of one reason to prefer manual, aside from plain vanity.
If you see a guy stall out in the middle of the intersection - you better believe that he's driving stickshift.
i drive stick and i prefer it too.
in germany it's basically the default too but here and there are a few automatics driving around.
but i only had bad experiences with automatics compared to a stick.
i like putting the pedal down and if i'm driving an automatic i always feel like "damn it's reving up so much ...i would have shifted gears along time ago *click**barley any power* ugh..."
and the autobahn get's more exciting and fun (to me that is) you are cruising behind a truck a gap opens up shift 1 gear down and blast off
in germany it's basically the default too but here and there are a few automatics driving around.
but i only had bad experiences with automatics compared to a stick.
i like putting the pedal down and if i'm driving an automatic i always feel like "damn it's reving up so much ...i would have shifted gears along time ago *click**barley any power* ugh..."
and the autobahn get's more exciting and fun (to me that is) you are cruising behind a truck a gap opens up shift 1 gear down and blast off
I learned to drive on a standard and still use it for the majority of my driving excursions. I can't remember the last time I stalled, it's been so long. I think the way to tell if you're competent with standard is if you can drive in bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic, while driving up hill. If you can make it through that without stalling, you're set for just about any situation. Then you start figuring out the optimal shifting times for your specific vehicle.
Anyway, I actually enjoy driving stick quite a bit and find it more fun than automatic.
Anyway, I actually enjoy driving stick quite a bit and find it more fun than automatic.
I'm from the UK and I drive automatic - GOSH! I know! My thought process was kind of like this. "So, you can let the car change gear for you and people still do it the hard way? Yeah no thanks.... Seriously why are people so determined to make it harder for themselves? I get there is a macho culture about driving the 'right way', but to me a car has only ever been something that will get me from A - B, and having an automatic is a godsend in stop start rush hour traffic. Yeah I think this is something our American brothers got right.
Never touched one. At first I thought it would be cool to have a car that had one, but since I'm 21 and still trying for my license in an automatic, I believe I would instantly hate them with a passion.
I have bad concentration and situation awareness, I don't need to deal with a third pedal and second gauge. In fact I'm quite sure I couldn't.
American btw.
I have bad concentration and situation awareness, I don't need to deal with a third pedal and second gauge. In fact I'm quite sure I couldn't.
American btw.
If you need to accelerate quickly with an automatic transmission, you put your foot down harder on the gas pedal. The car will shift down on its own. If anything, it's more intuitive than with a manual transmission - want to go faster? Pedal to the metal!shootthebandit said:
As for the control, that's just because you're used to manual transmission. You have the same practical control with an automatic transmission, you just have to use the break and gas pedals rather than the clutch. I suspect automatic drivers feel the same way in reverse about manual transmissions.
Also, to be fair, you can't play an uninterrupted thumb war with manual transmission. Not that I'd advise doing so with an automatic either, though.
For the record, I currently drive an automatic, but have no issues with manuals. I do find automatic transmissions more comfortable, just like anything else that's automatic. The less I have to do manually in anything the better.
I learned on an automatic(American driving schools don't usually teach manual), but my first car was a manual. Funny story that. My dad picked it out, and drove me to the parking lot where it was waiting. When I got out of his car, he handed me the keys, said "by the way, it's standard transmission," and drove off, leaving me to figure out how to drive the thing on my own.
The town we lived in was full of steep hills and valleys. It was an interesting first couple of days.
The town we lived in was full of steep hills and valleys. It was an interesting first couple of days.
In Europe the roads follow medieval field boundaries in the countryside. Even in the town and cities the road network tend to have been laid out before the invention of the car. In the city that I live, the roads in the town centre were laid out by the Romans and the rest was extended by the Geograins, Victorians and the Edwardians. I recently saw someone selling a 1960 Thunderbird because they moved to Paris and it won't fit down the side streets.Lilani said:
There are no problems with hills in a manual, you just have to rev slightly higher to change gears. I drive up and 8.3% gradient hill everyday, going round adds 10 miles and goes through the original Pennsylvanian. Again with junctions there isn't a problem with manuals, in fact you can get the power down quicker and move away faster in manual. I suspect what you are seeing is people that are used to an auto fighting with a manual box. If you never drive anything else changing gear isn't conscious action, its rather like using a keyboard and mouse while playing a game. You don't think moving the mouse to look left or right, you just do it.