Manual transmissions are fine if you like 1910 technology (either that
or like replacing clutches)...
On Sun, 2002-09-08 at 15:00, Michael Nott wrote:
> All,
>
> Having been a stick driver for all of my 40+ years of driving, including my
> current Dakota and ten years of autocrossing, I concur with the advice on
> learning. I taught my girlfriend to drive a stick and she still married me.
> After 35 years of marriage she's still as much a hard-core shifter as I am.
> I'll add a couple pieces of advice for habits to learn early on. First, as
> alluded to in an earlier post, the clutch is there to disconnect the
> transmission from the driveshaft for long enough to select another gear (or
> neutral). It's not a footrest. "Riding the clutch" (keeping your foot on
> it when you're not using it to affect the aforementioned action) is the best
> way to find out how much a throwout bearing costs. Second (a corollary of
> the first) is to put the vehicle in neutral when you're not going to be
> moving for a bit, like stoplights or traffic jams. Same reason as above,
> plus left leg fatigue. The third (again, a corollary of the other two) is
> NEVER (yes, I'm yelling) hold the vehicle on a hill with the clutch!!! Same
> reason as the throwout bearing mentioned above, plus a clutch disk.
> Although the parking brake isn't as easy to use for hill starts as a
> floor-mounted handbrake, it still works, saves the clutch, and doesn't allow
> rollbacks (when properly done).
>
> Now I'll step down from the soapbox. I too hate automatics. They never
> seem to be in the gear that I want, and are too slow to respond to my
> wishes. I know that the newer automatics are more fuel effecient and can
> tow more than a manual these days, but the fun of shifting and the feeling
> of control far outweigh the other considerations for me. There's no greater
> fun (in a moving vehicle, at least) than flying up to a corner, braking and
> downshifting at just the right points, clipping the perfect apex, and
> accelerating out the other end of the turn under the right amount of power
> and coincidentally leaving the ricer who was on your tail going in wondering
> what the heck just happened.
>
> Mike Nott
> Orlando, FL
> 2001 Sport+ CC 4.7 5-speed
> 1992 Honda Civic Si Hatchback 5-speed
> (I can't ever leave her in the corners - she autocrossed for eight years)
> 1966 Corvair Corsa Turbo Convertible 4-speed
>
> > Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2002 21:54:36 -0500
> > From: "John Neff" <jndneff@texas.net>
> > Subject: DML: RE: learn to drive stick?
> [snipped for bandwidth]
-- Brian Gonzales <gonzales@thuntek.net>
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