Driving manual/stick

[bcla]

Ferrari has been dual clutch for a while now and the final run manuals (particularly the F430 gated MT) are super rare and fetch “manual premium” prices aka they go for a lot more $ vs the paddle shifters.

I was fortunate to drive the F458 at the Disney speedway before they tore it down. It was a lot of fun but way too short.

The F1 style transmission from Ferrari were actually much faster at shifting than any human could achieve. There really isn't any better performance from a traditional manual transmission any more, but there certainly is satisfaction from a perfectly timed shift.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Yes.

4 speed '64 Ford and 5 speed '76 Honda Accord (first Accord year).

 

[powellrj]

I learned to drive a manual when I was learning to drive. I taught DH how to drive a stick when we were dating and it was a handy skill to have. It helped him get a couple of jobs in college. Both of my boys can drive sticks and owned pickups with a stick.

Back in the 70’s and 80’s we had several stick shifts.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

A lot of modern “automatics” are really dual dry-clutch, even in the US. They produce better fuel economy numbers than traditional manuals because they tend to shift early. Ford had some serious reliability problems with its PowerShift transmissions.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cu...oposed-settlement-for-ford-powershift-owners/

A lot of high performance carmakers no longer have traditional manual transmissions with a clutch pedal, including Ferrari. Ferrari had its F1 style transmission which was a single dry-clutch, but now it’s all dual-clutch.

Don’t remind me - I own a 2014 Focus LOL

 

[Disney_Alli]

I bought a manual pickup truck before I knew how to drive stick and my mom taught me on that. I sold it for an auto but when I was shopping for Civic Coupes this winter I wanted a manual. After test driving one and falling in love with it the sales guy tried to jerk me around so I left and ended up buying an automatic that my friend found for me online. I'm in love with it but man was that Civic at the dealership a cute car!

 

[mummabear]

I can only drive auto. Here if you take.your restricted liscence in a auto than that liscence is auto only, but when you complete ro the full liscence it doesnt stipulate auto only.

 

[2goofycampers]

I started work for a Pest Control company. The first day he brought me the truck it was a manual shift. He told me what to do and I got in and drove around the parking lot and off I went on my own.

 

[minneylovesmicky]

If you pass on a manual, you are cleared for both manual and automatic. If however, you only learn on automatic, you can't drive a manual.

Very similar to NSW in Australia, but once you get your full licence you can drive both.

I can drive both, prefer a manual over an auto

 

[RangerPooh]

My first car was a manual, and I actually prefer it. Actually my first 3 cars, and work truck were all sticks. Our commuter car is a manual/automatic, but rarely do I use the manual feature these days.

 

[JaxDad]

I think it would be cool to make all cars manual and get rid of power steering. It would cut way down on driving and texting and thus save a lot of lives.

 

[Klayfish]

Any guy who can't drive a stick shift needs to turn in his Man Card.

LOL. Truth is most men can't drive stick either. However, I have to say "Man card" is one concept I've never really understood. I don't fit most of that criteria and am perfectly comfortable with who I am.

 

[ronandannette]

I think it would be cool to make all cars manual and get rid of power steering. It would cut way down on driving and texting and thus save a lot of lives.

Not necessarily. I’d be lying if I said I never smoked a cigarette and drank a cup of coffee simultaneously while driving my 5-speed Honda CRV back in the day.

 

[mjkacmom]

My first car was a manual, I had no idea how to drive it. My dad taught me, it was hard, my home town is VERY hilly (even now, when it snows, I can’t get to many places).

 

[aprilchem]

Ugh, one of the sticking points of my youth. I wanted to learn to drive a manual when I was 16 but my parents said "girls can't drive a stick shift" and wouldn't teach me. Even though we had the opportunity to get a really cool manual transmission car, they wouldn't buy it because they said I'd never learn to drive it so it would just sit in the driveway. Grrr...

 

[bcla]

My first car was a manual, I had no idea how to drive it. My dad taught me, it was hard, my home town is VERY hilly (even now, when it snows, I can’t get to many places).

I lived and still live in hilly areas. I got taught by car salesmen on test drives, and the day I picked up my first car the sales guy gave me one more hour. I stalled a few times on the way home. Still - nobody really taught me how to handle hills. I had to learn how to use the parking brake myself. I know it’s a common technique, but nobody taught me that.

What I really can’t stand is a driver who comes up a foot from my car at an uphill stop sign. Especially in San Francisco. Subaru used San Francisco for commercials advertising their Hill Holder feature. I never drove one, but I understood that it applied the brake automatically and released it automatically depending on the clutch pedal position. The weirdest thing I’ve heard of was a manual transmission with a foot mounted parking brake pedal. Not only four pedals, but no way to use the clutch and brake at the same time on a hill.

Still, I read somewhere that maybe 3% of the new cars sold in the US now have true manual transmissions. It was around 15% maybe 10 years ago.

 

[RangerPooh]

My first car was a manual, I had no idea how to drive it. My dad taught me, it was hard, my home town is VERY hilly (even now, when it snows, I can’t get to many places).

I learned in a hilly town too, and add my first experience in snow to that. Got a car with a manual transmission and moved away to college all in the same week. Had to learn quickly, especially as we got snow shortly after I arrived. But I prefer driving stick in mountainous environments.

Any guy who can't drive a stick shift needs to turn in his Man Card.

I'm not a guy, but I agree with this. I've noticed way too many guys locally who have that I'm better than you because I'm a guy/redneck attitude (especially in Cub Scouts) but can't function. Instead I show them up because as a 39 year old woman I can set up a tent by myself or with my kids help, can fish, drive a stick, and function in the outdoors when they are all show.

I think it would be cool to make all cars manual and get rid of power steering. It would cut way down on driving and texting and thus save a lot of lives.

 

[bcla]

I was thinking of the idea of four pedals. It seems to be in cars where the manual transmission was an afterthought. I found this picture of a Ram pickup:

 

[firefly_ris]

I was thinking of the idea of four pedals. It seems to be in cars where the manual transmission was an afterthought. I found this picture of a Ram pickup:

My first thought is they didn't want to reduce passenger capacity for the e-brake? Not that it would be comfortable to sit there... and you'd be in the way... so nevermind.

 

[bcla]

My first thought is they didn't want to reduce passenger capacity for the e-brake? Not that it would be comfortable to sit there... and you'd be in the way... so nevermind.

I'm trying to figure out if that's a seat. I first heard about that with the Hummer H3, which has a center console and armrest. But with the parking brake pedal, one can't use the parking brake, clutch pedal, and accelerator at the same time unless the driver has three feet.

Parking brake pedals aren't always there for an additional front seat. My parents had a couple of cars with this (automatics though) and there wasn't any seat there.

 

[firefly_ris]

Yeah it's hard to tell. We have a Silverado extended cab that has a large center console/armrest, but it flips up and it becomes the seat back when needed and there's a middle seat there in the front. But it's not a manual and doesn't have a giant shifter right where the passenger's legs would go, so.... but yeah, the floor brake is just bizarre. Even if you got really creative and had a pole to push the brake in with, you'd still need to lean over and pull the release with one hand, while you are driving with the other two feet, have your other hand on the wheel, and no hand on the shifter....?!