Current Events > Do you know how to drive a manual car?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Never learned.

Yep, been driving a manual for about 5 years now. Honestly not sure if I'd want to go back to an auto, although a big part of the reason is the fuel efficiency which my understanding is newer ones have much less of a gap...

I should note I learnt to drive auto and exclusively drove auto for something like 10 years before I learnt manual. All that stuff about "it's really hard to learn manual if you learn auto first" is bullshit.

Yeah, all my cars have been manual transmission

1991 Toyota Hilux
2016 Chevy Colorado
2021 Subaru WRX

Technically, yes.

Haven't actually driven one for almost 8 years though, would need a LOT of practice to go back to manual from auto.

Yeah. I drove a stick shift for about 15 years but its been about 2 years since i last drove one.

I never learned in a hands-on way, but I know the mechanics of what you're supposed to do.

Heartomaton posted...

I never learned in a hands-on way, but I know the mechanics of what you're supposed to do.

Driving games don't count.

Imagine not driving stick.

Yes, but I havent in probably seven years or so. I had one for about ten years.

bloodyarts posted...

Driving games don't count.

Not where I learned it.

Distant_Rainbow posted...

would need a LOT of practice to go back to manual from auto.

Going the other way is weird. Phantom Clutch Syndrome is a thing.

It has been a while, but it's like riding a bike.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Going the other way is weird. Phantom Clutch Syndrome is a thing.

I had that only for like a week. I went from driving a small car to a large hatchback which is like small suv size, so it felt way different and that sort of made it work. If I went from driving a small manual car to a small automatic car, that always gave me trouble.

I want to learn but I feel like it's pointless since electric cars are going to kill off the transmission entirely.

Is there a good reason why an electric car wouldn't want a gearbox?

Questionmarktarius posted...

Is there a good reason why an electric car wouldn't want a gearbox?

Basically it's because they're not bound by the limitations of combustion engines.

The power of a car comes from the energy output from the fuel igniting in the cylinders inside the engine. There are limits to how much power can be transmitted to the car's wheels by the crankshaft if you stay in a single gear so you shift up to force the car to use more energy to turn the crankshaft but in turn transmit more power (each revolution of a larger gear transmits more energy, at the expense of requiring more energy to crank).

You take out the use of combustion and you remove the need for cylinders and thus no transmission is needed either. Your car just accelerates in a smooth curve from zero because you can impart the power of the engine directly to the car's wheels without passing through a crankshaft.

Newer cars are incredibly easy to drive manual.

Learned how to drive in a 1988 Honda Accord. Stalling that bitch out when learning felt like the car was gonna fucking fall apart with how it jerked back and forth.

Bought a new Civic and straight up it stalled out and just stopped.. I was amazed.

you grind it til you find it.

that third pedal is a hoax and doesn't actually do anything so I don't know why they insist it's important
one goes, one stops, the third does neither

i tried to learn on one... 23 years ago. it didn't go well. so, yes in theory, but probably no in practice. i probably could get it moving in an emergency, but it wouldn't be a smooth ride.

Yeah, never owned an automatic. EU

But more seriously, yeah, but it's been too long.

Also reminded of the first time I was ever allowed to try... I was only 14 so didn't even have my learner's permit, and my dad let me move the truck a short distance in the yard while he was in the passenger seat. He failed to tell me that you have to apply a bit of throttle when starting. The truck stalled, then he deemed me never being able to learn it. What a teacher.

In theory I do. I've never put it into practice though, so...

I can drive one. Never owned a car with a manual transmission, but have driven them in the past.

Yeah I had a honda civic si and now I have a subaru WRX. It's fun.

Nah. No reason to know that.

i tried to learn from this chick I wanted to bang when I was 16, but then we banged and I stopped trying

Been awhile, but my car through most of college was a manual. Not an expert, but I can still do it.

I learned how to drive using an old manual Dodge Ram. I did take my test in an automatic but that Dodge was my first daily driver.

Ive been driving manual all my life (I'm in uk). But I want to get a used luxury car for my next car and you have to go auto for those.

Purple_Cheetah posted...

But more seriously, yeah, but it's been too long.

Also reminded of the first time I was ever allowed to try... I was only 14 so didn't even have my learner's permit, and my dad let me move the truck a short distance in the yard while he was in the passenger seat. He failed to tell me that you have to apply a bit of throttle when starting. The truck stalled, then he deemed me never being able to learn it. What a teacher.

Reminds me of when my dad wanted me to move his bike into the garage. It wasn't a learning situation, but for some reason he stopped me, grabbed the clutch, and asked me to throw in some revs to I guess warm up the engine, get fluids moving and such while the exhaust was still outside.

Then he just dumped the clutch and told me I don't know how to ride a motorcycle.
There was something clearly deliberate about that. I get the part where I should've questioned him more, but he cost himself a headlight.