Have been teaching the kids to drive here on the ranch. I don't believe there are three flat square feet on the place. Mrs. slosig finally agreed our (now 15 years old) son was ready to drive solo on the ranch at 10, though this was in the "family truck" which is automatic. He has managed my work truck ('03 Tacoma extracab w/ v6 & a five speed) but doesn't like it and isn't comfortable with it. She took a lot longer to turn our daughter (now 13 years old) loose, but the daughter does much better with the manual tranny.

I started them both on a flatish area, had them put down the window and with the right foot on the brake and the left foot on the clutch, put it in first and ever so slowly let the clutch out until you just start to hear the engine slow down a bit. Hold clutch foot still, take right foot off of brake and put on the gas, but don't add any. Slowly, slowly, slowly ease a little more clutch out. Once they get a feel for taking off slowly without killing it, they are ready to work on doing it a little faster with a LITTLE throttle added. Once they have that it is torture time on the hills.

quote:

Originally posted by side_shot:
lol i learned stick on a black fiat 124 spider 1978 it was my moms car.

For me it was a 1979 Honda Civic hatchback.

For me it was a 47 Willys Jeep Overland in the pasture. I was 9 yrs old at the time.

I had a hell of a time trying to learn stick before I understood the mechanism.

Once I understood how the clutch worked mechanically, it was no problem.

My wife and I both taught in the MSF Motorcycle Safety Course for a number of years. We spent a fair amount of time in the course with new riders exploring the "friction point" of the clutch. Just start in motion, travel a foot or two, then squeeze the clutch lever and stop. Rinse and repeat.

I did basically the same thing when I taught my younger step-son to drive my manual transmission Mercedes 240D. It took him maybe ten minutes of start, stop, start, stop, ... to become comfortable with it.

61 Chevy Biscayne. 3 on the tree. In my back yard!

I was almost 18 when my dad taught me to drive. (We lived in Detroit, that had a great bus system and I either walked, biked, or rode the bus everywhere I went.) Our family car had a manual transmission. I am (and was not) particularly coordinated and the lessons were not easy for me. OTOH, my dad wasn't the most patient person, either. When we'd come in from a teaching session, my mom would look at us and say "I don't know who to feel the sorriest for". However, I did eventually learn to be a capable manual-shift driver and all my autos until the 2006 Mustang had manual transmission. (Caveat: the "fun" 1966 Mustang I bought restored in the 1990 timeframe does have an automatic transmission--it wasn't my choice but chance put it into my hands.)

flashguy

 
My drivers ed class, round about 1959, was in a '57 DeSoto with 3 on the tree. I've driven a stick ever since. It's the only way to get the feel of the driveline.
 

I rode motorcycles as a kid so I jumped into a car with a manual transmission and eased the clutch out and eased the throttle till it smoothly engaged. I had very little to no learning curve.

I learned on a stick, then three on the tree. Driving automatic for the first time was a strange experience.

I taught myself to drive in an '84 Jeep CJ7. Bench seat, long shifter lever down to the floor. The gearbox was kind of touchy, not exactly a "finely-tuned" piece of equipment. And from an idle it was slow to rev, so it required a good feel to operate well.

I always felt that starting off with something like that made me a much better standard driver.

Years later I had a girlfriend who bought a new Jeep, auto trans. Whenever I drove it I always thought "this is just wrong."

quote:

Originally posted by brecaidra:
I learned on a stick, then three on the tree. Driving automatic for the first time was a strange experience.

For my wedding in France, we rented a nice "luxury" car for the day of the wedding (a really nice Audi). It was an automatic. I had to teach my wife's brother how to drive it. He had never before been in one. He eventually got the gist of it.

quote:

Originally posted by brecaidra:
I learned on a stick, then three on the tree. Driving automatic for the first time was a strange experience.

Ooh, three on the tree. (For readers going "WTF?", three-speed transmission with the shifter on the steering column.) Those are lots of fun when the shift linkage gets worn out.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
61 Chevy Biscayne. 3 on the tree. In my back yard!

My first was a '63 Biscayne with the same configuration. That was in Green Bay. In 1967 the car had the drivers side floorboard rusted out along with cancer all over the place. They sure don't make them like they used to.

Up until a year ago, 3 of our 4 cars were 6 speeds. Our adult daughter could only drive the Pathfinder.

Mike

My Father held the viewpoint that if you couldn't drive a stick, you couldn't drive.

Thanks Dad.

One thing I don't know how to do with a straight drive is "double-clutching." This isn't necessary with a synchromesh transmission, but my brother has several antique cars that predate this, and until fairly recently (now they have semi-automated manuals), heavy trucks also don't have them. However, a driver skilled with a non-synchro transmission can shift them faster, or not even use the clutch (once moving) at all.

Last vehicle I sold was a 2500 Dodge Ram diesel with manual tranny. A young man, looked to be in mid 20's came to look at it and brought his dad to test drive it for him. He bought it but sold it about a month later, said he just couldn't get the hang of shifting.

When you are done teaching him, could you give me a lesson. Not being able to drive stick here in Europe sucks.

Maybe rent a stick vehicle for a weekend.
It will possibly save your clutch and avoid some nasty sounds, from you and the tranny.

I taught both of our kids. Both have owned vehicles with manual transmissions. Our son's Ford Ranger has one now.