I've been driving an automatic for 5 years now and this week I got a VE 5 spd. It's like learning how to drive all over again. Heck i don't even know where reverse is..
Can someone draw or create a diagram of where the gears are? And how do i stop & make turns?
Gosh it feels weird using both feet and trying to step on those little pedals
TIA

 

this may help

1 3 5
2 4 R

i think everyone should be required to learn how to drive a stick before they can get their liscense.

 

dude i agree, it is so much more fun! i hate driving automatic (except in traffic), you have more of a KICK and you can takes turns pretty tight. once you learn, you wont even think about it. i suggest trying to drive it in parking lot before going on the rode...hehe...my dad was like get in, sit down, quit whining, and get on the rode, very humours first drives

If you ever stuck on a big hill and are afraid of rolling back, pull up the parking brake some and then let it off as you go forward

 

a few rules...
be gentle w/ the shifter and the clutch...don't force it in gears.
whenever u move the shifter step on the clutch all the way down.
when moving from standing still get a feel for the car where the car would move in relation to the clutch pedal...don't apply any gas and you should move very slowly. once u master the spot where the clutch catches then you can start giving it a little gas.
just go slow and rev low until u got the shift pattern down. if you're unsure try going through the shift patterns when the car is off.
when going to reverse you have to netural it then go right and back to get to reverse. good luck

 

Thanks for the advice.
One more quick question, If i want to move slowly all i have to do is shift and lightly step on the clutch? (a little friction)
thnx

 

it kind of hard to try to tell you without showing you, but you have to let off the clutch just a bit and add gas slowly and then let off the clutch when you are moving enough that you are not "hopping", once you are moving slowly and then need to slow down/brake, and then start going again, you can just shift to second (if you are still moving) and let go of clutch and you will be going slow without "hopping" too much. (sorry if that is confusing, its hard to explain it cause i rarely even think about it anymore )

 

a few more tips

if you ever approach cop's while speeding in a standard, throw it down into 2nd gear and let the engine compression do the braking so your tail lights don't go on.

and dont listen to anyone who says you can't drive stick and eat at the same time. I ate an arby's 5 for 5 on the
way home from arby's while driving.

and if you can't find it, grind it

 

Damn, flem, I was just about to say that.

One of my friends has an '80ish F150 with a 4spd. Instead of waiting for the engine to slow down to put it in Reverse, he just keeps slamming it down.

We can tell you every aspect about driving a 5speed, but you wont really learn anything untill you do it yourself. Its all about feeling. Dont worry about killing it or grinding gears. We all still do that every once in a while. Right?

 

Damn, tell your friend to quit doing that, he's probably got a np435 tranny, beefy yes, but 1st and reverse are run off the same gear cluster and he'll be looking at a new tranny soon.

 

But what if i want to get out of a parking spot? I wouldn't be able to apply gas because i'll ram the car behind me. Or I wouldn't?
Oh well i guess I'll find out next week. The car is in the shop b/c the cluth was almost gone.

 

hah, new clutch, gotta love it. you'll be stalling out all over the place, don't get frustrated. When I replaced the clutch in my other ride, I stalled it cause it was a lot more grippy than the once I shattered.

You give it a little gas, not a lot. rev it up to around 1100 rpm's or so and let the clutch out slooooooowly.

drive with the windows down and the radio off for a while too. Learning to drive stick is best done by feel and sound, not with a tachometer.

 

Knowing my buddy, that drive the 80s F150...he doesnt really care. Its nicknamed "The Fordo".

Its just a beater that he drives every once in a while when his TGP (Turbo Grand Prix) is down (which happens way too much).

 

I've found out what the gate pattern is on cars with a steering wheel in the passenger seat. Always been curious without having the inclination to actually go and find out for myself. I'm glad I hired a auto in the US.

Here you'd change using the left hand and push away from you and forward for first, third and fourth straight push-pull and 5th pulled towards you and then forward.

My Scirocco was a bit of a nightmare. Third easy, but 5th only about a tenth of a millimetre to the right of it. And all this with a stick with more travel than Marco Polo.If you started getting it wrong, you'd think about it and be a bit crap for the rest of the day. Better to just use the Force, think "5th" and it would be perfect.