I really don't understand why people on this board think that driving a stick shift to it's "fullest potential" is such a hard thing to do. Why would car makers have designed maunual transmissions the way they did if you needed to be a rocket scientist to really know how to use it to it's "fullest potential". It's actually a very simple task to drive stick. When you own a stick shift automobile, and drive it every day, it becomes second nature. You learn all the particularities about the car and transmission, which is something that no "professional driver" can do in one day. Just because someone gets a job at a car mag, does that make them a professional??? Last time I checked they were called journalists, NOT professional drivers. I have been driving my stick maxima for a little over a year now, and racked up around 40,000 miles with it, and I firmly believe that I can make that car accelerate to it's fullest potential, maybe not every time, but I can most of the time. It's just something you get a feel for, it can't be explained in words, and it's not something that someone who's never owned a manual could ever understand (until they purchase one and drive it for a LONG while). I just can't stand all the people that say "It takes a professional driver to post times like the mags do" That's complete horsecrap....if you know anything about car mags, they you know that all the shifting is done "lift-throtte" which is NOT ALWAYS the fastest way to get a car to accelerate through the gears. Some cars are better when you powershift, some are better when you full-throttle shift...and for the people who think powershifting and full-throttle shifting are the same thing....they aren't. Look it up. I'm not trying to bash anyone on the forums. I just don't think the "doesn't know how to drive stick" comment is pointless. I'm sorry for this vent, but with all the posts regarding the topic...I had to say something.

 

I completely agree with you brian. I have owned 6 stick shift cars, and 0 automatic cars. driving a stick shift does become second nature when you drive the same car, in the same manner, day in and day out. as far as the "auto mag professionals" i agree again, they drive lots of different cars for short periods of time, and its not possible to master the technique of different stick shift vehicles in a day or 2 or 3 or whatever. in my civics and mazdas, my 1/4 mile times were faster (.6 seconds faster in both my civics actually, when the engines were stock and even running in 85 degree weather on a sh*t track on heavy 17" wheels) than magazines published times (i ran a 16.20@85.06 in my bone stock 95 civic ex on 17" wheels in 85 degrees, magazine times were 16.8s). this makes me optimistic, as i havent taken my max to the track yet (it doesnt open til june 8th). i hope to run at least equal to, if not better than, the 15.2 and 15.3 second 1/4 miles that are published in various mags. i know guys on these boards have done it, i believe there are some maximas on here running 14s when either stock or damn close to it... as for automatic cars, i cant really say, because i havent driven them enough. does it take good technique to get good times in an auto... or is it just "mash the gas and go".
anyhow, thats my $.02.

Neal

 

Thanx Neal

 

How long really does it take to fully get used to the clutch engine trans in a maxi...i had a jeep before my max for about 6 months and i was really good at shifting that (4speed manual) but now witht the maxi 5 speed and all the power im really not good at driving it at all... the shift to second im really not good at yet...im only 17 and have been driving for almost a year( not long at all) (im not to good yet) on all manual....so how long you think??

 

took me about a month, but i read a few things on the board and tried what some members suggested about racing take-offs and that helped a lot.

 

Ahhh, so good to see all you fellow manual guys. I learned auto 1st then went to manual. I just had to learn it. The cool thing about the Max is that its wide torque band makes shifting very easy. Not only that, the relatively large amount of torque down lo makes engaging the gears a whole bunch easier. On a flat road, I can engage 1st by simply letting out the clutch slooooooowly, without touching the accelerator, and the torque will be enough to get the car going.
There was an interesting thread I saw earlier, this guy announced that he was ready for a new maxima and he was looking for opinions. Alot of people gave advice. What struck me was that everyone assumed he wanted an auto. They were all suggesting these mods to make the auto faster, and I was like "get a 5 speed!" From ground zero stock form you are already 1 second faster than an auto, and with those same mods, except the VB tranny one, don't need that one thank you very much, the 5 speed max can becme a real rocket. I felt like it fell on deaf ears. Oh well.

DW

 

So where can I read about the different shifting techniques? I don't know the difference between power shifting and lift throttle and all that. I'm basically teaching myself to drive a manual. Thanks!

 

i think reading about different shifting techniques can help... to a certain point. the point brian and i are making is that its not something that can be taught very well. you can learn the mechanics of it (clutch in, shift, clutch out). but getting really good at it just requires practice. the more you drive, the more fluid and smooth you will become at it in your car. different cars have cluthes that engage at different points, and over different ranges, and shifters with different feels. it just takes getting used to. the more you do it, the better you get, and the better you get, the smoother and quicker you can be. so read some techniques if you think it will help, but practice truely does make perfect in this case.

Neal

 

Magazine writers may not get quarter mile times like some people are capable of but for the most part they are far better drivers than us. Many of them come from racing backgrounds and have driven cars far beyond what any of us have been able to do. Simply because they got a slower time than you did doesn't mean they're worse drivers. They usually don't run on a prepared track since they have their own testing areas. They also use optical 5th wheel measurements which are extremely precise but different from sensors used at tracks. In their jobs they've put cars over 200mph which few of us are willing do to. I believe one editor for Car and Driver even raced in the Indy 500. I think of most magazine drivers as being consistent rather than for their outright times. I think of instead that magazine times put forth a minimum time that has been proven. Faster times may be possible but they give a ballpark idea of what is possible. Admittedly some car testers (Consumer Reports) can't even get fast cars to go fast but others aren't that bad.

 

If you limit your understanding of "stick" driving to mashing the gas to the floor and shifting through the gears as fast as you can then you are right, driving a manual transmission is not very difficult. However, try taking your Max on an autocross course or track, and you will soon learn you are not nearly as good a "stick" driver as you think you are. Things such as heel and toe downshifting and proper launching (no, proper launching is not running the rpms to redline and dropping the clutch) require time and practice, and I guarantee most professional drivers do it better than most drivers on the street, if they have even heard of these techinques at all. I have raced several cars on both the street and the track (road course, not a drag strip) that were faster than the car I was driving, but I beat them because I have a better understanding of how to properly drive a manual transmission.

 

I cant seem to shift my 96 5 speed well...im having trouble goin from 1st to 2nd and most every gear(little jolt into the gear)...im perfect at driving the 3 other 5 speed's ive drivin but not this one...i have a feeling its the leather seats. i might be sliding on the seats alittle bit and im not used to it yet or i dont have a good position to the clutch cause i just got the car...i need help thanks guys

it may just be im paranoied

 

i agree with you totally. good launching can be achieved easily because everywhere you drive, you are stopping and going, so you pretty much get used to it and with the torque on our cars, who cant help try and take off the best they could once and a while, its sort and an addiction for me. now i agree with you that many of us drivers that do not autocross overestimate our abilities, here is an example from myself. although i do not autocross,i have attempted saloms(sp?) with cones in a open parking lot. i find it difficult to do this becuase i have no experience. the car jerks and sways back and forth and you have to try and stay in first gear because you can only go so fast. and i dont know if its only me, staying in forst gear and swingin left and right, the car gets real jerky. i dont know if this is the right technique but soething i just tried with a friend. unless you want to autocross, you only need to be able to get good launches, which you practice everyday. ok, im just rambling, i'll stop now.

 

One of the biggest problems with people driving 5-speeds is that not everyone knows how to shift correctly. Most people I know keep one hand on the **** all the time. that's WRONG. Shift, and bring your hand back to the wheel.Shift, put your hand back. Through all the gears. Dumping the clutch at high RPM's are a big nono, but people do it anyway.While I feel that mags # can be repeated by an everyday driver, the pro's have one up on the average driver because 9 times out of 10, he knows how to shift right. Proper shifting will stay the same no matter what car you're driving. Lets face it, most average drivers were taught how to drive a stick by a friend or family member, and chances are, they have bad habits that they teach to you, then you teach someone else, and the bad habit continues. How many of us cruise down the highway resting our hand on the ****?

 

My dad taught me how to drive my first manual (a 4speed escort.. lousy piece of $hit car)...
Anyways, he specifically taught me not to rest my hand on the shifter because it would cause the gears to wear, and not to rest my left foot on the clutch pedal, because it would cause clutch wear!!!

Well I've gone thru 5 years w/ the escort, 2 years w/ an RX-7 5spd, and now 2 years w/ my Max 5 spd, and never had a transmission problem.

Oh, and my GAWD it frickin' bugs the hell outta me when I see people with their hand on their auto shifter, just cruisin' along, like they're gonna shift at any point now... no, wait a minute, they're not, cuz they don't need to... sorry, just had to rant. I guess it's better to do it with an auto than a manual, it just looks weird.

Finally, everyone please go out tomorrow morning a drive really fast... it's FUN!!!!

justin