leungjc78

iTrader: (1)

My 1st stick shift car.....

Only drive for er....5 days.

I'm no good at this, the 6sp is choky no mater how hard I try...
And damn..this baby is like a wild horse....so hard to control, espeically driving from a dead stop and downshifting..

The ride is so rough thatI get car sick!
The car is gonna 'break out' b4 I 'break -in' the car...

I swear the tranny is taunting me, making an idiot outta me in the middle of a busy intersection.
I know there's tranny issue ...but god..is it REALLY that bad? Or do i have no talent and should get an automatic?

HELP!!!

NoHalo

It may take a little time to learn. It's best if you know someone that can show you. Just hang in there, you'll get it soon enough...

http://www.whtc.com/Shared/Auto/tuto...earnstick.html

burgerking

lol leungjc78, i was in the same boat as you. this is my first manual car as well. you just need practice, that's all. i've been driving for a couple of months now, and i still suck , but i can get around town now. don't worry, it gets better, and stick is much more fun to drive than automagics.
BK

DrVolkl

as a person with experience let me tell you something.

The Max 6-spd is not an easy tranny to learn on. It needs a little lovin to treat you right. The car has a lot of power...but it comes on quick. I'm still learning to wrangle in the horses when I punch it in 1st gear...damn wheel goes all over the place! Freakin scary!
The 6-spd itself takes a real light touch. There's a fine line between crusin and racin...so my advice is to shift at the lower RPM's..like 3k. Get used to it, then start winding it out.

Here's the list of cars, from earliest to latest that I've owned..some for only a little while! And the Max 6spd is the nicest yet!

84 Fiero 4spd
85 Stang GT 5spd
87 Bronco II 5spd
88 Pathfinder 5spd
96 Stang GT 5spd
00 Wrangler Sport 5spd
98 Teg GSR 5spd
02 Max 6spd


Not to mention two explorer autos....

wdave

You should have gone to rent-a-wreck and gotten a stick for a few days to learn on rather than abusing your beautiful new Max - there is definitely a learning curve.

akrus

iTrader: (1)

Excellent job of putting your ideas into words for us to read. I thought that was one of the funniest 'learning to drive stick' stories I've ever heard, well done and thanks.

Don't be put off by the 6spd. Especially when it's brand new. The car is real touchy, but as it breaks in, it will smooth out, dramatically. Just take your time, pay attention to the car rather than worrying about making a smooth getaway. It's sort of like golf, if you stand over the ball and think too hard about your drive, you'll mess it up. Some things will just happen if you relax a little.

I taught my sister (who was 17 at the time) to drive my 94 Z28 6spd. That car was dynoed at 380 hp to the wheels. Talk about a slightly 'nervous' 17 year old LOL!!! Once she got over her fears, she settled right in.

I've owned a few motorcycles and quite a few manual cars in the past, and i agree with many that would say the 2k2 6spd is fairly difficult to drive smoothly right away, especially when new.

My mom told my sister that she'd like to learn to drive stick before she goes to Germany this summer She wants me to teach her Not sure if I'll ever answer my phone again

Good luck to you and hang in there, you'll be glad you did.

Albert

phillyguy

I agree, this a tough manual to master. I learned to drive a stick back in '82 on my brother's '74 Toyota Celica. Below is is pretty good decription of how to learn to drive a stick. You need to find where the clutch catches in order to launch smoothly. The only exception is I would not slip the clutch at 3000 rpm. Try more like 1500 rpm at the most. No sense in burning up your clutch at this point. Practice w/ the radio off, and after a few practice runs stop staring at the tach. Get used to a light touch on the gas. I would say that I launch smoothly about 95% of the time. I will admit I have stalled it a couple of times! Had a tough time switching from our old Integra (clutch grabbed high) and the Max (clutch grabbed low). Relax, the more uptight you get about it, the harder time you will have launching smoothly. Enjoy the ride!

leungjc78

iTrader: (1)

Well....thanks for the vote of confidence..I know everyone was at my stage once in their life time...but gee....things get more embrassing as u get older u know??

I wish I could learn someother way..but i live in a small town with no rentals, and no driving instructor with a manual car.

Anyway, thanks for the pointers and tips..I will definitely practice practice practice!!!
and not to bring shame to other maxima drivers!

lcf

iTrader: (6)

i know how you feel man. i learned how to DRIVE on a manual.
i felt like giving up quite a few times. it's so embarassing
to stall out in front of friends and god, i never hated
intersections and stop signs so much!!

i got through it though, and i love manuals. however, i couldnt find a 5spd when i bought this car but im happy with my auto.

good luck!

Newman

iTrader: (3)

...and you call yourself experienced

same deal dude. this is my first manual car. i knew how to drive stick before this but i wouldnt have considered myself a stick driver. i could get the car home if i HAD to. i just drove my roommate's 2002 G20 today and i noticed that it was a lot smoother than my car. like everyone else has said...i think our cars are just a tab bit more dificult to get the hang of. but have no worries. you'll be a solid driver in a few weeks but you'll still be learning after that. 2 months later i'm still picking things up.

SteVTEC

When you get the hang of a stick shift, you will be able to start your car off from a dead stop going uphill to rolling with the clutch fully engaged without even breaking 1000rpm.

You will also be able to parallel park while backing in going uphill.

The "sweet spot" method of learning the clutch engagement point is very important. You keep a steady throttle and then just concentrate on modulating the clutch to get yourself going. This is a really important tip because it's too hard to concentrate on both gas and clutch at the same time, especially when you're learning.

After you get the hang of it you'll be able to do it without even thinking and it'll then be "hardwired" into your brain forever.

My Camry was a 5spd. My Accord V6 which I had for a year was auto. After it was totalled I got right back into a stick again and drove it like I had never even stopped.

Proof that stick shift driving gets hardwired into your brain. Whenever I drive an automatic car now my left foot still reaches for the clutch!

KLOOGY

iTrader: (12)

I know stick shift. I even know how to drive Macks and Peterbuilts, ... I drove Leftcoasts Maxx 6 speed, and for the first couple of runs.. I had a horrible time shifting it. Someone needs to make a Short Shifter for that thing. Im afraid if I powershifted, I would snap it !

Newman

iTrader: (3)

hah very true. ive only been driving stic for 2 months and when i get into an automatic car (ive driven 3 autos since i started driving stick) and i seem to always put my left foot on the break when i start the car. its just habbit. i almost couldnt help it the first time i drove auto after getting the new car. it was embarrassing. i looked like i had never driven a car before.

leungjc78

iTrader: (1)

Ok....
so i got the shifting figure out...but I can't seem to drive the 6sp quicker then expected.
I think I just suck at launching AND shifting...

Any pointers? I'm getting embarassed by how slow I drive the car...and well, it's be nice to kill those redneck truck drivers.

Anyone else notice how truck drivers really really like to prove how powerful their trucks are WHEN they are next to a Japanese car??

Stranger808

I have had 4 max's now
1 3rd Gen SE 5 speed
1 2K Se 5 Speed
1 2K Autotragic
now on a 2k2 SE Auto

I waited for the new 6 speed and I am sorry after test driving the thing I went auto
the Clutch on the new 2k2 is seriously missing feedback

It can be learned but it takes time hang in there and you will learn it

Stereodude

It's a pain when my 2K2 idles at 650RPM. I've driven a stick shift for almost 6 years and I still manage to stall the Max at least once a week. With the AC off and an idle that low and considering the smoothness of the engine it's hard to take off and avoid the rev and slip method.

With my other sticks I would generally get the car rolling without touching the gas so I put as little wear on the clutch as possible. Unfortunately with the Max that isn't really possible because it idles so slow. If I try that with the Max I either nearly stall it, or pull some gumpy choppy takeoff. Basically I've found that if I want to do it smoothly in the Max I have to get the clutch to where it starts to grab give the car gas and let out the clutch. Generally that means I'm slipping the clutch from about 1500-2000 RPM.

Stereodude

woreyah

I understand whay you guy(s) are going through. I was going to purchase a 2002 3.5 Altima 5spd but after a week I couldn's see myself shifting gears for the next five years(the term of the loan). I took it back and got a 2002 SE Maxima auto, same terms, almost the same price. Best descision I ever made. :-)

sputnik

I bought myself a 1987 Subaru GL 4WD Wagon to learn to drive stick on back in January, and I've been using it as a station car...every day. One good thing is that every time I get back in the Max, I feel the same way I did when I first test-drove it, and love it all over again

Not much advice aside from "buy a POS for $100 and kill it" - that was my original intention with the Subaru, although I do enjoy driving it to the station every day. Plus I'm saving mileage on my baby (30k already, after 2 years). Plus the wagon lets me take my drum kit wherever I need it...don't want to mess up my baby's leather seats

http://www.learn2.com/06/0689/068910.asp has a pretty decent tutorial, although I'm assuming that you already know the HOW, you just need some practice.

Good luck

p.s. my friend's buying a new WRX, and I would've killed him if he got it in automatic, so instead I have to teach him to drive stick...but that's what the Subaru's for

Blackgums100

The only time I stall my ***** is when I try and go easy on her. I have now grown used to hammerin that **** like she likes it and I plan on replacing the clucth at about 80K because of it. Keep in mind I do not have a 2K2, the 2K2 manual is pretty touchy.

noflash

I like Step 4!
Find the G spot

After you learn to shift properly then you can learn to heel-toe shift and finally the expert elbow-tongue shift!

djPlayboy

one thing my dad taught me on driving a standard was to make love to the stick shift cause if you F@*%k it its gonna F@*% you...just be gentel with it and take your time learning on some back roads or sumthing

sputnik

Your dad is a wise, wise man.

craaaazzy

the previous post w/ the "sweet spot" is a good way of explaining it. taught my sister how to drive my car, same concept. except, i would tell her to keep her right foot on the break and slowly release the clutch until u felt the car want to move and keep her left foot at that level, then let go of the brake and give it some gas w/ the clutch in the same position. she stalled once, but got the hang of it real quick.

areX

iTrader: (1)

if you're still not liking your 6spd, i'll trade you w/my automagic!