Kinda noob, but I have to ask...how hard is it going from auto to manual shift? And is a Maxima a good car to learn to shift in?
I'm thinking about buying a manual Maxima in the future ( the car I drive now is auto) , and i know the limitations of an auto, so I am really tempted to just buy a manual, though that means I gotta learn it.

So, the big Question: How easy/hard is it to learn to drive stick, and can I **** up big in the process, or is the worst that can happen just general mistakes?

Thanks.

 

Very easy to learn, just takes patience. It took me about a half-hour in an empty parking lot. Once you learn how to launch without stalling, you'll be fine.

 

Can you chew gum and talk?

 

I learned when i was 11 in the driveway in a 1997 Altima, Just take it to an empty parking lot and once you can get it moving u'll be good

 

As easy a making good spaghetti. Once you get it right you wont forget.

 

hmm......can you shift? Looks like you got two slushboxes there....

 

Doesn't mean I do not know how to drive an MT. A.s.sumtions > you.

My A33B slushbox would annihilate your A32 in a dynoshootout or a straightline

 

. . . . . . .

 

See, the things I have to do in order to turn a thread interesting ...

 

im pretty sure NmexMAX has one of the fastest autos on the board so i wouldnt give him ****

 

Jeez, you would think for all the grumbling and complaining on the .org about having a manual, you would think a convert to the manual cause would be welcomed, not flamed.....

Sorry, its been a VERY long day. had a calculus final today.

 

User defined Easy and more fun IMO... Once you get a feel for the clutch, it will be easy. The A32 is very forgiving (read : torque) and wont stall on you as easy as some other cars, specifically more common MT equipped cars (4cyl).


A good car to shift in is one that has a notchy shifter, so when you get in a car with a smooth unit, it will be much more rewarding.



What limitations? pens can of dead worms: Yes I know I know lighter/more effecient/better gear ratios


It's really not that hard, once you spend a half hour with it, you'll be fine, and only get better.


Didn't I just answer this ? ... That's user defined.

Nothing besides downshifting into 2nd @ 95mph. Maybe a bit more clutch usage in the initial learning stages due to a little beginners slip habit. You'll smell it...

 

Those who say it’s easy either don’t know how to drive it or live somewhere on a farm far away from other city traffic. So here’s my story:

First I learned how to get the car moving when I was 11 and after that my dad would let me drive around the block and on empty streets. When I turned 14 he sold that car and the next time I drove a stick was when I was 19. When I bough my own car, even though I though I knew how to drive it, first two days of real city driving was a nightmare, next two weeks were a bit better but I still had difficulties. In a month of driving it became as easy as driving auto and a lot more fun.

 

And you overgeneralize a little too much.....

Just because you're a slow learner doesn't mean everyone else is.

 

In my opinion, knowing how to drive a stick shift means that you have to be able to drive in every kind of traffic with passengers and your passengers must feel comfortable riding with you. You also have to be able to drive it like you stole it. I honestly doubt that those skills could be easily mastered.

 

How hard it will be also depends on whether you live in a hilly area like me. I really want to learn how to drive stick and if/when I have an opportunity to learn, I think I want to practice stopping/starting on hills in an area that doesn't have lots of traffic so I'm not screwed if I had to drive through town.

 

its easy and its hard

let me take you threw the steps

1) put the clotch all the way down and shilft to 1st. (do not release the clotch if you do your car will turn off, also called stall)

2) easy getting off the clotch, go very slow.

3) when the clotch is in the same level as the gas pedle you solfty give gas and as soon as you feel the car moving, you slowly get of the clotch.

I learn to drive in my 96 maxima. only took me 4 hours to learn. i just spen all day in a emty parking lot.

4) also you driving normaly you dont want to bring your rpm that high so you shift to 2 when the rpm is around 3 or 4. or when you hear you engine going high.

5) when swiching to 2nd you get off the gas completly and put the cltoch down all the way down and put it in 2nd easy getting off the clotch and when the clotch is in the same level as the gas pedle you give gas gently.

its alot of work but is much faster and funner then a auto.
and you wont mess up anything if you do it right.

just take it easy and slow. ull be a pro in 2 weeks tops

 

when your stop up a hill is alot harder. because your car will go stright back.

if your up and hill and your stall all you have to do is lift the emergicy brake turn your car back on and try it again.

it will all take times but it will come to you.

i leanr in 4 hours, and took me 2 weeks learnig to go up hills, now im parking uphills

 

I'm assuming you mean drive it like you stole it. The guy's question was how long would it take to learn how to drive a stick. Not how long it would take for me to learn how to drive like an @ss. Just like with driving in general, you get better with time. You make it sound like you either are master at driving stick or you don't know how to do it at all.

 

oh and dont burn your clotch. it cost alot of money to get it fix.

just dont give that much gas when your coming off the clotch. keep it around 1 rpm or 2 rpm.

 

That's why should learn on a rental or someone else's car....

 

do they even rent out manulas anymore?

 

The 1st to 2nd shifts in my I30t were tough to learn but I'm ALMOST perfect at driving stick after 1 year...well worth learning if you ask me, remember not to keep your foot rested on the clutch or bye bye bearing!

 

That’s what I thought before but after I measured my gas mileage and read my manual I stared shifting at 1.5 – 2 rpm during NORMAL driving.

 

Took me 1 night to learn how to drive stick, with about 3 different teachers giving me advice. It will take a lot longer to learn how to drive it smoothly, at least for me anyway.

 

The Maxima is great to learn on: V6 so not much throttle needed to get it going, and the clutch is relatively soft compared to a bimmer or sports car. I personally think its harder to learn on a 4cyl because you have to give it more gas to launch smoothly, and that ratio of clutch to gas pedal is harder to master. On my VE5, I can basically start rolling (not smoothly of course) by letting the clutch out slowly. On my friend's Accord I4, I'd stall when I tried that. If you are paranoid about not being able to test drive it or driving it off the lot, bring a friend who can drive stick, and buy him lunch for his troubles.

 

All these guys are giving good advice and all but NICKLE its CLUTCH opposed to CLOTCH, just like in your signiture, but anyways its not that difficult my sister learned on a 1999 Altima SE-L and it was pretty ruff but she got the hang of it and i did when i was eleven so buy it, don't sweat it.!

 

What's a clotch?

 

its easy to learn how to drive a manual car. It will take a while to drive it well... meaning the following:

1. passengers necks don't snap forward and back on shifts
2. people can sleep in your car if your driving in traffic
3. you can rev-match and downshift
4. you can double clutch smoothly
5. you can upshift so fast that the only thing you hear is the engine changing pitch
6. you can launch while modulating the clutch and gas and not just doing a big burn out

you get the idea

 

a clotch* is the left pedles next to the brake auto driver! lol j/k

 

What's a pedles?

 

It's the area on your body you do not want to be kicked in. As in, please don't kick me in the clotch daniel-san.

 

That's what I thought So what is/are pedles?

 

I just learned how to drive on my 99 5spd about a month ago. First day or two of stopping and going is gonna be a major PITA, but after about a week, you'll have it down if you have the right techniques. Basically the technique that made me shift smoothly is rev-matching on upshifts and downshifts. Rev matching upshifts and downshifts are easy to do, you just have to experiment with it for a few minutes and you'll get it. After a month of driving, im able to drive in stop/go/5mph traffic without a problem, change my radio, and talk on the cell at the same time, without holding the clutch in messing up the bearings.

 

Thanks for the responses guys.Got a friend down here in Carbondale with a POS stanza he's cool with lettin me practice on......

I just didn't wanna do something stupid like **** up somone else's car, and I'd heard some horror stories on the .org about folks bending valves and blowing engines cause of bad shifts.....

again, thanks for the input guys.....

" Next week: Clutch repair for Amateurs!"

 

Can you drive in traffic, smoke a cigarette, talk on the cell phone, and SHIFT_?

 

now thats^^^ got to be a little bit rough. i like this tread. lol. yea, its not hard. my dad taught me in his miata. dont make the same mistake twice and you should be fine. just get a feel for it.

 

CLUTCH NICKLE CLUTCH,NOT CLOTCH

 

I have been saying clutch for the longest damint!!

lol

 

on my 1990 SE it was really easy to learn stick. so just ask someone who knows how to drive stick with a car and an empty lot