Is there a website where i can learn how to drive a stick shift? Maybe something with pictures or videos (videos would help)... Thanks.

 

every car has a different feeling tranny...theres no substitute for having someone you know who drives stick guide you through it in ure own car....wish i had gotten a manual max....wasn't one available...oh well theres always the tranny swap

 

push clutch in all the way down to the floor...shift to 1st gear...let clutch out slowly until you feel the engine engage in gear or feel the engine getting a tiny bit rough..or your car rolls just a lil without giving gas..and then give just a lil gas...then let clutch out slowly while giving a lil gas...then push clutch in shift to 2nd gear let clutch out slowly and then give a lil gas again...repeat for further gears...thats it..once you drive it for a week you will get used to it...btw, i just learned how to drive a stick shift and gotten used to it after two days of driving...

 

practice makes...better than not perfect.

 

I don't think you can learn driving a manual from just reading a manual. IMHO you would have to have someone who knows how to drive and literally show you while in the car. There is a lot more to just punching the pedal, shifting the stick cause you have to match the engine speed, avoid stalling, avoid being in the wrong gear, steering, braking ect. At first it can be frustrating but practice will make you better at it.

Another good advice is to practice on an old beater, if you have one to spare, that way you don't ruin your clutch and starter on your brand new max. ***Try to avoid riding your clutch.***

I started practicing low speed driving around my neighborhood block, being it was the ege of town and very few traffic around. Heck I was using my driveway, it was a long one, as my first practicing ground. On that note, mastering first gear is the key cause all the higher gears are not much to worry once you get moving.

Hope this will give you some insight. Once I learned how to drive manual pretty, driving automagics are so BORING!

Good luck learning and driving manual.


Manuals are made for people who drive,
Automatics are made for people who ride.

 

You might be able to find a driving school that can take you out in a car and teach you while you drive. Although, most drivers ed schools now only teach autos...

 

I once heard of a driving instructor forcing people to drive automatics with left foot on brake and right foot on gas. I don't know about you but I think that is pathetic. Maybe it will work for a go-cart at those amusement places but it won't work to well in the real world, especially when you start to learn manual. I guess the people who do drive with left foot on brake and right foot on gas can't drive manuals....

 

No, there are a few driving schools that let you learn how to drive on a car with a stick. But since they have to put up with all the wear & tear on the manual tranny, most don't teach manual anymore.

I guess they take you out to a parking lot first and let you get used to the stick and then work into traffic.

 

Some places rent manuals! like rent-a-wreck or other places that rent older cars.

I'd look for a driving school and pay for a lesson or find a friend with a manual.

 

I agree, I'm still in the learning stages myself, as far as a "beater" I'm driving my best friend's 2k2 v6 Camaro that he left while stationed in Korea. Aside from being an uncomfortable hunk of @#$#(IMO) I think slowly but surely I'm getting used to it. One thing that doesnt help the learnig process is the ungodly loud exhaust with no catalytic converter, which makes the inside of the car sound what I could only liken to, umm, outside of a helicopter I guess . Drawing attention to myself while learning to drive that car is the last thing I need, but instead, every honda out there it seems feels the need to race.. And I do have to agree, while I love my Maxima, I can't help but feel that I should have gotten manual.

 

thanks a lot for all the help....

 

Did any one of you guys learn to drive stick on your max? I just traded in my 2000 auto max for a 2001 5 speed max with 10500 miles and am still trying to learn on her (had it for a little over two weeks). I do okay for most of the time, but sometimes I rev the engine too high by mistake. Also sometimes when it have to take off quickly I let her stall out. Is it me or is the clutch on this car super light. Sometimes it is difficult to feel the clutch engage. Any pointers on taking off on a hill?

 

agreed, even with someone in the car though it's real tough to learn....i learned a lotta years ago after i bought a tricked out mazda protege that was stick, and had no clue how to drive it.....it was real tough getting to work those first few days but, i was in a position where i had nothing else to drive! all of these tips are helpful so read them, print them out, remember them, whatever and then just go out and DRIVE and don't get discouraged, that's the number one thing....you'll stall, the car will jerk and hop, people behind you might beep, but just keep at it....once you're in first gear it's smooth sailing! good luck!

 

The only way to learn it right, is to have someone teach you in a stick shift vehicle. You can read all you want, but only driving one will get you the feeling and experience you need to make it an extension of yourself where you don't have to think about the mechanics. It just becomes a part of you. Just my two cents.

Pedro

 

Hmm........I use to read an guide on driving manual from learn2.com, but it's not there anymore.

Anyways, I went to a nissan dealer, took the 6 speed for a test drive, and have the dealer teach me on the spot.........hehe.

But when my car arrived, I forgot how to do it, and can't even get the car out of the lot! Extremely embarassed!

 

Go rent a car with a manual tranny. I suggest for a week. I used an ex-g/f's sentra. I, however knew she wouldn't be around long. Try to get a rental with unlimited milage. The last and most important step..... drive it like you stole it! Have fun! Good luck!