First Time Manual Owner

Krogen said:

Y O U C A N D O I T ! ! ! !

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Turn off hill sssist when you're good and comfortable. Focus on finding that sweet spot of rpms when you're shifting. Get to know the feel of the car and recognize the sounds of the engine while driving. Always be cognizant of what gear you're in and don't rely on looking down at the shifter--same with RPMs. Hands off the shifter while driving. Engine braking is great during break-in period and for the life of the car...and your brakes and tail light bulbs will appreciate it.

Krogen said:

All this advice.... It makes me chuckle. Do this; don't do that... Just go drive it, my friend. People have been learning to drive sticks since before most if not all of us were born. The first one I tried to drive was an MGB. I had no clue. Put it in gear and dumped the clutch. It died. Oh? We >that< didn't work. I tried something different. Oh! That's better.

You don't need >any< advice! Especially from "Internet Experts." You can figure it out yourself! Just go do it!

Ironic, I know. Here I am giving internet advice... But still, I suggest you just dive right in. Y O U C A N D O I T ! ! ! !

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My dad had a 68 MGB GT in the early 1990's. He sold it shortly before I was learning to drive but man that thing would grind and he would have to jam the shifter into place. I remember pushing in the clutch and it was heavy as lead. That car was a labor of love for him but it was extremely unreliable. He rarely drove it and a few years ago said it was because he didn't expect to make it home.

Cueball said:

Just take the spring out - no replacement needed.

And yes, the MT-82 sucks. I have 25,000 miles on the car and still feel like a newbie - 5th manual car I have driven. That being said, it IS much better after it has warmed up in the morning, just awful when cold.

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My 2017 GT manual clutch is much easier use than the 2006 GT 5 speed I traded. I love it. Just saying.

Don't listen to any discouraging people. You can do this!

I got my car (2015 GT PP) without knowing how to drive stick either. Sales guy gave me a crash course before I signed paperwork and I was on my way. Dealership was 3 hours away from home and I must have stalled it like 80 times. Pissed off so many people. But oh well.

After I got it home, I waited until it was super late at night and went with my girlfriend to a nearby mall parking lot and basically just did stop-go for 2 hours. Did this three nights in a row (and drove it to work each morning between that) and I had it down.

Some advice:
1. Remove clutch spring. That little piece of shit makes it so hard to feel where it engages. I so wish I would of removed it before even leaving the dealership. Would of made life so much easier.
2. Disable hill assist unless you live around huge hills. It will engage on small slopes when you don't expect it and it will make you squeal your tires or stall.
3. First learn how to start out in first gear... but also try using second gear to start out when actually driving in traffic. I only use 1st in parking lots now because the 3.73 first is so short that minivans will beat you from stoplights. HOWEVER, don't make this mistake like I did. If you choose to keep it in gear while you are sitting at a stop light then as you are coming to a stop shift it into neutral and leave it there until you're ready to go again (or at least 15 seconds), before putting it in gear. If you shift it from 4 or 3 down to 2 then leave it in 2 while you're stationary, when you go again you will jerk a little. This seems to be because some part of the transmission is still spinning at a higher RPM than where you want to be and when you slowly let out the clutch it will grab and jerk. If you pull it out of gear for a bit, that part of the transmission will slow down enough to where it won't catch when you go again.
4. If you stall in traffic, just clutch in and start it back up and go. Keep your composure and don't freak out.

The MT82 is fine IMO.
I'd leave the Hill assist on unless you feel like backing into the car behind you on a hill. Just remember that you'll need to give it a few more RPMs when hill assist is engaged. Really love that feature.

Go to a big arse parking lot and practice. You'll figure it out. Love stick shifts and welcome to the club.

I learned how to drive manual on my 15 eco boost. About 2 days after I had the car it gave me an error message saying hillstart assist not available. The dumb ass ford techs told me thencar didn't come equiptnwiru hill start assist lmao and I didn't know any better so I turned it off to avoid the error message. Just hold the ebrake if you are really worried that is how I learned to do it and when your comfortable just learn to manage the throttle and clutch properly.

And I finally realized it did have hill assist a year later when it turned on for some reason randomly and I almost stalled out because I didn't know I was even on a hill and it was holding me there lol.

chandlermaxwell said:

I am currently waiting on a 2017 GT PP and with it being my first car with a manual transmission I am asking the forum for a list of some things to watch out for in the first say 10k miles. Just want to make sure that my learning period doesn't completely destroy a factory clutch because I know they, more than likely, won't replace it under warranty.

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Here is how I "accidently" taught my daughter to drive a manual - in my 2012 focus. She drives my mustang and honestly dying to go with me to the track (which she will). Also my co-pilot when I do my Ca to Florida run

Dad - tough week at work. Friday rolls around, open a bottle of Yellow Spot, have a glass or two.

Daughter - Dad - lets go get some frozen yogurt!

Dad - um...babe, I'm on my second whiskey. I shouldn't drive.

Daughter - Hmm...I fly, you buy.

Dad - hmm...only car here is mine, and you can't drive a manual.

Daughter - yeah, good point. Bummer.

Dad - daughter both have light bulbs go off at the same time...

Dad - ok, no better time than the present to learn. Lets go.

Seriously - couple quick lessons around the neighborhood and block, she was off to the races. Sure, stalled it a couple times. Sure, didn't like it when people are behind her at a stop light, but after eating the yogurt and the trip home she had it dialed in. Of course my better half wasn't thrilled at how it went down but we all chuckle about it now. She does pretty well in the Mustang but isn't a fan of the clutch.

I guess my point is learn reverse. Practice off the beaten path. I bet you will be fine. Once you do get it, it is a lot like riding a bike. You won't forget.

chandlermaxwell said:

I am currently waiting on a 2017 GT PP and with it being my first car with a manual transmission I am asking the forum for a list of some things to watch out for in the first say 10k miles. Just want to make sure that my learning period doesn't completely destroy a factory clutch because I know they, more than likely, won't replace it under warranty.

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I read through this thread before responding. You've gotten a lot of good advise but there's one little detail I didn't see anyone mention. It's a minor thing, and probably not something most do but it's something I've seen done before and should be avoided.

Don't hold your foot over the clutch peddle when not shifting. I've seen people do this, like some will hold their foot over the brake peddle thinking it will reduce their reaction times if they need to brake in a hurry. In the case of the clutch peddle, they know they're going to be shifting to the next gear in just a few seconds and so, just leave their foot over the peddle. The problem with that is, their leg will fatigue and they'll still be applying a bit of pressure to the clutch. That can lead to unwanted clutch slippage. It won't be anything you'll feel while driving down the road, but it will take a toll on clutch life. Bottom line is, if your not sitting at a red light or actually in the process of shifting gears, you're left foot should be on the floor.

One of the other posters said he learned to drive a manual tranny in a MGB. I learned in a 1967 MG Midget. I was already riding motorcycles at the time so it was really just a matter of learning to do with my feet what I was already doing with my hands and the process, for me, was uneventful. When my Dad was teaching me, he caught me riding the clutch a little and give me thorough chewing out for it.

Later, when my Dad sold the car, he put a new clutch in it for the person who bought it who happened to be a friend. That guy showed up about a year later with a totally fried clutch, saying the one he installed was defective. It had lasted less than 20k miles. Needless to say, the ol man wasn't too happy about this but put another clutch in the car and then took it on a test drive with him. The guy was riding the clutch the whole time he was driving the car. Dad gave him an ear full for doing that and explained that's why the clutch failed so quickly. He also told the dude not to ever bring the car back again. It was a confirmation for me why my Dad was so adamant about "not" holding my foot over the clutch when I was learning. My last manual tranny car was a 2006 Honda Civic. I replaced the original clutch at 205k miles and had room to spare. Of course, in that case, I did a lot of freeway driving but little habits developed now can make a big difference in clutch life.

Best of luck and Drive Safe,
Steve R.