Manual experience concerns

[leftywayn]

Don't even be concerned with it. You will become accustomed to the clutch, and shifter within a few hours. In a week or two you'll be a pro, and an all around better driver. Plus you'll be enjoying the control of rowing your own.

Good Luck.

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[petraman]

can you link me to a page that shows a manual ST for rent, please?

They're out there... spotted one for rent at the airport in Utah, and I've heard of others renting them as well.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

As somebody on here pointed out, there are schools that teach how to drive a manual (which there weren't ten or fifteen years ago when I was searching up and down the East Coast looking for them).

Here's one in Denver that has classes:

https://www.drivesafecolorado.com/program.php

I'm signed up for classes in New York; we'll see how that goes. I don't think I could ever drive a manual on a daily basis -- for one thing, I always use my left leg to brace myself as I'm driving in turns, but I recently read that you're supposed to use your left leg instead of your right leg on the clutch pedal. Not sure how that would work.

 

[foghat]

I'm signed up for classes in New York; we'll see how that goes. I don't think I could ever drive a manual on a daily basis -- for one thing, I always use my left leg to brace myself as I'm driving in turns, but I recently read that you're supposed to use your left leg instead of your right leg on the clutch pedal. Not sure how that would work.

Can't tell if serious. How on earth would one use their right foot to operate the clutch? I guess you could get some sort of crossed leg thing going. Wouldn't recommend that though.

Your left foot is not always on the clutch, should still be fine (for the most part) for your left leg turn braces.

 

[Malikona]

i had the same thought as op i have an auto now and i learned when my family bought a 14 gt500 which is a hard mt to learn to begin with but like everyone is saying it is all about muscle memory and practice

You learned to drive a stick on a GT500 LOL - that is awesome.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Can't tell if serious. How on earth would one use their right foot to operate the clutch? I guess you could get some sort of crossed leg thing going. Wouldn't recommend that though.

I've said that before -- I've only ever tried to drive a manual car once in my life, almost twenty years ago when I was in high school. I spent an hour trying to get the car into first gear and couldn't get it to move; stalled out every single time.

Start the car in neutral with the right foot on the brake. Take the right foot off the brake and move the right foot on to the clutch, press down. Move the shifter into first. Take the right foot off the clutch and move it to the gas, press down. Stall. Over and over and over again.

The experience soured me on manuals forever, not that I've had a chance to really think about them one way or another. Except for taxis in Europe, I've never even sat in another car with a manual since then.

 

[Clink]

I've said that before -- I've only ever tried to drive a manual car once in my life, almost twenty years ago when I was in high school. I spent an hour trying to get the car into first gear and couldn't get it to move; stalled out every single time.

Start the car in neutral with the right foot on the brake. Take the right foot off the brake and move the right foot on to the clutch, press down. Move the shifter into first. Take the right foot off the clutch and move it to the gas, press down. Stall. Over and over and over again.

:eyebulge: :tsk:

 

[TWilliams]

:shocked:

Wow! Three pedals with one foot. That's a gutsy attempt! I suspect your next experience will be better now that they told you that the left foot is for the clutch!

 

[geokots]

I've said that before -- I've only ever tried to drive a manual car once in my life, almost twenty years ago when I was in high school. I spent an hour trying to get the car into first gear and couldn't get it to move; stalled out every single time.

Start the car in neutral with the right foot on the brake. Take the right foot off the brake and move the right foot on to the clutch, press down. Move the shifter into first. Take the right foot off the clutch and move it to the gas, press down. Stall. Over and over and over again.

The experience soured me on manuals forever, not that I've had a chance to really think about them one way or another. Except for taxis in Europe, I've never even sat in another car with a manual since then.

Did you try that on your own or did someone tell you to do that?
If someone told you to do that, find them and give them a kick in the ass.

Right foot for brake and gas, left for clutch.

 

[fergus79]

I've said that before -- I've only ever tried to drive a manual car once in my life, almost twenty years ago when I was in high school. I spent an hour trying to get the car into first gear and couldn't get it to move; stalled out every single time.

Start the car in neutral with the right foot on the brake. Take the right foot off the brake and move the right foot on to the clutch, press down. Move the shifter into first. Take the right foot off the clutch and move it to the gas, press down. Stall. Over and over and over again.

The experience soured me on manuals forever, not that I've had a chance to really think about them one way or another. Except for taxis in Europe, I've never even sat in another car with a manual since then.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I'm appalled by this post, and I'm still wondering whether you're really serious.
If you keep doing that, you will stall every single time. Don't do that to your new Mustang!!
You obviously need some traction from accelerating in order for this to work. That is why you use the left foot on the clutch, and release it GENTLY while you accelerate (with your right foot...). As you get better at it, you will know exactly at which point the clutch disengages and needs the traction from accelerating. It takes practice, but is not at all difficult. In Spain (where I come from), everybody drives a manual, even my 86 year old grandmother.
I now live in the US and I got used to driving auto (as in, I don't really miss manual). But for a sports car like the Mustang, I definitely prefer having a manual transmission - and that's what I ordered for my GT.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Did you try that on your own or did someone tell you to do that?
If someone told you to do that, find them and give them a kick in the ass.

Right foot for brake and gas, left for clutch.

No, nobody taught me anything. It was the first time I'd ever seen a manual transmission -- old early '80's Camaro, belonged to a friend of a friend -- and I asked him if I could borrow the keys for a bit in a parking lot just to try it around. I couldn't get the car moving and so after an hour I gave up.

 

[petraman]

Take the right foot off the brake and move the right foot on to the clutch, press down.

 

[Malikona]

No, nobody taught me anything. It was the first time I'd ever seen a manual transmission -- old early '80's Camaro, belonged to a friend of a friend -- and I asked him if I could borrow the keys for a bit in a parking lot just to try it around. I couldn't get the car moving and so after an hour I gave up.

Well look at it this way - now that you know the secret, using two feet, you won't have the same problem again.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

om accelerating in order for this to work. That is why you use the left foot on the clutch, and release it GENTLY while you accelerate (with your right foot...). As you get better at it, you will know exactly at which point the clutch disengages and needs the traction from accelerating. It takes practice, but is not at all difficult. In Spain (where I come from), everybody drives a manual, even my 86 year old grandmother.

Well, I mean, it's not obvious, that's the whole point. With an automatic you can drive without ever touching the gas pedal, just using the brake -- in my current Mustang, it'll get up to about 15 mph at idle, so as long as you're in traffic that's not going faster than that, you never need to actually touch the gas. It's not an intuitive leap to go from no pedals = moving to two pedals = moving. Hence the need to take classes for it.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Well look at it this way - now that you know the secret, using two feet, you won't have the same problem again.

This is true, and is why I'm going to be taking classes to learn to drive a manual. Not that I'm sure I'll ever need it, since I haven't seen another manual transmission in the U.S. since then, but it's something I figure I really should know how to do.

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