How long does it take to learn manual ?

[skylinedrifter]

hrmmm ive been an auto driver all my life *sigh* :Oops: i was wondering how long it would actually take to learn manual properly. like basically drive the car without help.

any comments appriciated.

[Nizmo]

Ok all settle in with a box of biscuits and i'll tell you my life story :bahaha:

When i got my learners permit i did the normal thing and started learning manual .... although i really didnt get the hang of it and my teacher was a total prick. I worked at a car dealershipw here i needed my license .... he told my mum that id never get thae hang of manual in time for my test ... and he also told me earlier that nobody gets a perfect score on their test.

So i changed my test to an auto test and i got a perfect score. With the intentions of getting my manual license later on. Which i didnt need to do as licensing stuffed up my license and gave me a manual one anyway.

Anyhow - basically i was employed by a dealership that chucked me in a Landcruiser didnt care if i could drive it or not and said no excuses your taking this down to licensing. At this stage i hadnt been in a manual since my learners which was like a year n half earlier. But suprisingly enough .... because i was relaxed in the car cos i didnt have my driving instructor next to me ready to give me a verbal beating everytime i stalled ..... i actually managed to get this tank thru the suburbs without stalling. I also had a boyfriend at the time that demanded that i drive hime home when he was drunk in the company manual cars. So basically i had to learn ... and learn fast.

My daily driver is still an auto but im fairly smooth in a manual these days. I think the person who is teaching you has a lot to do with how quickly you grasp the concept. Like everything it just takes practice and a willing to learn

[skylinedrifter]

cool thnx. im planning to learn manual in feb sooo i can drive my skyline home when i purchase it.

hrmmm, when u say stalling the car, how often do u do it when u start learning ? ohh also isnt it just clutch in, change the gears and clutch out ?

this may sound stupid but how do u actually stall the car ? ppl tell me if u dont use the clutch properly it'll just stall, is it really like that ? if sooo wouldnt it be dangerous if u suddenly stalled when turning rite ?

[Parag0n]

First time I drove my GTR i stalled it, it had a triple plate OS Giken in there and I never knew it was ****ing heavy

[Menthu_Rae]

I haven't driven manual much (maybe about 6-7 hrs total?)- I find there's nothing to going in a straight line and stuff... but try to get me to reverse park, and nope - cant do it because I dont have the practice with clutch control...

Just get the car (maybe get a mate to drive it back for you?), take it out late at night with nobody around, and practice in carparks etc until you have the hang of the friction point and what not...?

That's what I plan to do anyway

Or get a couple of lessons in a manual car beforehand...???

[Nizmo]

yeah thats also a tip - when you buy a skyline and a first time manual driver dont get a heavy clutch like tripple plate or anything hoity toity. Makes it a lot harder.

You can stall the car by letting the clutch too quickly out ...... by coming to a complete stop with your car in gear and your clutch out. Theres a particular point "friction point" as someone put it earlier - if you miss this point where the clutch grabs car stalls ..... anyway hard to explain better done in theory. Its like teaching someone to swim - its better just to get out in the pool and do it.

[skylinedrifter]

u mean better done in pract lol

lol anywayz, thnx ppl. hopefully ill learn.

ohhh 1 more question. say u were driving 60km/h and changed into 3rd or 4th. no matter how fast u let out the clutch, the car will not stall eh ?

[Constantly_Incognito]

as long as the revs are high enough it won't stall.

[Kel]

hrmmm ive been an auto driver all my life *sigh* :Oops: i was wondering how long it would actually take to learn manual properly. like basically drive the car without help.

any comments appriciated.

I wasn't interested in driving a manual until I wanted to race cars!

Had been in autos all my life.

I occassionally drove a manual (mainly on the freeway on long trips) and had a general understanding of how a gearbox and gear changing worked.

I ended up taking a lesson with a driving school, just to make sure I had the basics right.

Then, I basically just jumped in the deep end. Bought a manual car, and kept driving until I got it.

I reckon it probably took about a week until I made it through a trip without stalling. Then, it eventually just started feeling natural. In fact, I got into an auto the other day, and found myself going for the clutch!

Best of luck!

[r33skylinegtst]

If you let the clutch out quick when you're driving it will sort of jolt the car, and thats really not good for your gearbox and clutch and stuff. Best way to learn is to go to a driving school. If you've driven an auto for so long it will be much easier as you already feel comfortable in the car and understand the basic road rules.

That, and other drivers on the road will treat you a bit better than they would if you had a set of L plates on

To learn manual doesn't really take that long, i used to suck at it but after about a month of regular driving i was fine with it. I just have a few problems with hill starts since i've had the new clutch in.

[Pva_Glue]

far out life story to explain all that.... fark that.

I can say "its like learning to ride a bicycle"

[Revhead]

One with a clutch

[SiVaK]

HAHA bike with a clutch...kinda like a motorbike eh?

Hey i learned manual the do or die way..i took a job driving a delivery van in the city with no experience at all by myself haha I didnt stall once either,i must be super manual learner or manual learning king or something eh...seriously though its not hard dude when your by yourself you just dont think about all the cars around you (well you know what i mean,you still pay attention) relax and because you have had the experience of driving an auto you know how to drive the car,like turning etc all you have to do is concentrate on the gear changes.I found the funny thing was learning when to change to what gear at what time the clutch was piss easy just as long as you move your foot smoothly up and down.

[skylinedrifter]

is the clutch spring actioned ? or do u need to fully depress it and make it click before it'll pop bak up ?

[AzzurrA]

I drove autos for ages on my learners, but wanted to get a manual license... i took 5 x 30 minute driving lessons in a manual car and passed the driving test with flying colours first time, so it all depends on the person, and what sort of co-ordination you have etc.

[shaolin]

You should learn how the engine gets its power through the drive train to the ground and then you will understand why you would stall the car....

[knore]

Exacly, understand how it works and good at manual you shall be :ufo:

[MANWHORE]

Ok, I'll tell you my story. This is true, no bs. I got my r33 gtst when I was 18. I had only learnt to drive on auto, and never drove manual in my whole life. I knew the thoery. My car had a twin plate, as I was told by my agent. The first time I ever drove manual was when I picked my car up from the dock, drove it to compliance, then drove it to inspection with rta. Then I drove it ever since then.

I drove it fine from the start. No bullshit. I guess it all depends how coordinated you are. My gf (dumb bitch) can't even drive a manual lancer after trying about 15 times.

[linxus40]

manual is easy just a few things you should know:

1 when you stop put the clutch in or car will stall, easy to forget when your under preasure

2 if you dont know what the clutching point is its very usefull. release clutch and use acelerator to hold car in one place without the need of a brake (usefull on hills so you can go without any rollback).

3 when changing gears press the clutch

4 you can slow your car down by gearing to a lowwer gear while in combination with your bakes

5 listen to your car, its engine noise will tell you when to change gears (that or be lazy and look the the taco)

6 dont change gears mid corner, be in the right gear before you get to the corner

think thats about it, just take it slow. it isnt that hard

[skylinedrifter]

so everytime you are at the traffic light(red) do u need to put the clutch in ? lol sorry about this, hehe. i find it rather exciting to be learning manual techniques.