Driving

[ChrisH36]

I have some problems with driving.

My parents both drive standards (both Pontiacs) and I am forced to drive one of them.

Well, it may seem fun to drive a car across town but for me its a problem. First, its the clutch; I either release it too fast (causes car to stall) or too slow (screech and jerking noise). Over half the time I get stuck in the middle of the intersection forcing to wait about 1 minute before I can go again. IT blows

The even worse part is the feedback from my mother. She swears, yells, and thinks I am stupid moron just because I can't time myself properly. Come on, on a automatic I can drive it in a snap. I can keep up speed, stop right, turn perfectly and even go after stopping.

She also thinks I have no confidence in myself. Well, I don't want to drive standard and both of my parents want me to practice. Why? Maybe its just because I stay in the house all day doing nothing (which I'd rather do, its who I am.) What the hell am I going to do? If you post thinking I am a chicken, then go make fun of someone else because I don't think I am finding it funny at all.

 

[BH_Naft]

standard transmissions kick ass! im spending hundreds of dollars and like 15+ hours of work(an entire weekend or two) next month to change my automatic transmission to a five speed.

although i drive for the love of driving, and to me driving a manual is driving in its purest form.

my advice would be to borrow their keys one day, go out to one of the cars, and just practice starting and stopping, and reversing and all that. you just have to learn the feel of the clutch. you wouldnt even have to leave your driveway, you could just go back and forth.

before you even do that though, i would suggest just playing with the clutch for a while with your foot. push it in, let it out slowly, feel the grab and release. once you know where that is it's easy to drive a stick, you just have to be fast and smooth in your pedal movements. if you let off the clutch too slowly it will be a lot harder to get the timing right.

but definitely practice by yourself. other people in the car will interrupt your thinking, and from the way it seems, will probably just make you angry.

 

[DB]

I know exactly what you are going through. My mom has a car with a clutch and I despise driving it.

 

[IDefy]

I'm 18 and just got my permit like a week ago. It really sucks. I won't have a license for a while

I've driven a lot actually, illegally. I can drive a standard pretty easily, but it does take some getting some used too.

 

[BH_Naft]

cant you get your license immediatly once you are 18?

or am i just a crazy californian?

 

[IDefy]

I could get one and pass the test but I don't want a license until I can afford a car which i'm saving for. So i'm waiting for like 1-2 more months to get some more money together.

 

[Shadow1psc2k]

Everything I've ever driven is automatic, it doesn't matter much to me how fast I can get from point A to B, and I don't drive for fun really, so I don't mind an automatic either.

 

[Jason]

Ya..I am 17 and don't have my license..just my permit..October 3rd I will have to retake my temps test, but that's not much of a big deal..I need to make an appointment sometime this month to take the drivers test, but I'm afraid of failing at manueverability..

@ standard: I drive auto..I refuse to learn standard.

 

[IceDevil9]

Everything I've ever driven is automatic, it doesn't matter much to me how fast I can get from point A to B, and I don't drive for fun really, so I don't mind an automatic either.

Same, I'm not much of a car guy, and if it can get me form point A to point B I'd prefer an auto anyday, although I can drive a stick.

I have my permit, but my mom is the only one in my family (1 out of 14), who says I have to wait till I'm 17 to get my license, which isn't until the 27.......of january ><

I'm eligable tomorrow, and the earliest to find an appointment was on oct. 13 (Damn busy DMV, go go California), and I'm not too concerned about taking it, just be sure to look left-right-left at intersections (My friend got docked for that) and always stop behind the line at stop signs, which I don't normally do (i.e. stop a little ahead like most people), and always check your mirrors. Since you don't have ot do the harder things, such as parrallel parking (Which I hate doing), and freeway driving (I love the freeway), then it's pretty simple.

-Frank

 

[Swooper]

I have a pretty good deal, my mom went ahead and decided to get a second car that we could share, so I ended up not having to pay for mine (well ok, I pay the insurance now that I got a ticket which really sucks when your a 16 year old male). Its and automatic, and I'd prefer manual, but hey, its a car, and its pretty nice, so im not complaining.

 

[Oxide08]

i swear to god i learned how to drive standard off the fast and the furious ... this one day my dad was like take this car over there and i was like ok ... started it up and went ... i had trouble backing up but meh

 

[ChrisH36]

I can easily do anything on standard while moving, just can't get going. My dad is no help either, he tells me what to do calmly. However, not once he drove with me. My G2 test is in one month, and if I get thrown on a standard wtf am I going to do? Automatic is a piece of cake ^_^. I'd actually prefer to drive one for the rest of my life.

 

[BH_Naft]

I'm eligable tomorrow, and the earliest to find an appointment was on oct. 13 (Damn busy DMV, go go California), and I'm not too concerned about taking it, just be sure to look left-right-left at intersections (My friend got docked for that) and always stop behind the line at stop signs, which I don't normally do (i.e. stop a little ahead like most people), and always check your mirrors. Since you don't have ot do the harder things, such as parrallel parking (Which I hate doing), and freeway driving (I love the freeway), then it's pretty simple.

hehe, what you really need to watch for is the random shit that you have no control over. when i took my test, i did 100% perfect. except for that one thing. automatic fail cause the jackass instructor though he was the shit and was talking and distracting me and then when i almost messed up(i corrected myself before i did) he said i had already messed up, and flipped out hella.

so i came back in two weeks and got 100% again. that guy was the biggest ****ing jackass prick ever. total nubcake

 

[coRtALoS]

I learned how to drive a manual in about 15 mins. You're parents are clearly ghey and nub if they didn't take you into a parking lot to learn how to drive.

I had a hard time getting started when a mannie when I was first learning too. If you're still having problems, one thing you could try remembering is 1st gear requires the most clutch action, obviously because that's the gear you're most likely to come to a stop in again if you're in traffic.

While it may not be the best thing for your transmission, try not fully letting go of the clutch when you get moving. In fact, don't let go of it fully untill you hit around 10MPH. You'll get the hang of it, just takes longer for others if your parents ****ing suck at teaching it.

I think they want you to learn how to, though, so you can drive any car in the world if you ever have to borrow a friend's car, or if you and your friend are at a party, and you both took his manual car to the party. It'd be better for you to drive both of you home sober, than him trying to do it drunk.

 

[Azurio]

As much as I know, I'll never get a car before graduating, and even then, I'll have to wait a pretty looooong time.

 

[Lwek]

Yesterday was my first time ever driving a manual car(Got my permit for about 2 weeks now). Yesterday was my time ever getting into a car crash.

I had no idea how to start the car, I didn't even know the manual cars had 3 pedals at the bottom. I didn't know that, it was around 9PM outside so I couldn't look down and see the 3 pedals. So my dad tells me to back out, and I do with the stick shift, but I thought I was pressing in the stop pedal. Instead I was stepping on the clutch pedal. So I kept backing out and I couldn't stop, UNTIL I hit the car behind me. I only made a dent in the car I hit but shattered the glass(where the lights shine) on my car.
I owe my parents a couple hundred bucks in usd that is.

 

[Guru]

try driving a '78 chevy with no ABS, missing two side windows, horrible transmission, bad acceleration, no heating, no tape/cd player, its rusted, and to essentially just a piece of shit

 

[ChrisH36]

No way I am driving that, I think I will just learn standard by myself after I get my G2. That way, I won't get pestered to do things I hate, either that I can drive automatic my whole life. I wouldn''t mind that, I have complete control over my speed.

 

[IceDevil9]

The disadvantage without knowing how to drive a stick is, much like cort said, if you need to drive a friend home, or in emergencies. Better to have you drive home and get oth of you home sober thne him fumbling at it when he's plastered.

Also, sticks are cheaper and get more MPG, so it's ultimatley your choice.

I prefer to drive auto's, but I can drive a stick, it just took me awhile to get used to it.
Don't worry, soon rnough it'll jiust come second nature, you won't even think about changing gears and such, you just do it because your used to it.

-Frank

 

[ChrisH36]

Wow, I guess everyone has thier problems. I have work for school to do so it will be awhile before I can prepare for the test. I will do it in an automatic, then work on manual during my G2 licensing, then I can easily learn on my own. Man, I love when a plan comes together.