[YinCrescent]

Hello from Maryland!
So, I'm getting the BRZ I have a deposit put down already and its planned for the month of march.
Just one small problem...

. . . . I actually dont really have manual experience

at least aside from moving manual cars in the parking lot for my job sometimes and playing assetto corsa on my sim rig.
Any tips?

 

[LanceLane174]

Hello from Maryland!
So, I'm getting the BRZ I have a deposit put down already and its planned for the month of march.
Just one small problem...

. . . . I actually dont really have manual experience

at least aside from moving manual cars in the parking lot for my job sometimes and playing assetto corsa on my sim rig.
Any tips?

If you can drive one slowly through a parking lot then you can quickly learn. You already understand the clutch if you can drive it in a parking lot.

Watch some YouTube videos and you will be fine.

I taught my girlfriend how to drive a stick 35 years ago before I had ever driven one. It's all a out understanding it.

Keep us posted.

 

[TurboChooChoo]

It's gonna take a while before you get it down pat. Even once you are able to get the car moving it takes even longer to make every shift feel smooth without thinking about it. Don't get discouraged, as long as you keep driving eventually you will master it.

 

[LanceLane174]

Just went to YouTube and searched learn to drive a manual and the first 4 videos are pretty damn good.

I'm going to let my wife watch them before I get my BRZ. She isn't touching my baby before I teach her on some piece of shit car.

 

[T who remains]

Will be my first manual car too and not nervous at all any more with the limited practice and amount of YouTube videos I watched. Just ready for the full time practice in my new car.

 

[DeanP]

I think one of the best things they did here in Australia (NSW at least) was to split driver's licences so that if you don't pass your driving test IN a manual car, then your licence ONLY allows you to drive an Automatic vehicle. Forces people to get some experience. Safer for everyone else as well.

 

[Kona61]

Hello from Maryland!
So, I'm getting the BRZ I have a deposit put down already and its planned for the month of march.
Just one small problem...

. . . . I actually dont really have manual experience

at least aside from moving manual cars in the parking lot for my job sometimes and playing assetto corsa on my sim rig.
Any tips?

I learned to drift on sim, specifically AC, but had driven manual for several years prior.

If you want real ”practice” in a game, try BeamNG since it actually can simulate stalling unlike AC.

Also, the hard part is starting from a dead stop, if you can drive manual in a game past that, you’ll be fine. THE KEY is to feel the clutch engagement and flywheel weight by getting the car moving without touching the gas. Every person I have ever helped/taught started here and quickly got the hang of it. Adding gas and clutch together confounds their separate effects. So, doing what I said gives you a better understanding of their true “role” and will help to put them together for a smoother and quicker start. Shifting is pretty easy besides rev matching and heel toeing, but I’d get comfortable first before trying anything of the sort.

 

[DannMadness]

I learned to drift on sim, specifically AC, but had driven manual for several years prior.

If you want real ”practice” in a game, try BeamNG since it actually can simulate stalling unlike AC.

Also, the hard part is starting from a dead stop, if you can drive manual in a game past that, you’ll be fine. THE KEY is to feel the clutch engagement and flywheel weight by getting the car moving without touching the gas. Every person I have ever helped/taught started here and quickly got the hang of it. Adding gas and clutch together confounds their separate effects. So, doing what I said gives you a better understanding of their true “role” and will help to put them together for a smoother and quicker start. Shifting is pretty easy besides rev matching and heel toeing, but I’d get comfortable first before trying anything of the sort.

This is key. This is also my a first manual ownership for me. I learned how to drive stick in my cousin's evo 10 lol. I have also taken driving classes which I reccomend too! Really helped me out.

I agree with this. Find a level parking lot and practice really feeling the friction zone in gear 1. It's a tremendous help to get that zone as a muscle memory. Once you are comfy with that, watch how the car responds to certain rpms of gas. Try to keep it at 1500rpm or 2000rpm and see how the car moves.

Practice and repetition is key here. Good luck!

 

[TRU-BOOST]

Everyone says starting from a stop is the hardest part. I think that is only partly true. Sure its harder than just shifting up through the gears as you accelerate, but I think the hardest part for newer drivers is down shifting. You need to know what gear to be in during certain situations. Slow right hand turn at an intersection, long sweeping highway ramp, passing a slow moving car. On top of just knowing which gear to use, getting the job done without losing your teeth against the steering wheel takes a little practice. So do just that. Practice matching your revs dropping 1 gear at a time while coming to a stop. Most drivers do not do that all the time, but its good practice. Eventually you will know the gearing well enough to drop 2-3 gears in a single move.

 

[imLawZ]

I was in the same situation as you a week ago when I took delivery of my car. Prior to delivery I only had around 3 hours of actual manual driving, and a bunch of hours in Assetto Corsa. I religiously watched manual driving videos on youtube for the few days before delivery cuz I was quite nervous lol.

Fast forward to delivery day and I actually drove home fine - didn't stall once for the whole 30min drive. Wasn't the smoothest, and I'm still not the smoothest (working on that), but I think if you know the concept of how the clutch works it really helps. Good luck!

 

[Auston Martin]

I learned manual on my brand new Focus ST back in 2016. My Dad had to drive it off the lot for me then taught me that week. I was driving in morning commute traffic by the end of the week. You'll get it fast.

 

[TRU-BOOST]

My 1st manual was an 88 mustang GT. Bought it used in 96. I was working at a dodge dealership as a porter at the time, so I knew how to get moving but had never used any gears other than 1st and reverse. I was not smooth at all, but the day I bought that car was they day I decide to buy manual cars FOREVER...!! I have a handful of cars at any given moment, there is always 1-2 automatics in the mix for my wife who "can" drive stick but does not like to. Once you get good at it you will wonder why anyone would want anything else.

 

[YinCrescent]

If you want real ”practice” in a game, try BeamNG.

I actually have it! I've been messing around on it so much loool

 

[Kona61]

I actually have it! I've been messing around on it so much loool

Yea, I’ve had Beam since 2014 or something. Good game.

 

[DaffyDOHC]

Everyone says starting from a stop is the hardest part. I think that is only partly true. Sure its harder than just shifting up through the gears as you accelerate, but I think the hardest part for newer drivers is down shifting. You need to know what gear to be in during certain situations. Slow right hand turn at an intersection, long sweeping highway ramp, passing a slow moving car. On top of just knowing which gear to use, getting the job done without losing your teeth against the steering wheel takes a little practice. So do just that. Practice matching your revs dropping 1 gear at a time while coming to a stop. Most drivers do not do that all the time, but its good practice. Eventually you will know the gearing well enough to drop 2-3 gears in a single move.

Down shifting and rev matching is the hardest for me. 13 years of manual and I still feel like I'm burning clutch.

 

[Kona61]

Everyone says starting from a stop is the hardest part. I think that is only partly true. Sure its harder than just shifting up through the gears as you accelerate, but I think the hardest part for newer drivers is down shifting. You need to know what gear to be in during certain situations. Slow right hand turn at an intersection, long sweeping highway ramp, passing a slow moving car. On top of just knowing which gear to use, getting the job done without losing your teeth against the steering wheel takes a little practice. So do just that. Practice matching your revs dropping 1 gear at a time while coming to a stop. Most drivers do not do that all the time, but its good practice. Eventually you will know the gearing well enough to drop 2-3 gears in a single move.

I’m saying from the perspective of someone who plays a sim with a shifter. Downshifting is hard in terms of the process but I’d argue there isn’t much feel per-se. On the other hand, starting out is literally all feel. It is a balancing act of speed and amount of clutch release versus modulating throttle just so that the revs don’t shoot up while also not stalling.

 

[knc]

I think everyone covered the manual part, but wanted to applaud you for not using your lack of experience with manual to be an excuse to get an auto. I hear that excuse too often for something that takes an hour to learn the basics.👏

 

[Josh2510]

Hey y’all so todays the day just got a call and I should be able to pick up my car today. Same here actually I have little manual experience other from when I learned in my friends 2004 mustang cobra and boy am I excited. I actually test drove a manual wrx yesterday and didn’t stall(surprisingly) but was very nervous on the test drive. As someone who I thought my dad would take the car home for me looks like it’s up to me as he has work. Not too far of a drive but still has my heart racing a bit.

 

[LanceLane174]

Just don't let other drivers make you nervous if you stall. Just get right back on the horse and drive away. They don't know you. Lol

 

[Jman01]

I bought an old jeep wrangler with a manual and learned to drive stick on the way home, as long as you do your research, and be very progressive with the clutch, you will be fine. I was super concerned with burning the clutch so as soon as it started engaging I stepped off and stalled, just take it easy and slowly let off until you feel the car move forward, then keep slowly lifting off until your foot is off the clutch. The anti-stall will keep the revs up, do this a few times to get a feel for the pedal, the. Add about 500-1000 revs of throttle before you engage the clutch from a stop and you will be able to get moving faster/lift off the clutch faster. Don’t worry to much about rev matching at the beginning either and just make sure you don’t shift up to low or down to high, that is when you can damage the engine. Eg, don’t shift down at redline.