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On 2001-11-05 11:52, retromuscle wrote:
I'm finding that driving stick is easy, but trying to explain it to someone else is really a pain in the @ss. I think I'm tying to explain too much at once, but there is a lot to process while you're selecting gears (not to mention just paying attention to the stuff around you). Have any of you stopped to think about everything we think about (or perform by second nature) while we're gear-banging?
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I always start by having the "student" sit in the passenger seat and watch what I am doing while I drive at a fairly slow speed and shift a couple of times. While this is going on, I tell them what I am doing and what to pay attention to... "Hear the engine? Time to shift. Clutch in and off throttle, shift to 2nd, ease out the clutch while easing into the throttle, foot off the clutch", etc.
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I thought I had it down to a few basic things. Easy off the clutch and easy on the throttle to get rolling. Clutch in and foot off the throttle to change gears, and back off the clutch and back on the throttle to complete the change. Clutch in when you're on the brakes and you slow down too much for a certain gear.
I thought that would be basic enough to get her going... But nooooooo. She wants to know how to know what gear to be in when she slows down but doesn't stop, when should she shift up to the next gear, and why on earth does she have to push the clutch in when she stops?
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Have her stop once without putting the clutch in. That should answer her question. Explain that when the clutch is out, the wheels and the engine are connected and that when the wheels stop, so will the engine.
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How did all of you learn? I know that I spent years watching my dad do it and when I was ready to learn, I just jumped in and did it. I'm finding it hard to explain something that just kind of came naturally. Besides, I'm not a very patient person when it comes to explaining something that I think is easy. :sad: Any advice anyone can offer about how to explain it to her?
I know she can do it. I've seen her get the car going as smoothly as any veteran driver and that IS the hardest part about driving stick, so her ability is not in question. But she gets rattled easily and it seems like she wants to know everything about doing it before she does it. :sad: Help!
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In my experience, patience is one of the most important things when teaching someone to drive stick. That, and a large, flat parking lot with very few obstacles. Having an area to start, drive around and get comfortable with shifting while not having to worry about all of the other issues associated with driving makes the whole process easier.
Work on one thing at a time. Have her work on the basics of starting and stopping and make sure that she has these down before moving on. Progress to shifting to 2nd and then stopping from that speed. The more she does it, the higher her confidence level will be and that is the true secret here. Stay in the parking lot (or other confined, controlled area) until she can "drive" the car, including upshifting, slowing and selecting a lower gear, and stopping (you might want to try a panic stop as well).
If you build up her confidence in this new aspect of driving without all of the other "distractions" of driving on public roads, you improve your, and her, chances of success.
Good luck!!
Rick