Manual

[Iroh]

Manual, do it.

 

[BEER]

That's nice if it's your daily driver and it has a forgiving clutch. Try that in an unfamiliar sports car on a wet road or off-road in an 4x4. You're going to spin your wheels or stall the car.

That's what I was saying with my post though: Once you're in-tune with YOUR car. I'm not saying you'll be able to it in any car.

 

[BoogerDawson]

If you're on an incline, pull the handbake until the car won't roll backwards. Then, give it a little gas and slowly release the clutch until you feel the car try to inch forward. Without letting up on the gas and clutch, release the parking brake and give some more gas.

 

[RedRocket44]

Okay so I have to get another car soon and I'm debating whether I should get a manual or not.

I have been doing research and apparently repairs are cheaper on a manual transmission? Does a manual ever become annoying or does it become natural like driving an automatic? FYI, I live in a small town so I won't be dealing with stop and go traffic.

The car I'm looking at is the 2007 civic coupe and my reasoning for the manual is mpg and repair costs. I'm just not 100% sure tho. What do y'all guys think???

My first car was a 98 cavalier z24 (manual). Obviously repairs vary greatly depending on what you're buying. If you're hard on the clutch the you're going to be spending probably more on repairs. When I bought the z24 I had no idea how to drive manual. I burned the clutch out within a little over a year. Also had to change the wheel bearings more times than I can count. That car was a real pile.

My 2nd car was 2004 mustang GT, also manual. By that time driving manual was second nature to me. I was taking that car to the track every weekend, and never had to change the clutch once. It's definitely something that becomes natural if you know what you're doing. I do a lot of city driving and it didn't bother me at all.

I now have a 2007 Infiniti G35x. Living in Canada, the mustang was not fun in the winter, and the z24 was pretty much on it's last legs (used it as my winter car). I was thinking about getting the G35 coupe in manual, but I opted for the AWD G35x sedan, which only comes in automatic. It has the tap-shift "manual" transmission mode, but it's just not the same without a clutch. There's a noticeable lag when tap shifting in the "manual" mode. It's a great year-round car for Canada, but it doesn't have that same feel.

 

[RedRocket44]

Hill starts are pretty easy, just nerve racking at first well because you roll backwards if you don't do it correctly. I don't have to do heel toe stuff (easy enough to do anyway). Just brake and very slowly let off the clutch. You should feel the car trying to move and then take your foot off the brake. I'm not sure if it is different in my car because I have a ton of HP though. I also haven't done it on an incredibly steep hill either.

I'm pretty sure I pissed myself on my first hill start. A little tunnel under a set of traintracks, and it was STEEP hill. At the top of a hill is a light, and I was half way up the hill. I swear it was designed to give newb manual drivers nightmares. It didn't help that the guy behind me was right on my bumper. I remember just letting the car in front of me get basically to the middle of the intersection, and I just launched the car... it was the only way I figured I wouldn't roll into the guy behind me.

I never used the handbrake method, I found there was too much going on. After a few times hill starts became 2nd nature.