How to get girlfriend to drive a manul transmission / stick shift?

[BNF]

Good advice, and for the most part I had luck with her getting rolling, but as Aces said, she gets "scared" when she stalled out and the car bucked. Immediately, she looked into the mirror to see if someone was behind her..

I couldn't get her to understand the idea of gearing - that, say 1st is really only used to get the car rolling, that 2nd is good from 10kph - c40kph, that 3rd.. and so on. She can't grasp the idea of what gear to choose when loosing speed.

I think this is a lost cause. She was surfing and found the optional automatics were not adding as much cost as I made it sound. :sigh:

 

[Aces&Jacks]

Draw a graphic with each gear's speed in a different color and put it on the dash.

 

[pancha]

Draw a graphic with each gear's speed in a different color and put it on the dash.

:1orglaugh

Its always harder trying to teach a ****** member. My *** was a lifeguard in his younger days, he tried and tried to teach me to swim, but I still can't!

if its that bad, then the initial higher cost of the automatic will pay for itself rather than dealing with a stripped out flywheel, burned out clutch and beaten transmission!:eek:

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

not sure how you would go about it, but I learned on a golf cart. they are easy to work with and it helped me get the basics down, from shifting to stoping on an incline and not stalling out. after about an hour I was flying up and down just practicing running through all the gears for half an hour. afterwards I jumped in my car and was OK.

now, i knew the guy that ran the golf course, so I don't know how difficult it would be to rent one. . . you could always rent a manual trans car and pay the extra for insurance and let her tear the hell out of it! but the golf cart wouldn't feel too overbearing!

good luck buddy!

golf carts come in manual?

:1orglaugh

Its always harder trying to teach a ****** member. My *** was a lifeguard in his younger days, he tried and tried to teach me to swim, but I still can't!

if its that bad, then the initial higher cost of the automatic will pay for itself rather than dealing with a stripped out flywheel, burned out clutch and beaten transmission!:eek:

that's the beauty of a manual...you don't have to worry about the tranny going out.

 

[Becks...poamr]

As a guy friend once told me, "Pretend it's a penis. Don't yank it all over. Move it gently."

 

[Troy25]

I've had it.

I've tried to teach her, but it always pushes the relationship to the end.... I am considering having a friend try and teach her, but she's shy about leaning from anyone in this case... She hates the idea of shifting. Period.

Anyway, she's demanding that her next city car be an automatic. I just can't stomach the idea. We'll be driving the car 50/50. It's just that small, light sporty cars should never be automatics. IMO (Mini S as an example)

Any ideas?

is this some kind of sexual innuendo?

 

[D-rock]

Start dating female racecar drivers from now on. :1orglaugh



Seriously I think for a lot of people learning to drive a manual transmission is something where they just try too hard and think too much about it. For women it usually seems worse. Sometimes getting the person to not be fearful of messing up can go a long ways.

 

[coolbeers]

get her a bus pass

she'll want to learn then:glugglug:

 

[trikenut012]

You need a big flat surface like a field or somethin, or you could always buy a big 3500 diesel bigger vehicles tend to be easier

 

[georges]

It depends of what I drive, I mostly drove and drive manuals this being said I also drove automatics which were a real pleasure to drive.

 

[calpoon]

I guess you can't teach her if she doesn't want to learn. I know people that can't drive a stick.

But I think that you should come to Los Angeles, and drive around. I bet that you'll never want to drive a stick shift again.

 

[BNF]

I am going to have to settle with Tiptronic type "manu-matic".

The specs are pretty close, but the manual ***** the manu-matic in 80-120kph sprints and has 5kph on the top end.

Yes, 5kph is a big deal to me.... but compromise....

 

[Sicario]

There is nothing like driving a stick shift, I learned on a '88 5.0 Mustang GT. Hey BNF, if you are going to teach your woman to drive manual, lets hope she learns real quick or be prepared to fix that clutch or transmission afterward.

 

[DrMotorcity]

I would get her out somewhere there is no traffic

Not too long ago in the distant future, which has now been relinquished to the participles of the past, I, too, had been confronted with a similar situation, and resolved to proceed about to remedy this matter just as slowhand has related above.
Initially, I was confident that we (my gf, in her effort to learn how to operate the manually-shifted transmission, and for myself, in the tutelage of her in accomplishing this task) would achieve complete success in the endeavor, until the totally unforseen and startling appearance of Jim Capaldi, and soon, Chris Wood, who would then be followed by that insufferable Dave Mason (several years after being given the heave-ho from Fleetwood Mac, and for good reason, it should be noted) and then, and not much later, Stevie Winwood along with his *******, Muff (not his real name, as I have been informed).

To this very day, she (my now ex-gf) currently finds her exclusive transportational solace from the riding of the cable-cars in an extraordinarily "un" motor-city to not be named later or otherwise.

 

[Facetious]

Super -

Get her this DVD !

Synopsis
Women truck drivers aren't usually thought of as American folk heroes, yet the seven women portrayed in the documentary film Alligator on the Zipper evoke the qualities of modern day cowboys. Courageous, tough and with a fierce love of freedom, they heed the call of the road that speaks to their independent spirit.

One such driver is Patsy Van Flateren, a Belgian immigrant whose drive to succeed and overcome an abusive past has propelled her to build a successful flatbed trucking business. Another tale from the road features Jackie Wheeler, a former actress whose ***** is to appear on Oprah to tell her story of how . . . ^ continued link above

Then rant - "If they can drive these rigs, along with a 15 speed gearbox, then there's no reason that you can't drive a sporty car. :dunno:

Just a thought

 

[Magnet]

What helped me learn was have her get a feel for all the gears and shifting before she even turns the car on.

Then you can go to the next step with the car on. From here on out its pretty much just timing.

Find an empty parking lot to practice in. Just keep it in first gear and have her try and accelerate. If she dosent stall, good. Stop the car and do it again. Do this until she gets a little bit of a feel, at least so she dosent stall it to much.



Next find some hills that have no cars/traffic. Stop on the hill and have her try and accelerate while on a hill. This way she can learn how to start up on hills without rolling back to far.

The more practice, obviously the better she is going to get.

And try and tell her that if she is driving in traffic and stall to not panic. lol.

Hope it helps.

 

[marquis2]

I've got cars with both types of gears and both my wife and I manage them both easily. We both learned on manual transmissions (most cars in Europe have this as auto is regarded as being for old ladies and not for proper drivers)-in traffic I like auto , the rest of the time I don't care,in my sports car of course it has to be manual because that gives better control and feel.

 

[GabberMan]

You drive and do the clutch while she shifts the stick:

Start with her hand on yours, then move up to her telling you when to push the clutch in and releasing it. After that move her hand on to the stick so she shifts on her own. Then swap seats.

My folks gave me a head start that way from a young age.

If that doesn't work then give her a whole day with an instructor.

In the UK you have to learn manually as a rule - sorry!