Results of my daughters first day with a manual tranny!!!

I picked up the 98 Civic EX on Saturday with my wife and daughter.
I drove it half way home and stopped at a large industrial parking lot.
I had her start off without the gas and that went well. Then she started
adding gas to her starts. After 15 minutes driving around the parking lot we
headed out into the industrial park roads, no traffic on Saturday. shifting
up through the gears were no problem. I had her downshift to feel the
braking affect of the engine and I could see the look of finally
understanding what I had been talking about, She could feel the downshift
better than I could explain it.
Backing up is a problem, the gas is very sensitive backing up. I told her
that many times you can let the clutch out to get going and then push it
back it to coast while you concentrate on steering. this seemed to help.
after 1/2 hour of this I drove to a store in the town next to our home town.
Sally waited in the car. After I came out I told her to drive us to the next
store just up the street which she did, Here I showed her she had to shift
into 2nd halfway through the turn. Still no problems. After this purchase I
had her drive us home. Later that afternoon I told her to take her older
daughter out for a spin around the neighborhood, She said " By myself" I
said " I think you are ready? what do you think" Shoulda seen the beam on
her face!! She was ready.
She got back and told me she got stuck on a slight incline waiting to get
gas and someone pulled up right behind her. She stalled twice then used the
parking brake trick to get going.
Then that night she took the car to work..

I want to go out with her tonight for awhile to make sure she is not picking
up any bad habits.... and to practice starting on a hill.

WHAT WOULD BE SOME BAD HABITS???? Like not resting your foot on the clutch,
I've drilled into her to DRIVE FIRST! meaning, if you get into trouble
shifting, don't lose sight of where you are going and the traffic around
you. STEER FIRST!!
If you are having trouble, put your flashers on to warn those behind you..
I will tell her about not using the clutch to coast around turns like
someone mentioned.
One thing I want to tell her and I don't know if this is bad or not. When
she backs out of our driveway, she turns stops and shifts into first. When I
do it, I get the car rolling in reverse( driveway slopes slightly downhill
going out of the driveway) I turn and I put it in first while still rolling
backwards, hit the brake to come to a full stop and I'm ready to release the
clutch and drive off. I smile seeing her stop for 5 seconds while she gets
out of reverse and into 1st to get going. then a couple of lurches
while she get going, then I heard the engine rev as she missed 2nd and gave
it gas while she was in neutral.

Thanks for your help. I though Sally picked it up very fast. Now she just
needs to practice.


Steve

 

Congratulations!

I asked my daughter at the time (let's face it: all you can do is "ask"
a daughter - they never do exactly what you tell them anyway) to run
without the radio for a couple of weeks until she feels that it won't
distract.

Some stop and go driving on a quiet hilly road would be very good
practice.

Learning as quickly as she has, it will be second nature to her very
fast, I am sure.

Remco

 

Leave her be doing the way she is now. When she is comfortable, then she
will get "fancy" all on her own and put it into first while still moving
backwards. Can probably be considered a "bad" habit, but we all do it.

 

It is a bad habit, causing more wear on the first gear synchro than
necessary. But since the first gear synchro is rarely the first to get balky
(second gear takes the prize hands down because of the downshifts for
turning) the point is probably moot.

It does bring up a good point for after she gets comfortable with it and is
ready for the fine points. Three finger shifting (as opposed to grabbing the
stick with a hairy paw and jamming it into gear) is a good way of extending
the synchro life. I hate to think where your daughter will get the hairy paw
from anyway. Would she keep it in the glove box? So many disturbing
questions....

Mike

 

Do you mean by three-finger shifting literally operating the clutch, stick,
etc. so minimal force (e.g. only three fingers) is needed to shift?

Sorry... never heard this term or suggestion but will start trying it if
there's an argument there that it spares the synchro etc.

I also don't know the hairy paw reference but figure the 3-finger dealie is
more important.

 

Congratulations to your daughter. One thing I have learned to do when on a
hill or slight incline, and someone starts to come up behind, I always let
the car start to roll back just a little to give the driver behind the
chance to know I am stick driver, and they usually don't pull quite as
close. Gives me the confidence that I wont smack them if I roll a bit.
People do not know if you are driving a stick, and a lot of people just pull
up way too close to your bumper when stopped anyway, so that helps with some
of the problem. Oh they also are not as fast to take off knowing that you
are a stick and may need a second. Just a confidence thing for your
daughter. She will be fine I am sure.

--
Becky Travis


http://btravis.womenwithdreams.com
Taking Women with Dreams to New Extremes!

 

The "hairy paw" was a tongue-in-cheek reference to grabbing the stick and
jamming it from gear to gear. The purpose of using a three finger grip is to
develop a lighter touch - the thumb pushes forward when needed, and the next
two fingers do the pull back and the side movement. It took me a while to
get used to it, but when I did I missed fewer shifts, too. It's easier to
feel the side to side location with the fingers.

Mike

 

Now there's a good idea! That's two gems for me from this thread. And if the
driver ignores the clue and pulls close anyway, we are warned what sort of
driver is behind us.

Mike

 

Got it, thanks!

 

One of the things your daughter should be aware of is the rolling start
feature of manual transmission cars. Chances are at some point she will
probably have a dead battery, either to leaving the lights on or to the age
of battery itself. When this happens the rolling start feature can be worth
it's weight in gold. However, since I'm not familiar with her car you might
want to verify that her car is capable of this first.

For what it's worth

Gene from Georgia

 

<snip>
What car with a manual transmission isn't?
Greg.

 

I forget all about the jump start!!
My old corolla would jump start so easy I could do it myself, open the door,
give it a little push, jump in and pop the clutch....

Thanks

For the reminder. I'll give her a little more time to practice before I show
her that one...
So far she's loving the standard..


Sr