Is it hard to learn how to drive a manual shift?

Question

if you're used to driving an automatic.

Answer 1

i didnt think so. i learned when i was 12. try to have the person teaching you explain why you do the different things youre doing and it helps in most cases. ive tried teaching people before, and rarely do they get it right untill i explain the basic concept of a clutch and transmission. and keep your cool, dont get frustrated if you dont get it right away.

Answer 2

It's like anything else... If understand the basics of how it works and a little practice, you will discover it is not difficult. I purchased a ford ranger without knowing how to drive a stick and figured it out within a few hours. Once you learn, you will appreciate your efforts. You have more contol over the vehicle when you drive a manual. Downshifting can be used to slow down without touching the brakes. If you ever have a brake failure, you can slow down faster in a manual. Also the manual vehicle is more energy efficient since there is no energy loss in the clutch. An automatic has a torque converter that functions like a centrifugal clutch. This added efficiency will save gas

Answer 3

It is a lot different from driving an automatic. I have always driven a manual and find that when I do drive an auto I have to watch I don't go for the clutch, hitting the brake and putting everyone through the windscreen.
Once you have the idea of the clutch and having to do gears you will be fine. My daughter just got her manual licence and now my 16 year old is learning to drive. It just takes practise.

Answer 4

After getting my learner's license far too many years ago, my parents provided lessons on how to drive with a stick shift (both of their vehicles were standards, so there was no way I was ever going to borrow either one until I was competent behind the wheel and with shifting gears).

It takes patience and practice. You can expect to stall the car more times than move forward. Persist, persist and persist. Find an empty parking lot or a secluded street to practice on. My first lessons comprised of remaining parked, pressing the clutch in and just shifting gears (to find the respective gears and to get used to this action).

Past being a real pain in the *** to drive in rush hour traffic, standards offer far more control for a driver. And they are fun to drive too! I speak from experience as I currently drive a standard shift vehicle.

Answer 5

Manual is not difficult. It's called the feel of coordination. Remember, you don't have eyes to tell you where the clutch pedal is or which gear you're in. So use you sense of feel to know which gear you're in. It takes a lot of practice, but once you get the hold of it, voila! You're ready to drive a manual, and trust me, it's as addictive as driving any car...

Answer 6

Well im 26 and have no license (my own issues) but I am an okay driver when it comes to automatic. now last year my bf taught me how to drive a stick, and to me it seemed easier, harder on the foot though lol. We went to a big area and I drove around and around, cause believe me at the beggining the car will keep stopping, but for most that is the hardest part understanding why the car will keep stalling. Good luck & don't get frustrated

Answer 7

No it is fairly easy to learn. I actually found the best way for me to learn was to pull into a parking lot and just practice reversing and first gear. Once you get the feel for how much to push the gas and let go of the clutch for first gear, the rest is a piece of cake!

I highly suggest learning how to drive a manual---it is much more fun!

Answer 8

Short answer no. But I learned young ..I was 10.
If you have the chance to go with a friend or family member who drives a standard it would be an chance to watch how they do it..if you give it a chance & keep trying you'll see for yourself how natural it becomes.
Practice in a field if you live in a rural area or in big parking lots afterhours if in an urban area.

It really suprises me how few women who drive compact cars buy one with standard shift. Fewer parts to wear out, less weight, lower fuel costs.

Answer 9

In a car yea, in a truck no. I drove my buddys 91 honda that was a stick and compared to my 75 chevy truck that was a stick I found the truck alot easier, cause theres more room and dosent die as easy if you dont get on the gas good enough. the bad thing is if your gonna pull out in front of somebody(unless your gonna pop the clutch)you need to know how to drive a stick good.

Answer 10

i own a repair shop and really it isn't hard at all,one of the hardest things about it is ,when someone is trying to teach you,they have a tendency to yell at you when you make a mistake,and this will make you nervous,i had to learn myself,all you need to do is give it a little gas while letting out on the clutch,it takes time to learn this,once it takes get your foot off the clutch,don't ride the pedal,this will burn a good clutch up in it.and when you give it gas ,just give it a little and as the rpm,s start to fall back down,start releasing the clutch in it,this will take you some time to learn,but you can and will learn it,we all had to learn how to do this just take your time,if you get nervous just think of something funny,and it will soon pass,give it some time,you can learn it,good luck with it,i hope this help,s.

Answer 11

Nope the key is to be as smooth as possible and not get in a hurry to shift. Its good to learn to drive a stick lots of women truckers out there.