K so I bought a 2002 white jetta about 4 months ago. I have been driving a auto for my whole driving experience like 4 years. and I am terrifyed to drive it. I can shift gears when Im driving but when it comes to slowing down and putting it into neutral but when I dont end up coming to a full stop I get confused on what gear to put it in. I cant down shift and the worst part is i am having such a hard time starting off from first. I get so scared when a car is behind me and I try not to shift to fast so I dont stall but then I end up going to slow where I start rolling backward and also if im going too slow starting they end up honking at me and end up stalling. No matter how much I practice Im not confortable driving and iv almost gotten into so many accidents cuz Im so confused when driving. So i havent driven it in 2 months. I need help if theres an easyier way to learn. DO they have classes on how to drive a manual? I live in sacramento ca. Thanks so much!!!
2007-08-21 05:15:24 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Other - Cars & Transportation
Learning to drive a stick shift just takes practice. If you are uncomfortable starting from a stop, find an empty parking lot (go to the mall early in the morning for example) and just keep starting and stoping. I know hills are problematic too. Again, find a neighborhood with hills and just practice, practice, practice for several hours. A long driveway works great for starting and stopping and even better if it has hills. Don't worry about getting honked at when you're starting. It's happened to everybody. The dude behind you can just get over it. He's not going anywhere that a few more seconds matter. Also, if you roll back a few feet and hit him, it's his fault (okay, if you rolled back like 30 ft it might be different), but he's required to give you a couple of feet.
As for downshifting. General rule of thumb is, don't ever down shift into first. Typically, if you are going 20 mph or lower, go to 2, 20-30 go to 3, 30-45 go to 4. Those are genearl guidelines and do vary by the car and whether you are going up or down hill. But, if you do that, you aren't going to hurt the car and you'll be able to acclerate (even if its slowly).
I was miserable when I learned stick (and I learned it when I was 15), but now I really love driving it. Good luck and just practice.
Catherine
2007-08-21 05:30:37 · answer #1 · answered by Catherine W 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Find a vacant lot, such as an office building, vacant in evenings and/or weekends.
Have an experienced driver with manual go along with you.
Once you are comfortable it will become natural.
You just need practice in applying the gas pedal and releasing the clutch. You will learn that you can actually be at a standstill while applying both properly. This is not what you want to do more than necessary, but it is done momentarily when pulling out, uphill. As soon as that point is reached, more gas is applied and the clutch fully released in a steady motion.
Shifting while the car is moving in gear is just a matter of applying the clutch, shift and fully releasing the clutch.
Practice will do it.
2007-08-21 05:33:20 · answer #2 · answered by ed 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can learn, it's not hard. First off, don't put it in neutral when you slow down. When you get slowed down enough that the engine rpm's start to get low, just shift into the next gear down. When you stop, just hold in the clutch. Watch the cars ahead of you, when they start to take off, slowly let out on the clutch until you feel it barely pull the car. That way, when it's time for you to go, you won't roll backward and it won't take as long to take off. If you can learn where the clutch does this, it will make it much easier on you. My advice is to practice taking off in a parking lot, and learn how fast and how slow you can go in each gear. It might seem overwhelming at first, but it becomes second nature once you know what to do.
2007-08-21 05:31:30 · answer #3 · answered by jeremyl4 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It takes a lot of practice to get really good at it and to feel comfortable with the entire process. I would suggest that you find a vacant parking lot or perhaps a driving range at a nearby high school. One of the things to practice over and over is starting out on a hill. Find a place where you can safely practice this.
Again, the key to the whole process is to become at ease and to practice enough so that it just becomes second nature to you. The downshifting you can worry about later when you've had time to get everything else mastered.
You can do it - just keep working at it. Soon you'll be wondering why you were so scared in the first place! :-)
2007-08-21 05:27:01 · answer #4 · answered by Somethingtotry 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The people telling you to find a vacant lot have the right idea, but you still have to get the car there! I would call some sriving schools and ask for an instructor to teach you how to drive manual. It will be well worth it. If you don't want that expense, there are instructions, including videos, on the web.
http://www.standardshift.com/videos.html
http://www.standardshift.com/faq.html
http://www.hints-n-tips.com/kylearticle8.htm
2007-08-21 07:01:37 · answer #5 · answered by Fred C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It appears to me that you are not concentrating on the business at hand and might never get it .
The simple answer is to trade it for an automatic...and stay away from manual.
Then all you have to do is learn Park, Neutral, Drive and Reverse.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
2007-08-21 05:39:09 · answer #6 · answered by dVille 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Trade your car for an automatic and make your life that much easier. At least you know how to drive a stick should an emergency ever occur.
2007-08-21 05:24:33 · answer #7 · answered by Patty R 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
take the car out in the country or someplace that is not so busy with traffic and practice ,,,,i was the same way when i started driving a stick,,practice is what you need
2007-08-21 05:25:07 · answer #8 · answered by feemebe04 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋