Can You Drive a Stick Shift?

[seven2go]

^lol I remember those Starwarrior.

In the States, you didn't see chokes much past the 60s. They started putting in automatic chokes that didn't always work.

For the youngest ones: chokes allowed the engine to keep running long enough to warm up.

What the choke REALLY did was let you get it started period.......

 

[Aymotin]

I can. Here's how my Dad taught me to drive it.

We went to the dealership to pick-up the car. I thought he'd drive it home and then teach me how to drive it. Nooo...He put me behind the wheel and with everyone in the showroom watching we left, bucking onto the street.

Well better than: He puts you on his lap on the motorway and tells you "You either learn tod rive real quick or you kill your family"

Nothing better than a wee lil bit of pressure for the learning curve.

 

[Yooper]

I can drive both, and I miss a manual when driving in the Mountains.

The Partner's Passat has a Manumatic, where you can either go fully automatic or shift manually sans clutch. It is fun when you want to play in the Mountain canyons 10 minutes away from here.

I appreciate the automatic when I'm driving to work at stupid O'Clock in the morning in heavy traffic, though.

Anyone else ever driven a 50's era HydraMatic (from Chrysler)? My Grandfather had a '53 Dodge Pickup with one, it was a trip to drive. To start it was even an adventure, you had to remember to push in the clutch, use the heel of your right foot to tromp on the gas pedal, your toes to engage the starter button. With your left hand you had to fiddle with the choke. Once it was running, you put it into low (top position on the column shifter), let out on the clutch and mash down on the gas pedal. Once underway, to go into second gear, you let up on the gas, listened for a 'clunk' as it dropped into gear, them mashed down on the gas again to go faster. To go into third, you had to let up on the gas, push in the clutch, shift into high (the bottom position on the column), let out the clutch and re-stomp the gas. Fourth was again lift your foot off the gas, wait for the clunk, mash the gas again and the whole thing would shudder and take off like a rocket (unless you were going uphill and the thing didn't work, and you had to go back to low and start over).

 

[Yooper]

^ ^

Whoops, it's been a long week. I meant Fluid Drive not Hydra Matic...that was GM, not Chrysler.

 

[Lefty]

StepDad's law was simple...

When you can drive a stick in and around The City (yes San Francisco) we'll discuss

drivers license and a car. Man was my co-pilot and trainer I didn't like him before that

or since ...but I learned 2 things 1-only fear can stop you, 2-he had a set of steel balls.

OH ...actually 3 things, I learned how to drive!

 

[talbot57]

That automated manual wouldn't happen to be a Saab would it?

No, the latest Vauxhall Corsa. Apparently designed for the UK market. It's a 1.2, high output, low emission (£30 a year road tax). Has similar power to the 1.6 car I replaced. Great for town use. Different from the auto though, that's a 2.8 V6 Turbo.

 

[Nishin]

Oooh, driving in San Francisco in a stick shift would be frightening for a novice.

When I first started driving one, someone taught me a trick to pull out from a stop on a very steep hill. (If you're not paying attention, you could slide backward right into the car behind you.)

The trick involves pulling the emergency break up, long enough for the clutch to catch. Once the clutch catches, you put the emergency break back down.

I had to use this trick a couple of times in Virginia City, where some of the hills are at a 50 or 55degree angle.

This makes me want to ask...what type of cars do you actually learn to drive with in the US?
What you mention as a "tip" is actually the procedure taught in driving schools here... I mean when you're stopping on a steep hill at a stop sign or red light you are supposed to use the emergency break anyway

 

[HunterM]

No. But I sure know how to ride a stick!

 

[vulgar_newcomer]

I've never owned a vehicle that wasn't standard and when I bought new ones ordered with a standard.
But a few of us here (swerve & r.i.p knucklehead) also drove or drive heavy road tractor trucks. Many jobs I worked were city driving with either a 13 or 15 sp. I took those trucks over the 9 sp because people didn't want all those higher gears. It didn't really matter though most of the time you never got to 9th or higher gear. A lot of shifting non-stop for your entire 10 or 12 hr shift behind the wheel.
Was amazed when I worked for the Postal Service driving tractor trailer all the heavy trucks were automatic. This is because they hired a lot of vets coming out of the military who couldn't drive a standard and my understanding was all modern USA military trucks are automatic. As well The Government didn't feel it proper to possibly reject a candidate for a job driving large transport based on not being able to shift.
What a waste of money because those gears as mentioned above are great at saving on brakes and transmission wear. Heavy trucks using automatic in traffic are a nightmare on parts due to weight on engine stress and braking of that weight. Very sluggish and suck. Expensive to operate. No doubt a lot easier on the driver though.

 

[vulgar_newcomer]

Oooh, driving in San Francisco in a stick shift would be frightening for a novice.

When I first started driving one, someone taught me a trick to pull out from a stop on a very steep hill. (If you're not paying attention, you could slide backward right into the car behind you.)

The trick involves pulling the emergency break up, long enough for the clutch to catch. Once the clutch catches, you put the emergency break back down.

I had to use this trick a couple of times in Virginia City, where some of the hills are at a 50 or 55degree angle.

If I was giving you a road test as a instructor I would fail you for this. If you worked for my company and I was in the safety dept and you were caught doing this I would suspend or terminate you, no matter how much I liked you personally.

Not that I disagree with your point about being a novice driver in a hilly situation or even a experienced driver and letting the clutch out from a stop on a steep grade.

But you bring up a good topic and when cars get right on a trucks ass at a stop light they need to know what rolls forward on the green can also roll backwards with 40 tons of cargo in it.

 

[cliffdweller]

I've never been able to drive a standard. I'm too uncoordinated to do one thing with one foot and something else with the other (same with my arms & hands - I'll never be a drummer) and the car will stall every 50 feet. In city traffic, I'd be killed.

 

[Lefty]

In our house it was whichever vehicle had the most gas/dings at the moment.

San Francisco was a thrill but 15 year olds are up to almost anything.

Got my basic training out at the ranch on the mesa, 53 Chevy 3/tree p/u .

Virginia City w/ my CJ5 fun.

Los Angeles (esp freeways commute time)or Honolulu in anything then now, ever
totally stress inducing.

NYC you can say CAB or...

get the picture?

 

[LilBit]

Driver ed in my high school was pretty lousy. Both of the cars used for practice were automatic, and even though the simulators were equipped for both manual and automatic, we only used them to practice driving automatic, except for one optional after-school session to do a manual simulation.

Also, the cars that my family owned at the time were both automatic (except for my dad's truck, which nobody but my dad was allowed to drive), so I never had an opportunity to learn to drive a manual.

That said, I don't enjoy driving. For me, it's just a means of getting from one place to another, and I'd prefer to have everything as simplified as possible.

 

[Audio Tech]

StepDad's law was simple...

When you can drive a stick in and around The City (yes San Francisco) we'll discuss

drivers license and a car. Man was my co-pilot and trainer I didn't like him before that

or since ...but I learned 2 things 1-only fear can stop you, 2-he had a set of steel balls.

OH ...actually 3 things, I learned how to drive!

I think EVERYONE should have to learn to drive a stick in San Francisco to get a license. We'd have much better drivers.

Yeeehaaaaaa!!!! FUN!

 

[Lefty]

Compared to LA surface and free ways (the 405 was closed] on a Friday Night.

Give me and my old Jeep CJ-5 Virginia City, any time, any weather.

Fuck, no wonder them Angelenos people cop attitude real easy..........

24/7

Baby

​

 

[gsdx]

Fuck, no wonder them Angelenos people cop attitude real easy..........

It's probably from seeing all that red. Maybe they should make taillights a happier colour.

 

[Lefty]

Must have been San Francisco,

Below is a listing of at least some of the streets in the US which are steeper than the steepest San Francisco streets.

1. Honokaa-Waipio Road (near Waipio, HI, maximum grade 45%)*
2. Canton Avenue (between Coast and Hampshire, Pittsburgh, PA, 37%)
3. 28th Street (between Gaffey and Peck, Los Angeles, CA, 33.3%)
4. Eldred Street (west of Avenue 48, Los Angeles, CA, 33%)
5. Baxter Street (between Alvarado and Allesandro, Los Angeles, CA, 32%)
5. Fargo Street (between Alvarado and Allesandro, Los Angeles, CA, 32%)
5. Maria Avenue (north of Chestnut, Spring Valley (near San Diego), CA, 32%)
8. Dornbush Street (between Bricelyn and Vidette, Pittsburgh, PA, 31.98%)

VC didn't even make the list...I've been on #'s 3, 4, both 5's. SF's worst (vehicles allowed)
are at 31% grades...

or in LA...

Stick anyone?

 

[gsdx]

Baldwin Street, Dunedin, New Zealand - World's steepest street:

 

[Lefty]

^

And now you know why they drive sheep (and goats)

 

[Spiff]

I prefer driving stick. Makes driving more enjoyable. Also makes new car prices about $1000 less and have better mileage. Can't think of any reason not to drive one.