So ive never driven a manual b4, (i know its sad but im only 19)....and i have a 2k black SS lude, and i went to the local honda dealer to kill some time because my girl was busy studying for her MCATS. I just had the intention to test drive (and learn how to drive) a manual 5th gen lude. I saw a nice blue 2k1 manual SH in the lot and so me and a salesman went in that. He drove to the back of the lot first cuz he had to grab something, and i look to my left and low and behold i see the s2000 but it was used. I say can i test drive that cuz i would rather "buy" that. He said sure thiung. We got in it put the top down and he drove a couple miles up the street and that thing makes the lude look pretty slow compared to it but anyways so we get into a church parking lot. I know all the jist of driving a stick but havent really ever tried, and i tell u what i stalled that thing about 2-3 times b4 getting it in 1st for the first time. The clutch pedal seems to go in real deep and for it to engage it has to be like halfway out, well anyway i guess my strategy next time is to let off the clutch slow enuff so that it starts to roll a lil then give it a lil gas. But once i got it in first i got to the other gears ok. Quick dumb question, once in first and going to other gears do u guys give it gas when switching from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd etc...or just switch gears then gas......im sorry for being such a newbie to manual but i gotta learn sometime if im gonna buy an s within a yr or 2........

 

Man your gonna get a hundred different answers to this but I'll tell what I do.When shifting(any gear)I let up on the gas just a little because you don't want to bog the car down after you get into the next highest gear.

 

i want to ask how you liked driving the S, but i guess if it was your first time driving stick, you didn't really get to experience the car. when i step on the clutch and change gears, i let off the gas. and stalling in first gear while trying to get the car moving from a stop is the most common difficulty in learning to drive manual. another difficult thing is learning to play/ride the clutch while negotiating driveways and speed bumps, as well in stop-and-go traffic to avoid whiplash!

 

Driving a manual cannot be learned by instructions over the internet. Find a local driving school with manual cars and buy yourself a couple 2 hour sessions. It's not that expensive and you can wear out somebody else's clutch and gear box.

 

The easiest way to learn how to drive a stick is as follows.
Majority of all cars can shift all the way up to third gear with out additional throttle.
so
1. get the car to a flat parking lot or long uncrowded street.
2. start the car out of gear
3. slowly engage the stick into 1st while slowly letting out the clutch.
!! DO NOT TOUCH THE GAS!!!!!
4. when the car gets moving under it's own power drive around a block or two until you feel comfortable and slowly do the same for 2nd gear as you did for 1st.
!! DO NOT TOUHCH THE GAS!!!
5. and finally as you get comfortable downshift into 1st agian and back until you get comfortable. do this back and forth until you get comfortable. you should have made it around the block or parking lot at least once now. When you get comfortable.. slowly shift into 3rd.
6. what your doing is giving yourself muscle memorization on how the clutch should feel when shifting and not having to worry about two things at once.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pthomas72
[B]The easiest way to learn how to drive a stick is as follows.

 

What I'd like to see is the expression that was on the salesman's face?!?!?

 

Well, you can get any manual car moving in first without gas on a level surface. I don't know why you would do any more (i.e. other gears) that way, but this is a great way to teach someone clutch feel and patience. I used this method with both my kids.

Going round and round a parking lot this way - starting, stopping, starting, stopping for 20 minute exercises is a great way to learn. But I sure wouldn't do it in the S!

And, while we can provide hints, the others are right - you can't learn this from a book or the internet! Find a school or find someone who knows how to drive a stick - and knows how to teach driving a stick.

Tony

 

I'm not sure if I'm just lucky, but starting about 2 or 3 weeks ago I managed to learn from 2 friends (one old, and one new) who were willing to just take me out and show me the ropes. My first buddy had a Civic Si and tried to start me on a 15-20 degree incline. As he said it, "Trial by Fire". That didn't go so well, and off to the nice flat parking lot we went until I got the gist of it. My second buddy unexpectedly let me drive her S2K and while I don't feel like I'm (by any stretch of the imagination) an expert now, I'm comfortable enough to go learn on my S2K, when I get one (cross your fingers for me!)

w.r.t. damaging the clutch, if you've got some level of hand/eye and hand/foot coordination I don't think this will be an issue.