wanting a S2000, but can't drive stick shift
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From: socal
Originally Posted by J0eys2k,Feb 24 2010, 05:20 PM
Find a freind to drive you way out into the boonies where there are tons rapiest and killers running loose and ditch you with a stick drive. This ways is the best way to learn. Good luck
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From: North Richland Hills, TX
i learnt how to drive stick on my s2k. i took it out at a school parking lot on saturday night. after 2 hours of practicing, i got the basics down. few days later, i took it to the honda dealership to make an extra key. i stalled going up a foot incline to enter there service department and all the service guys were looking at me, i felt so embarrassed haha
6 months later, i let my friend drove it and he was like oh you have an upgraded clutch, i was like wtf. but happy since i wont need to be upgrading down the road.
6 months later, i let my friend drove it and he was like oh you have an upgraded clutch, i was like wtf. but happy since i wont need to be upgrading down the road.
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Originally Posted by drmthtr59,Feb 25 2010, 05:05 PM
I actually learned how to drive stick using my steep driveway. My dad told me if i could get the car not to roll back (not using e-brake) then I'm be ready to drive the car on the road. everyone can shift gears once the car is moving, but it's the balancing of the clutch from stop, in first gear, is the hardest. Once you learn how to balance the clutch then you're good to go.
^and then starting on my steep drive way for the first time/first day of driving stick, AFTER being tired and full of adrenaline from the punching bag, i stalled twice.......and the third time i burned the clutch up pretty good hahaha. my leg was sooo shaky it was damn hard to stop at the engagement point.
man was that horrible.
plus i only got like an inch of engagement
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No matter if you have driven stick before or not, you will always have to learn your car - the important thing is just to make sure you don't damage it learning, which is much more likely if you have never driven one before. Going from my ACT Stg2 in my STI (VERY stiff, low engagement) to the S (ACT, but moves easy and high engagement) always messes me up if I don't think about it. That being said, if you are at least a little careful I don't think you will do anything but perhaps wear the clutch a little faster for the first few weeks.
My advice would just be that if you are practicing and trying to learn in a parking lot etc, good rule of thumb would be to just instantly hit the clutch all the way in if ANYTHING seems bad. Hear some grind? Push in the clutch. Feel engine start to 'shudder'? Push in the clutch. The clutch pedal being in is like a safety net when you are learning.
My advice would just be that if you are practicing and trying to learn in a parking lot etc, good rule of thumb would be to just instantly hit the clutch all the way in if ANYTHING seems bad. Hear some grind? Push in the clutch. Feel engine start to 'shudder'? Push in the clutch. The clutch pedal being in is like a safety net when you are learning.
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Troy, NY
Originally Posted by ThuG LyFe,Feb 25 2010, 07:58 PM
first of all, anyone that says they "mastered it" after driving stick for 3 hours is complete BS. it's not the hardest thing in the world, but it's definitely pretty challenging. for the 1st month you're gonna hate yourself. and what you think you are doing correctly might end up being incorrect. you will need at least 6-12 months to be decent at it but once you are over that hump you will love every minute of it.
a few advises:
-don't shift too fast. your hand/feet coordination won't be perfect until at least 6-12 months. don't shift too slow, you might grind the gears.
-don't ride the clutch too much
-no you are not a pro, so don't try to show off after 2 weeks of driving it.
-don't throw it into N when ur coming to a stop. don't engine brake to stop. just keep it in gear until you are at 2-3 mph then clutch in and N.
-don't keep the clutch in at red lights. just keep the car in N until you move.
a few advises:
-don't shift too fast. your hand/feet coordination won't be perfect until at least 6-12 months. don't shift too slow, you might grind the gears.
-don't ride the clutch too much
-no you are not a pro, so don't try to show off after 2 weeks of driving it.
-don't throw it into N when ur coming to a stop. don't engine brake to stop. just keep it in gear until you are at 2-3 mph then clutch in and N.
-don't keep the clutch in at red lights. just keep the car in N until you move.
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Joined: Feb 2010
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From: Elk River, MN
The S was my first RWD manual car and i find it very easy to drive. Gearbox is tight and smooth, shift length is short compared to my Civic, and the clutch is a performance style clutch so it grabs quite nicely.
Only thing that took a small amount of adjustment on the whole cold tires and turning thing. Rear end swings out real quick on cold tires which can be fun sometimes but it'll make you pucker up real quick when you're not expecting it.
Only thing that took a small amount of adjustment on the whole cold tires and turning thing. Rear end swings out real quick on cold tires which can be fun sometimes but it'll make you pucker up real quick when you're not expecting it.
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The S is definitely one of the harder cars to learn stick shift on. That being said, it's still fairly easy, but compared to other cars, its one of the worst.
The gears are very close together and the car has no torque (comparatively speaking).
The car I learned on was very easy...it had a monster amount of torque, so much that you could be idling with the clutch in, let it out in first, and the car would go. You didn't need to touch the throttle at all! It also had four gears so far apart you would never miss what gear you were in.
What was it?
A 1972 DeTomaso Pantera. My friend was a gas station attendant and they had one in for some engine work. He let me take it out at about 10pm that night. We were both 17 yrs old.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Tomaso_Pantera
The gears are very close together and the car has no torque (comparatively speaking).
The car I learned on was very easy...it had a monster amount of torque, so much that you could be idling with the clutch in, let it out in first, and the car would go. You didn't need to touch the throttle at all! It also had four gears so far apart you would never miss what gear you were in.
What was it?
A 1972 DeTomaso Pantera. My friend was a gas station attendant and they had one in for some engine work. He let me take it out at about 10pm that night. We were both 17 yrs old.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Tomaso_Pantera