Daughter's driving lesson

[boffin218]

I was taught to drive on a manual transmission car on the theory that it would make me pay greater attention to my driving. I like the theory.

As for girls driving stickshift, my college girlfriend won my heart when she proudly introduced herself to everyone on my freshman dorm floor, "I'm Amy, and _I_ can drive a stickshift."

[Hit an Apex]

The problem with single American women these days is none of them can drive stick. Pretty much all the girls I have dated have asked me to teach them (most on my Alfa). To which my reply is usually "we'll see" or in some cases "no".

That never goes over well

Then of course, there are the ones that can drive manual and want to drive my car. That never goes over well either.

It's a lose lose situation.

[Alfisto Steve]

Well since I started this thread, I guess I can add my own learning curve. I was raised on a farm and started driving tractors when I was about 8-9. When I was 12, I literally drove a brand new Nash Rambler from the factory in Wisconsin to a car dealership in LA, CA for their customer who had ordered it. My father sleep most of the way. I got my license when I was 14 to drive a motor scooter by myself and a car in daytime with older driver along.

I have been driving a long long time.

[Nipper]

My father told me that he had started driving at a young age so naturally he wanted me to do the same. As he never needed any real teaching of how to drive he was never really a good teacher, he knew what he was doing but couldn't relate what he knew to easy to follow instructions. That was ok for me as I learned how to drive in a similar situation to my dad, in a flatbed truck. He let me drive it around the yard and the only thing he basically told me was to let the clutch out untill I could feel it grab. Once I new where that point was driving was straight forward.

My sister has just started to learn how to drive and unlike my father and myself, she had no experiance of driving a car before she obtained her learners license. Mum refuses to take her as she is still in her very early stages of driving and dad has trouble teaching her as she can't understand his teachings. That has basically left me to teach her how to learn the basics on our quiet street, I can't take her out far as I'm only on my 2nd year provisional license. No matter what we tell her to do she cant feel the clutch grabbing, so I tried to show her how to let the clutch out, and how SLOW you have to let it out to take off smoothly. I then showed her how to take off without using the accelerator. Hopefully she will try to this when dad takes her out.

[Damo105]

A friend of my parents got her drivers licence in the 50's, and was taught to drive by a neighbouring farmer who owned a relatively new Mercedes, which was a big deal in rural Australia in the 50s.

They rocked up at the police station for her to take her test, and when they went outside the cop asked the old farmer if he had taught her to drive in the Mercedes. When he replied yes the cop said words to the effect..."well if you let her drive that, then it's good enough for me, so come inside and I'll give you your licence" !!

[KennyG]

I learned how to drive at 14 working on a friend's farm. After work we'd get into "3 'n' 1" cars (work on 'em 3 days and they'd run for 1) and race around the perimeter of the farm. Coming up over small hills, all 4 wheels would be off the ground. And, of course, they were all stick shifts.

When I taught my oldest son how to drive it was on a 5-speed Mazda pickup. We went out to an empty parking lot with a couple of inches of snow on it so I could teach him how to drift and steer into a skid, a technique that has saved both our lives on more than 1 occasion.

[rkundrat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hit an Apex The problem with single American women these days is none of them can drive stick. Pretty much all the girls I have dated have asked me to teach them (most on my Alfa). To which my reply is usually "we'll see" or in some cases "no".

[Pat Braden]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nipper No matter what we tell her to do she cant feel the clutch grabbing, so I tried to show her how to let the clutch out, and how SLOW you have to let it out to take off smoothly. I then showed her how to take off without using the accelerator. Hopefully she will try to this when dad takes her out.

[vintageveloce]

So here's the best trick for teaching a driver how to use a manual transmission with a clutch.
Find a level parking lot. Have them drive, but DO NOT LET THEM USE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL!
The idle setting on almost every car is sufficient to get the car rolling on level ground without using the gas pedal at all. Doing this allows the student to learn about clutch engagement without clouding the issue with the accelerator. Also, there is little risk to the clutch being trashed at such low rpm.
After the student masters starting without the accelerator, then let them use the gas once the car is already rolling. But again, don't rush them to balance the clutch and the gas during starts. This will happen all on it's own.
I suggest trying this yourself first... it's really easy, because if you are a normal driver you barely use the gas to get going either, you just don't realize it.
There it is, an easy way to learn how to drive a manual.
C

[Nipper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat Braden In a way, I hesitate to post this because it probably will sound illogical or bizarre; but this is how I learned where that place of grab was and that I could move forward crawling from there ever so slowly. Once you find the place of grab or release, continue to let the clutch out in the same slow increments in the beginning, just so your feet can learn and feel the difference in pressure. Don't use your brain to think about moving forward and not jerking or hopping, but instead kind of close off that part of your brain and concentrate totally on what the feeling or sensation is in your feet as you seesaw with the increased or lessened pressure of the clutch being released and the accelerator being depressed.

[modena782002]

Tried the-releasing-the-clutch-without-using-the-gas method with my daughter last Sunday at a school parking lot. Worked like a charm, I would recommend it to anyone. Before I knew it she was tooling around the parking lot, upshifting (but didn't work on downshifting yet) reversing, and practicing parking. Her confidence shot straight up.

She kept commenting how the 164 felt like a big go-kart, and really attached to the road. The only other driving experience she's had was with my Buick--quite a difference! She truly understood why I like the car so much.

[Pat Braden]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hit an Apex The problem with single American women these days is none of them can drive stick. Pretty much all the girls I have dated have asked me to teach them (most on my Alfa). To which my reply is usually "we'll see" or in some cases "no". That never goes over well Then of course, there are the ones that can drive manual and want to drive my car. That never goes over well either. It's a lose lose situation.

[Alfisto Steve]

Well, lesson two with 5-speed 164 daughter practiced clutch engagement in parking lot and shifting to 2nd gear with much better results.

I think we will try in our Ranger pick up next to see how that goes, too.

[GeeTeeVeeSix]

Just delivered my beloved '85 spider to my grandson. A brutal trip from California to Texas. He was blown away, as I hadn't told him.

I took him out for a run, tried to show him a few things. Then I let him try it. He did better than I expected. Tried to think of all the things I needed to explain to him. Forgot most.

This will be a good car to go to the prom in, as he graduates soon. The excitment on getting an Alfa for his first car was evident by the expression on his face.

I'll miss top down driving, but I'm enjoying my GTV6 all the same.