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Hello Everybody,
I’m sorry to bother everybody again. I’m learning how to drive a standard transmission car and am having trouble stopping it at intersections, and whenever I have to turn left or right I completely panic and stall it. I had posted something else on here a couple of weeks ago and was told that most Americans don’t know how to drive stick so I guess if you’re European or in the minority of Americans who know how maybe you could give me some advice? I get so scared whenever I have to stop at an intersection and when I have to turn right and left and I don’t know how to fix it. My instructor tells me I have to either slow the car down and change into a lower gear without stopping the car (?? He calls it a roll and gear change), take it in the gear that I’m in if there aren’t any cars coming, or completely stop and wait until the road is clear of cars to go. But I just don’t understand how to judge what I should do each time and I feel like there isn’t enough time to judge. and I tell my instructor that maybe I should just stop each time but he tells me no so I’m just a little stressed and in need of guidance. Thank you so much.
but the thing is, i’ve been practicing for 14 hours total and i still haven’t got the hang of it. maybe i’m just an idiot because other people grasp it so much faster and I feel like I really suck. I’m never going to pass this test lol
This. It takes time and practice to get the "feel" of the clutch, when it starts to engage the gear and timing your acceleration in order to avoid a stall. Doing it in traffic when you are aware of other drivers impatiently waiting for you just adds the nervousness. More practice driving on low/no traffic roads with quiet intersections will help. Or, try intersections you know you'll need to use at odd hours when traffic is low; early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, etc. That's when you can take your time and "listen" to the car. It will eventually become almost unconscious reflex.
Last edited by Parnassia; 02-18-2020 at 01:42 PM..
Keep the clutch in when you apply the brake to slow down or stop, then with the clutch in, shift into a lower gear if you want to continue at the lower speed, or shift into first gear if you have stopped, and as you press on the gas slowly release the clutch. Or you can shift into to neutral if you are stopped at a light and don't want to keep the clutch depressed for a long time. If you are stalling you are probably in a higher gear than your speed allows, or you are not giving the car gas as you slowly release the clutch. Remember, left foot on the clutch, right foot on either the gas or the brake.
but the thing is, i’ve been practicing for 14 hours total and i still haven’t got the hang of it. maybe i’m just an idiot because other people grasp it so much faster and I feel like I really suck. I’m never going to pass this test lol
14 hours? That's not a lot of time. Probably better to go at it for shorter sessions, stop, do something else to relax, and try again later. If you just keep at it endlessly while you get more and more upset, you will eventually just make it more confusing. You need to take a mental break. You are needlessly frustrating yourself, beating yourself up about it, and losing focus. You'll pass the test eventually...and probably be a better driver for it.
My instructor tells me I have to either slow the car down and change into a lower gear without stopping the car (?? He calls it a roll and gear change).
Most people just call that downshifting.
It sounds like you're still just getting used to the clutch engagement point and thus get frazzled when nerves amp up in certain situations.
Spend some time in a parking lot getting the car moving without touching the gas pedal. Just letting the clutch out really slow and letting the idle speed get it moving. Great way to learn the engagement point. Eventually just becomes muscle memory you don't even think about.
Do not practice in real traffic until you are more comfortable with the process. Find a big empty parking lot, and simulate the 4 or 5 usual conditions when you need to use the clutch.
At some point you will be doing shifts without even thinking about it. ( Sort of like bike riding)
That's how I taught my wife and son to drive a stick. Daughter learned at a driving school with a simulator.
This. It takes time and practice to get the "feel" of the clutch, when it starts to engage the gear and timing your acceleration in order to avoid a stall. Doing it in traffic when you are aware of other drivers impatiently waiting for you just adds the nervousness. More practice driving on low/no traffic roads with quiet intersections will help. Or, try intersections you know you'll need to use at odd hours when traffic is low; early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, etc. That's when you can take your time and "listen" to the car. It will eventually become almost unconscious reflex.
Yeah, it’s just a little hard because I don’t have anybody else to drive with other than my driving instructor (my mom lives out of the country. I’m in university and live in the UK right now) and so flexible hours aren’t a luxury I can afford. I usually have driving at 8 am about 3 times a week, 2 hours per session. Quiet streets don’t stress me out as much as busy ones because then I’m hyper conscious of all of the people that may be delayed and inconvenienced by my stupid driving. I’m scared of making people angry. Also, roundabouts are of the devil, I absolutely hate them.
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Most people just call that downshifting.
