Anybody Else Here Drive Stick? (Sacramento: how much, living, moving)

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Today's modern clutch materials make for fairly light clutches and it takes very little effort to simply let out the clutch and move forward a little in traffic without even bothering with throttle. However, when traffic is crawling along at around 4-5 mph, extra space is still needed in order to slow down a little without wasting the throwout bearing by putting in the clutch and slipping the clutch to prevent lugging the engine. Same thing as what bigrig trucks do.

Every once in a while I get honked at by somebody who doesn't seem to get that I'm not driving in an unreasonable manner for a manual. And in many cases the person honking is like 50-70 years old and should know better, right? So what's the matter with these people? Millenials who have possibly not ever been inside a 3-pedaler don't give me a bad time about the extra space in traffic, but people who should know better, do. Anybody understand this?

[NewToCA]

Though living up in the Sacramento area I saw you posting about stick shifts.

I drive one too, just bought a new Subaru Forester with a stick, had to get it now because they are no longer being made in the next model year.

Like you, I too get honked once in awhile in heavy crawling traffic for the same reasons. It rarely is a younger person, just as you've observed too. But I find that is because they are invariably looking down at their smart phones, and not noticing the gap in traffic.

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

Though living up in the Sacramento area I saw you posting about stick shifts.

I drive one too, just bought a new Subaru Forester with a stick, had to get it now because they are no longer being made in the next model year.

Like you, I too get honked once in awhile in heavy crawling traffic for the same reasons. It rarely is a younger person, just as you've observed too. But I find that is because they are invariably looking down at their smart phones, and not noticing the gap in traffic.

Thanks for the feedback. BTW, do you have any idea why people who learned to drive when almost half the cars on the road were manual seem to have forgotten that extra space is needed because we're not riding a torque converter?

p.s. Good luck with your new Forester

[Finper]

My first 2 cars a bug and a Cabriolet were stick. Can't say I miss it Hills gave me major anxiety. I'm glad I learned how to drive one though

[Csonka]

I do

My AUDI is one of the few sticks they make

[TacoSoup]

As someones who learned to drive on one, first car was one, and has owned four in my lifetime, I sometimes think we all should go back to them. It might help keep people off their phones.

In all seriousness I think it should be mandatory for teens to learn on them. It definately helps with focusing on the task at hand, and makes you a better driver moving forward.

I have male friends that never learned, and have dated females with them. How emasculating must it be if a girl asks you to drive her car but you can’t. An old girlfriend of mine told me it was a deal breaker if a guy couldn’t drive her car. I immediately got why she asked me to take her car after picking her up on our first real date.

When I look back on it I think her dad probably bought her car with a standard transmission not only as a way to make her a better driver, but as a way for her to separate the men from the boys. I never thought to ask him that, or her for that matter, when we were together, and of course we’ve long since broken up, but I’ve always wondered when this topic comes up in conversation.

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Originally Posted by Finper

My first 2 cars a bug and a Cabriolet were stick. Can't say I miss it Hills gave me major anxiety. I'm glad I learned how to drive one though

Try a late model -- they now have hill start assist so it's like an invisible hand holds the hand brake until you get going.


And back to my original post -- do you people know what i'm talking about with these people?

[TacoSoup]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Try a late model -- they now have hill start assist so it's like an invisible hand holds the hand brake until you get going.


And back to my original post -- do you people know what i'm talking about with these people?

You’re getting honked at because, assuming the rear window isn’t tinted (which is becoming rare, but that’s another rant), you almost always see the person’s head looking down, or imediately look up when honked at.

I’m pretty lax with the horn because as someone whose driven many a stick I know what it’s like in stop and go traffic, especially when it’s something I know is probably a stick, like a basic pickup/work truck, older 4x4 or one that looks like the owner puts in 4x, nice sports car (at least it should be), etc. But for most they’re probably just tired of people being on their phones. The reason millennials aren’t giving you as much flack is they’re probaly on their phones. Just my two cents.

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Today's modern clutch materials make for fairly light clutches and it takes very little effort to simply let out the clutch and move forward a little in traffic without even bothering with throttle. However, when traffic is crawling along at around 4-5 mph, extra space is still needed in order to slow down a little without wasting the throwout bearing by putting in the clutch and slipping the clutch to prevent lugging the engine. Same thing as what bigrig trucks do.

Every once in a while I get honked at by somebody who doesn't seem to get that I'm not driving in an unreasonable manner for a manual. And in many cases the person honking is like 50-70 years old and should know better, right? So what's the matter with these people? Millenials who have possibly not ever been inside a 3-pedaler don't give me a bad time about the extra space in traffic, but people who should know better, do. Anybody understand this?

How much space are you leaving? I never have that problem when I drive a stick.

[V8 Vega]

I daily drive a 88 CRX Si, a 95 Del Sol Vtec and a 98 Integra GSR, all are stick shift. I just drive normally in traffic, no trouble.