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Can you drive a stick shift car?
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That's the same as 11-4 in reverse hands (i.e. switch hand positions). Either works great. I use it most of the time, especially in a manual transmission sports type car. (It lets you drive with one hand in the 11-4 position on a left-hand drive stick shift with plenty of leverage). In other words, despite dogslobber's comments about feeding the wheel to keep your hands on it at all times, you HAVE to take your hands off the wheel to shift whether you like it or not in a manual transmission. The 11 o'clock position is best for control while doing this, IMO (10 is OK; 8-9 is not very good at that moment)
From what I've read that's what they tell the California Highway Patrol to use these days and control at high speeds is probably the reason.
Really interesting. Thanks. Most of my basic EVOC training was (believe it or not) in the early 80's. And for the same reasons you gave for needing a free hand to shift, we needed to use the radio. I must have instinctively switched hand position when using it. I should have payed more attention. Thanks again.
In Europe almost all cars have stick shift gear and so did all my cars. So yes, I can drive stick shift cars. I prefer it over automatic gearing.
Automatic gearing is often used in very expensive cars and/or cars for people with disabilities or people who just prefer it.
But many stick shift cars have cruise control and it makes long distances more comfortable.
Automatic gearing is often used in very expensive cars and/or cars for people with disabilities or people who just prefer it.
But many stick shift cars have cruise control and it makes long distances more comfortable.
I'm not sure I understand the meaning of this last statement. Many automatics also have cruise control. What does cruise control or the lack thereof have to do with driving a manual transmission? The only thing that comes to mind here is that some people I knew were surprised to find out my first car (1988 Cavalier Z24) had cruise control in it given it was a 5-speed (i.e. they thought manuals couldn't use cruise control because the car couldn't shift itself when it needed to accelerate or whatever even though most cruise acceleration is typically just tapped up/down over a short range, often at freeway/highway speeds and thus you wouldn't need to change gears. Maybe they're thinking of just hitting resume at 35mph and letting cruise take you up to 75 or something. You just don't use it that way. Get to the gear you want to stay in for that speed and set.)
Come to think of it, all the manuals I've owned have had cruise control in them (Z24, ProbeGT and two WRX models). All had power steering, power brakes (and windows), hand brakes, air conditioning and two had turbos (I knew someone that thought you couldn't put a turbo in a stick either when in fact they tend to work best there since you can maximize your output knowing where the maximum boost and torque is and shifting accordingly). I think manuals are seriously misunderstood in the US by parts of the population these days due to the prevalence of automatics. On the plus side, you're less likely to get your car stolen since many car thieves can't drive a stick either.
Admittedly I drive an automatic for my DD, but I don't know when the last time I used cruise control was even on long-haul trips. I also don't recall the last car I had WITHOUT cruise control. About the only time I ever think about using it is in 55mph construction zones to keep my speed down. The same also applies to metro areas late at night or early in the morning, where they tend to have low speed limits but virtually no traffic at these times(during high-traffic times I can't imagine driving with CC as I'm generally doing my best to match the prevailing speed).
When I'm traveling by myself, I can easily make 300 miles+ without stopping(and sometimes then I'm forced to by the gas tank and not my own limitations) although admittedly I tend to stop every 200 miles or so to at least get out and walk around the car a few times.
I tended to use CC a lot when I was a new driver, but a couple thousand miles behind the wheel of my college's buses(basically a Ford E450 ambulance chassis with a fiberglass box on the back) broke me of the habit since they didn't have it. Since then, I've rarely used it whether on short or long haul trips.
Someone stated earlier in the thread, that stick shift cars wasn't for long drives. I do not compare CC in relation to stick shift vs. automatic transmission. But in my opinion the cruise control is a nice feature, when driving certain big roads or on the freeway. And the CC is a tool for less struckle with my right leg/foot when driving LONG distances.
Yeah, I use it on long trips. I sometimes get cramps in my right leg and cruise lets me move my leg over to the left and bend it a bit for a few minutes until the cramp goes away. Otherwise, I'd have to take more rest stops to stretch. I'm 6'2" so few cars offer enough room or are comfortable enough where I'd never need to stretch or at lest move my legs a bit. It's 4.5 hours to Canada and I run up to Niagara On The Lake a lot so I typically cruise part of the freeway and stop once on the toll plaza.
I really enjoy driving a manual trans car.. I miss it in my daily commuter car..
I have had an 88 Escort with a 5 speed and a 98 Cavalier RS with a 5 speed.. bunch of fun to drive
I have a 1990 corvette ZR-1 (Weekend car) which is a 6spd.. I really enjoy it.
It sucks that the manuals are disappearing from the US. I heard in 2017 the Corvette will no longer offer a manual trans
I have had an 88 Escort with a 5 speed and a 98 Cavalier RS with a 5 speed.. bunch of fun to drive
I have a 1990 corvette ZR-1 (Weekend car) which is a 6spd.. I really enjoy it.
It sucks that the manuals are disappearing from the US. I heard in 2017 the Corvette will no longer offer a manual trans
I didn't know they were actually disappearing (and I'm still not able to verify the Corvette announcment isn't an April Fools joke given it was released on April 1st; 35% of all the last year's sales were manuals and while that may be declining, it's hard to believe they'd dump it when over 1 in 3 still wants a manual).
Maybe manuals are sold in lesser numbers, but that's been true for a long time, I think. Does that mean less are available as options, at least on cars you'd WANT to drive? I haven't looked at the statistics, but I have noticed quite a few cars that only come in stick and quite a few that are available with it, at least in the circles of cars I actually pay any attention to (a few examples of manuals only includes the Ford Focus and Fiesta ST models, Honda Civic SI, Fiat 500 Abarth, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Volkwagen Golf R, Mini Cooper Works GP and until last year, every Subaru WRX made for the U.S market from 2008-2014 (still defaults to standard in '15-'16 models). I don't think it's true traditional automatics that are killing the stick shift (autos have always sucked...well at least until that Corvette 8-speed managed to beat a high profile DCT) but these newer transmissions like CVT and DCT that either get better gas mileage than a manual (CVT in most cases) or shift faster than a human can (DCT).
Let's face it, a lot of people only ever wanted a stick to save on gas money and extra costs of the transmission (frugality beats laziness sometimes). Even so, one car doesn't constitute a total disappearance and I'm betting the Corvette people are looking at DCT numbers or something and concluding performance of numbers is more important than some backwards thinking "enjoyment" that's hard to define from shifting (I still maintain an H-selector in a DCT without a clutch pedal would be more enjoyable than a paddle shifter and yet still have the speed advantage and "auto shift" option of the computer controlled design.
I'm amazed not a single automaker has thought about putting an H-selector control in such a design (it's just a signal to the computer, after all and it could still have a drag racing mode or even an alternate set of paddles due to that "computer signal" nature of the shift selector). To me, the clutch is more a right of passage or "pride" kind of thing than an actual reason to own a stick. The primary reason to own a traditional manual is CONTROL on regular roads (not straight line racing tracks; I don't race so I couldn't care less there personally). Sequential shifters are a PITA for every day driving. I want to select a specific gear when approaching a sharp turn, not "tap" through gears (many paddles won't even register more than one tap at a time until after it shifts and that is beyond annoying and slows everything down). An automatic isn't going to engine brake for you automatically. It just doesn't work. It can't sense what you're thinking approaching a turn. And until self-driving cars attempt to stop people from enjoying driving period (what an awful day that will be unless your life is based around texting), I still want that freedom of control to decide how I want to drive in the country. I've got a CVT on my Forester XT (no manual option on the Turbo Foresters, just the low-end ones for some no good reason) and it's fine for lazy driving, but miserable for a sporty jaunt through the country side and I don't mean because I feel it might roll over around a steep bend but simply because a paddle is a PITA to select gear changes compared to a H-pattern selector.
It used to be true that manual transmissions were more fuel-efficient than automatics, especially back in the days when automatics had heavy, complex hydraulics and only had three to four forward gears. But since the late 1990's, thanks electronic controls that got rid of most of the complex hydraulics and the change to five to eight forward gears, today's automatics no longer hamper performance and the fuel efficiency difference between manuals and automatics have pretty much disappeared.
Besides, once electric cars become economically practical for consumers, the whole idea of gearing will have no meaning, since there is no such thing as changing gears with an electric motor.
Besides, once electric cars become economically practical for consumers, the whole idea of gearing will have no meaning, since there is no such thing as changing gears with an electric motor.
I choose to drive a car with a manual transmission. I have a new Mustang GT, with six on the floor. I can still "drive" this awesome monster of a car! It responds when I need it to, or want it to. Listening to some great tunes while I'm driving, shifting smoothly along the way? There's nothing better. I don't like cars that I just kind of sit in. I love to drive!! The only issue? Being in congested bumper to bumper traffic. I feel like I'm going to burn up my clutch way too soon. But I will deal with that when I need to. The joy is definitely in the journey in my little muscle car!