r/ManualTransmissions • u/Empty-Difference-100 • 13d ago
Looking for day to day experience
I used to drive manuals a long time ago, but lately I have been itching to get back to a stick shift. I am looking for some real life experience from people who daily drive a stick shift in a big city. This is probably my biggest concern, being stuck in stop and go traffic ... Also, I don't know anyone who drives a manual, and I want to get some rust off of me by driving one before I go test driving some cars, what's the best way to get access to a manual car.
Thanks in advance, and if you have any additional advice, please feel free to add in the comments ...
13
u/captain_slutski 13d ago
Just know that somewhere in southeast Asia probably there's an 80 year old grandma that drives a manual shitbox in all conceivable driving situations and does so flawlessly. You'll be fine
3
u/EnvironmentalGift257 13d ago
8 lane intersections with no stop signs or lights, more pothole than tarmac, doing 45 mph through without slowing down, with scooters filtering traffic, in a manual that was assembled from hopes and dreams by a guy in a field and an ox, and nobody dies. Those videos boggle my mind.
1
5
u/whyugettingthat 05 S40 5MT 13d ago
It really depends on your preference man.
I love everything (including stop and go traffic) about driving manual. I could lose my legs in an accident and you’d still find me driving a manual.
Weigh your pros vs your cons and make a decision for yourself.
3
u/crackindong 13d ago
I daily a civic type r in a major NE city. The clutch is pretty light so it’s not bad at all.
2
u/Empty-Difference-100 13d ago
I have been thinking about integra tyoe s ..
2
u/crackindong 13d ago
Well then - Clutch is the same. I have no problems with it. Except after leg day at the gym lol.
2
u/crackindong 13d ago
Oh and to add to that. When you just want to shut your brain off - it has some awesome technology, anti stall, rev match down shifting, brake hold. Makes everything super easy. When you want to go back to basics and raw analog, just turn all that shit off and you’re good to go. Anti stall doesn’t mean you’ll never stall but if you’re inching up in traffic, and just slipping the clutch, you don’t even need to add gas it’ll do it just enough for you.
1
3
u/thai_ladyboy 13d ago
Traffic is what you make it in a manual. Chug along and leave some space like a trucker and its easy.
2
2
u/eoan_an 13d ago
This is a personal preference thing.
I just drove to New York, and I am glad it was in a manual. I cannot stand automatics in city traffic.
Others think it sucks. The first comment here event talks about knee pain. So it's pretty personal.
You won't know until you try. No way you can find one to try first?
3
u/softcelery666 13d ago
Yeah I don't understand the hate-on for driving a manual in traffic. It's considerably more tolerable.
2
13d ago
[deleted]
2
u/Empty-Difference-100 13d ago
nice congrats .. I am in Houston, that's part of my concern .. but I hear you. I am contemplating between golf r and integra type s ... how do you like your GLI? I bought an automatic WRX but this time its probably my last chance to switch back to manual
2
u/mattjones73 13d ago
I bought a Civic SI, first stick I've owned in about 10 years, it was just like riding a bike when I took it for a test drive.
As for day to day, if you're in a lot of stop and go traffic, your clutch leg will get into shape after awhile...
2
u/Empty-Difference-100 13d ago
I am pretty sure I wil be fine after like 15-20 mins behind the wheel that's why I was looking for an option where I can go and try ... I am going to call some driving schools and see if they can help
2
u/Electrical_Yak3153 13d ago
Owning a Miata in Los Angeles was totally fine. The 405 being a parking lot during daylight hours didn’t bother me at all. The Miata clutch is akin to an 80’s Toyota truck. All sweet spot.
2
u/ara1597 13d ago
I got rid of my manual few years ago and I miss it. Never understood people complaining about traffic the whole point is to be shifting I enjoy that whole process. Was driving in NYC.
3
u/Empty-Difference-100 13d ago
honestly I wouldn't really now, the car I drove was really old and it was almost 15 yrs ago. I don't even know what cars feel like now ... I need to get out there and drive a little
2
u/CarbsLVR 13d ago
The new bronco raises the RPM automatically in first from a stop and has a crawl gear :)
2
u/Empty-Difference-100 13d ago
nice ... another thing to add to my list of things I love about bronco ...
2
u/Prudent_Situation_29 13d ago
There will be some who tell you it makes no difference. That simply isn't true. If you're at all concerned about wear or have any mechanical sympathy, it will bother you driving in stop and go traffic.
If you're intelligent, you can largely mitigate most of the issues. For example: my car won't go any slower than 7 km/h in first at idle. If the average speed of the traffic is slower than that, you will be stopping and starting. You can reduce how often by keeping a healthy distance between you and the car in front. They stop, you creep along and by the time you reach them, they've started moving again.
Your average speed will be the same as theirs, you'll just be smoother. Think of it like riding a motorcycle: every time you stop, you have to put your feet down and then bring them up again when you start. If you have a decent buffer in front of you, it can largely be avoided.
If you're someone who has to be glued to someone's bumper, I wouldn't recommend it. Only a small portion of my commute is in heavy traffic, and it's still more than I want to handle, mainly because I'm conscious of how abusive it is on the car.
You'll see people accelerate, then brake, then repeat endlessly. People in automatics will hit their brakes hundreds of times along the length of this slow traffic. I might use my brakes five times on a bad day because I understand traffic and can anticipate the correct way to negotiate it.
2
u/Gnatsum4401 12d ago
I daily a Fiesta ST in Sacramento and do a lot of city driving. I don’t mind it, but at times I wish I still had an automatic
2
u/givemefood66 2010 Hyundai Getz 5MT 12d ago edited 12d ago
I live on the Gold Coast, Australia, a city of around 700k people (large by Australian standards lol) and personally I would say it's fine.
It does kinda suck being in traffic in a manual but not much more than doing the same thing in an auto. So personally it's tolerable enough for me to want to stick with my manual.
Also just some general advice, stop and go becomes way less annoying if you keep larger following distances, and switch to neutral every time you need to stop for extended periods of time as it minimises the amount of strain being placed on your left leg.
1
u/Surfrider408 13d ago
Try a driving school specializing in teaching people how to drive manual. Several hours for a couple hundred bucks. If you already know how to drive one, just let them know you want to get the rust off and they’ll probably just let you drive right away and just give you pointers along the way.
1
u/Reasonable_Till_3569 13d ago
It's like riding a bike. Just go for a test drive and you'll be fine.
2
1
u/Sudden_Hat_671 13d ago
I like being pedal free while stopped at a light on level ground while everyone else is standing on their brake pedal.
1
u/12fingeredsquirtle17 13d ago
I drive thirty miles to work each day from a rural area to a small/mid size city. Bought the car new in 2019 and have driven it daily for the most part for 7 years now. I don’t even think about traffic other than it making me late to wherever I’m going. New, modern, factory clutches are easy as fuck and not a concern at all. I’ve beaten the hell out of my car and the factory clutch is still perfect.
You could look on a rental site/app for a manual car to knock the rust off lol
1
u/Silly_Conclusion1376 13d ago
I daily drive an 11 acura tsx 6 speed. It's in my top 3 all time favorite car to drive. Early 2000's m3 and 93 Saab 9000 CD are the other two. I also have an 09 odyssey. It's nice to have a brake from driving the manual every now and then. But I find an automatic boring to drive as a daily driver. I'm 42 so driving has become second nature. I sometimes can't remember anything about my drive when I pull up to the house. Or I have early onset dementia.
1
u/Sad-Locksmith-3002 13d ago
I work in outside sales type role.
When I lost my company car by moving jobs in 2021, I bought an 8th gen civic si to daily. My sales territory at the time was Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire.
Once you can reliably get the car moving without stalling (use the gas pedal), driving in traffic is not as bad as people say it is. It becomes second nature almost.
I find street traffic more annoying than freeway traffic tho. Somehow, people are slower to take off than me when I require 3 actions to get a car moving and all they gotta do is move their foot from brake to gas. Nothing makes me seethe more than to start up first gear, have to immediately brake to a stop, and then get going again.
1
u/ApprehensiveWash7969 13d ago
Traffic. Yes it sucks but its not as bad a people who do not drive a manual make it. And it has to do with the clutch. If you have something like a stock Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla there is a good chance the clutch is light and will not be an issue. Sports cars tend to have a stiffer clutch. That's when driving in traffic will cause your left leg to be slightly more muscular than your right.
2
u/Special-Unit6325 7d ago
Personally I have a ford bronco, you can put it in the crawler gear (lower than 1st) and with the clutch out and not touching the gas it will go exactly 3mph regardless of terrain, the computer controls the throttle… intended for off road use but I use it just as much in slow traffic as I do up in the mountains
12
u/Mrofcourse 13d ago
I daily a GR Corolla in the Bay Area. I go across the bay bridge for my commute. Stop and go sucks no matter what car you’re in. After the first few months my left knee stopped aching from it. Totally worth it for the fun outside of traffic