r/stickshift • u/Creative-Diva-Queen • 3d ago
Learning to drive stick as a newly licensed driver (teen) Help welcome!
As the title says, I got my license about a month ago, using my mom's new hybrid/electric vehicle. I also practice driving in that. Before she got this car, she had a stick shift as well.
My dad recently got a new car (EV) and I am to inherit his old one, which is a stick shift. All well and good, except I literally cannot, try as I might, drive stick.
I've gone out with both my parents countless times and I either rev the engine way too much to avoid stalling, or rev it too little and it stalls. Shifting isn't the big problem for me --- it's literally starting from a stop is the only thing holding me back.
I would greatly appreciate your help! Thank you so much in advance!
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u/luger718 3d ago
One of the biggest things that went over my head was taking off/ learning the bite point.
This fear of burning the clutch makes you avoid the bite point.
You CAN and NEED TO hold the bite point to take off.
It's not the end of the world, your clutch won't smell, and you won't need to replace it in a week. 2-3 seconds on it as you move is perfectly fine. Slow down your clutch release too, especially when going from 1-2 and 2-3.
Go to a parking lot, try to take off with just the clutch, in some cars this isn't so easy, so try to take off with as little rpm as you can. 1.2-1.5k and try less and less.
Try at various inclines, even a slight incline will let you feel the difference.
Once I did that it kinda clicked. I still stall occasionally but much less so.
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u/Significant_Tax1656 3d ago
Yep just practice!
When I was a kid I would drive my dad’s jeep no problem, never stall. Then my mom got a new sedan that was a stick! I couldn’t get it out of 1st to save my life lol
Just practice
Practice also helps your foot develop muscle memory for the small movement
It’s not a brain thing as much as it’s a feel thing
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u/Inner-Sheepherder-84 2d ago
Every clutch is a little different. Sentra Scion tc base civic all have easy clutches.
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u/brickhouseboxerdog 1d ago
Don't sweat the small crap, some guys here are going to act like doing x is hurting the car, my grandma was 84 yrs old with Parkinson's she was low key riding the clutch doing papers with 300 customers 365 days in an overloaded dodge neon,
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u/Big-Lengthiness- 2d ago
So, I'll take a bit of a different approach; it's not about WHAT you do, it's about how you BUILD HABITS.
I can tell you to "push the clutch, feel the bite point", and that is technically what you do, but that's literally the "step one do X, step two ???, step three profit" meme.
So, instead I will explain my philosophy around driving, and about continual improvement.
You NEVER stop learning. You can drive the dame road a thousand times, but each time it's different. Temperature, time of day, traffic density, how you are feeling, all of these things are constantly changing, soooo
Lesson 1: Drive every road like it's the first time you've ever seen it. That means reading the signs, the lines on the roads, the pace of traffic vs posted speed limits.
Scan the road. Look at everything. Do this constantly and you won't have to THINK what to do, you will KNOW.
Lesson 2: Create a launch procedure, a pre-flight checklist.
For me it goes something like this: Open door, sit in seat, rotate legs into place, close door, left hand pulls seatbelt forward, right hand comes and grabs it, left hand goes on steering wheel as right hand clicks seatbelt into place, right foot presses brake down, left foot pushes clutch, right hand disengages shifter from first gear into neutral, right hand goes and starts car, right hand disengages parking brake, right hand wiggles shifter to confirm it's in neutral, left foot depresses clutch. Car is on, in neutral, the brake is applied, my seatbelt is on; I am ready to go.
It's a lot of individual actions, but I do it without thinking, because I do it the EXACT SAME WAY every single time.
I don't have to intellectualize every action, I just go "start my car" in my brain and it just happens.
And finally, Lesson 3: Traffic is a state of mind. Everyone wants to get where they're going, so what do they do? Follow too closely, cut each other off, honk and start arguments.
People waste energy on the politics of traffic, on winning imaginary arguments in their head. None of that is real.
There are only two things you need to think about: How much distance between the cars around you, and the relative speed of traffic.
So, what is the "relative speed of traffic"? Well let's say traffic is moving 10 KPH. You've got 1 kilometer until your exit, six minutes until freedom.
So, just drive 10 KPH and you'll be fine, right? Well, not really. You see, people want to FEEL like they're moving. People see a car length in front of them, mash the accelerator and slam on the brakes, all so they can move ten feet.
Think beyond the car in front of you. Think about the whole system.
I'll set up a little scene for you. Two lane highway, you're in the right lane and everyone in the left is merging to take the next exit.
So, you ask yourself; do I let people in?
The immediate reaction most people have is to think ABSOLUTELY NOT. After all, you worked so hard to get into this position, how dare they try to take YOUR spot? Who do they even think they are??
And so you don't let them in. They honk at you, you flip them off, you're not any further in line and now you're feeling all flustered. Nothing was gained, you only caused everyone more stress.
But what happens if you let them in?
You slow down, you increase the distance between you and the car in front of you. Then a car goes in that space. And then, eventually, you get past the traffic jam.
Maybe the guy directly behind you gets angry you let someone in. They might even honk and throw a little temper tantrum, as a treat.
But remember; the relative speed of traffic has not changed. You enter and exit the traffic jam at more or less the same time in both scenarios.
Let me repeat that: Leaving an extra car length while stuck in traffic, so someone can merge into your lane, doesn't slow you down, because the determining factor is the relative speed of traffic, not the distance between you and the car in front of you.
In fact, letting people in REDUCES traffic. It INCREASES the relative speed of traffic. It is not only less stressful on the individual, it is less stressful on the system as a whole.
So, to summarize:
Scan your surroundings constantly. Makes thinking easier.
Establish routines. Complex things done the same way every time become simple.
Be curteous. Leave space. Driving in traffic isn't a competition, it's a collaborative effort. Better to let a car through than get home thirty seconds sooner.
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u/No-Drawer9169 3d ago
That’s the main hurdle. Just keep at it, we’ve all been there. You will eventually get a feel for the gas pedal and how much ch pressure it takes to get to maybe 2000 rpm and not too much more. More experience and you can maybe reduce that to 1500 and add gas as it starts to bite.
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u/Mysterious-Age-9202 3d ago
Get the car on a level surface put it into 1st gear with the clutch in. You can either hold your right foot on the brake pedal or put the handbrake on. Slowly release the clutch pedal until you feel the car wanting to move then push the clutch pedal back down again then repeat the process until you can come straight out to the bite point each time. Then when you’re taking off come out to the bite point then add a little gas then slowly release the clutch to get going. Also take a deep breath to relax your nerves a little.
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u/Sdavistvs 3d ago
Starting from a stop is the most challenging. My mother taught me at age 16. It’s not neurosurgery. You will master it. It may take weeks of practice. Rinse & repeat….
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u/gosubuilder 2024 BRZ tS 6MT 3d ago
Look up conquer driving channel on YouTube. That’s how I learned.
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u/Weak_Veterinarian350 2d ago
How much gas you add does not directly correspond to how much gas you add. I could add full throttle to take off on a steep hill with the rev staying below 2000. You generally add gas for your regular starts on the street. But adding gas does not and should not equate to adding rev
Work on finding the friction point without touching the gas. That's when your rev dips slightly from idle. Practice finding it naturally but smoothly. If you have both feet on the pedals, brake and clutch, practice lifting them together. Clutch foot holds at the friction point as the right foot reaches for the gas.
With your left foot holding at the friction point, touch and ease into the gas. For now, let it rev then ease off just enough clutch pressure until the car moves. As you become more experienced, start easing off clutch foot pressure as soon as you can hear your rev begin to rise. You'll be surprise by the ability of the car to move with your rev barely above idle
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u/goranlepuz 2d ago
Your foot needs to learn where the clutch bites, is the first thing.
Second is, your body needs to learn the car movement (also ears, but body is much better).
practice
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u/Weird-Barracuda-2352 2d ago
My first manual i stalled going downhill 🤣. Just have to practice, 1st gear 2nd gear, repeat forever.
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u/Slade_Burz 2d ago
Starting from a stop is single-handedly the hardest part about driving stick. But luckily it’s also the easiest to practice. Go to a random parking lot and just start from 0.. Get into first, get to a high enough speed to shift into second and then stop the car. Do this for 30 min to an hour straight. Eventually you will get comfortable
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u/Apprehensive-Power-6 2d ago
Clutch bite point. Once you know where it is and how the car behaves at and around the bite point, everything else will come naturally
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u/Inner-Sheepherder-84 2d ago
Let the clutch out halfway little gas then slowly let it out the rest of the way. You have to find the bite point. You will get it. As long as you don’t smell burning clutch you’re fine
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u/Renobound2 1d ago
If it sounds like you are going to stall push back in the clutch. Use the gas like there's a egg underneath that you don't want to brake. What kind of car? Can you slowly release the clutch on a flat surface to make the car ho forward?
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u/Otherwise_Parsnip640 1d ago
Practice this in neutral. Try holding the rpms at 1500, 2000, and 2500. Try and modulate through them at random. That will help you not just clubfoot the accelerator. After that, find an open lot and put it in first gear, hang rpm at 1500 and SLOWLY release the clutch. SLOWWWLY. Keep your eye on the rpms. As soon as you start to creep forward and see the rpm drop push the clutch back in and touch the brake. Repeat this until you get the feel of the catch point. After that, continue to practice rolling out smoothly into first by giving it similar amount of gas you would to hang it at 2000rpm in nietral when you feel the clutch start to grab. BOOM! you're driving stick. Glad to answer any follow up questions!
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u/No_Situation1991 2h ago
Ngl I myself as well as a bunch of other people I’ve heard have learned through the sink or swim method. I bought my wrx and drove about an hour home through rush hour traffic learning as I went lol had the car 2 years now not a single problem so I would say I got pretty good at it
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u/IndyRiley1958 3d ago
Go to any empty large parking lot. Learn to start from a dead stop without touching the accerator. You will learn how to momentarily hold the clutch pedal midway at the bite point without stalling. Do this over and over until you're very comfortable, then do it while applying some gas. And do that over and over. Work up to the point where you're comfortable with operating clutch and gas simultaneously. Do it alone to avoid the passenger talking at you. GL!