Who learned to drive stick on their G
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 321
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From: New Jersey
Originally Posted by coupin827
Just wanted to see how many people here learned to drive stick on their G. I'm leaning towards trading my '03 in for an '06 and getting a 6MT this time.
How hard is it? Is it a good idea to learn on a new car? How would I get it home from the dealer??? (this is my biggest question, if i dont have a way to learn before i pick it up).
Any insight is appreciated.
Thanks.
How hard is it? Is it a good idea to learn on a new car? How would I get it home from the dealer??? (this is my biggest question, if i dont have a way to learn before i pick it up).
Any insight is appreciated.
Thanks.
FGC South Florida BOD
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,691
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by speedgeek
*raises hand*
it's not really hell. prior to driving the G i rented a kia 5 speed for 2 hours, but other than that i was a stick virgin. First week, stall 1-2 times a day, 2nd week 1 stall every other day, 3rd week rare if stalls. the kicker is, learning to drive on a G then got in a friends Maxima (or any other car) and it's cake (CAKE!). I luv the manual.
it's not really hell. prior to driving the G i rented a kia 5 speed for 2 hours, but other than that i was a stick virgin. First week, stall 1-2 times a day, 2nd week 1 stall every other day, 3rd week rare if stalls. the kicker is, learning to drive on a G then got in a friends Maxima (or any other car) and it's cake (CAKE!). I luv the manual.
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,982
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From: Staten Island, NY
Originally Posted by speedgeek
*raises hand*
it's not really hell. prior to driving the G i rented a kia 5 speed for 2 hours, but other than that i was a stick virgin. First week, stall 1-2 times a day, 2nd week 1 stall every other day, 3rd week rare if stalls. the kicker is, learning to drive on a G then got in a friends Maxima (or any other car) and it's cake (CAKE!). I luv the manual.
it's not really hell. prior to driving the G i rented a kia 5 speed for 2 hours, but other than that i was a stick virgin. First week, stall 1-2 times a day, 2nd week 1 stall every other day, 3rd week rare if stalls. the kicker is, learning to drive on a G then got in a friends Maxima (or any other car) and it's cake (CAKE!). I luv the manual.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,148
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From: Hoboken,NJ
Yup bought and learned stick on my 05 G. It isn't really hard at all as long as you understand the concept of the clutch and what it is actually doing. I even live right near NYC (Work and play there all the time) and I had no problem learning it myself in all this traffic. DO IT
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4
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From: SoCal
Originally Posted by Finiti35
Not always. A civic or a miata are easier to learn on than a G. Torque helps a lot to get the car rolling in 1st without stalling, but it can't do much about clutch modulation.
that's ironic, because I tried a civic (back in the early days for me) and I couldn't "feel" the power gain/loss in the car. I ended up having to keep staring at the tach to figure out what the engine was doing and ended up stalling it quite a bit.... for me at least, it came *way* easier on the S4 than it did on cars like the civic....
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,982
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From: Staten Island, NY
Originally Posted by djinferno
Don't scare the guy! Just take your time, you will learn and you will never want to go back...
Try to find someone that knows so he can help, if you live in ATL, I'd gladly come and help
Try to find someone that knows so he can help, if you live in ATL, I'd gladly come and help
Originally Posted by PeteNJ
Yup bought and learned stick on my 05 G. It isn't really hard at all as long as you understand the concept of the clutch and what it is actually doing. I even live right near NYC (Work and play there all the time) and I had no problem learning it myself in all this traffic. DO IT
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 500
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From: SoCal
The G is my first manual car as well. The only prior experience I had with stick was 15 minutes in a prelude and another 20 minutes in a rsx type-s. I had my friend drive the car home for me from the dealer and I found empty lots to practice in late at night. I can drive the car pretty well now except I'm still kind of nervous when I'm stopped at steep inclines. There's an especially steep ramp in a parking lot near my house and I practice there every once in a while. I can do it fine with the ebrake but I roll quite a bit if I don't use the ebrake and I stall if i try to take off too fast (believe me, that $hit is steeeep). So I guess the hardest part for me about learning stick was taking off from first w/out over revving, parking, and taking off on an incline. Once you get the hang of taking off from a standstill, the rest is pretty easy. I think good practice would be to drive around really slow and pretend you are in bumper to bumper traffic or in a crowded parking lot. Or draw some lines with sidewalk chalk and practice parallel parking.
On a side note: A few weeks ago, I drove my friend's old F-150 pickup truck and I noticed I was shifting through the gears and it wasn't as jerky as in the G. I actually couldn't feel the shifts. I think the high and short engagement point on our Gs makes it a little bit harder to drive as well.
On a side note: A few weeks ago, I drove my friend's old F-150 pickup truck and I noticed I was shifting through the gears and it wasn't as jerky as in the G. I actually couldn't feel the shifts. I think the high and short engagement point on our Gs makes it a little bit harder to drive as well.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19
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From: Palmetto, FL
i learned on my brand new coupe. Its really not that hard and in my opinion once you get the hang of it is a joy to drive. My experience was the first day is rocky, then you get the hang of it, IMO its easy to drive you'll be fine; just have to learn your shift points and where to launch the G, its more difficult than my dad's vette or my brothers stang IMO. Sorry for rambling lol. Good lUCK
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 530
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From: NEW ORLEANS
I learned when i was 13, had drivers license at age 15 without restrictions(before the louisiana law changed). Now almost 24 years old.
Pre 1st car learner, Mazda 626 5sp
1st Car: Infiniti G20 5sp
2nd Car: C5 Corvette 6sp
3rd Car: Infiniti I30 Auto(man that sucked not having a stick for a few months)
Current Car: The 6sp G of course!
Word of advice...DO NOT RIDE THE CLUTCH!!!! Meaning, when at speed, be sure not to rest your left foot on the clutch. It takes millimeters to start to engage a clutch, and 'riding' on it with your left foot resting can start to wear it down pretty quickly.
After you have mastered the basics, i.e., rolling starts on hills, rev matching on upshifts, etc...you should consider reading up on heel/toe downshifting. Its quite complex to master, but it can make your clutch last a long long time. Its also very efficient for track driving on road courses.
Even after reading up on it you may not understand what they are talking about, so just ask people you know(who drive stick) if they know how to do it, then have them demonstrate.
Trust me, it takes time to get heel/toe shifting down, but its fun and well worth it!
Its funny, for those of you who do heel/toe when driving around town, I had a passenger in my car say something that I thought was hilarious. I was braking from about 65mph into a right hander that can be taken at 35mph. So as I am breaking I blip the throttle to match the revs to the appropriate speed in 2nd gear. I complete the heel/toe and accelerate modestly through the apex back onto straight road.
Well, there was a bus stop across the street with some people sitting there. My passenger turns to me and goes, "Real cool John, way to rev the engine in an attempt to show off!"
Lol, it took me about 10 minutes of explaining heel/toe shifting to him before he realized I didn't give a crap about showing off, I was just trying to be efficient!
Pre 1st car learner, Mazda 626 5sp
1st Car: Infiniti G20 5sp
2nd Car: C5 Corvette 6sp
3rd Car: Infiniti I30 Auto(man that sucked not having a stick for a few months)
Current Car: The 6sp G of course!
Word of advice...DO NOT RIDE THE CLUTCH!!!! Meaning, when at speed, be sure not to rest your left foot on the clutch. It takes millimeters to start to engage a clutch, and 'riding' on it with your left foot resting can start to wear it down pretty quickly.
After you have mastered the basics, i.e., rolling starts on hills, rev matching on upshifts, etc...you should consider reading up on heel/toe downshifting. Its quite complex to master, but it can make your clutch last a long long time. Its also very efficient for track driving on road courses.
Even after reading up on it you may not understand what they are talking about, so just ask people you know(who drive stick) if they know how to do it, then have them demonstrate.
Trust me, it takes time to get heel/toe shifting down, but its fun and well worth it!
Its funny, for those of you who do heel/toe when driving around town, I had a passenger in my car say something that I thought was hilarious. I was braking from about 65mph into a right hander that can be taken at 35mph. So as I am breaking I blip the throttle to match the revs to the appropriate speed in 2nd gear. I complete the heel/toe and accelerate modestly through the apex back onto straight road.
Well, there was a bus stop across the street with some people sitting there. My passenger turns to me and goes, "Real cool John, way to rev the engine in an attempt to show off!"
Lol, it took me about 10 minutes of explaining heel/toe shifting to him before he realized I didn't give a crap about showing off, I was just trying to be efficient!
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 565
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Went here, they let you drive a maual car and they provide a 1 hour course also. Cheap and good instructors (if you need them).
All Roads Driving School
Of course if your not from the area, just call driving schools and ask if they have a manual car.
All Roads Driving School
Of course if your not from the area, just call driving schools and ask if they have a manual car.
im currently learning stick on my brand new 05 G 
. Ive tried my best to be nice to the tranny and clutch, but you cant help it but to put extra wear on them. however, its easy to pick up, once you get that left foot trained, things becomes much better. 2-3 days is all it takes to get it moving and not jerk around and stall all the time. but it takes a while before you can become a smooth driver. the extra wear on the clutch isnt too bad as long as youre careful, this is a performance car so the clutch can take a beating.
. Ive tried my best to be nice to the tranny and clutch, but you cant help it but to put extra wear on them. however, its easy to pick up, once you get that left foot trained, things becomes much better. 2-3 days is all it takes to get it moving and not jerk around and stall all the time. but it takes a while before you can become a smooth driver. the extra wear on the clutch isnt too bad as long as youre careful, this is a performance car so the clutch can take a beating.
i learned in an hour on my uncle's small truck. it's been awhile but it's like riding a bike. i've driven my friend's ws6 and focus. only stalled a couple of times. i'm sure once you get the car, practice for about an hour you'll get the hang of it. and in a few weeks you'll be fine
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Originally Posted by vtec 2 9k
i learned how to drive manual on S2k... that car is defy not a good car to learn on as first time...... now i own a G 6mt...... have no problems!