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emmiesix Offline
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Post: #1
manual transmission lessons
This is definitely way-OT, but I know we have a bunch of long-time H-town dwellers around here, so thought I'd ask for your help.

I'm going to Italy for 3 weeks in a month, and it's looking like I may need to rent a car there. I know they *have* automatics, but they're much, much, more expensive than standards. Also, I have long considered it a necessary skill to drive a manual, and have just put off learning it (asside from a couple attempts in high school, long long ago).

I am looking for a driving school in Houston that would teach manual, but every one I've called does automatic-only.

I guess if you guys are aware of any places in the Houston area that would teach real driving, I would appreciate the tip... or if anyone knows a poor student that might want to earn $50 for a couple hours of practice with their car (technically I learned once already)...
05-27-2009 08:11 AM
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Owl 69/70/75 Offline
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Post: #2
RE: manual transmission lessons
I know that Gene Walker, who is an old Rice football player from my era, has a driving school that specializes in teaching high schoolers to drive (my son went there). Not sure they do what you need, but might be worth giving a fellow Owl the business. I will PM his email to you.
05-27-2009 08:22 AM
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Barrett Offline
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Post: #3
RE: manual transmission lessons
I don't have any leads on driving schools, but I can tell you how I learned how to drive manual about ten years ago: I literally just Googled it. Reading up on how to drive a stick shift is by no means a substitute for learning by actually doing, but it does help give a theoretical framework.

Also, it really helped me to think of a manual transmission like a 10-speed bike. You shift gears on your bike for the same reasons you have to shift gears in a car: the smaller the gear, the easier to get started moving (i.e., the easier to pedal from a dead stop), but once you're moving, the larger gears allow you to go faster without having to pedal so fast. The gears on the bike are thus similar to gears on a car, and how fast you have to pedal is equivalent to RPMs on a car.
05-27-2009 08:34 AM
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texd Offline
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Post: #4
RE: manual transmission lessons
There was a week in college when my car was in the shop and I borrowed this old nissan pickup that my parents had at home. Three or four of my Rice friends learned to drive manual during that week out at the stadium lot. Surely one of your grad school friends has an older model manual that they wouldn't mind you learning on.

(That pickup didn't have the easiest gearbox to work with, but the hardest thing about it -- especially when doing circuits around the stadium lot -- was the lack of power steering.)

The other alternative is just to be sure you go to Italy with the Click and Clack manual transmission training kit:
[Image: duct-tape-3m.jpg] [Image: FAM_EAR_PLUGS_WCORD_200-2804.jpg]
Duct Tape for your mirrors and earplugs so you can't see or hear people behind you when you stall at a light.

ETA: If you're really set on lessons and you want to have some fun, you might check with the track in B/CS (they use Miatas): http://www.texasworldspeedway.com/perfor...chool.html
(This post was last modified: 05-27-2009 09:00 AM by texd.)
05-27-2009 08:50 AM
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gsloth Offline
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Post: #5
RE: manual transmission lessons
I'm not sure how much more expensive the automatic is than the manual, but if you are a newbie with the manual transmission, I would seriously consider renting the automatic. I say this for 2 reasons:

1. Making a start from a hill, especially a steeper one, is an art learned only through doing it. And unless you go into Memorial Park, I'm not sure you're going to get the experience on how to either stand on the clutch while at a stop and not cause the car to stall or learn how to quickly move from the brake to the gas to get going when it's your turn to drive forward. As I said, this comes with practice, particularly on steeper grades, but your options for learning this (through repetition) in Houston may be limited.

And while I've never been in Italy, I'm guessing you're going to find situations where you're going to have to start from a hill, whether in the country or the city.

2. It's just one less thing you have to worry about when driving. Roads are generally going to be narrower, especially in the country. If you're trying to downshift while maneuvering around obstacles or quickly brake, if you're not too familiar, sometimes you might get distracted trying to deal with the clutch and forget about some other obstacle (or vice versa). You certainly don't want to accidentally put it in reverse while driving forward.

I would definitely suggest getting the no-fault insurance when renting. You don't know when you're going to have an issue. I cracked up a side view mirror in Ireland once when I misjudged how close I was to a lightpole when driving through a town and trying avoid traffic coming the other way while zigzagging among parked cars (essentially making the road wide enough for about 1.5 cars), and also lost the housing on a side mirror when I had to drive "into/through" the edge of a hedge when a bus came the opposite direction on a narrow two-lane road and I needed some clearance.

I've also had friends go to Italy and swear by getting the GPS to get around. Again, I don't know about cost, but you can get multilingual versions. It can be amusing to have it tell you how to get there in Italian (I'm told), though in reality, you might want one with English-speaking capabilities.

I know these are a lot of added costs, but for peace of mind, I might recommend them. But you know your budget and will have to weigh the risks versus costs.
05-27-2009 09:06 AM
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JSA Offline
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Post: #6
RE: manual transmission lessons
Gsloth beat me to it. If your going to be in hilly terrain, that necessitates an extra level of training. But if you have a month to practice, you might want to find some back-country roads in the Hill Country to practice on.
05-27-2009 09:29 AM
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Owl-88 Offline
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Post: #7
RE: manual transmission lessons
While I agree that working with a manual transmission on a hill is daunting, you can always fall back on the hand-brake cheat. Make sure the hand-brake is set and ease off the clutch until you can feel the gear engage. Once you feel the car try to move forward, ease the hand-brake off and you're on your way. Unless you have a good feel for the car, it's really the only way to go unless you don't mind sliding backwards (assuming there's nothing behind you).
05-27-2009 09:47 AM
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Barrett Offline
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Post: #8
RE: manual transmission lessons
Another good place to practice on-hill starts would be a downtown parking garage. On a weekend, it wouldn't have many cars, and $8 an hour isn't so bad (you would need only one hour, I think).
05-27-2009 09:48 AM
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texd Offline
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Post: #9
RE: manual transmission lessons
(05-27-2009 09:47 AM)Owl-88 Wrote:  While I agree that working with a manual transmission on a hill is daunting, you can always fall back on the hand-brake cheat. Make sure the hand-brake is set and ease off the clutch until you can feel the gear engage. Once you feel the car try to move forward, ease the hand-brake off and you're on your way. Unless you have a good feel for the car, it's really the only way to go unless you don't mind sliding backwards (assuming there's nothing behind you).

I drove a manual for 15 years and my pride was never hurt using the handbrake. Austin seemed to be especially bad for having somebody (usually in a Denali Suburban, btw) pull right up onto your rear bumper at a light on a steep incline.
05-27-2009 11:26 AM
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gsloth Offline
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Post: #10
RE: manual transmission lessons
I'm not sure a parking garage is enough of a slope to practice on. Maybe initially, but if you've ever been on a decent incline (like what I might expect in Italy), that requires a different level of practice. But that is a nice idea.

And don't let me be totally negative on this. If you are really into it, this would be a great way to reinforce how to drive a manual transmission. You would be an expert after this type of experience, I would expect.

At least you'll be driving on the right in Italy, which takes one other potential complicating factor (at least mentally) off the table. Good luck.
05-27-2009 11:29 AM
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RiceDoc Offline
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Post: #11
RE: manual transmission lessons
My question would be whether you want to be seeing the countryside as you tool along in a more expensive car with an automatic or be thinking about shifting. It takes a while before you get comfortable enough with shifting to not think about it any more. Of course as I can attest from the first time I drove an automatic, that switch takes some thought too.*

*I vividly remember pushing in the clutch and brake on my mom's station wagon and being terrified as I came screeeeching to a halt, slightly out of my lane, and definitely in a less than controlled manner. Seems both feet fit on that wide brake pedal about as well as on a clutch and brake in the standard I grew up in. Even now, many years later, I sometimes feel the impulse to push in the clutch and coast, but have to settle for just lifting my foot off the gas instead.
05-27-2009 11:44 AM
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kinderowl Offline
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Post: #12
RE: manual transmission lessons
i've always driven standard. here are my tips.

practice a lot. find someone with a stickshift car and work out a deal to borrow it.

practice in a parking lot to get a feel for working the clutch and starting and stopping.

listen to the engine. it will tell you when you need to go to a higher gear.

feel the car acceleration itself. if you feel a lag, you may need to downshift to get more rpm's and better acceleration.

find a good hill with little traffic and practice on it a lot. the bridge where houston avenue goes over I-10 (on the east side of the heights) is pretty steep and is often free of traffic. (i wasn't allowed to take my first car out on my own until i proved i could manage a steep hill onto a busy road near our house. i think that was a smart test on my dad's part).

on a hill. keep your foot solidly on the brake. practice taking the clutch down and then pulling back off it some and shifting your brake foot to the gas. it's a feel thing. but you'll get it after a few tries. once you get it, you can keep a balance that will keep you from rolling backwards on hills.

Have a great time in Italy. Good luck. And, did i mention practice?!
05-27-2009 01:21 PM
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georgewebb Offline
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Post: #13
RE: manual transmission lessons
(05-27-2009 08:11 AM)emmiesix Wrote:  This is definitely way-OT, but I know we have a bunch of long-time H-town dwellers around here, so thought I'd ask for your help.

I'm going to Italy for 3 weeks in a month, and it's looking like I may need to rent a car there. I know they *have* automatics, but they're much, much, more expensive than standards. Also, I have long considered it a necessary skill to drive a manual, and have just put off learning it (asside from a couple attempts in high school, long long ago).

I am looking for a driving school in Houston that would teach manual, but every one I've called does automatic-only.

I guess if you guys are aware of any places in the Houston area that would teach real driving, I would appreciate the tip... or if anyone knows a poor student that might want to earn $50 for a couple hours of practice with their car (technically I learned once already)...


Emmie:

I agree with most of what is said here, including:
- Manual driving is cool and worth learning.
- It's pretty easy on flat roads, but hills are a special issue (not while you're moving, but starting while on an incline is tricky).
- Driving in Italy is something else altogether: very narrow roads, unfamiliar direction signage, and reputedly some of the craziest drivers on earth.

Given all that: I don't want to discourage you, but I would strongly suggest that you divide "learning to drive a manual" and "sightseeing in Italy" into two separate projects.

I have been driving a standard for ten years, and I love it. But when on vacation in the British countryside last year, I got an automatic just so I wouldn't have a major new thing to worry about, in addition to the regular unfamiliarity of driving on unfamiliar roads. (In my case, the "new" thing would have been driving on the right with the stick on the left, which is a little different from manual transmission generally...)

As for learning to drive a manual: garden-variety Japanese cars (Honda Civic et al) tend to have transmissions that are pretty easy to deal with and forgiving -- good ones to learn on.
05-27-2009 01:51 PM
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Barrett Offline
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Post: #14
RE: manual transmission lessons
I encourage you to learn to drive a stick because it was my experience in Italy that it was MUCH easier to find a rental car that had a manual transmission. I drove a manual-transmission Twingo throughout Italy (I have no idea who makes the Twingo, but the name cracks me up) back in 2001, and it was perfectly do-able. The Autostrada is awesome, and it was very refreshing to see people actually observe the "pass only on the left" rule.

You went to Rice. I bet you can master a stick shift in no time flat.
05-27-2009 05:14 PM
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Owl 69/70/75 Offline
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Post: #15
RE: manual transmission lessons
(05-27-2009 05:14 PM)Barrett Wrote:  I encourage you to learn to drive a stick because it was my experience in Italy that it was MUCH easier to find a rental car that had a manual transmission. I drove a manual-transmission Twingo throughout Italy (I have no idea who makes the Twingo, but the name cracks me up) back in 2001, and it was perfectly do-able. The Autostrada is awesome, and it was very refreshing to see people actually observe the "pass only on the left" rule.

You went to Rice. I bet you can master a stick shift in no time flat.

Twingo is a Renault.
05-28-2009 12:09 AM
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Post: #16
RE: manual transmission lessons
(05-27-2009 11:29 AM)gsloth Wrote:  I'm not sure a parking garage is enough of a slope to practice on. Maybe initially, but if you've ever been on a decent incline (like what I might expect in Italy), that requires a different level of practice. But that is a nice idea.

And don't let me be totally negative on this. If you are really into it, this would be a great way to reinforce how to drive a manual transmission. You would be an expert after this type of experience, I would expect.

At least you'll be driving on the right in Italy, which takes one other potential complicating factor (at least mentally) off the table. Good luck.

Here is a suggestion.. Try the "Westpark Hill" over Newcastle on a Saturday/Sunday Morning to practice starting on a grade. Bring someone who has experience with a standard just in case you start to block traffic.
05-29-2009 08:51 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #17
RE: manual transmission lessons
Just rent an "EV." It seems manuals are going the way of the dodo bird, which is a real shame.

I remember buying my first car, sitting in the parking lot where I'd just signed the papers, getting the car manual out and reading about how to drive it home. I had only actually driven a stick once or twice before on my friend's truck. It took me almost an hour to make a 10-minute drive my first time driving a stick as I kept stallng. I thought I had just made the biggest mistake of my life, but at the time my friends all told me manuals were the cooler thing to drive. I remember my mother saying it was a big mistake when I finally got home. That first week was certainly interesting as I had to learn on the go bt eventually I got it.

Wonder whatever ended up happening with Emmie's trip?
05-27-2022 09:10 AM
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Post: #18
RE: manual transmission lessons
(05-27-2022 09:10 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Just rent an "EV." It seems manuals are going the way of the dodo bird, which is a real shame.

I remember buying my first car, sitting in the parking lot where I'd just signed the papers, getting the car manual out and reading about how to drive it home. I had only actually driven a stick once or twice before on my friend's truck. It took me almost an hour to make a 10-minute drive my first time driving a stick as I kept stallng. I thought I had just made the biggest mistake of my life, but at the time my friends all told me manuals were the cooler thing to drive. I remember my mother saying it was a big mistake when I finally got home. That first week was certainly interesting as I had to learn on the go bt eventually I got it.

Wonder whatever ended up happening with Emmie's trip?

The hard of learning to drive a stick for me was the slow line of cars going uphill.
05-27-2022 09:26 AM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #19
RE: manual transmission lessons
(05-27-2022 09:26 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  
(05-27-2022 09:10 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Just rent an "EV." It seems manuals are going the way of the dodo bird, which is a real shame.

I remember buying my first car, sitting in the parking lot where I'd just signed the papers, getting the car manual out and reading about how to drive it home. I had only actually driven a stick once or twice before on my friend's truck. It took me almost an hour to make a 10-minute drive my first time driving a stick as I kept stallng. I thought I had just made the biggest mistake of my life, but at the time my friends all told me manuals were the cooler thing to drive. I remember my mother saying it was a big mistake when I finally got home. That first week was certainly interesting as I had to learn on the go bt eventually I got it.

Wonder whatever ended up happening with Emmie's trip?

The hard of learning to drive a stick for me was the slow line of cars going uphill.

Yeah, driving a stick in traffic when you're new at it is a most nerve-racking experience. Best to put a sign on your rear window: "Learning to Drive a Stickshift--Please Be Patient!"
05-27-2022 09:31 AM
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