How long have you been driving manual?

Post by **jomotopia** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:06 pm

i've been driving the STi for about 7 months now. i'd say i was fairly proficient after 2-3 months but i still have launch issues every once in a while and unsmooth days.

about 7 years prior to getting the STi i drove stick (improperly, lots of high revs and long slips to get going) for about 2 months. had a little practice a couple of months before getting the STi. so i wasn't starting from scratch but fairly close as far as doing things correctly.

Sypher · Post by **Sypher** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:17 pm

I've been driving for a couple months over a year now.

magnus_1986 · Post by **magnus_1986** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:22 pm

I started driving like ten or eleven months ago.

I've gotten my launches, shifting, control and everything to a satisfactory level according to me. Now I want ot move on to DCing, DCHT in particular.

Prodigal Son · Post by **Prodigal Son** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:23 pm

I've been driving standard since 1975. Don't honestly remember how long it took before I felt proficient.

six · Post by **six** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:30 pm

Since February.

Sisrahtac · Post by **Sisrahtac** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 2:12 pm

Just over 2 months

Post by **Johnf514** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 2:22 pm

About the time the Camaro crapped out (8 months after purchase) I was becoming proficient.

Hatchman · Post by **Hatchman** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 2:40 pm

Maybe 15 months for me. I feel very comfortable at this point. And I'd say I'm 90% happy with my executions and decisions. Proficinecy would have come sooner if I hadn't bought a brand new manual after less than a year in my first manual. It's a bit of a setback getting the feel for one car while trying to forget the behaviours and feel of another.

StrangeWill · Post by **StrangeWill** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 4:15 pm

I think I'm comming up on my 2nd month. I'm getting pretty okay, I rarely stall, my shifts may be excellent one day, shit the next. So it all depends.

RRedSi · Post by **RRedSi** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 4:56 pm

I "learned" to drive manual about 10 years, but that was self-taught hence the quotation marks.

When I got my Si in March is when I really started. I read as much as I could both on this site and others beforehand and I did fairly well once I picked my car up.

I even hired a driving instructor after I'd had my car for a few days to give me pointers and correct any bad habits I might have picked up.
He said I was doing great and to keep practicing.

I became really comfortable after 2 months or so. The thing that sucks is that I don't get to drive everyday. I leave for work and then don't get to drive it til 3-4 or more days later when I get back.

I miss my car almost as much as I miss my wife!

Peter · Post by **Peter** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:44 pm

Since 20-05-2003, the day I got my driving (driver? driver's?) licence (license?) (gosh, I love British and American English

)...

So for three years and a few months now (and 37 driving lessons

), but I only get to drive around in my parents' cars, because I can't afford to buy my own car

Dusty · Post by **Dusty** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:01 am

lets see i wa about six when i first learded...on my grand dad's old John Deere 3 speed tractor. at 9 i was driving the old 56 Willis he had (mine now) and i took and passed my road test in my 69 (then stock) Mustang with a 4 speed. all my trucks now are 4 or 5 speeds, none of these silly 6 and 7 speed things

buster · Post by **buster** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:47 am

I drove a 5-spd '90 Thunderbird SC for about 6 months in 1995, then went 10 years without a single shift (went through 2 AT cars). Finally decided I needed to get back into shifting, so I got my 5-spd Scion in March of last year. So total time driving stick for me would be 2 years.

I became proficient with stick in....well...I guess I'll have to let you know when I become proficient because it hasn't happened yet...

mikebai1990 · Post by **mikebai1990** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:38 am

I've been driving for.... -2 years. Hopefully my parents will let me drive soon (Just turned 16). They feel that I'll drive recklessly and don't want me risking my life to satisfy my urge to drive

I think I would be a pretty responsible driver, but I really can't say for sure. The insurance rates are obviously another concern for them.

When I get a car, I'm definitely try my best to get a manual. I've learned so much on this website, but I don't have a car to try all of these techniques. It's just so much more interesting than an automatic with the brake pedal and the gas. It's almost an art

potownrob · Post by **potownrob** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:47 am

Hatchman wrote:Proficinecy would have come sooner if I hadn't bought a brand new manual after less than a year in my first manual. It's a bit of a setback getting the feel for one car while trying to forget the behaviours and feel of another.

I see this as more of a good thing than a bad thing. I had been driving my Civic for almost 2 years when I got the Maxima. I had been "proficient" within a year of getting the Civic (and pretty darn good by 6 months). Then, when I drove the Maxima, I was really bad. I couldn't get smooth shifts and my launches were almost never good. It was utterly frustrating, as I had been fine with the Civic. It took me another 2-3 months to get smooth with the Maxima. When I'd go back to the Civic, I found I could drive it even better than before I had the Maxima. The more cars you drive, the more proficient you will become. Looking back, I don't think I could consider myself totally proficient if all I was good at was driving the Civic.