so my fiance just came to me and asked if i could teach her how to drive stick. my problem is that i have a jdm short gear trans with a stage 2 clutch. is that too advance for?! let me kno wut u guys think.

 

5 gears are 5 gears. What's so "advanced" about it? I taught my wife on a Prelude. Way more power and beefier clutch than any Civic.

 

hope u have a spare clutch kit laying around lol

 

Won't need it if he's a decent teacher. Should take all of 15-20 minutes.

 

thanks guys. i have a spare si trans and a stage 3 clutch for it just in case.

 

I SHOWED MY GURL HOW TO DRIVE STICK ON MY BOOSTED H22 NO PROBLEM

 

My friend and I tried to show his sister how to drive stick with a stage 2.

Wasn't pretty.

Very jerky starts, if she didn't stall. She said the clutch was too stiff and it hurt her leg after a while.

Start in a empty parking lot, keep her off the roads for a little while. and make sure she knows that she dosen't have to hold the clutch at a light.

Unless she is truly terrible, I doubt the clutch will be hurt.
I would be more worried about grinding gears.

 

I agree with 98civdx. Also if they learn to drive stick shift with a stiff clutch, any car she will be driving in the future should be no problem seeing as the clutch can only be lighter.

 

i dont agree with what other people are saying here except for 98civdx

i had to learn on a stage 3 and lightweight flywheel, VERYY jerky starts, stalling alot,

the stiffer clutch almost makes it an on-off clutch

 

Are you saying you can't teach someone to drive on a stiffer clutch or that it was just difficult for YOU?

 

Teaching with a very stiff clutch is going to make it more difficult on her. Basically it's going to distract her in a way she doesn't need to be when she should be focusing on getting the motions down.

She's going to stall the car in first at least a few times. The first few starts at least are going to be very jerky as well.

I think your best bet (both for her and for a lower or cheaper risk of killing your clutch) is to teach her on the softest and most stock clutch you can teach her.

My experience is I've taught a lot of people how to drink stick. Of about ten people or so, only one didn't stall the car her first time. She did make the car shake though (not a lot, she was a natural).

Some ideas I'll suggest:

- Make a pattern out of it. Clutch. Shift. Go.

- Be very patient with her! Don't raise your voice or act stressed. Laugh any stalls off, but also let her know that she doesn't really want to do that. Don't make her think she's destroying the car by learning though..

- Teach her in a big clear parking lot or airport. The fewer planter boxes and trees (and cars...), the better. Keep her away from traffic!

- Let her get the car up to speed, but mostly you'll need to focuse on the first and second gear. Getting it moving will be her biggest hurdle. She'll quickly realize it's smooth sailing once she's up to speed.

- Skip over "advanced" techniques, like down shifting, for now. She doesn't NEED to do that anyhow and it stands to possibly confuse her.

 

It deffinetly will be harder with a stiff clutch.

You are used to the clutch, she isn't.

A stiff clutch isn't the end of the world when it comes to teaching someone, It is just going to make a little harder for you, and her to learn.

It also comes down to her, or him. Some people can get, some just don't. I know a few girls who just don't get it. They just cannot do it. My friend's girl friend is one. Myslef and several of my friends and even her dad/step dad tried. She just can't do it.

Being paitent is the key! You just have to work with her. What we did was show her how, told her how to do it. Rode around for a few minutes with her and then got out of the car and let her do her thing.


Some will get it on the first try, most won't. Just give her time.

 

I don't know anyone who didn't stall out when they first started driving stick. When they have to hold the car on a hill for the first time, like say at a red light, is going to be the most difficult thing they have to do.

 

Out of curiosity OP, is she just wanting to learn how to drive stick for fun? Or does she plan to actually drive a stick car?

But I pretty much agree with NOFX. I mean yeah, it's possible to teach her with a stiff clutch but a softer one would make it much easier.That is.. if you want to go through the trouble of switching clutches... haha.

I remember when I first learned how to drive stick. It sure made it a hell of a lot easier that the clutch wasn't stiff at all or difficult to work with.

Good luck!

 

to be more clear, its harder for me to teach my girl to drive stick because i have a stiffer clutch.

thats because it was difficult for me because clutch was stiffer than usual

wanted to point it out that its obviously harder for someone to get used to a stiffer than on a softer factory clutch

 

Obviously. But it can be done. I figure if I can teach my halfwit sister to drive stick on a stiffer clutch then everything else is cake.

 

Oh yeah, didn't think about that. A flat parking lot is your best bet. Don't make her drive on hills the first day. Just try to help her get the whole "getting moving" part down first.

And make sure she gets plenty of time in the future to practice. If she only drives once and then the next time she drives stick is months or years down the road, it's going to be more difficult than if you let her behind the wheel every few weeks or even better, days.

Hopefully soon she'll be driving someone's manual transmission car on a fairly regular basis, which would help her hone her skill. Or maybe she'll even get a manual transmission car of her own.

I've taught several people how to drive stick, including one girl who's dad and bf had tried, but failed. Unfortunately she lives sort of far from me so I never got to allow her the practice she needed. She got pretty good pretty fast though, and cited previously being yelled at for grinding the clutch and causing the car to jerk.

Every person I taught how to drive stick eventually did become at least somewhat successful at it. The story I just told was probably the closest to unsuccessful, and that's only because she didn't have the car to continue practicing.

 

I've had a horrible time trying to teach some very bright people to drive stick, conversely i've had no trouble teaching some real idiots.

Biggest thing is teach someone in a wide open area. People get panicky when they first learn and they have an extra pedal to deal with. I learned on a '98 corrolla with a really special clutch and a bad third gear grind, was really grabby, I stalled a lot. But I picked it up pretty quick. Start with the basics, taking off on level ground, upshifting and coming to a stop. Then move on to taking off on hills and downshifting.

Btw, if it's a full face organic clutch it shouldn't be too bad. Puck clutches are no fun to learn on.

 

Not at all, I learned my wifey on my 93 accord H22 swap w/ an ACT stage 2. She did fine. After we sold it she learned more on our WRX (AWD is a different ballgame IMO). I can offer this advice, the more frustrated and upset you get, the less she'll be willing to learn. Let her practice on a flat parking lot in first and second. After 30 minutes let her drive around the parking lot.

 

I will agree. Take her to as large a parking lot as you can find. Preferably as empty as you can find-a supermarket after hours. Start at one end and work towards the other. No yelling. No getting upset. Let her take as much time as she needs. Let her know that first gear is hardest. Everything else is easy. The first thing I tell people is to forget everything they THINK they know about that extra pedal because it's wrong.

 

I drove a friend's 13 second CRX a few years back. SUPER stiff clutch. Even though I'd been driving stick for years, that was difficult. Pushed me back in the seat just by pressing the pedal.

 

^^ I drove my friend's Integra with a twin disk threw down town seattle. 500ish to wheels at the time I drove it.

Clutch was stiff as HELL and freakishly grabby.. Wasn't any fun, I pissed countless people off.

 

that clutch should be fine to start learning how to drive....but if u teach her wrong.. say good bye to ur clutch ................ the way i taught my friend was i got her to move the car with clutch pedal first without gasing it.. so she can get a feel of how the clutch worked.. and then i had her apply gas later on.... GOOD LUCK

my advise is.... scream at her when you can.. panic makes perfect jk..

 

^^ That's how I did it, when I learned. Only I pretty much taught myself. lol

 

my friend "learned" how to drive stick by himself and still doesnt know how to properly drive after 1.5 years? lol. he couldnt drive on his 7lb flywheel for the first year kept stalling from rolls. i guess teaching and advice can only get a person so far.. after that its all up to the person who wants to get taught to be able to drive stick