How many people have you taught to drive stick?

[Magician]

You’d be surprised on how much abuse a clutch can take. I’ve taught at least 6 people including myself. My grandfather handed me the keys to his 5 speed manual pickup and told me to go figure it out.

[California98Civic]

Will reach three when/if my fifteen year old learns from me in the 1998 Civic that originally brought her home for the first time.

[skyking]

the last one was great. This nice young guy is helping my sisters gardening, and he had a terrible experience trying to learn in his sister's corolla. Basically he gave up.
We were doing a bunch of work helping my sister clean up the farm for sale, and I asked him if he wanted a lesson in my truck. He looks at my 3500 Dodge 4x4 and this huge grin flashes across his face
We drove around in the dirt for a while in low, and the loose dirt did the job of protecting the rubber. I figure he's good to hit the street and send him for his wallet and permit. He never stopped smiling.

[freebeard]

Once I had the shifting down, I learned to drift on gravel.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by samwichse

Anyone with a 10+ on this poll must hate their car's transmission and want it to die

14 here

Once you teach enough people, you know how to teach people properly, and in a way to causes the least wear/damage to the car. Usually my recruits abuse the starter the most, although the latest recruit was pretty violent with downshifts, so that would be transmission abuse.

[jcp123]

None yet, though my wife has expressed some interest in it. Her broken foot looks to have healed well enough to proceed at her leisure, though she's in no hurry. I probably should hurry up and replace the battery and clutch master cylinder first, anyway. Her Pa drove stick when she was young, so by osmosis she seems to have kind of a handle on the basic concepts.

Since we're on the subject, I've looked up a few YouTube videos but don't know where to start in teaching someone. Any thoughts?

[JockoT]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Since we're on the subject, I've looked up a few YouTube videos but don't know where to start in teaching someone. Any thoughts?

A quiet, flat part of town, with all RH turns. Start just getting them to feel and understand the pattern and where all the gears are (my father taught me this at age 11, and I would sit beside him and change the gears as he drove the car). Once they understand the shift, start by just teaching them to pull away then stop, then changing up and stopping before finally getting them downshifting. Do not go out onto busy roads until they are perfectly comfortable on the "nursery slopes".

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by jcp123

None yet, though my wife has expressed some interest in it. Her broken foot looks to have healed well enough to proceed at her leisure, though she's in no hurry. I probably should hurry up and replace the battery and clutch master cylinder first, anyway.

You might also want to make sure the parking brake is well adjusted. You know, either for unexperienced drivers or someone with a bad heel it feels so much more comfortable to use the parking brake while starting uphill driving. It's also prone to decrease clutch wear.

Her Pa drove stick when she was young, so by osmosis she seems to have kind of a handle on the basic concepts.

Driving stick is like riding a bicycle, once you learn it you won't forget it so easily. But it's still a different matter seeing someone doing it and trying it by oneself.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Her Pa drove stick when she was young, so by osmosis she seems to have kind of a handle on the basic concepts.

Since we're on the subject, I've looked up a few YouTube videos but don't know where to start in teaching someone. Any thoughts?

Osmosis, lol.

I have a detailed explanation of what I do in the first post of this thread, it works. What doesn't work is telling the learner to let out the clutch slowly and or let out the clutch and apply gas at the same time. You need to start out teaching them in a way that they will actually learn the clutch engagement point, and that is best done at idle speed.

[Fat Charlie]

Disc brakes: A foot pedal controls a hydraulic actuator that presses a spinning thing and a non-spinning thing together until their speeds match.

Clutch: Ditto.

I know it's a different foot, but Jeez!