Anyone here NOT know how to drive a manual?

[M3]

I was 12 when I first drove a manual car. It was my father's E30 316i. No one had to teach me how. It just came naturally.

But now a DCT owner

[rjd598]

i bet there are a few just because the manual is dying out but still i think this forum has a very small percentage if any actually

[Pontrelli]

How can you be part of a car enthusiast forum and not know how to drive stick..wow

[radiantm3]

Originally Posted by badazzm

Drove manual for my first 3 cars. Then got an SUV and now an M3 dct. Only car left manual in my family is my dad's viper. When I go visit them, I park the M and take out the viper. Never stalled except once. M3 is my only car and too much traffic in bay area to drive manual.

Traffic is never an excuse for the true manual enthusiast! I used to drive 2.5 hours in traffic a day when I lived in Long Beach and worked in LA. And that's about as bad as traffic can get in CA. I happened to have a lightweight flywheel and race clutch as well. South Bay traffic is bad, but not bad enough to not enjoy a manual.

[badazzm]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

Traffic is never an excuse for the true manual enthusiast! I used to drive 2.5 hours in traffic a day when I lived in Long Beach and worked in LA. And that's about as bad as traffic can get in CA. I happened to have a lightweight flywheel and race clutch as well. South Bay traffic is bad, but not bad enough to not enjoy a manual.

Haha. I know man. Traffic is not an excuse but I have no other excuses and don't want to admit that I like driving an automatic sports car. 2.5 hrs is insane. I m in traffic 1-1.5 hr a day and still think its too much because I only work 6 miles away frm home.

[Dave07997S]

Originally Posted by lthai

Probably a horrible question to ask on a car forum and most likely no one will chime in....but I was just wondering if there are people on here that can't drive a manual?

I haven't driven a manual in years (even back then was never really good at it either) and had the opportunity to try out my friends 964 last night and managed to stall it 3 times in a parking lot. And if anyone was wondering, yes I did give up my masculinity and no longer associate myself with car enthusiasts.

LOL you just answered your own question..obviously you can't drive a manual..

Been driving a stick since I was 12..dad taught me on a Datsun F10 out int he Az desert. Hell even wifey drives a manual.

[Red_Baron]

Originally Posted by Dave07997S

LOL you just answered your own question..obviously you can't drive a manual..

Been driving a stick since I was 12..dad taught me on a Datsun F10 out int he Az desert. Hell even wifey drives a manual.

Rub it in

[surlynkid]

Originally Posted by burakkose

do countries give driving licence without testing manual transmission driving ability?

no. in the EU, many countries will only give you a driver's license for cars with an automatic unless you do your test/training with a manual. your license will specifically say if you are qualified for automatic only. just like getting a CHL with a revolver - you cannot conceal carry a SA.

if you travel to the EU, they cannot check this on your US license, but do you really want to be in a foreign city with foreign signs and be lost AND not know how to shift your car?

[LarThaL]

Been driving a manual since age 17. That makes 29 years. If I have gone like 4-5 days without driving my M3, I really start to miss the manual experience. I think I am pretty damn good at it, if I do say so myself. DCT will still give an advantage in a first gear start from a standstill, but little beyond that for me in terms of measurable performance.

[tlr]

I've never owned a manual, but I can drive them decently well.

When I got DCT I drove maybe 25% of the time in manual mode, but now it's more like 90%.

I won't be going back to an automatic (in case it's not clear, I don't consider DCT to be an "automatic")

[roastbeef]

i've only driven a manual car a few times in my life. i test drove a new mustang gt a few months ago and asked for a manual. boy it was fun, but i can see how it could get old driving it daily in socal.
i did spin the tires a lot and chirped a lot shifting into second, but i did ok overall. i stalled it twice i think. probably did too much clutchwork, but it seemed to have a lot of travel and i don't think i did that bad with my little experience and no real instruction.

[ES_TRADER]

Three on a tree and you never go back

[W///]

Originally Posted by Dave07997S

LOL you just answered your own question..obviously you can't drive a manual..

Been driving a stick since I was 12..dad taught me on a Datsun F10 out int he Az desert. Hell even wifey drives a manual.

To me, girls that know how to drive manual automatically get 1 point added to their total score. So if she's a 6/10, all of a sudden she's 7/10 if she can drive, or better yet has a manual car.

Originally Posted by tlr

I've never owned a manual, but I can drive them decently well.

When I got DCT I drove maybe 25% of the time in manual mode, but now it's more like 90%.

I won't be going back to an automatic (in case it's not clear, I don't consider DCT to be an "automatic")

While I also don't think DCT is an auto tranny, what happens when the performance between the 2 are so close together? The 8spd AT is no slouch either, but 2 pedal driving experience is going to start to be the same IMHO.

[passing]

i learned to shift 18 speeds before i learned 6.

[Ghetto2315]

Originally Posted by passing

i learned to shift 18 speeds before i learned 6.

That's impressive. Before I die I want to learn how to drive an 18-Speed.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by passing

i learned to shift 18 speeds before i learned 6.

Originally Posted by Ghetto2315

That's impressive. Before I die I want to learn how to drive an 18-Speed.

Pretty sure he was talking about a bicycle....

[Pontrelli]

Originally Posted by jphughan

Pretty sure he was talking about a bicycle....

No a tractor trailer

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by W///

To me, girls that know how to drive manual automatically get 1 point added to their total score. So if she's a 6/10, all of a sudden she's 7/10 if she can drive, or better yet has a manual car.

I'd be so happy if wifey knew how to drive stick; I've even offered to let her learn on MY car but she's too terrified to try. Or alternatively if she were willing to come to the track with me in her slushbox Mini Cooper S. Ah well, can't have everything in one person, I guess.

Originally Posted by W///

While I also don't think DCT is an auto tranny, what happens when the performance between the 2 are so close together? The 8spd AT is no slouch either, but 2 pedal driving experience is going to start to be the same IMHO.

I'm actually worried about this myself. There are rumors that the next M3's DCT will have 8 speeds. I guess if they're just adding yet another overdrive gear for fuel economy that's fine; let's not forget that those fortunate to drive on the autobahn can actually cruise at high revs in 6th and 7th. But with a 6MT setup you have basically three gears used for performance driving (2nd through 4th on the road, 3rd through 5th on the track), and if the rumored 8-speed DCT were instead geared so that you now had four or even five gears to handle in those contexts, I think that would get a bit cumbersome and become a distraction rather than an improvement over 6MT.

[roastbeef]

[Erhan]

Since some people insist that DCT is actually manual, I suppose everyone who owns an M3 knows how to drive a manual.

[passing]

Originally Posted by Ghetto2315

That's impressive. Before I die I want to learn how to drive an 18-Speed.

its pretty intense when you are learning. its NOT as easy as it looks. the range selectors really throw a wrench into your shifting, but once you get it you dont lose it.

Originally Posted by jphughan

Pretty sure he was talking about a bicycle....

not quite..

[passing]

each selection technically has 4 gears.