View Full Version : How easy is it to switch from an automatic to a stick?
royalfan5
3/7/2007, 12:13 PM
Since my only experience with a stick is tractor transmissions, I was just curious how easy it is to pick up operating a stick shift? Is it something that can be picked up quickly?
Ask Howzit, He knows how to handle a stick
if you've driven a stick on a tractor, i'd think it wouldn't be too hard to learn on a car
i taught doleo on my POS Nissan truck, it's pretty forgiving
if you've driven a stick on a tractor, i'd think it wouldn't be too hard to learn on a car
i taught doleo on my POS Nissan truck, it's pretty forgiving
Nice soft suspension?
King Crimson
3/7/2007, 12:23 PM
today's clutches are pretty easy to learn on--there's no real clutch point, it's all soft and as yermom says "forgiving". you ain't going to drop the transmission or anything. now, learning to drive stick in a 77 Saab driving around Atlanta.....is a different story. that was pretty tough to get the hang of. but, if you understand how a clutch works and shifting gears it shouldn't be hard.
usmc-sooner
3/7/2007, 12:24 PM
it would probably take a couple of weeks and you'd be totally comfortable.
Flagstaffsooner
3/7/2007, 01:13 PM
Easy. Once you have used a manual transmision you will never want an automatic.
TUSooner
3/7/2007, 01:19 PM
Easy. Once you have used a manual transmision you will never want an automatic.
Word. Both of my daughters learned to drive with a manual transmission.
Now, nobody in our house wants to drive the one car we have with an automatic.
Two words. Maximum control.
ALSO: Manual trannies should be mandatory in order to cut down on celphone use while driving. :twinkies:
rufnek05
3/7/2007, 01:25 PM
Word. Both of my daughters learned to drive with a manual transmission.
Now, nobody in our house wants to drive the one car we have with an automatic.
Two words. Maximum control.
completely agree. and they are just more fun to drive.
rufnek05
3/7/2007, 01:26 PM
Easy. Once you have used a manual transmision you will never want an automatic.
completely agree, and they are just more fun to drive.
King Crimson
3/7/2007, 01:28 PM
i totally agree with Flag and TU. manual is the way to go. i used to drive up and down a few of the canyons in the Denver/Boulder area for a job.....and automatic is the SUCK--getting stuck behind knuckleheads in rental cars in automatics....the car can't downshift to gear that can climb so it slows down and gear stall crawls up the incline.... gotta shift the gears when the ratios and rpms are right.
SicEmBaylor
3/7/2007, 01:29 PM
I can drive a stick with ease.
That should answer your question.
Tulsa_Fireman
3/7/2007, 01:29 PM
I can drive a stick at ease.
'Nuff said.
fadada1
3/7/2007, 01:30 PM
automatics are for old ladies and cadilacs.
King Crimson
3/7/2007, 01:30 PM
thing i can't understand is people who drop big coin for a BMW or Mercedes or Lexus or even the newer Volvo big sport sedan and get automatic. wtf?
what a waste.
word.
man, SicEm drives stick? was the Beetle a stick? you may have just redeemed yourself a bit
SicEmBaylor
3/7/2007, 01:33 PM
I love driving a standard but haven't since I totaled the bug.
It's much more fun driving a stick.
Yes, the beetle was a stick.
Tulsa_Fireman
3/7/2007, 01:33 PM
man, SicEm drives stick? was the Beetle a stick? you may have just redeemed yourself a bit
I must've read that a lil' different than you. 'Redeeming' was the last thing I thought of.
Frozen Sooner
3/7/2007, 01:39 PM
thing i can't understand is people who drop big coin for a BMW or Mercedes or Lexus or even the newer Volvo big sport sedan and get automatic. wtf?
what a waste.
Easy there champ.
I have a Benz with an automatic. The last car I had before it was a stick. Plowing through snow-covered hills in a stick wasn't my idea of fun.
And I learned on a 1980 Jetta in Seattle, so trust me, I know how to drive a stick just fine.
Tulsa_Fireman
3/7/2007, 01:41 PM
Plowing through snow-covered hills in a stick wasn't my idea of fun.
See, that's why I own a stick. Inclement weather. I can get around with a manual transmission tons better than I ever could with an automatic.
Frozen Sooner
3/7/2007, 01:44 PM
See, for me it was just one more thing to think about. The AWD on the Benz is really good at getting through the ice and snow-moreso than the AWD on the Subaru.
TUSooner
3/7/2007, 01:45 PM
I can drive a stick with ease.
That should answer your question.
:D
Flagstaffsooner
3/7/2007, 01:48 PM
Word. Both of my daughters learned to drive with a manual transmission.
Now, nobody in our house wants to drive the one car we have with an automatic.
Two words. Maximum control.
ALSO: Manual trannies should be mandatory in order to cut down on celphone use while driving. :twinkies:On snow and ice maximum control matters. I love the cellphone remark. Spek.
Easy there champ.
I have a Benz with an automatic. The last car I had before it was a stick. Plowing through snow-covered hills in a stick wasn't my idea of fun.
And I learned on a 1980 Jetta in Seattle, so trust me, I know how to drive a stick just fine.
and that is why you are a traitor ;)
See, for me it was just one more thing to think about. The AWD on the Benz is really good at getting through the ice and snow-moreso than the AWD on the Subaru.
you had the wrong Subaru ;)
King Crimson
3/7/2007, 01:50 PM
Easy there champ.
I have a Benz with an automatic. The last car I had before it was a stick. Plowing through snow-covered hills in a stick wasn't my idea of fun.
And I learned on a 1980 Jetta in Seattle, so trust me, I know how to drive a stick just fine.
i tell you this....from 90-96 i owned a 1974 BMW 2002 that i bought for 1600$ as a steal because the engine was perfect. a buddy of mine is a former Mercedes trained mechanic, he looked at it once and said.....this a steal. i drove that bitching *** car up and down Boulder Canyon, Coal Creek Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, and Lefthand Canyon in the worst weather ever. I lived in Nederland and Rollinsville, Colorado at about 8,000 feet for a many of those years....driving that bad boy. i put a couple 50 lb bags of sand in the trunk and i never got stuck because i could i could drive a stick and bought good studded snow tires...and i learned how to tinker with the carburetor....i also drove that car to San Francisco and back twice from Denver...and to Durham, NC there and back.
****in a. that was good times , froz. JMO. i'd rather be shifting the gears in snow....
Frozen Sooner
3/7/2007, 01:51 PM
Trust me, brother, the AWD on the Benz beats the AWD on the STi hands down.
Probably has something to do with the relative weights of the vehicles as well.
Fraggle145
3/7/2007, 02:08 PM
I used to have the '73 VW microbus... now that was driving a stick. Now I am stuck in automatic hell. The only problem driving stick is all the damn people with automatics that slow down right when you get to the next gear or screw you going up hill.
Trust me, brother, the AWD on the Benz beats the AWD on the STi hands down.
Probably has something to do with the relative weights of the vehicles as well.
i'll need to check that out... i find that hard to believe though ;)
def_lazer_fc
3/7/2007, 02:44 PM
my friend just got a brand new mustang gt. ****'s fast as hell, but it makes puppies cry that he got an automatic.
anyway, i bought my car without knowing how to drive stick. i say withing a week you're pretty good. there might be a time or two when you kill it in the first month, but it's pretty easy. especially since you've already had experience with manuals.
Since my only experience with a stick is tractor transmissions, I was just curious how easy it is to pick up operating a stick shift? Is it something that can be picked up quickly?
Relatively easy depending on the vehicle. If you are getting something like a Mustang GT or other V8 sports car the clutch is going to be heavier than a 4 or 6 cylinder coupe. The old VW's you couldn't stall. You could just take your foot off and would bounce a couple times and keep going.
Go to a school parking lot on a Saturday afternoon with nobody around and within an hour you will have it down.
Frozen Sooner
3/7/2007, 03:34 PM
i'll need to check that out... i find that hard to believe though ;)
You're welcome to test them out any time you want to come up, man.
BajaOklahoma
3/7/2007, 03:37 PM
automatics are for old ladies and cadilacs.
:mad: My last two vehicles have been 5-speeds (it was an Expedition before that). And I bet I can beat you at the track or the light. :eek:
And no, I'm not from Pasadena.
GottaHavePride
3/7/2007, 04:50 PM
Next car I get I'm going to put in a LENCO transmission.
;)
Y'all should drive semis, they get to do lots of shifting.
Just gimme an automatic, ****. I'm not driving in the Daytona 500 or anything. It's one less thing I've got to do.
:D
C&CDean
3/7/2007, 05:13 PM
You know it would really be cool if any of you ****ing nimrods had even the smallest clue what you're talking about. "Oooh, driving a stick makes me sport wood." "Ooh, the automatics can't downshift and get outta my stick-wielding way." Bull****.
Here's the deal. E. O.
Everyone should learn to drive a manual transmission. Everyone should have to pass a driving test with a manual transmission. After that, scrap the POS or pass it on to the next new driver and go buy an automatic. Modern automatic transmissions are so superior to a stickshift it ain't even funny.
I learned to drive in a 1951 International Travelall 4x4. Completely non-synchro transmission. You had to double-clutch to shift gears (you ****ing stickshift loving wieners don't even know what that means), and it had no power steering. No, it wasn't fun to drive at all.
I've owned stick shifts in many, many trucks. Fords, Chevy's, Dodges, Toyotas, Internationals, Willys. I've had stickshifts in many cars. Datsun 2000, Saab, VW Beetles, Karman Ghia, GTO.
I now own ONLY automatics (other than one farm truck) and think purchasing a stickshift is really, really stupid - unless you're using it to teach a kid to drive a standard. It makes no sense at all. And as usual, I know exactly what I'm talking about and arguing with me is pointless.
Learning to drive sick, for me, took only few hours. It kind of depends on where youre learning, and how well the person explains it and teaches you.
Driving stick in Houston = no bueno.
sanantoniosooner
3/7/2007, 06:29 PM
I wouldn't have anything but a standard for a long time. With smaller cars that have limited HP it's nice to be able to utilized the higher rpm range.
It's also nice to be able to pop the clutch if you have a dead battery or other starting issue.
Dealing with bumper to bumper traffic fairly often and just the desire to simplify has changed me over to an automatic though. If the engine has the power, I don't mind it shifting when it feels like it.
Boarder
3/7/2007, 06:41 PM
Yeah, I think I'll stick with the automatic. It works fairly well. I haven't had to replace the clutch yet, either.
Dean beat me to it.
If you get an sports car I can see getting a standard but for everyday driving? Pfft, no way. And when you get a standard in your new truck you better hope you LOVE the truck because you're going to have a hard time finding someone to buy it from you down the line.
Hamhock
3/7/2007, 06:44 PM
You had to double-clutch to shift gears .
is that with the black girls and the jump rope???
Tulsa_Fireman
3/7/2007, 08:53 PM
(you ****ing stickshift loving wieners don't even know what that means) Speaking on double clutching
Horsepoo.
Fraggle145
3/7/2007, 10:10 PM
a stick is a bitch in traffic... but its till more fun on the open road (insert obligatory Eddie and The Cruisers reference here)
Yeah, I think I'll stick with the automatic. It works fairly well. I haven't had to replace the clutch yet, either.
Dean beat me to it.
If you get an sports car I can see getting a standard but for everyday driving? Pfft, no way. And when you get a standard in your new truck you better hope you LOVE the truck because you're going to have a hard time finding someone to buy it from you down the line.
it's people like you that make it hard to find a used truck with a stick :(
Boarder
3/8/2007, 12:53 AM
Well, buy an automatic like a normal person!
soonerjoker
3/8/2007, 10:25 AM
Dean got it right.
i learned to drive in a 49 Merc & a 49 ford pick-up. ford had 4 speed granny, non synchronized. double clutch. haven't had a stick shift since i sold my jeep in 83.
i'm not sure how not having to double-clutch is a bad thing ;)
hell, in my truck, i don't even have to use the clutch to upshift
sure, it sucks in traffic, but you know how often i'm in traffic?
TU got it right in post #8. it's about control
King Crimson
3/8/2007, 11:51 AM
Dean does a lot of everyday driving in the mountains above 8000 feet in the winter. so, like the lemmings, he's right of course.
SoonerJack
3/8/2007, 12:11 PM
Dean has spoken. Everyone sell their sticks.
TUSooner
3/8/2007, 12:20 PM
************************************
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**************Karman Ghia :eek: ********
************************************
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**********arguing with me is pointless.
I agree!
Dean had a Karman Ghia ?!?
The Mrs & I had a 1969 Ghia. It leaked oil, smelled like gasoline, and was hard to get in an out of. We both miss it.
1stTimeCaller
3/8/2007, 12:22 PM
Amazing. I can't believe that Dean is right again.
You people and your, 'I drive a stick, I'm a drivah, yo' crack me up. Not being a dumbass is better than having a manual transmission during incliment weather.
it has little to do with inclement weather, it has to do with less things to go wrong
automatics i drive seldom change gears when i want them to, or how i want them to
it's also different when you are in a truck with a ton of torque
A modern standard transmission is more fun to drive than an automatic. Unless you're in heavy traffic.
Also, unless you routinely haul farm implements and dead horse carcasses, you shouldn't own a truck.
So there.
1stTimeCaller
3/8/2007, 12:59 PM
more fun when you're playing make believe Daytona 500 winner out on the highway? ;)
More like make believe road course racer when I'm out driving in the hill country. ;)
Mostly though, I just feel more "connected" to the car. And, to me, that=more fun.
1stTimeCaller
3/8/2007, 01:09 PM
I thought you lived in Tulsa?
SicEmBaylor
3/8/2007, 01:09 PM
I have no valid reason for preferring sticks to automatics except to say that I think it's more fun to drive a stick.
I thought you lived in Tulsa?
My parents live in Tulsa, I'm in Austin.
:texan:
A stick works better in a low Horsepower 4 cylinder and in a sports car. While they have made automatics that now are as quick as a stick in a Sports car it is more fun to drive the stick.
Other than that automatic is the way to go...And as far as the clutch. If you can properly drive one they last a long time now. I have a 2000 Mustang with 150k miles on it and the original clutch.. Now that I have said that it will probably crap out this weekend.
How's it going, Royal?
When you get it mastered, I'll tell you how to float gears.
That way you won't ever have to use the clutch unless you are starting or stopping, and you won't wear your knee out.
royalfan5
3/8/2007, 04:04 PM
How's it going, Royal?
When you get it mastered, I'll tell you how to float gears.
That way you won't ever have to use the clutch unless you are starting or stopping, and you won't wear your knee out.
I haven't started yet. I'm still in the considering stage.
C&CDean
3/8/2007, 06:07 PM
Dean does a lot of everyday driving in the mountains above 8000 feet in the winter. so, like the lemmings, he's right of course.
How long have you lived in Colorado? How much 8K' + driving you do? That's what I thought.
I was born in Colo. Springs. I have all kinds of kin in Colo. My brother lives in Arvada. I've hunted in Colo for over 30 years - all above 8K'. I've been driving dang near as long as you've been alive. And you're gonna tell me how groovy a stick is? Yeah. Right. Stick to what you know. Music.
C&CDean
3/8/2007, 06:09 PM
I haven't started yet. I'm still in the considering stage.
Dude, I ain't buying it. You've driven farm equipment since you were knee high to a turd, and you're claiming you can't drive a stick? Please. And the only difference between an Agco tractor and a truck with a stick is that you can't take off in 4th gear with the truck like you can with the tractor. And you can actually shift on the fly. Other than that, no difference at all.
royalfan5
3/8/2007, 06:24 PM
Dude, I ain't buying it. You've driven farm equipment since you were knee high to a turd, and you're claiming you can't drive a stick? Please. And the only difference between an Agco tractor and a truck with a stick is that you can't take off in 4th gear with the truck like you can with the tractor. And you can actually shift on the fly. Other than that, no difference at all.
I'm not saying I can't, I'm saying I haven't had to operate a stick at road speeds. My Uncle has the policy that all our farm vehicles are automatics, so anybody can be temporary help when needed. I just wanted to know how long it takes get used to if, if I were to get a hell of a deal on stick, I might consider it.
King Crimson
3/8/2007, 06:43 PM
How long have you lived in Colorado? How much 8K' + driving you do? That's what I thought.
I was born in Colo. Springs. I have all kinds of kin in Colo. My brother lives in Arvada. I've hunted in Colo for over 30 years - all above 8K'. I've been driving dang near as long as you've been alive. And you're gonna tell me how groovy a stick is? Yeah. Right. Stick to what you know. Music.
about 15 years. everyday for about 7 years at 8000+.
the Springs and Arvada, hoo! those are both about 5200. so you must know what you are talking about.
that's a good criticism you got rolling. and your brother lives here. and you are backing it up. i like that. call me an empiricist.
i defer to your expertise. :D
i'd rather drive stick in the snow than let the auto do it.
i drove up and down Boulder Canyon (3000 ft elevation climb in 17 miles) pretty much everyday in a rear wheel drive 4 speed for 3 years and i was never one of those people who slid off the road and paid hundreds of $ to get towed...or into the river and died.
stick=groovy.
King Crimson
3/8/2007, 06:49 PM
and as grampaw music dinosaur, you oughta check out the black keys Dean. i'll make you a disc if you want. it's classic rock, in the good way. they bring it.
C&CDean
3/8/2007, 09:41 PM
and as grampaw music dinosaur, you oughta check out the black keys Dean. i'll make you a disc if you want. it's classic rock, in the good way. they bring it.
Hook a brother up on the disc. And you've gotta start somewhere before you head up the mountains dingleberry breath. Oh and the Boulder Hwy. ain't mountain driving just so you know. I-70 to Berthoud, or on out to Silverthorne then up 9 (or is it 40, I always get those 2 mixed up) to Steamboat or Walden. In the winter. Pulling a 15K lb. + trailer. You'd be trading that stick in the next time you hit flat land.
sooneron
3/8/2007, 09:53 PM
I got an auto tranny for one reason....
http://www.northeastroads.com/new_jersey050/i-095_nb_exit_074_17.jpg
When I wanna play on an open road, I can put it in manual mode and it handles fine!
Tulsa_Fireman
3/8/2007, 11:13 PM
It leaked oil, smelled like gasoline, and was hard to get in an out of.
Sounds like a girlfriend I used to have.
and as grampaw music dinosaur, you oughta check out the black keys Dean. i'll make you a disc if you want. it's classic rock, in the good way. they bring it.
word.
or i could give doleo a copy of them for you, if you want
goingoneight
3/9/2007, 12:56 AM
i totally agree with Flag and TU. manual is the way to go. i used to drive up and down a few of the canyons in the Denver/Boulder area for a job.....and automatic is the SUCK--getting stuck behind knuckleheads in rental cars in automatics....the car can't downshift to gear that can climb so it slows down and gear stall crawls up the incline.... gotta shift the gears when the ratios and rpms are right.
I've not known anything within the last ten years to be built that can't manage a hill with an AT... but that's just my experience if it means anything. But I do like MT's better. As long as you don't have a lead-foot girlfriend dumping the clutch everytime she takes off, you'll get better tranny life and fuel economy. I took some classes on AT's about a year ago just for a little extra brain food, and damn... JUST REPLACE IT... DON'T REBUILD IT!!!
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