Learning to drive a manual
I've been driving a 6 speed manual car for 1500 miles now. Besides spending time to understand how a manual transmission works, I've never driven a manual.
Well, there was that one time, where my BIL was trying to teach me and I almost drove his little Ford Ranger into a pool. But, that's for another time...
Why I started itching to drive a manual still remains unclear to me, and is worth its own introspective, but now I have a little RWD coupe, with a 6 speed manual. Here are a few observations as a manual newbie:
- It takes a lot of brain capacity while you're learning.
- Although I don't stall when taking off in 1st in normal conditions, as soon as I need to do this a little bit quicker it becomes more tricky. With hills, or any kind of road dip involved it becomes even trickier.
- Driving a manual is extremely engaging. When I drive my coupe, I am in full control. The car is not driving without my action. When I'm in my EV, I'm just an operator.
- After driving an EV for a few years, hearing all the mechanical components moving and connecting gives me anxiety that something is broken.
- Drivers are impatient.
- Learning to drive a manual is a rewarding skill.
- I want to go to a car meet up but feel like I will be way out of my age group. Are there dad car meet ups that are not at gas stations?
I'm still struggling and learning, and I am enjoying the process. The other day, I was pulling out of a busy intersection, on a dirt section, with slight incline. Slowly letting off the clutch was not enough and I stalled; as the line of cars behind me grew longer, I began to panic. As I finally saw an opportunity to leave, while trying to not stall again, I burnt my clutch so bad I could smell it inside. It was my first time doing this, so I suppose it was bound to happen.