Adventures in manual shifting

[melaniesuzanne]

The last time I drove a stick shift was about fifteen years ago when I lived with Shannon. During one road trip, she coached me around the parking lot of the Christiansburg Waffle House and I did pretty good job except for stalling out Every Single Time I tried to reverse the car. Aside from that, I was pretty good at driving a manual transmission; I was practically a master at hill starts and stops.

Flash forward to yesterday when I talked Hubbyfink into let me try my shifting chops on his new Golf TDI. I drove in circles around the front parking lot of the Vz campus and stalled out in first gear only a few times. The trip around the campus was a different story. I stalled when taking off from Every Single stop sign (and there are a lot of them around the parking garages). I got frustrated, but Scott was patient and kind. Once I got out of first, my shifting was like buttah. Eventually, I tired of the stress and let him take over for a tour of parts of Loudoun County we've never explored.

When we got back to our neighborhood. He stalled out going over one of the treacherous speed bumps. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. And then he stalled out just before his parking spot and was able to coast in just before the power steering cut out. He swore that neither stall was on purpose but I think he was trying to make me feel better.

Comments

[reedrover]

I recently drove Darkfyre_Muse's Civic. I managed not to stall out at any of the stops or speedbumps, but wow did I have some fun with revving the engine in the low gears.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Yes, revving the engine scared me and I'd let off the gas because I was afraid of making the car lurch forward as I let off the clutch. Deep in my brain, I understand that doing that will cause the car to lurch and stall, but I couldn't get my feet to cooperate and I panicked.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

Have you tried the trick where you don't touch the gas, but just let out the clutch and cruise around on idle for a bit? That's the best way to learn a car's clutch point.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Not yet. I'll try that when he lets me go for another lesson.