GalBimmer manual transmission driving update

[GalBimmer]

Well it's official - I have crossed over. I rented a car in Richmond this week and when I cranked up the awesome Hertz automobile, I found myself looking for a clutch. :p

It even shocked me - hard to change 30 years of habit but I did it.

Stick is still hard, I still pray when I get on a hill and someone gets right on my hiney; however, I am doing very good and haven't stalled or missed a gear in months. :)

Thanks everyone for the encouragement - it was a personal challenge and I am so happy I finally conquered my fear and my reservations about owning a manual tranny. Funny thing is, tonight I was coming home and I realized that I really DO pay closer attention to my driving now that I have the 325Ci. I see people zip through red lights all the time, near wrecks, cell phone abuse, bla bla. But I am (now) always thinking, always aware of my car and what's around me. That's awesome and not something I would have believed if I hadn't experienced it.

I am sure it will grow old or my knee will wear out, but for now it makes driving fun and challenging.

:)

[cwsqbm]

Well it's official - I have crossed over. I rented a car in Richmond this week and when I cranked up the awesome Hertz automobile, I found myself looking for a clutch. :p

I am sure it will grow old or my knee will wear out, but for now it makes driving fun and challenging.

:)

Welcome to the dark side. :supdude: Now to completely cross over, press and hold the DSP button until the brake indicator comes on, go out in the rain and have fun. :D

[Iniquity]

Well it's official - I have crossed over. I rented a car in Richmond this week and when I cranked up the awesome Hertz automobile, I found myself looking for a clutch. :p

It even shocked me - hard to change 30 years of habit but I did it.

Stick is still hard, I still pray when I get on a hill and someone gets right on my hiney; however, I am doing very good and haven't stalled or missed a gear in months. :)



i crossed over last year! Been to a couple autox's too.. fun times.. fun times..

and yea.. i hate the creep up on your butt thing.. the worst is when you try to give hints your in a manual.. like what i'll do is i'll roll back and forth.. rev the engine a couple times.. and so far it hasn't worked once..they always get CLOSER.. :dunno: :mad:

some people tick me off.. oh well.. if you roll back into them, it's their fault for being too close..

along the lines of noticing more.. strangely enough.. now that i drive a manual, i notice who also drives one.. like getting stopped at a light and seeing who's brake lights go out.. or seeing who rolls back on small declines.. one thing i've noticed is how many people don't drive manuals.. oh well.. their loss... ;)

[operknockity]

Well it's official - I have crossed over. I rented a car in Richmond this week and when I cranked up the awesome Hertz automobile, I found myself looking for a clutch. :p

It even shocked me - hard to change 30 years of habit but I did it.
:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[Orient330iNYC]

ocassionally driving a slushbox with a floor mounted parking brake is fun. I've locked up the rear wheels on an RX330 looking for the clutch the first time i drove it.
OOPS
:D

[shizat63]

Yeah, I left the dealership never having driven a 5 speed :eeps:. On the way home I stalled like 10 times and almost broke down in :cry: when I finally got home. But within 3 weeks I wasn't stalling and began shifting without thinking.

A word of advice- don't roll back and forth at a light, you'll wear out the clutch.

And now 2.5 yrs and 50K later (and on the original clutch :D ) I have no regrets about getting a stick. In fact, I will never buy another auto ever again!

Now all you have to do is start thinking about "rev matching" and then work your way to "heal-toe" downshifting, and even some double clutching. These advanced shifting techniques will truly change the way you drive a manual gearbox :thumbup:

[Staszek]

Congrats!!

I know how you feel when you get in an auto and look for the clutch. I have always driven stick only owned 2 cars that were not and I couldnt wait to get out of them.

Personally I think you do become a much better driver when you drive stick, besides the fact that you concentrate more, you learn so much more about your cars dynamics and what it can really do when you have that control.

[swchang]

I find that rolling backwards at the light makes the driver behind you not get too close, especially if you do it as they're pulling up to you.

[Artslinger]

I'm so used to driving cars with a clutch that when I do get in an automatically compromised vehicle, I almost break my left leg when attempting to push in the missing pedal.

[RandyB]

I'm so used to driving cars with a clutch that when I do get in an automatically compromised vehicle, I almost break my left leg when attempting to push in the missing pedal.

LOL @ 'automatically compromised vehicle'. :rofl:

I've only owned two slushies out of eight cars, and they weren't available in a manual with the top engine option('85 TPI Z28, '87 5.7TPI Z28). Now I would never consider it.

Gotta love rowing... :drive:

[JamesSpot]

is the true test of a driving a manual.

I've had 4 manual cars, but I did make it through three years of driving a '77 Buick LeSabre automatic (wife's car when we got married) when we had our first child.

I taught her to drive a manual, the now 16 year old daughter is next. I admire women who can handle a car or an airplane. Congrats.
Jim

[cantona7]

I admire women who can handle a car or an airplane. Congrats.
Jim

:stupid:

My wife learned to drive on a stick in a '73 VW Bug and has never liked slushboxes. Unfortunately, I got my driver's license much later in life and circumstances forced me to learn on a slushbox. A buddy taught me how to drive a stick after work one evening a couple of years ago and I haven't looked back since. I'll never own another auto. That said, I still find that heel-toe shifting in the E46 is awkward and I only ever pull it off if I'm really breaking hard--in day-to-day driving it just isn't necessary for me.

[shizat63]

I still find that heel-toe shifting in the E46 is awkward and I only ever pull it off if I'm really breaking hard--in day-to-day driving it just isn't necessary for me.

I find that I don't really heal-toe on the E46. It's actually a more comfortable "big toe-pinky toe" move.

I can't imagine downshifting for a turn without heal toeing.

[cantona7]

I find that I don't really heal-toe on the E46. It's actually a more comfortable "big toe-pinky toe" move.

I can't imagine downshifting for a turn without heal toeing.
Like I said, I find that heel-toe downshifting is only necessary if I'm going into a turn really fast and need to brake really hard. Otherwise, I just brake and clutch, shift, rev-match and go.

[bluegarvis]

I can't imagine downshifting for a turn without heal toeing.

Heel and toe is actually a misnomer... It really is Big toe on brake and roll of the foot to blip the throttle. If you've got big feet like me, it is the side of your foot the hits the go pedal.

Oh, almost forgot... congrats GalBimmer :thumbup: