Racing driver in Viper | stick shift tips for everyday driving 

Casey is willing to sacrifice his Viper's transmission to educate drivers. He is a true teacher.

The last two minutes made me laugh hysterically. A smart aleck comment deserves a smart aleck reply and you delivered in spades.

"You can't just bang it in there" This is good advice, for several things in life.

Clutchless shifting is good for one thing only: when you can't use your clutch and have to get home, e.g if your clutch cable snapped.

Casey is probably one of the most genuine car guys I've never met. One day, maybe.

I'm a young enthusiast that has no driver's license yet and I've driven stick only a few times and your videos are so educational and that's why I love your videos! I learn something new every time you upload a video!

Thought a continuation of manual transmission shifting tips from the Porsche 944 would be good! This time I broke out the Viper. What did you guys think?

Casey, I just bought my first manual car, a 2021 wrx and am having loads of fun. I find your videos are not only informative and educational, but also highly entertaining. You’re unknowingly creating future race-car drivers from these very videos. Keep on keeping on man, and much thanks 🙏

The interior of 2nd gen vipers is amazing. It’s so simple and no nonsense and I love it.

As a Brit, I can almost guarantee "not taking shifting advice from a yank" translates too this: "I have a Vauxhall VXR and it's a race car".

Can we appreciate what he does to his beloved viper for the sake of explaining it? I firmly believe, doing something stupid is the first step into learning and doing it the better way. Getting into good habits, rather than bad ones. Thanks for the hit on those synchros, I appreciate the effort of showing mistakes in order to prevent others from doing them.

Can you do a tutorial on rev matching, heel toe, and double clutching. I’m new to stick and down shifting without rev matching doesn’t feel good.

Casey: don’t shift it like you’re some tough guy. me: *remembers the time I learned to drive stick on my uncle’s old bug and did fast and furious shifting* oh.... whoops

I must thank you Casey for this "public service announcement". As a mechanic, I hate seeing a trashed transmissions with a perfectly good clutch.

I could’ve sworn Shifting without using the clutch is like literally step number 1 of what not to do 😂😂😂

Casy: You are in your element when you are teaching/ instructing. Fun story: I had a UK Wing Commander giving me "crap" (it was good fun) regarding how we Yanks speak. He came up with some expression and said we do it wrong. I reminded him that a boot goes on your foot, and a bonnet goes on a woman's head. "Touche' " he said... FYI: I was buying his Mustang Convertible when he was rotating out of the USA back to the US after finishing his 3 year tour at the NATO HQ in Norfolk VA. Oh... And the foreign officers LOVE Mustangs. You would be shocked how many are in the parking lot! But they really do NOT know how to take care of them properly. At least they get extended warranties and get the big ticket items fixed. We get great deals when they head home.

as someone who aims to get a car with the "anti-theft device" transmission, im finding these videos super valuable for learning how to not mangle a manual without mangling a manual

These manual driving vlogs are awesome and insightful. I've been toying around with a 5 speed 4 banger crx, these vids couldn't have been more helpful. I haven taken to understanding some key points as described in the vids. Best ones: 1) There is no need to use the might of Zeus to shift between gears 2) Clutchless shifting is both harmful and counter intuitive (IMO) 3) Rules apply universally, however seeing POV of driving stick in a Viper vs the 944 sets perspective of habits/ behaviors 4) Casually driving stick in 80s 5 speeds is perfectly satisfactory until I have Viper monies lol @Casey Putsch Awesome video, super informative and helpful as a younger viewer with a stick shift toy to practice with to soon start utilizing as a daily. Keep up the awesome content!

Don't take us Limeys too seriously, Your shift advice,like all your other content ,has been 100%, I had to watch racing hero VHS tapes(John Cooper/Smokey Rhoads etc) to see it frame by frame to learn, and SHOCK even had to read a few books! Effort required,but priceless skill points!!!! Former mechanic Current trucker!

I love the whine of straight-cut gears, makes it sound like a spaceship

“Though it was pretty cool you’re all not speaking German right now.” LMFAO. Well done, sir.

I’ve been driving stick wrong for 15yrs after watching these shifting videos. Nobody ever taught me this stuff.

I was shifting from 1st to 2nd on my column and they was a bunch of really tiny dogs in the road. I reckon I didn't have my hands synchronized on the wheel, so when I give it a wild warp, it jumped out of gear an clean over a ditch. When I got to the hospital the doctor said I'd broke my spline. I wish I'd seen your race driving shifter class, 'cause them blue spaces are close to the door, but that blue logo on my tag tells folks I probably ain't a good driver! Now I mostly just set on my porsche all day eatin' Troll House Cookies an watching the grass grow... Thanks anyway!

As a 35yr old who grew up on dirt bikes and learned to drive a manual transmission car/truck at the age of 8 or 9, I find these videos very interesting. I'm an enthusiast and have driven all kinds of cars trucks and motorcycles all my life and it's like second nature to me. But to hear you talk about the theory behind some of the techniques and the when and why is very interesting. I consider myself a very good driver/motorcycle rider with lots of experience and feel like I could learn so much from you and this channel. Super excited about finding you! The more you "know" the more you realize you don't know.

hi bro im from the uk and waching for the first time. im a long time driver and totally respect your stuff. lot ov good advise and dont worry about any one here in the uk saying any thing negative . you clearly no what your talking about bro. keep up the good work.

I learned to drive in a manual, I worked in a race car shop for years, everything I currently own is manual and I learned some things from watching this. Stay humble people it’s good for the soul. So is being competent and improving your skills when using a manual transmission. Always something to learn. Good stuff 👍

Casey thank you for continuing to make educational videos and overall great content in this difficult time.

Been learning/practicing stick over the past couple of months in a Subaru, giving the throttle a blip while downshifting finally clicked with the last video. Really appreciating this stuff, definitely a better teacher than my parents at times. It never did feel right to slam through gears really fast like I was told to, or just let the clutch out reaaaaallllly slow.

Oh man!! MEMORIES!! One day i was driving my first car - a 1985 VW Passat 1.6 diesel estate from another town home with a couple of friends... After i just got of the motorway i went from 5th to 4th, and the clutch pedal just stayed in the floor.. Stopped, investigated, and the clutch cable had snapped off.... So you start it in first, and then just match the gears. I could up the gears, downshift and so on with no grinding and other extra noises. Sometimes i would just not use the clutch at all anywhere... Anyway, i drove the friends home, went back the whole way to the other side of the city home and in the morning called my mechanic etc... Turn up at his place and he's like... Hey, what happened? - Me - Clutch cable gone... - Him - How did you get here????? - Me - Well, just match the gears!! :D

🤣🤣🤣 ... A European here, recently moved to NA and driving a manual, of course! Thanks for the common sense, the cool and good humour -winning recipe against arrogance 🙏 More, please!

Your Over Reactions are Hysterical!!!! 😂🤣 Your Exaggerated Dramatic Reactions are Priceless!! You're Just a Super Cool Dude Casey!! 😁😎

Your the only genuine car guy on yt in my opinion that i can trust and relate too.

"You almost had me? You never had me - you never had your car... Granny shiftin' not double clutchin' like you should. You're lucky that hundred shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake! Now me and the mad scientist gotta rip apart the block, and replace the piston rings you fried."

Im 48yrs of age. I learned how to drive in my dad’s old Chevy C10. He said if you can’t drive that home, you have no business driving! I haven’t driven a stick in 20 years and I miss it but my knees are horrible (I’m 6’2”). With that said, I learned something new today about shifting. Thank You for sharing.

Great video Casey, I'd love to see a heel-toe video with a second camera pointed at your feet. Cheers!

This just makes me want to drive stick more... alas, circumstances have forbidden this for just about the entirety of my life. I learned to drive with an automatic, on my dad's '07 Mazda 5. That was a neat little car to drive, mind you, but the four-speed slushbox it had didn't add much to the experience. In fact, Dad used to drive stick himself (his first ride was a Mazda MX-3), but Mom could never figure it out, and so Dad went along with what she wanted after that. So when I began learning, I really wanted to drive stick. But the usual response was, "Well, it's easier on the auto, so get your license first and then we'll see." We once got to borrow a relative's Honda Civic with a manual... for a week. And Dad didn't do much to inspire confidence as an instructor. So I passed my final test and got my license in that same Mazda 5. Until I decided I wanted to get my CDL. Dude. Learning to drive an unsynchronised 13-speed on a Mack semi was *awesome*. Passed my test with flying colours on it, too. Who says automatics make the test easier? Then I got into a company truck and found I had been born too late to get a stick in there, too. Fleets are all moving to automatics (sorry, "automated manuals") because "efficiency", "better market value", and "you don't need to teach anybody to push a switch into Drive". I swear, the 12-speed automatic in this Freightliner is the dumbest fucking thing in the universe. Somebody really ought to tell this thing that *the engine does not make power at 800 rpm.* WTF? And it keeps making dumb gear changes that would never have been needed anyways and just ends up slowing me down unnecessarily. Fortunately, I still have the choice of buying stick for my first car, and you bet your ass that's what I'm going to do. Sorry for the long read. Cheers!

These videos were timed perfectly! Just bought my first car today. A manual 95 jeep. Ive never driven stick before and this video and the other one definitely helped!

Everything you've said has been spot on, Casey. Been driving now for 32 years and I'll always take a stick over an automatic if I have a choice. Out where I live, there's a lot of hills, mountains, and curves in the narrow roads ... I always feel I have more control driving a manual shift over an automatic, especially when towing a trailer. Thanks for the great videos (it was your 944 "driving a stick" video I saw first then subscribed) and it's nice to get a refresher as you're never too old to learn. Oh yeah, I drove a 1969 model deuce and a half in the Army in the mid 90s. I had to double clutch that thing all the time. No Synchro-Mesh, no power steering (!), and I was one of three people out of about 200 in our battery who could drive it. Putting it into first without being completely stopped and the engine at idle was asking for trouble.

First time seeing this guys videos and i am impressed. Like what he has to say all around and badass viper. just subscribed.

I have no idea how i came across your videos but from the few I have watched you seem to have well founded knowledge on how manual transmissions function and the way to drive most efficiently. Plenty of comedy thrown in for good measure, I passed my test in 2007 and i’m still learning (always driven and owned manuals). That vipers V10 sounds glorious 🥰 Keep up the great content, all the best from England.

I really like how you diplomatically slapped the snot nosed know it all punks around on making inflammatory statements,... I could learn a lot from you, thanks.

Man the Viper is so timeless. Gorgeous vehicle.

First of all I appreciate the good work on the content I appreciate it Casey. I have done a lot of go karting when I was around 15 to 17 years old. Did some track experience then also in Aston Martin Vantage&Subaru Impreza 04 bug eye. The track instructors taught me everything you mentioned in the recent videos which is awesome. Since I got my Uk drivers license at 18 years old. I did more track/rally experiences from Lamborghini,Ferrari,Porsche and group A Mitsubishi evo 6,every track instructor on those track/rally stage used the same principles. Now at 25 and driving a BMW Manual M135i I use the principles everyday I learned then,heel toe,left foot braking,Rev matching etc. Much appreciated the awesome content from the UK keep up the good work Casey. Ripping that idiot UK comment was hilarious.

This video is soooo good! New car enthusiasts need to watch this and understand that "Understanding and Respecting" the nature, capabilities and limits of a vehicle is crucial! I hope your influence will create demand for manual transmission cars again and make skill just as important as the car to be effective and safe on the road. This channel is going to be big and it won't take long. Keep it up, I really love these tip videos coming from someone with your experience. Helps me assess what I'm doing behind the wheel and if I need to make any adjustments to my driving technique and style.

Lol reminds me of hooking thru the wheel when you have a twin stick semi truck, good times. Also, clutch less shifting a non synchronized semi truck when done properly puts the same load as using the clutch. Huge difference between a 450ft/lb car transmission and my 2250ft/lb twin layshaft 1300lb monster 🤣

The practical demonstration of synchros engaging in 1st gear was brilliant.

I'm in my 40s and been driving stick since I was in my teens and don't know how to heel-toe. A video on that showing your feet would be interesting.

Casey has great energy, he is not a boring teacher. thank you Casey. I just wanted to thank you for your videos I know people don't really say thank you people just dislike. Thank you

I’d like to see a video on heel/toe shifting, I’ve been driving manual for years but always had a hard time getting that down.

I really like your video. I'm 25 and I bought a manual not knowing how to drive. I have learned manual strictly from your video. Keep up the hard work love your videos

Loved the intro 😂

Wow, the flex on the steering wheel & steering column while he turned the wheel with the car off , was insane.

"And I'm gonna demonstrate that right now by screwing up my Dodge Viper" Me:"Oh no.. Not the Dodge Viper!"

I mean im from the UK and i have to say as a new driver at the age of 19 and a car enthusiast i already love your chanel and the connect.... and on the brit comment some ppl are old school in the term that whatever they see ahead is all their know... love your viper and channel !!

Love this channel, no views, 12 likes and 4 comments Keep it up Casey!

My first car I bought at 18, was a manual which I taught myself how to drive. (Had experience riding motorcycles) To improve my shifting I read a book on rally racing techniques. The hand position was different depending on the gear selected so that you wouldn't engage the wrong gear. And also learned about the Scandinavian flick in the process🤪

I've never tried to shift gears without a clutch until very recently and even then I've only done it a couple times. I just don't understand the point cuz rev-matching and engaging gears without a clutch is slower than just clutching and if you're off at all you just grind your synchros.

Man I'm old...LOL as a young teen I was a "speed shifting" manual killer. first gear off the line, second bang, pull the rpm's to redline and hit 3rd so hard I put dents in the dash from my knuckles. 1967 Ranchero with a 390 and a 4 speed out of a mustang. Those where the days. Not that long ago I had to teach a 25 year old how to drive a manual. Man I was born with a stick shift in my hand. LOL I love your video's by the way, and your rants are awesome. Love the Viper... and the 44 and the 28. those 28 water-cooled V8s, have the best sound. But Casey...on of the best sounding engines was from my brothers 1937 tow truck with the Flathead mill and mechanical brakes. damn, what a ride...LOL. Thank you for teaching the correct way to drive a manual.

I love hearing about how different driving racing cars is from street cars- I think it’d be cool for you to go to the track and have a camera on your face and one on your feet!

Respect for the rawness in your videos. No editing, kept it real

Dude, don't tell them these things. Let them wear their synchros out so they have the opportunity to learn how to rebuild the box.

Casey, that was an excellent put-down at the end, and I'm an Englishman! Learned to drive in a manual car AKA stick-shift ;) when I was 17. Means I can drive automatics too, and I've had a few of each over the years. As a teenager I was aware of the techniques of heel & toe and double clutching, but never experienced them for real, only on rallying videos on tv. I had to go out on a job with an old work colleague (everyone's "old" when you're seventeen!!) and his normal driving was so smooth due to him double clutching and heel & toeing, I learned a lot! Helped me a couple of years later when the clutch cable snapped in my Vauxhall Cavalier coupe (Opel Manta lookalike! Front-engined, RWD, in-line transmission). Managed to get the remaining 10 miles back home no problem, down a twisting turning country road and through town.

"Zillions, idk like maybe 50, 60 of em" Wow that means I am a Zillionaire! xD

Synchros were invented to make our driving easier. So we don't have to think constatly about shifting anymore, declutch, select gear, re-engage clutch, easy as that. And people out there being smarter than the rest of the world trying every possible way to not use that like it was intended to on purpose. Glad you are giving some good advice !

When you have great syncros the main reason I would imagine people would double clutch (when not force of habit) is to provide the sound of the throttle blip

I drove a manual for years when I was a teenager, now in my upper 30s and finally got another. I know how to drive it just fine but I'm always willing to learn a few tricks. Heel toe is one of those things I never cared to learn until recently. I get it but always hit the brake a bit harder when I try to hit the gas. I figure keep at it and I'll get nice eventually! We all can teach each other something. Sometimes it's better to shut up and listen!

I just discovered your channel at a great time! Keep this series coming!

i'm 18 and had never driven a manual before I bought my 2004 viper srt 10 manual six speed, thank you so much for the video really helped me understand the concept

It'd be cool to hear a bit about shifting at great slopes. I live in an area with really steep hills (13% slope is something fairly normal here), and I have to admit especially downhill I'm often intimidated to perform a downshift without really wearing my clutch. Eventually it's practice, but it'd be cool to hear what you have to say about that.

I came here to watch someone drive a beautiful Viper and in addition I was thoroughly entertained!

Grew up with trucks that had no p/s, you had to turn the wheel that way, and those steering wheels were 14"-16" in dia..

You make driving a manual transmission sound easier and sound alot better on paper than what my dad told me. I had to teach myself and im still learning too. He through me in a semi and said learn. Im glad i found your channl

Shifting without a clutch is one of the stupidest thing I've heard. I'll never do that to my car!

Just found you Casey. Super chill and intelligent dude to watch. Great channel and I love all the content I get to watch now!

Best discovery I've ever made.

Hi, my english isnt very good, however, im understanding the explanation of how do transmission work perfectly, you explain very well, No one in Spanish explains it that way, thanks

Thanks for another great video! I'm surprised that you are too Yank for some people, You're probably the most "English" American person on RU-vid, I bet your shed is awesome... Have you seen Scarf and Goggles? I watched a vid on there recently about Eyston land speed car Thunderbolt using two Rolls Royce V12 engines from the Schnieder Trophy Supermarine Seaplane (forefather of Spitfire) that made me think this channel is right up your street!

I like that, "I'm going to demonstrate why you shouldn't do that right now by screwing up my Dodge Viper". I like it so much I'm scrubbing out my "I Love My Mom" tattoo and placing this quote over it. Cheers!

He’s like Casey Neistat, but cooler

All my cars are manual. Growing up with a dad who only had manual cars, i naturally had a love for them. Great channel. Just subbed.

Hi, Casey! Thanks for your content, I really like your relaxed and friendly way of sharing knowledge, big thumbs up for that. I've watched a ton of videos on stick shifting from different sources and try to apply the tips every now and then. Still I've got a car with rather high rev-limit and really low torque at the lower end of RPMs and it sure has its caveats. (+ its my first stick shift car, + its rotary so low inertia of the driveline) My end goal is to be able to freely choose the acceleration pace from relaxed and slow driving w/o any disturbance while shifting (is it even possible with my car's spec?) to rather quick acceleration from 0 to 60 style of driving (here comes into play the giant gap in 3k RPM between 1st and 2nd gear at the rev-limiter, so possibility is questionable too). At first I've used to slowly engage clutch because didn't know exact correspondence of RPMs for different shifts at the same speed and mismatch seem to upset the car very much. (clutch lifespan vs ride smoothness tradeoff, yup) Now I feel more experienced but still sometimes happen to mismatch RPMs and engage clutch too quickly or too slowly. Plus the feeling of the engagement moment sometimes is not that apparent to me. Do you have any practical tips on how to maybe faster learn the character of the car and how to learn to drive it the way it wants? Maybe you can give some advice on how to better feel the clutch? Also I've noticed that extra-thin shoes makes me too cautious and I rather lose right moment to engage the clutch than engage it in time. Toe-heel downshifting sounds awesome (separate braking and shifting are sure breaking the smoothness) but I think I won't be ready to practice it before I master ordinary extra-smooth down and up shifts. Same goes for double clutching -- as I understand it, coordination and right timing are the keys to its successful execution, so it's next level after ordinary smooth shifts at any pace. Don't actually know where else I could share these thoughts, your vibe and your attitude really inspire to share. So thank you again for this channel and all your work that you put towards it! Hope to see your advice, Fred. P.S. It started as a couple of questions but grew up into this giant piece of comment, sorry for that x)

I've driven stick for more than 10 years but here I am learning and trying to get better, no shame in it. My Subaru STi is not very forgiving on half-ass shifting and so no shame in trying to get better, cool channel Casey!

12:14 uh oh you're not supposed to do that 🤭😄

English, female, manual GTS driver here. Not all English are so arrogant. I'm enjoying and appreciate your videos and advice

I wish I had a manual to drive!

A happy Casey video? I am in.

Would you be willing/able to do a "Just the Noise" video like Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire does? That song that thing sings makes me feel things.

Great video Casey. I'm a 19-year-old with a manual Honda Accord Euro (Acura TSX). Nothing like having a thrash in a low powered manual car!

When you do heel toe downshift so you still double clutch? I tried and it’s really hard

Clutchless shifting a motorcycle is simply amazing. Unfortunately ive never had a car with a proper dog box that you could clutchless shift with out doing damage. Hopefully I will one day. The last 2 minutes where absolutely hilarious. Keep up the great content. As a young person I absolutely love your channel. It shows you can have fun with cars and not need obnoxious amounts of money if you are willing do some hard work yourself.

hey casey can i hear your opinion in when to downshift into 1st while moving?

I’m from Italy; I drove stick shift cars daily in the last 28 years, but thanks to your teaching I’m still learning A LOT! Thank you also from my manual transmission Mustang ;-)

I like to speed shift my esprit and dump the clutch. I’ve also hit railroad tracks doing 90. Do you think my driving habits contribute to mechanical issues haha 😂 j/k

The vast amount of knowledge you have on manual is impressive. Much respect to you and the racing community, good sir!

One of the more intelligent videos on the subject I've ever seen. Plenty of videos out there telling you what to do but very few explaining why in anywhere near the depth and detail you have here. Keep it coming

I love learning from a guy that has been a kid (and admits it openly) and has been to the exteeme as with racing and building his own cars

I can’t get over how awesome that Viper looks! Those white wheels transform it

Real talk! Great video. I agree nothing beats driving a manual for a pure enjoyment level. No automatic is going to offer that.

I rebuilt the manual transmission on my 1G DSM a couple of years ago because it kept popping out of 1st gear every 4 out of 5 or so times. I taught myself to do it after months of research and asking questions online, using the proper tools (mostly 😉), and it turned out pretty well, transmission works fine now, no popping, smooth shifting, no weird noise,s etc. While I was at it I also replaced various other wear and tear parts "since I was already in there", like seals, bearings, pins, shifting forks, etc. I also put in some new spacers after using the solder gap method. I obviously also learned how a manual transmission works, especially the synchros, dog teeth, hubs/sleeves, etc. I had no idea about all that prior to this. It popped out of 1st because the 1st gear synchro, dog teeth and sleeve teeth were really worn and rounded, and the fork was worn down too, so there wasn't enough good metal left on contact surfaces to keep everything in gear under load. I had to replace all of those. The reason they wore down was because the clutch wasn't completely disengaging, which is bad across all shifts but especially into 1st because that's when the biggest "load shock" is applied to the synchro and dog teeth as you go from 0 to speed. And the reason that the clutch wasn't completely disengaging was because there was looseness in the clutch pedal and way too much play, which I also had to fix. Now everything's fine. The reason I'm posting this is to show just how bad it is for a manual transmission to not use the clutch, whether intentionally or because the clutch isn't disengaging fully or at all, when shifting. It's going to destroy your transmissions dog teeth, synchros and forks, and require a complete rebuild. Btw, as an aside, I know that it's generally ok to slip out of gear and into neutral without disengaging the clutch, but if you do this repeatedly, won't it also wear things down? I can think of at least two ways that it could wear down the dog teeth (let alone the synchros and forks). One, by applying excessive load to their outer sections as they slowly pull apart, forcing the sections still in contact to bear more and more of the input shaft load, which could conceivably bend or stress feacture the dog teeth. And two, by potentially chipping the dog teeth tips as the teeth finally lost contact, as even the slightest tolerance differential could lead to massive impact on those tips. Basically, not using the clutch turns your manual transmission into a massive impact wrench, which is obviously not good nor its intended purpose.

You have the best stick shifting techniques videoson RU-vid. Period.