I found perfect analogy on how to use clutch when you wanna start from standstill. Release clutch just like you try to release silent fart on a date :D
The other one I like to use is actually with a PS4/Xbox controller and if I have it with me when I'm teaching my friends, it's great to use as a visual illustration. "You see my finger on the LT/L1 button holding it in? SLOWLY copy me with your foot when it comes to letting the clutch pedal out."
"Let the car talk to you" That's the key. When I was first learning how to drive a stick, nothing anyone ever said made any sense. A manual transmission is a completely tactile experience. There's a lot going on, and very few people can explain it well. Just be patient and pay attention, and you'll have it down in a few weeks.
Intuition really goes a long way. I’ve had my 2022 Subaru BRZ, as a new manual driver, for less than a week and I’m already starting to climb my throttle to try to match my shifts as well as I can to the proper RPM as they drop on clutches. It’s not as easy as, 2000 to 2nd, 3000 to 3rd because every speed will need a different match, but it’s fun to figure out and I feel accomplished when I feel those perfect shifts.
God I hope so. I've been driving stick for 7 days now - the last 5 on an inherited 2000 BMW m roadster with 325 hp. I'm getting better, and I watch Casey's videos everyday. Then I talk about them with my late husband's friend who is teaching me.
As a european guy, I AM going to take shifting advice from a yank, just to be a contrarian! In all seriousness though, there's always something to learn, and I always walk away (okay still sitting on my ass) from Casey's videos having learnt something new.
Another Euro here. He explains it well, but those trying for the first time are still in for a few surprises (and maybe even a sore left knee!). The clutch game is annoying at first, but after a while it becomes so stupidly easy that you don't even realize you're doing it while driving inside a city.
Uhh so I found this channel because I got a manual shift car, now a year later, I still love watching this. Thank you for helping me be a better driver Casey.
I love feathering the clutch in my Viper. Its an art creeping down main St here in Huntington Beach at 4 mph with out the car studdering. Im so glad i learned stick at age 16 in a 1988 Toyota Carolla:)
Some modern stick shifts are faster than CVT offerings, at least with my honda fit, lol. I think it gets a whole second on the 0-60 time between the CVT and manual. I guess that losses in the transmission make a big difference when you have like 130HP.
@@liamf3647 This is of course very asinine. Why deal with fragile CVTs if they negate the one advantage of them to make them seem like ....non-fragile actual gears anyway? It's like that thing they do with piping in simulated engine noise. I'm like, 'Screw that, I want to drive with the windows down and the stereo playing and I don't care if my car is loud enough, I want to hear *my* car not someone else's! (Also, yeah, New England gal is like 'AC problematic?' Or AC not problematic? Let's delete!' Even in the South. ) Meanwhile I think if I tried buying a new car they'd be really alarmed if I rolled the windows down. "Wait, what? But you will not have the full... "Hey. If I don't see snow accumulation on my armrest, my windows are open, sport."
Hi Casey, I noticed most your videos are more guided towards beginners. I was hoping you could make a more advance video, maybe for aspiring circuit racers and just maybe get your thoughts and advice on things like trail braking, traction circles, slip angles, when you should brake, when you should be throttle, how should the those things overlap, how to be smooth, but quick, ect.. thanks for reading.
When I started driving manual for the first-time, I was so focused on the tachometer and still stalling and rough with my shifts. Until I just tried to do it by listening to the car and feel the clutch slip and engage. That's when it clicked, and I got much smoother at driving & shifting.
The thing I found looking at used cars for my daughter was the manuals are cheaper and low mileage. I read the transmission of manuals can last up to 300k Niles. So they can last a long time. Great video I got my daughter watching them. Bravo!
I think you should do a video explaining how to approach manuals from different cars. Like 5 different, distinct cars. 1. Low Torque 4 cylinder Commuter Compact 2. Full Size Family/Luxury Sedan V6 or V8 3. Diesal/Large Displacement Truck 4. High Horsepower/ High Torque Muscle/Sports Car 5. Low Displacement/High Revving Compact Sports Car I feel like due to drastically different aero, weight, power numbers, gears, purpose of use will mean approaching these in a manual will be far different and covering these different types of cars will pretty much cover anything except a commercial/agricultural vehicle.
I heel-toe downshift down to first gear at every stop, every red light, in traffic too. The tactile feedback through my whole body paired with the sound it gives when you do it properly is just too satisfying and fun to me. It never feels like a task, people look at me weird sometimes, first gear can be loud but who cares I'm having a blast!
at 3:00 when he's talking about why to drive stick. when i told my friends i want to get a stick shift car and they said why, all i could really say was that its more fun to drive. glad that sentiment is shared
I have lived in PA all my life . After finally traveling, I have learned that it is the car dealership that orders the cars in automatic to sell . And the general public getting lazy. In traveling. I have seen more standard vehicles south towards Texas and in Mexico where I've been lately. I have learned that even the newer common cars still come in standard not just in automatic. So glad to have learned to drive standard. I love it much better and it is my fevered choice of vehicles. Absolutely great video for everyone. Great topic. I think that all kids should learn. Harder these days. 👍👍 great job Casey.
One of the basics my driving instructor gave me was seating position, not lying down like any racer kid or sitting with my nose mere inches away from my steering wheel, same with sitting to high with your head against the roof or too low so you alsmost don't see over the dashboard. And also good mirror positioning. If you don't see where you are going and around you and don't have good control of the car (a.k.a bad seating position) controling a car can be hard.
I’m european. You give awesome tips! 24year behind wheel. First half with manual and the other half with automatic. Love automatic but sometimes have to drive manual because of work etc. Great tips to remind me what to do. Greetings from Finland!
Thank you for the helpful video! I'm a 17 year old with a manual transmission 2003 toyota camry. I've been really enjoying the connection a manual transmission gives to the driving experience and it definitely makes it more enjoyable. Always a pleasure hearing your viewpoint on this beautiful hobby and I wish you all the best of luck!
That's awesome! I really like that Camry generation, my parents had one when I was a teenager. Took my road test in it haha (automatic of course). Great to see today's teens still appreciate the stick shift connection
So glad my 2017 Vette has a manual gearbox! It's a blast to drive daily and I plan on keeping it for many years...putting many miles on it! At 54 years old, it will likely be my last car with a manual.
I confessed in one of your earlier videos on this subject that even though I've been stickshift enabled since 1983 I never really bothered to learn heel-toe downshift. Since I got back into owning a couple of stick cars last year I've decided I need to learn that skill. I originally didn't get what the big deal was but now when I do pull it off correctly it's soooo nice. My eldest is 15 now and has been learning in the automatic family sedan. It's just about time to start teaching him on the Miata.
Got my first stick-shift a few months ago, still feel like an idiot sometimes. I still can't seem to get a consistently smooth 1-2 shift. There's also some kind of creaking noise in first gear and also from 1-2?? Not sure what's going on there.
@@therealgmoney9866 The thing is, it's a Honda transmission with only 20k miles on it. So I don't know if this is a noise to be concerned about, or one of the "they all make that noise" sounds.
Embarrasingly, I was having trouble in a low-mileage FR-S, moving from 1st to 2nd or downshifting at lower speeds. I thought I was just going to have to get used to the jerkiness until I realized I wasn't pressing in the clutch ALL the way, but more like 95-98%. It felt like 100%, but I tried pushing a little harder one day when shifting, and it was suddenly perfect. I then realized I was being lazy in my clutch in and out, and not pressing it in fully was enough to upset the transitions. Sometimes you might think you're doing everything right, but one little change to how you work the drivetrain can make all the difference.
Moved to Seattle for work and had a f150 with a 5.4 v8 and everything was too spaced out, got a 01 vw jetta 2.0l 5 speed and was having trouble figuring out how to shift, ur vids have helped a tremendousamount and I just want to thank you for taking the time to help others learn and become better drivers, ur vids helped a ton, still need a lot of practice but ur helping go in the right direction
Amen to all, especially leaving the car in neutral when stopped. My Dad originally taught me to keep the clutch in at lights, and the clutch wear on my first cars was ridiculous. Since I changed that habit, my cluttches last forever. And yeah, I got a smokin' deal on my manual Mazda--the dealer couldn't sell it, and offered at a low price to me rather than going to auction. :)
Great video Casey, once you go stick you can never go back. I learned on my family’s VW dune buggy then picked up a 89 C4 vett. If it wasn’t for the 6 speed ZF it would be a total bore, you just feel so much more connected to the car with a manual.
Im from England. Im 21 and have been getting into cars. I am driving my first car (a Peugeot 207, I know I know aha) I have been trying all the techniques for the last year and have become much smoother and even faster-using rev-matching. Thank you for such a basic and informative video!. Keep it up.
So basically when coming to a full stop: you let go of gas, tap on brake, and when RPM is low enough (1500 ish) you clutch in and put in Neutral until you hit full stop, then you just let out clutch and wait till green light. and when half to a full stop and green light appeared/ don't know when green light is on: you downshift a few and just maintain RPM so you can take off whenever the light changes. Hopefully i got this right haha
Yeah basically. Main point is don't put the shifter into a gear that's too low for your speed (even if you don't release the clutch), and don't let the revs get pushed too low on slowing. You can make it 1000 RPM, or 800, or 2000. Oh and don't accelerate at too low of an RPM (lugging the engine is not good). This means if you're approaching a red, it turns green while you're still going like 6mph, you may need to give it a bit of a rev and slip the clutch a tad to pull the car back up to a speed that won't lug the engine in 1st gear. Basically like you're starting from 0mph, but... less pronounced. You'll get it.
I gotta try the up shifting method. I decelerate and rock a little and now i know why. Not staying on the gas enough to shift to the next gear. I was always taught to never gas it when shifting up.
I've been thinking about getting a manual car and I don't have much experience with them. This vid gave me a lot of the info I was wondering about day to day driving, so thank you.
Thank you Casey for your tips and videos on driving stick. I am 37 and because of the way things have gone in my life, I have been unable to drive a stick car until now. My daily driver car is 2018 Golf 5speed manual. Thanks Casey your tips and videos are appreciated
I'm going back to manual after 20 years on Auto. Learned to drive on manual and did 15 years of it prior to Auto. Getting latest Suzuki Swift Sport in July. Cant wait to get back to manual. Just found you and love your content. I'm Italian and in Australia... Subscribed !
True, I get so much of shit from yanks everyday for driving manual, I never thought I'd click a video made by an American on driving technique. Your tips are really to the point, just what I needed.
Another thing you didn't mention about holding the clutch in at a stop light is that it's putting all that clutch pressure against the engine's thrust bearing possibly wearing it prematurely... Great video...
In a manual, I control the car, car isn't controlling me. I bought my son an 01 Civic coupe manual, I figure it'll keep his attention in the moment, therefore optimally safer.
Yes. Although I live in Europe and almost all of my cars were stick shift for more then 30 years, it’s still interesting to watch you teach the basics. I have to say that now, in Europe, it’s a mix bag. Lots of automatics (actually my car is automatic) but still lots of stick shift. You still learn in manual geral box cars, so everyone can still drive stick shift cars.
Casey, really enjoying the clutching episodes. The two things I have added to my shifting (thanks to the vids) leaving your heal on the floor while operating the clutch in and out. Second, coasting into my parking spot at work... I wish I hadn't see you do that...HAHA
Same. Watched before biting into a 2nd gen BRZ and still watching cuz it’s just too good. A 370z was a strong consideration, but it needs a refresh badly and it’s hard to find a good one on the cheap.
Refreshers are always great. Can't wait to continue practicing heel toe (I finally worked up the balls to try it at first in my Eclipse but the pedal placement sucked so I had to learn in my 95 Civic) and master it like I have with rev matching.
My first manual car has rev-matching, cool feature, but it kinda takes some of the skill away. (Not that I couldn’t try it anyways, just makes it smoother)
Thanks for the video, Casey! One thing that’s difficult is going from one manual to the next. I have a C6 Z06 which has a very different clutch than my 2004 and 2016 mini Cooper S. They all feel way different but I love driving manual so I couldn’t get an auto. It’s just boring to me. Even having driven manual for about 12 years now, I learned a lot from your videos still. Coming up to turns I didn’t realize I could be wearing the sycros out by downshifting but maybe I’ll start keeping it in gear. I never downshift to first, but I’ll go from 5th to 3rd or 2nd sometimes. Another part I still struggle with is how much gas to give it when downshifting. Sometimes I do a big blip and i probably don’t need to.
Part of the appeal of driving a manual is that every car likes to be driven a bit differently. It's like getting to know each other until you find out what each of you likes. I sent this to my son who is has his permit. He will have his first seat time this weekend. Thanks Casey!
I double declutch in my '86 since my feet are too big to heel toe and the pedal placement/brake feel. Over time, you get really fast. Good to do on things like 6liter diablos due to the nature of the gearbox and clutch
Learned this from guys who have been racing 20-30+ years, at least for seat and wheel position. Sit/lean all the way back in your seat, point your arms out straight, and your wrists should be able to sit on top of the steering wheel. Adjust as necessary if that’s uncomfortable.
Gear stick win's all day long that's why all the customers of the murray t50 wanted a gear stick. and good advice for letting the clutch out tense calf muscle. Also having the correct seating position is very important. Again never go round a corner with the clutch in and you can use the clutch to slow the vehicle down.
Driving stick is easy, done it for decades now. It's all about peddle management and smooth gear engagement.. A stick makes all situations more fun. I had only two choices for a body on frame manual and didn't want a fiat. I do double clutch for downshift since it saves the syncros and makes the toyota transmission take the gear better. I recommend most people learn on a honda as their transmissions are extremely forgiving.
I'm using a full manual racing simulator with VR to teach myself to drive at the moment. I'm aware it's not a complete solution but it helps when I don't have regular access to a car
@@fila1445 obtaining the car is not the issue, insuring the car is the issue because £600 for a car is not unreasonable, but £4000 per year to insure it immediately makes the price way too high, my simulator is currently at about £1500 and it's partly custom built
Best piece of advice for a newbie driver, you are not, not ever will be, as good as you think you are at driving. Hardest lesson to learn too. Every car accident ever had a person behind the wheel who thought they were better than they were. Why would you be different when they all thought they were too? Real world driving is about assessing risk , other road users, and conditions, impossible to do on a sim. Drive two mistakes below any ability you or your car has for the conditions is a good rule of thumb, someone else fecks up, you respond incorrectly to their mistake, accident still avoided.
@@ForeverNeverwhere1 I am already aware of this advice, and it applies to pretty much everything in life. There's a difference between knowing a lot about something or being good at something and being good or knowledgeable enough to know that you know nothing
Shifting gears become a completely natural movement. I still occasionally smash my left foot into the floor while reaching for the shifter, while driving my wife's auto.
I'm gonna have my son watch this. Hrs out with mom right now going around town in the family car, but he wants to learn stick cuz ya know... dad here is a manual guy
I owned a 1986 Audi Coupe GT that had the smoothest 5 spd I’ve ever owned. It was a non turbo, Quattro front wheel drive car. I was told that this shared the same transmission as the 944.
When in a traffic jam with stop and go conditions, try to estimate the average speed and maintain it so your left leg doesn't start to hurt. If your leg hurts too much, fight the impulse to abandon your vehicle and keep torturing your leg until you can safely come to a stop.
Hi Casey! Love your content. One of these days can you make a video on some great first time project cars for beginners? Your favorite list, tips, etc.?
Hey Casey! In your defence, that '84 probably doesn't have an airbag anyway does it?? Plus...WHO CARES WHAT PEOPLE THINK!!! Great video. Just got back into a stick after a long time. Love it. 2020 VW GLI. Fun car but I think I'll look for a RWD stick next time. Cheers.
Hey casey, love the stick shift videos. Do you think engine breaking through each gear is a good thing to do? I know in this vid you mentioned just breaking in gear then going to neutral. But I've always gone down through each gear most of the time when decelerating and ofc that amount of engine braking will save your brakes somewhat, but I've heard people argue it's at the expense of your clutch. And brakes are cheap and clutches aren't. But the clutch my dad and I drove lasted 300k miles. Wanted your opinion. Also is it fine to float gears if you don't grind them?
As a European I love listening to Americans to about stick shift as some sort of holy grail transmission that needs advice, we and our aged grannies pretty much all drive stick shift and know nothing else.
There's like whole generations now that just haven't as likely had a lot of chances to even drive stick, cause of sheer availability, really. Especially since lockup automatics got common and kind of mitigated the gas mileage issues that meant there'd be a lot more manual Toyotas and the like till the 80's.
@@OllamhDrab I completely agree. I am 17 and none of my friends have stick cars nor do I. I bought Logitech racing sim and have practiced on my own, but it is not the same as driving a real manual car. I would absolutely love to learn on a real car, but there is no availability where I am.
@@ErikTS i asked my uncle who had a car eith a stick if he would be willing to teach me in his car just for the knowledgr of it. Bought my first manual car 1 year later
@@mga149 I lived in America for a bit, I only drove stick ; Accord, Hellcat ( sadly not mine, my partners) VW golf clipper and a Mitsubishi VR4. It never crossed my mind they were hard to find, because they weren’t.
Tangential comment: my old Volvo's got an automatic and sometimes I really notice my left foot's just hanging out in space and gets restless especially at intersections, cause given my size the footboards are pretty far away on that side, even if the pedals are right. So I'd like to improvise a nice footrest out of something, and I've been wanting suggestions. (Also I might want to just thicken my gas pedal a little with some kind of accessory thingie cause it's otherwise set up OK but I wouldn't mind that being a tad closer.) I've been less picky about this cause it seems a manual swap is always just a year and a half away. (meanwhile, eight years later... :) )
Disliked my bro’s m240i gas pedal cuz it hugs the wall. It’s an auto tho so it’s not like you need precision but it makes it harder to tell how depressed it is. My jobs new escape has the pedal also too close to a panel and my shoe kinda gets pinched sometimes…who the hell thought…
