Camover

I still haven't gotten my car yet but I'm just wondering....is it hard to master a stick? I mean, I drove my friend's M5 and I can drive it basically, but is it a hard thing to parallel park with it, have a good launch with it, go around a turn quickly, etc....

Are some things with a manual just too hard to learn?

DaGeneral

iTrader: (3)

Nope.

It will take a while to get fully comfortable(in my case a clutch ) with it if you're relatively new,but once you get the hang of it, there's no looking back. It is loads more fun than an A4.

Z28LS1camaroguy

iTrader: (3)

its easy to get use to, just got to know the basics and then go from there.

slingshot928

My acura integra had a 5 speed in it, the only reason i got the a4 is because I bang gears way to hard and would pay alot of money out for a t56 that is built for my car...lol..it really is alot of fun for a weekend driver. Traffic sucks though sometimes.

LS1SS01

all you have to do is practice..its not hard to get a good launch but its not gonna happen on your first try

SladeX

I parallel park and reverse park with my stick car as easily as I did with my auto car. I actually find it easier because you can crawl a lot slower than an auto. Keep in mind this really sucks for the clutch. I find you can handle turns better because you can keep the engine in it's powerband with a stick a lot easier than an auto can.

Few times though that sticks are an issue, less you are doing the 1/4 mile, you will NOT launch faster than auto cars, and even then getting that launch down takes a lot of practice. So stop light to stoplight, moving in a parking lot, making that quick lane change in bumper to bumper, you have to be a few steps ahead of what you plan to do (ie slip or not, which gear should I be in etc) unlike an auto which goes from think to stab pedal now very quickly.

Hills + bumper to bumper traffic = please don't roll into car behind me mini prayer each time you want to move.

Stop and go traffic = calves getting one hell of a workout

Going from a roll is fun ONLY if you are already in the gear you want to race in, that spontaneous auto "let's go NOW"! can lead to bad things when you try to do a quick 6 to 3 or 6 to 4 shift and end up in either 2nd or 1st. Always follow the shift pattern up or down. Besides, nothing sounds more bad *** before a roll when your car preps itself by doing 6-5, then 5-4... then surprising with a 4-3 downshift heh

Fbodyfan

It had been 20 years since I had owned a stick, when I purchased my M6 Z-28 a few months ago. After two days, I swore that I would never own an auto again. That said, it is harder to manuver in tight spaces. I would recommend you leave parallel parking alone until you get more comfortable with the clutch. With their low end torque, these cars have to be one of the easiest manuals to learn.

Snowman2K1

iTrader: (1)

i learned how to drive stick in my camaro that i bought 2 months when i bought although i had an idea from driving my friends f body's...yeah i stalled a couple times but now i comfortable with it..dont let a few mistakes discourage you..all you need is practice and this is coming from someone who thought they can never drive stick

I Go To Costco

iTrader: (1)

Easy to learn, yes. Hard to master? Definitely a yes.

Powershifting and banging the gears is relatively easy once you get the hang of it and have been driving standard for a while. Mastering all the aspects and advanced techniques (including powershifting) is pretty hard.

What I mean by this is you'll find its almost impossible to consistently have a buttery-smooth, ordinary takeoff from a stoplight, have a perfect, no-stutter/hesistation shift from 1-2 and 2-3, and other things. Parallel parking just varies in general. In my old 5-speed Integra, it was easy to parallel, reverse, etc because it was a small car. I've had to adjust to my Camaro with its long sloping hood and size.

Eventually you'll notice your passengers heads bobbing each time you make a shift. You don't notice it at all when you're the passenger, but if you're like me, while driving it bugs the hell out of me for some reason. Because of that I try to make all my shifts as smooth as possible. And you'll come to find that there are fewer things as rewarding as making the PERFECT takeoff, perfect shift, etc. while driving. It also takes patience, which sounds silly because the actual shifting process takes less than ~5 seconds but you'll see what I mean.

Don't be afraid. You'll be uncomfortable for the first 2 weeks, then you'll have some confidence. After 2-4 months your shifting should be solid and smooth. It helps to ride in a car with an experienced veteran, they can give you some pointers. My dad has driven manuals for 40+ years and with his guidance, he even commended me that I could shift smoother than him.

kevin's_00ss

Dont do it, stick to the dark side.

Chase22

iTrader: (1)

Got my manual a week ago, it was really rough the first couple of days. Now it's just as easy as driving an auto

RedRallyeZ

iTrader: (20)

my camaro is an a4, but my little mitsubishi might-max is a 5spd.

i cant imagine any car being harder to learn to drive in (as long as its got synchros) that has ZERO torque and ZERO feel of the clutch, i still drive it every once in awhile, its ok, but any f-body should be easier to drive than that one

OMGWTFBODY

iTrader: (5)

Easy to drive, hard to be good.

SladeX

wouldn't recommend trying powershifting until you get the concept of speed shifting down first in order to get accustomed to the shift pattern. Nothing worse than powershifting into the wrong gear...

launching from a light isn't that hard, you'll find yourself being able to do that within a few days, getting it stutter free takes some time, more slip = smoother take off, but you want to focus on preserving the clutch not some momentary comfort.

Shifting between gears if done quick enough and with proper rev matching can be made fairly smooth. With time you'll get used to feeling when it's time to release the clutch as you are selecting gears, after a few months I had it down that I could just choose a gear and like instinct release the clutch and it'd be within 100-200 rpm of where it was supposed to be at. 300-500rpm difference will give you a small nudge forward or backward depending on how off you are.

Another thing to note is that heavier clutches make daily driving a lot easier, the LS7/LS2 combo has that extra bit of weight that gives you a broader range to work with because of the extra momentum it carries. So now a 500rpm difference in engine/trans isn't as bad as it used to be for me.

99HorseSlayer

iTrader: (1)

In 2003 i had a five speed four banger truck, hurricane charley took that truck from me just a few months later.I had all auto's after that until last year when I bought my m6 z.I bought it without even test driving it.The day I picked it up it was pouring down rain.It was a bit nerve racking for the first ten mins or so but it wasnt all that bad. All I can tell you is if you're even CONSIDERING a stick DO NOT get an auto, you will NEVER be happy.Like said above, once you get a stick there is no looking back. Good luck bud, hope ya make the right decision for you.

DaGeneral

iTrader: (3)

But hilarious sig

HDNVALLEY

As others have said, learning to drive a manual isn't too hard. Learning to drive it well can be more difficult. I'd suggest siting in your car in the driveway or a parking spot and shifting between the gears to get a feel for the location of the 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6 gears as well as the spring loading which centers the shift lever at the 3-4 gears. Go to a little traveled street with a small hill and practice starting out using the parking brake to prevent you from rolling backward when you start. With time and practice your skill and smoothness will improve.

2002ls1a4

When I started looking for my 1st F-body about 2 years ago all I would look at were the 6 speed cars because I wanted the something fun to drive with most of them being pretty beat up. The last one I looked at didnt say in the ad what it had. When I got there and saw it was an a4 I almost walked away, but after driving it and the guy was desparate to sell I got a good deal and bought it. Now after installing all bolt ons and a stall I will never look to buy a 6 speed. I have yet to be beat by a 6 speed with similar mods as I have.

Camover

But for speed only, an auto would be a better choice?

Oh man, so many things to consider, lol.

2002ls1a4

A stalled auto will almost always get the jump on an m6 off the the line, while an m6 will usually have better mph. I only race at the track so I have the advantage of all my races being from a dead stop. If I were to have a street race, on the highway an m6 would probably pull away from me at least until I hit the nitrous.