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Have her take off her shoes while driving. She will be able to feel the engagement point much better. Also, If she feels like she is going to stall, Have Her push the clutch back in. She should begin to realize this is where she need to add more gas.
If she can get the car moving and is grinding gears 2-4, You should then consider teaching her on another car. Driving school to learn stick is a waste of money and would probably make her more nervous than having you sit in the car with her.
Make sure she gets comfortable where to upshift before she even tries to downshift. That is when you can really damage your car
Originally Posted by Saki GT,Apr 24 2006, 12:18 AM
Yes, idling. There is no need for her to go anywhere at speed, since she should be focused on the process, not the road. Go find a big parking lot that is not being used. (Church not on Sunday, a school not during the week, mall after closing, etc). The car should be motionless, but running, and its three basic steps.
1 - push in clutch (all the way)
2 - put shifter into 1
3 - slowly let out clutch pedal, and experience car take up (feel clutch engage, feel engine react, feel car move, watch rpms dip, etc)
Learning to use one's left foot takes practice - she already know how to apply gas, and trying to use both feet is difficukt at first, so eliminate it from the process. Same goes for shifting from 1 to 2, hills, traffic, radio, etc - simplify the process and she'll focus on the keys much more easily. Also, be patient - remember its frustrating to learn.
Yea that's probably the best way to teach her. I remember last summer when I went to the dealership with my friend to pick up his new 05 S2k. I had to drive it back to SI because he had no clue how to drive stick. I used the same method Saki GT described and a half hour later he was fine. It's also a lot easier on the tranny as opposed to teaching her to use all three pedals at once. Find an large empty parking lot. However, be prepared to spend about an hour teaching her in order for her to feel really comfortable.
04-24-2006 | 10:50 AM
