Quote:
Originally Posted by slick3
This car has tons of torque. EASY. Dont be afraid of the clutch, although they may seem small, these clutches in new cars are pretty tough. Rev matching will help you big time. Hell the car can practically drive itself if you know what pedal to press. Drive the car in sport mode, the pedal is a little more sensitive and in my opinion easier to drive like that, it negates some of that dead pedal feel the first few percent.
You will be fine. I knew how to drive stick before I got my S197 5.0 but never owned a stick car. About a month in it was no longer even being thought about. Avoid big hills if you can and bumper to bumper traffic while you get the hang of it. Once you get it rolling in first, the rest is gravy. You will love the car, the Tremec is a beautiful transmission, enjoy!
EDIT: I disagree with most everyone about learning before you buy. The only way to learn YOUR car is to drive YOUR car. If you know the process of how to drive stick, then outside of that, every car is different. For you to go drive an 88 civic to practice on, then jump in a 450hp RWD car is going to be night and day difference regardless if you know the process or not, the clutch will be different, the pedal will be different, gear box is tighter, everything.
Only thing I can say is if you get in this car at the dealer and look at the 3rd pedal and ask whats its for, then you might want to hold off.
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I agree, the torque of the new cars makes them ideal for learning in my opinion. If you are revving the engine up and dropping the clutch you can certainly get yourself into trouble, but if you can release the clutch slowly and smoothly, you won't need to give it any gas unless you are on a hill. I learned multiple times on 4 cylinder light duty pickup trucks in the early nineties and was never comfortable. My 99 SS was the first car I owned with a manual and it was so much more forgiving than a little anemic 4cyl that would stall if the revs weren't maintained exactly. I agree with others who have said that having someone else drive it home might be beneficial. When people at the dealership are watching you leave or people are sitting behind you at a red light you will feel pressure and that can mess you up. The worst is when someone pulls up right behind you at a stoplight on a hill. You feel like if you roll back at all you will hit them. That's pressure.
Once you get comfortable with where the clutch engages though you will have no problems.