Save gas, $30,000 and your pride - learn to drive a stick shift

I feel talented. 25-30 MPG in my manual '95 Jetta (V6). Watching your accel and braking saves a ton of gas as well. It's ridiculous how many people practically race to red lights and stop signs.

I don't like automatics at all. With the manual, one has control of the engine. With a manual, one can anticipate ahead and shift up or down accordingly. When I shift, people cannot hear the difference because I do it skillfully at the right moment.

mmmmm....stick shifts....

im glad to be a part of this club :o)

city driving does get tedious but i live in New Hampshire so I'm all set most of the year.

Hellish? I don't agree. I think that it is better for some people to initially learn to drive on an automatic so they have one less thing to worry about, but learning to feather the clutch and shift gears is quite easy if you have the right person teaching you.

I taught my sister to drive a stick shift after my dad and mom both tried unsuccessfully for hours. It took me about five minutes to teach her. The problem she had was that she didn't know what "feathering" the clutch was, and my parents hadn't told her. They just kept telling her to feather the clutch.

Now I will admit it is true that some people cannot drive stick shift. My grandmother is one of those people. But she can't drive stick shift because she has developed a condition in which she cannot feel her foot very well, and therefor cannot tell how fast she is releasing the clutch.

Learning a stick was hellish, but once you do, it makes you feel much more in control behind the wheel (as well as heightens your focus on the task of DRIVING, instead of say, eating, talking on the phone, changing an Ipod . . . )

I learned to drive a 52 Chrysler stick shift when I was 16 in the late 60's. I don't mind going back to that if it will help the environment and my pocket book.

There are a few things one can do while driving an automatic.

1) shift into neutral when stopped. This unloads the drag of the torque converter and requires little or no brake peddle pressure which also lessens the loading of the power brake pump.

2) look ahead while driving in urban traffic and take your foot off the gas as soon as possible when you see a stop sign or light. Hybrids gain energy from allowing their electric motors to produce reverse EMF as part of the braking process. Every time you put your foot on the brake you are wasting gas.

yeah i've always driven stick. i know people will tell you as you get older it gets old, but meh, everybody's different. my grandfather drove them all his life and really it's just second nature once you're used to it. gotta love neutral

I drive a stick shift now, prefer the manual transmission, especially in winter, where it gives you better control in snow.

i don't even know how to drive manual

I'm amazed at the people who don't know how to drive one, my mom included. I made sure someone taught me how when I was 16.

This is classic from North Americans.
1. Be assured, your Automatic consumes at least 10% more.
2. The Engine is bigger, car is heavier, consumes a lot more.

Move to a Toyota TDI or Hybrid already.

Also, how about being done with Cars are expand and Improve Mass Transport?

Saving gas in a manual depends upon how a person drives. It the driver revs the piss out of the engine before each shift, then the gas milage will probably not be much better than an automatic, if it is at all better. However, if a driver shifts when in the power band of the engine, then he/she can have better gas milage in a stick shift.

The largest problem with automatic transmissions are the torque converter which uses power from the engine to power the pneumatic pressure within the transmission. In older cars, a torque converter used about 8% to 10% of the engines power. I'm not sure how much power the torque converters take from a car engine in modern cars, but it still kills some of the engines torque, requiring a little more gas to get your car up to speed.

Standard's are so much more fun anyways

Tell me something I don't know..

I've been driving stick since I got my car in '95, and I hate it. Automatic is the way to go.

Wow, I didn't know that. I wonder how they figured that one out. Can anybody explain? ^^;;;

but an automatic is so convenient!

I could've sworn the stickers on the new car windows always show the AT as getting better mileage than MT. Something about the smoother acceleration using less gas overall.

And if you give up Starbucks, you can save $100,000 over your lifetime?

I'm all for saving gas, but let's call a buck or two a day what it is.

I've always held the opinion that you don't know how to drive until you learn to operate a manual transmission.

Manual transmission is more fun except driving in San Francisco.

I just liked the title.

I had no idea that driving a manual car makes such a difference. I learned driving in Germany, where it is common to drive manuals, and I actually prefer it, so it is good to know that it is better for your wallet and the environment as well.

I get awesome gas mileage with my stick, thats why i got a manual and not an automatic

I'd rather pay $350 per year, not to shift. I feel bad about the waste of energy, but my clutch leg is terrible.