Honda Car Forum

when it comes to driving a stick shift, do you ever get to the point where you are completely comfortable with it no matter what the situation (hills and traffic jams) im about to buy a car and i want a sporty one i been looking at the civic si. how long wil it take me to get the hang of it. im planning on getting the car on a friday so i can practice all weekend.umm homey i have driven once and what i remember is moving my left first and then my right because i was told clutch goes up first and as its going up i should start hitting gas.

I drove at stick in a truck at work for 12 yrs and a car for 5 yrs. it really depends on the person and how much time you practice. for me in about 3 weeks my driving was pretty good. within a year there's nothing you wouldn't be able to do. relax, stay focused, and believe.... you'll do fine

Drive it on the hills in San Francisco, believe me you will get the hang of it.

It doesn't take too long to get good at driving with a clutch. After you have been driving it exclusively for a few weeks, it will become second nature.

It is easy. When you drive it everyday, you will know automatically the feeling when to switch gear. You will get comfortable with it. I drive stick shift and I can talk, drive and even text messaging while driving. Enjoy your new car!

I learned to drive on a stick, and it took me about a month, but I was also learning how to drive at the same time. My husband was able to learn in about 2 hours, but it took him at least a year before it became effortless. You'll be fine if you realize that you are going to have to put more effort into driving for a while. My best advice is to practice in a cemetary. There are hills and streets, but very little traffic, especially the Sunday before Christmas. Starting on hills will be tricky for a while, try to avoid it while you are still learning, and practice balancing the clutch and the gas. You should be able to hold the car still on a hill without using the brake.

Been driving a stick since 1982. I don't even think about it. The current Civic is my 4th stick. I must have put on about 400K miles on all my stick shift cars all together.Yes it happens. But surpisingly fast. But like anything else, if don't really learn (or get comfortable) until you have your own car to "practice". If you just take lesson here and there, you will never learn.Good Luck.

Yes , you will become "completely comfortable" with the car. You will never want an automatic again ! (jk) How long it takes , well that all depends on you . A weekend certainly should be enough to get you headed in the right direction, but wont make you a master. One simple thought for you ...... Go slow ! practice letting the clutch out , with NO gas , dont worry , the car can do it ! Move the clutch pedal slowly so you can feel when it starts to engage . once you prove to yourself you dont have to mash the gas to keep from stalling , you will be more comfortable more quickly. This learning method will also be much better on your clutch in the beginning . I DONT RECOMMEND THIS ON THE STREET ! this is just a good way to get a feel for how a clutch acts.

You get used to it. When I was a kid my dad taught me how to drive with a manual transmission. He made me even stop at an incline and for a balance without touching the brakes. And I had to take off without touching the brakes or roll back either. You get so used to it you'll miss it. I will say every car feels a tad different then the other. So you'll work yourself into your car and it'll mold to your shifting style. Plan on 20 minutes to an hour depending on how fast you are on the uptake for driving on the street. In three months you'll barely notice it, and probably grab for it if your in an automatic car.

it wont take that long especially if thats your only car....it took me 2 days...and when you practice dont practice on flat street thats the easy part practice on hills and on your clutch control that'll get you to learn it faster...rememeber when driving stick "right before left" ( move your right foot before your left foot)