[Squidget]

Originally Posted by NewToM

Most of us learned on cars that were a lot less forgiving. You got it no problem.

Ooh! War stories. I got:

Sloppy steering-column-shifter (I think) '76 Cherokee with no synchros. I had to double-clutch it. (I do not remember if the Cherokee didn't have synchros, or if they were just toasted.)

And a second hand 80s era kawasaki (I forget the model, a RD350 maybe?). (I find motorcycles harder to shift than cars.)

But yeah, as a kid I managed to drive these deathtraps on snow. You'll be fine.

[gondolafanclub]

My current bike will do 96mph in first gear and has a quickshifter so I don't think the experience will transfer too much lol
I don't know how much you can ride the clutch on inclines or whatever. I am comfortable on bikes but almost no experience in stick cars

[NewToM]

Originally Posted by gondolafanclub

My current bike will do 96mph in first gear and has a quickshifter so I don't think the experience will transfer too much lol
I don't know how much you can ride the clutch on inclines or whatever. I am comfortable on bikes but almost no experience in stick cars

If I can manage it anyone can. I set a low floor.

[gondolafanclub]

Originally Posted by NewToM

If I can manage it anyone can. I set a low floor.

I'm scared to shift bro!
I'll just keep playing assetto and pretending for 6 months until my car gets to Greenville and then I have a 2 hour drive home to figure it out :^)

[Laguna Seca Blue]

Originally Posted by Mhrob24

I’m just getting tripped out by a lot of these threads recently regarding issues with the MT as well.

There is a driving academy near me that has a 2-hour manual transmission class for like $200, which isn’t bad

Driving a manual is a skill that some people develop better than others. The “issues” people experience are largely down to not quite having honed the craft.

Definitely recommend taking that class. There are many bad habits you can develop if you teach yourself.

[mrdudley]

My M2 was my first manual car. I did 3 hours of lessons before I picked mine up.

The last hour was with a very impatient instructor, but that ended up being great. He yelled at me every time I didn’t put my foot back on the dead pedal, so I learned quickly not to ride the clutch.

I live in San Francisco and the first 2 weeks was traumatic between hills and traffic. But I figured it out and love it.

[Mhrob24]

Originally Posted by mrdudley

My M2 was my first manual car. I did 3 hours of lessons before I picked mine up.

The last hour was with a very impatient instructor, but that ended up being great. He yelled at me every time I didn’t put my foot back on the dead pedal, so I learned quickly not to ride the clutch.

I live in San Francisco and the first 2 weeks was traumatic between hills and traffic. But I figured it out and love it.

Yeah I’m glad I went with the manual cause I think not only is the car going to be worth more in 5-6 years should I sell it after I pay it off, but it’s also ganna be way more fun.

My best friend was basically begging me to get the manual as well, and probably would have never let me live it down had I of went with the auto. He bought an automatic Rs5 back in 2022 and sold it after 8 months cause he missed the stick so much lol. So yeah, I think I’m going to have a much better driving experience once I get the technique down.

[mrdudley]

Originally Posted by Mhrob24

Yeah I’m glad I went with the manual cause I think not only is the car going to be worth more in 5-6 years should I sell it after I pay it off, but it’s also ganna be way more fun.

My best friend was basically begging me to get the manual as well, and probably would have never let me live it down had I of went with the auto. He bought an automatic Rs5 back in 2022 and sold it after 8 months cause he missed the stick so much lol. So yeah, I think I’m going to have a much better driving experience once I get the technique down.

I don’t have any plans to sell, so I got manual before they are gone. Happy with my choice.

You’ll pick it up in no time. The lessons were great. And to build confidence I would wake up early and practice hills when nobody was on the road. Helped a lot.

[kyrix1st]

Spend a weekend perfecting hill starts and smooth launches, and you are already half-way there. The car will let you know - e.g. engine feels lugged - when it does not like your executions.
After that, it's perfecting upshifts and downshifts using throttle blip for the latter. You may gradually switch off the aids to fully experience the driving purity.

[Del33]

I would personally prefer to learn on a beater instead of the M2 but regardless the M2 is about as easy as you get to operate. Are there places that rent manual cars that you could dedicate a weekend to learn? It will take more than a weekend actually but you could develop the muscle memory so that you're easier on the M2. Also this will sound really stupid but when I was younger before I even had my first manual car, I would sit on a chair pretend I was driving and go through the motions of clutch/accelerator work and shifting. It really helped when the time came to do it in the real world and felt familiar. I also found it easier to get the feel of where the engagement happens by doing launches. Mash the gas and let the clutch go and you learn really quick. Obviously in a safe location.

[Mhrob24]

Originally Posted by Del33

I would personally prefer to learn on a beater instead of the M2 but regardless the M2 is about as easy as you get to operate. Are there places that rent manual cars that you could dedicate a weekend to learn? It will take more than a weekend actually but you could develop the muscle memory so that you're easier on the M2. Also this will sound really stupid but when I was younger before I even had my first manual car, I would sit on a chair pretend I was driving and go through the motions of clutch/accelerator work and shifting. It really helped when the time came to do it in the real world and felt familiar. I also found it easier to get the feel of where the engagement happens by doing launches. Mash the gas and let the clutch go and you learn really quick. Obviously in a safe location.

lol it’s funny you mentioned the sitting in the chair thing, because I’ve been doing something similar.

I have a Lexus that’s ganna be my beater car over the winter, and it’s obviously not manual, but it’s an auto with paddle shifters. I’ve been driving it in “manual” mode lately and like practicing the heel-toe movements by just pressing my left foot on the foot rest pretending it’s a clutch pedal and then letting off the gas when I shift lol. Glad you said something cause now I don’t feel like a weirdo doing this…

But yeah idk about a place that rents them out, but there is a place nearby that is a stick shift academy (that’s literally the name of it lol) and you can keep paying and coming back to take 1-on-1 lessons. I’ll probably take 2, maybe even 3 lessons before I pickup the M2 in October.

[techwhiz1]

Originally Posted by gondolafanclub

My current bike will do 96mph in first gear and has a quickshifter so I don't think the experience will transfer too much lol
I don't know how much you can ride the clutch on inclines or whatever. I am comfortable on bikes but almost no experience in stick cars

What bike is that?

My S1000RR has a quick shifter but 96 in 1st gear? Nope

[gondolafanclub]

Originally Posted by techwhiz1

What bike is that?

My S1000RR has a quick shifter but 96 in 1st gear? Nope

Hm did you put the factory "torque optimized" tune on it? That lowers the rpm limit for each gear. This is a stock 2023 s1000rr

[techwhiz1]

Originally Posted by gondolafanclub

Hm did you put the factory "torque optimized" tune on it? That lowers the rpm limit for each gear. This is a stock 2023 s1000rr

I've never tried to see maximum speed in first.

Yes at the unlock service (600 m) I had the torque optimized map installed.

Mine is a 2023 with the M package.

Some cosmetic mods...

But back to M2 content.
If you can ride a motorcycle you already have the mental understanding of a clutch.

Although I have the "quick shifter"; I rode bikes without that for almost 40 years. I still grab the clutch out of habit. A quick shifter doesn't help on the line when using the clutch matters.

I think you'll be fine with an M2 with a manual.
You know not to lug the engine.
You know if it's stalling to give more gas.

It's just the coordination of your foot on the clutch and gas with the other foot.

[gondolafanclub]

Getting some time behind the wheel

[kyrix1st]

Originally Posted by techwhiz1

I've never tried to see maximum speed in first.

Yes at the unlock service (600 m) I had the torque optimized map installed.

Mine is a 2023 with the M package.

Some cosmetic mods...

But back to M2 content.
If you can ride a motorcycle you already have the mental understanding of a clutch.

Although I have the "quick shifter"; I rode bikes without that for almost 40 years. I still grab the clutch out of habit. A quick shifter doesn't help on the line when using the clutch matters.

I think you'll be fine with an M2 with a manual.
You know not to lug the engine.
You know if it's stalling to give more gas in the RIGHT GEAR because if not, it will lug the engine.

It's just the coordination of your foot on the clutch and gas with the other foot.

Added the last bit. Agreed with your other points.
In short, keep your engine rpm above 2,000 at all times in the lowest gear possible, and if using higher gear go very easy on the throttle.

[Justin.Es_]

Honestly, I was feeling the same exact way. Ordered my g87 Brooklyn grey manual. Started to have second thoughts thinking that it’s an expensive car to learn on. I have minor experience with a manual. But everyone learns somewhere.

The big thing I realized was, on a trip to Japan, I was lucky enough to drive a manual ‘87 Testarosa. Insane experience and one I’ll remember for my entire life. Didn’t stall once, but I did burn a little rubber coming out of the parking lot… But if someone is willing to let me drive their manual Ferrari with no power steering. I’ll be fine fully learning on a 2024.

You’ll be good. I’ll be good. We’ll all be good my friend.

[BRAKE!]

Go on Turo and see if someone has a manual car near you for rent. Driving a manual transmission has multiple levels; getting up and going is not a difficult thing to do, but you can turn it up to an art form which is orders of magnitude more difficult.

Great thing about modern manuals is that they really took care of the basic fear points;

- rolling backwards on a hill when trying to move forward in traffic - now there is hill assist where the car won’t move backwards for a few moments after you let off the brake

- you let off the clutch too early and stall - just press the clutch again and the car will automatically re-start

- you are downshifting and your car lurches because you didn’t rev match - car now has auto rev match

The one thing you want to be careful of initially is shifting while going fast. This is when the dreaded money shift occurs (e.g. accidentally going into a lower gear while accelerating and over revving the hell out of the engine). This can be mitigated by 1) shifting deliberately and with intention (not just yanking on the shift knob Dominic Toretto style) and 2) don’t go fast until you learn manual the right way.

At the end of the day, good on you for getting a manual car. It’s so much more engaging than an auto and you get to improve your skill which is much more rewarding and fun than having a fast car.

PS all cars at the performance center are automatics

[RobM2]

The auto-rev-match also helps you avoid accidentally shifting into the wrong gear — if you accidentally downshift to third when you meant to upshift to fifth, the engine blip will let you know before you release the clutch.

(And since the engine isn't under load yet the blip isn't such a big deal)

[Mhrob24]

Well everyone I did go with the manual lol…I took it home today. I live about 75 mins from the dealer and it was during rush hour, so I brought a good friend who drives a stick Camaro 1LE to drive it home for me lol. He stopped like 5 miles away from my house and forced me to drive it the rest of the way though 😂. Definitely stalled her out a few times so far but hopefully I can eliminate these occurrences soon lol.

I did take a manual transmission course on Sunday. It was 3 hours and pretty in depth. Did engine braking around turns instead of slowing down with the brake, practiced up-hill starts, etc. Shifting while the car is going is easy; it’s taking off from a stop that is screwing me lol. That’s the hardest part for me.

Anyway, pics below! Super excited!

[two_three_two]

Originally Posted by Mhrob24

He stopped like 5 miles away from my house and forced me to drive it the rest of the way though 😂. Definitely stalled her out a few times so far but hopefully I can eliminate these occurrences soon lol.

it’s taking off from a stop that is screwing me lol. That’s the hardest part for me.

Anyway, pics below! Super excited!

congratulations. you made a great choice with skyscraper and a stick IMHO.

thats a good friend forcing you to try. you'll get it. the car is not that tough to drive with all the torque. i give it a week before you're all good.

[LAGWAGN]

Originally Posted by NewToM

While I am sure the car is amazing with the 8 speed, I am very happy with my manual. Almost had the car a year and still make up excuses most days to drive it. Needed limes today badly….

Late to this comment, but hits home! I’ll usually go to the Whole Foods that’s a bit further away to pick up whatever made up necessity I have for the day.