Those with Manual Transmission...why?

I started out with a manual when I was like 7 or 8 shifting the gear while my dad or sister clutched, and I've driven RHD cars before. Oddly, the difficult part for me isn't running through the gears, it's stabilizing the wheel with my right hand. I can do it, it's not difficult, it just feels awkward.

Never seen a vehicle with a clutch for a right leg so that would take some thinking. I imagine it would be similar to left-foot braking, you get a feel for it, and then just go with it. Using the same foot for both clutch and brake sounds super dangerous, though.

Manuals actually offer some advantages in these conditions. Putting a vehicle in drive (in my experience) puts a lot more power down when you're trying to coast. You can put it in 1st or 2nd and have some more control, but it usually has a higher throttle input at idle which lends to spinning tires a little more. With a manual, you can just put in the clutch, you can shift into a higher gear and putt along, you can downshift more smoothly, and if you get stuck on an icy hill, you can hit the clutch start cancel button and crawl up it.

 

Big trick for stopping better on icy roads in an auto is to put it in neutral. Pushing in a clutch does the same thing. Engine braking works much better for control in slick stuff and going down hills without locking up the front wheels and loosing steering. Start out in a gear higher to control wheel slip. I’ll take a stick 100% of the time in winter conditions.

 

It's obvious by all their dissected responses the auto guys just don't get the MT preference despite never owning one. Not worth my time to educate them.

 

Again... no issue.
A manual provides better control in each of these cases...

Wanna try another version of what you really really meant to say?

 

Hey guys, I am just about to buy my first vehicle, and I know that the Tacoma is the only option. I'm 18 now, and for the past 3 years, my dream has always been to have a tacoma. I found a 2015 MT white double cab, that I am keeping my eye on closely. Wondering if a manual truck is really the best option for a first vehicle? I have had no experience driving a manual before, but it looks like fun. One of my biggest concerns is that where I go camping, the road that leads down to the campsite is relatively long, extremely narrow, a sharp drop-off to the right, and probably at least a 45 degree angle, and I am scared to drive an auto up that hill, much more a manual (going down is less of a concern, as I have done that multiple times and is not as stressful).

 

Yes better controll but I still don't want to drive a manual transmission on ice.


I'll agree to disagree... If I had a video link to one of those ring cameras of people falling down their steps in the ice... I'd post it!

 

I am sure a lot of us in this thread had a manual as our first vehicle. It'll take some time to learn, but it'll become second nature, so I wouldn't worry about that. It's more a matter of whether you enjoy it or not.

As for the hill, it's not really a problem unless you stop halfway up the hill. If you do, as you get used to driving, you may roll back a lot and feel uncomfortable, or you may stall a few times, but soon enough it'll become second nature as well. And you can also hit the Clutch Start Cancel button and let the starter climb your way up the hill if you do have to stop in the middle, and can't get going. Though I wouldn't recommend relying on this all the time as it does put a significant load on the starter.

 

My wife's first new car was a Geo Metro sedan 5MT. She learned to drive it in the dealer's lot. We met not long after she got it and she was really good with it and our other MTs in all kinds of weather.


Just like the past few posts, the terrain is not a real deciding factor on AT versus MT. But, it is about what you're more comfortable with.


For me, there has not been a situation over my driving life where I thought: "Damn, I wish I had an AT." The opposite is said nearly every time I get in an AT though. Frustration seeps in the moment the lever is pulled out of park.

 

The key is getting someone that knows what they're doing to teach you. Bad habits at the beginning can be expensive later.

As far as climbing the hill goes, a general guideline is to us the same gear going up as you used going down. If you can start it at the bottom that is easiest, just stay on the gas till you get to the top. If you have to stop at some some point, it is possible to hold the brake with your right foot and transition to the gas while also letting the clutch out with your left (some people use the hand brake for this, but i find that cumbersome). EDIT: Or use clutch start cancel. I forgot that is a thing on these trucks.


But yeah I think you can do it.

 

Fair!


I've seen plenty of the winter storm vids of cars / trucks / buses sliding like you were talking about. Never once did transmission choice or driver skill ever cross my mind. I've also seen plenty of SUVs TU in ditches during storms. What always comes to mind in those situations is preparedness, luck, and / or attitude of the driver.

 

It’s no longer a thought process but muscle memory. Any more than you think about walking. What it does allow for are things like touch, feel, timing, riding the clutch if needed, any of a number of skills that can’t be excercised with an auto that's simply point/shoot and at best fixed to a single gear or lurches to another. Automatics certainly have benefits, if I towed more I’d want one and before cup holders manuals were a pain and a mess. At this point I could live with either one but I’m grateful for the opportunity to have a few more years enjoying the more complex relationship offered by the MT.

 

This is really good advise. The hand brake bit as well, although with a 2015 that is even more annoying because they have that goofy parking brake that rests under the steering column. Still probably a better choice than auto-jumping to my clutch start cancel suggestion.

 

Get one, if you don’t do it now it’s an opportunity that may never come again and life is all about seized opportunities. You can decide later in life if it was worth it. Spend time in easy to moderate situations before jumping in the deep end. Yes there’s a learning curve but it comes with a wider range of expression.

 

My 19 year old daughter drives a stick shift. I taught her how to drive in a big, deserted parking lot one afternoon and then told her to take it out for a few hours after dark when there wouldn't be much traffic. By the end of the weekend she was doing great. Drove it off to college 4 hours away a few weeks later. You'll be fine.

And vehicles with a hand brake for a parking brake are a snap on hills. Just keep the brake pulled up with your thumb depressed. Lower the hand brake as you give it gas/let off the clutch and you'll never slip backwards.

 

Thanks guys! I'll take a look at it next weekend, and if it runs well and is in good condition then I'll likely buy it!! I'll be sure to post if/when I get it!

 

I would add a small recommendation to try the foot dance every once in a while.

On that, the big deal that I have found is to get the clutch right at the friction zone / engage point before letting off the brake. A quick snap over to the throttle can get you rolling with next to no roll-back. Basically, hold the clutch right at where the idle revs start to drop.

 

It feels like magic once you get it.

 

It definitely does.

Along with all of those butta smooth shifts that most ATs would blush at.

 

And don’t worry about stalling it while you’re learning, it will happen, you will get embarrassed, you will get over it. Think of it as training to overcome hubris. Learning where it transitions from slip to bite is the key to any/every manual, from your truck to someone else car, they’re all slightly different but once you know how to manage yours it doesn’t take long at all to adapt to another, just a few shifts.

 

Ive always wanted an AC manual 4x4 tacoma.
Now i have one