this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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I do, too, and drove one for many years. I'll be the one to splash cold water on the conversation, though.
Driving a stick arguably requires the use of both hands and legs, which is great and partly the reason why so many enjoy it - that sense of engagement. It's far less boring.
But here's the deal. Injure any one of those appendages and driving a manual becomes a whole lot less fun. In some cases, you can get by, but it's less than ideal. Having your arm closest to the shift in a sling, for example, makes your vehicle undrivable.
It won't matter to most people... right up until the moment it does.
Clutch with left foot
stabilize steering wheel with right knee (if necessary)
reach over with left hand and engage gear
grab steering wheel with left hand
drive normally
Me drinking coffee in the morning, a tutorial.
That's how they all do it in Britain anyway.
Hey I do that too!! There’s a skill for moving from 1st to Reverse with the left hand while the right looks for the cup holder with the coffee in hand.
This is the way.
put in first gear with right hand
activate starter motor with right hand
accelerate with right foot
hold wheel with right knee
Pull stick out of first. Gently slot into second as engine speed drops to the perfect RPM. Feather throttle if necessary.
accelerate through second
pull stick out of second, gently slot into third as engine speed drops to perfect RPM as above
to decelerate, pull stick out of third, raise RPM then release throttle. Drop into second at perfect engine speed. Apply brake. Throw into neutral before stopping. Switch engine off.
Driving manual with one foot, one knee, and one hand (while completely screwing your baulk rings): a tutorial.
I had a very used Mazda protege back in the day that I constantly changed gear without the clutch. Was the best feeling to time it perfectly so there was no resistance. I've thought of doing it a couple of times with my current car but honestly everything is in tight condition and I don't want to fuck it up. Is this what ageing feels like?
I've risked it a few times in cars I care about. It's definitely possible to do on the road and in a modern car, but every car is different and you're bound to cause some unnecessary wear on your gearbox while you try to learn what speeds are required.
I'm a manual aficionado, but my mother hasn't driven a stick, despite teaching all her children how to, since I was born due to her arthritis. Apparently her knees don't like having to clutch constantly. I'd rather have her mobile and active as she is now, than have her stuck at home reliant on my dad to give her rides.
As someone with a manual and bad knees, I feel for your mom. One day I’ll probably have to do the same, thankfully that day hasn’t come yet.
I was a manual purist, until I move to a large city and had to drive in it often.
I still miss my manual cars, but god damn it was a pain in the city.
I love driving stick. Or I did up until the day my left knee fell apart. Now it's just not an option for me.
I used to be an ~~adv~~ stick driver like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee
I broke my right shoulder and spent two months driving my stick shift SC2 (in the US) entirely with my left hand. It's doable, you just have to shift really quickly and get your hand back on the steering wheel. Not having the use of both feet would probably kill the deal.
If you get the RPM just right, you can absolutely shift gear without a left leg. I used to drive the paddock bomb around the farm as a kid with my left foot on the dashboard. This is not advisable on the freeway.
Well, I still drive a manual (I've never owned an automatic except for my school bus) so if I ever fuck up one of my feet I'm sure I'm going to try that.
This happened to me in highschool. I got a bad skiing injury, my leg wasn't broken but I pulled my ACL, and they put my leg in a brace. My parents had to come pick me up at 10PM and drive my car home for me. Nobody was happy about the situation.