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IXIbelle jumps
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New! Please read!

Post by IXIbelle jumps »

Hi, I'm 15/6months, and I'm about to get my learners. Therefore my mom and I have went car shopping :shock: . We bought a '97 Ford Escort LX, and I've been 'learning' how to drive it, but something just isn't right when I get in and try to shift, I always stall. I give it gas, and I *try* to let off the clutch slowly, like my mom tells me.

Is there something anyone can help me with to remember how not to stall? I'd much appreciate it. I mean, I really don't want to kill my car. XD

Thanks!

(Actually, today I did a lot better, and got into third gear, but was terrified, and got stuck in neutral.)
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Post by Nychold »

Wow!! 15/6 months old? That's, what...2 and a half years! And you're already learning how to drive! Impressive! :lol:

Welcome aboard. I'll be your honorary web-clown. Now, onto the super cerealness.


I don't know what you're doing to stall a car during an upshift, but my guess is you're shifting too early. If you mean stalling during a launch (like most stalls are), then you just need a bit of practice. And don't sweat about killing your car from a few stalls. If you stalled it a hundred times every day, you might notice some problems, but even stalling it 30 times in the course of a week of training won't faze an engine. :D
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IXIbelle jumps
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Post by IXIbelle jumps »

I get my license at 16/3months, which is why we've bought/drove the car. :D
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Post by jomotopia »

welcome to the site. try practicing some no gas launches to get the feel for the clutch.
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Nychold
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Post by Nychold »

IXIbelle jumps wrote:I get my license at 16/3months, which is why we've bought/drove the car. :D
Wow, that's a bit of a wait. You're 15/6 months old now (2.5 years) and you don't get your license until you're 16/3 months (5.7 years) old. I admire your patience and dedication. :D
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AHTOXA
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Post by AHTOXA »

Nychold wrote:Wow!! 15/6 months old? That's, what...2 and a half years! And you're already learning how to drive! Impressive! :lol:
What's more impressive is that he/she can can type and form sentences allready.

And the internet clown spot is taken, thank you very much. :lol:


Welcome to the boards. OP. There's not much advice that can be given by me as all the theory I've read about only helped me so much. You must drive, thats the only way to get better.

I would suggest reviewing many threads here in this subforum. They may be useful as well. There are great point mentioned by many members here.
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Post by Johnf514 »

Welcome to the site, IXIbelle jumps! :mrgreen: While the Escort may not be an incredibly flashy or quick car, it's a great vehicle for you to start learning manual on. Looking forward to your experiences! :)
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Post by Leedeth »

Welcome to the forums.
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Post by NjSi »

Welcome! I'm sure a whole bunch of us standardshifter's can be of service!
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Post by comingbackdown »

Welcome to the forum!

There is about to be a clown duel... Everybody stand the hell back, it's bout to git cereal up in here!
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IXIbelle jumps
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Re: New! Please read!

Post by IXIbelle jumps »

I finally got my learners about a month ago now, and I have been driving my mom around in her car, which really pisses her off. The first time I got to take it out on the 'main' roads, I didn't stall, at all. I froze though. I got stuck shifting from 5th to 4th a few times, and went down to second. ;_;
I think I've gotten the hang of it now though, and it's so much easier. I don't feel pressured. Like, when I used to go into 4th, I thought I HAD to be going atleast 40mph, but I've learned you don't really have to downshift until about 20mph, or atleast in my moms car, which is an '02 Hyundai Accent.

I know all this probably means nothing to any of you, but I'm actually pretty proud of myself, and had to share :)
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comingbackdown
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Re: New! Please read!

Post by comingbackdown »

IXIbelle jumps wrote:I finally got my learners about a month ago now, and I have been driving my mom around in her car, which really pisses her off. The first time I got to take it out on the 'main' roads, I didn't stall, at all. I froze though. I got stuck shifting from 5th to 4th a few times, and went down to second. ;_;
I think I've gotten the hang of it now though, and it's so much easier. I don't feel pressured. Like, when I used to go into 4th, I thought I HAD to be going atleast 40mph, but I've learned you don't really have to downshift until about 20mph, or atleast in my moms car, which is an '02 Hyundai Accent.

I know all this probably means nothing to any of you, but I'm actually pretty proud of myself, and had to share :)
It does, actually. Nice going. Keep practicing. Not stalling is an amazing achievement.
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Re: New! Please read!

Post by Johnf514 »

Congrats! I hope you're enjoying driving stick! :)
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Re: New! Please read!

Post by vedran »

welcome to the forums

once you start feeling more comfortable and less scared when you get inside of your car, you'll do fine. what i used to do was get pissed when i'd drive bad for a day and i'd get in my car another day and do everything without even thinking and i didn't stall once.

it has a lot more to do about how you think when you drive than anything else.

good luck with your learning experience, you'll certainly be glad you did it all at the end
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Re: New! Please read!

Post by black94boost »

Driving will be as easy as breathing soon 8)
What'cha gonna do when we come for you?
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