StandardShift.com

Ooh ooh! I have a theory as well. I'll give ya a hint. IT'S IN THE TITLE OF THE THREAD! We're scientists, so we tend to analyze and hypothesize about stuff. One person doing something is an idiot, but many people doing it (and in a particular area in this case) means it could be systematic, with a ...

You know, I'm really fed up with drivers that feel that they must swing their car out into the opposite direction of the turn right before making it. You can't possibly tell me that your f**k Honda Accord has a hard time turning left from a 4-lane road onto 2-lane and it's so large that you need to...

The one thing I don't like about the standard shift in the pre 2010 Outbacks is at 65mph the engine is about 3200 rpm. The 4EAT (auto) is about 2600. Makes for a quieter ride on the highway, but from what I heard not really any significant mpg improvement. My Forester, which is based on the smaller...

Well, she's been driving and wiggling that stick for like 80 decades. That's why her arm is buff. There may be some truth in that. It reminds me of some of the school bus drivers when I was a kid - ladies in their 60s and 70s driving those old buses with manual-everything - their arms were usually ...

It doesn't stutter as much after doing it for 20 times, but you can really feel how the motor is trying to pull the car at that low RPM (on average around 500 RPM) to get momentum. It just seems there isn't much low end torque and the car struggles at such low speeds. I would think this is not a go...

Really depends for me on condition and mood. I am in overdrive on suburban streets going 35. Other times I don't bother going into OD until 50 or 55 mph. Essentially the same here. I'll shift to 5th at 35-40mph on city streets if I'm expecting to maintain that speed for more than a couple blocks. H...

'09 Outback Like: - Utility/space (love being able to flop the rear seats, shove in my bike, and secure it in about 2 minutes) - Front fascia - superior to 2010-present model IMO - Even though it's the base model, it has everything I want and feels higher quality than my previous Corolla LE (I woul...

I've really disliked most of the newer automatic transmissions I've driven (even more reason I chose to indulge in a manual). Too many gears, too quick up/downshifting, tries to be "smart." I may have only started driving in 2000, but I drove enough "older" transmissions to come ...

Just had a new personal best with the Corolla. 37.4 MPG. I took it easy enough but I still had a few high-rpm blasts in there. I have no idea how it was this high, and I triple checked my calculations and findings, but the numbers don't lie. Have you ever calculated straight highway? I got 40+ seve...

I'm up to around 40,800, which is approximately 15,000 miles since I bought it about a year and a half ago. Small beans by many, but my yearly mileage has really shot up since moving to Ohio (which predates my current car)... more driving to get places and more road trips. When I was in grad school,...

Subaru Outback 2.5:
5th @ 3000 = 70 mph

I found that sometimes that just a little bit of revs were all that was needed. And just a little bit of clutch. Usually just backing out of a parking spot. My gear rations might be really short though. Plus with you AWD you probably have more drag and such. Yeah, I don't tach watch, so it might no...

I experienced the same thing when I first started driving. In my car, reverse behavior is an entirely different beast (engagement-wise, amount of clutch pedal travel induces different reactions) than first. The other advice here (slipping the clutch more, releasing it more slowly) is the best way to...

So you're holding the clutch in throught out turn? It's def. the easiest way, but i've heard it is not the best since you have no control over the car since you're not in gear. More or less, but my other foot is on the brake simultaneously, except the half second when I make the transition to accel...

It sounds we share a similar story and progress. I'm about 5 or 6 months ahead of you in experience, but if I look back, my progress has continued over that time frame, it's just much less noticeable than that huge gain in the first few months. As experience, muscle memory, and intuition continue to...