How often do you make mistakes?

[rml605]

We are still humans not robots so must make a mistake here and there, but how often and what is it usually? Bad launch, gear change, rev match?

I've been driving now exactly 1 year stick, but occassionally give too much gas in a launch or not enough or have a bad rev match. It's usually not giving enough gas bliping DS into 2nd. I actually stalled, too yesterday at a Dunkin Donuts Drive Thru lol.

[RomPirate]

I make mistakes every day. I suppose it makes driving interesting
Grinds - MAYBE monthly
Stalls - Its been months *knock on wood*
Crappy downshifts - daily
Crappy upshifts - daily
Over gas - dailly.

But when I nail a perfect HT downshift....

[six]

Not just everyday, but multiple times a day. Overshoot revs. Undershoot. Bad shifts, jolts, lugs. All the time. It comes with driving stick, and it's what makes it fun and not boring. Haven't stalled in a really long time, though.

[ClutchDisc]

Once in a while I'll either give it too much or too little gas when taking off. That's really where I make the most mistakes, but I'm getting much better with it. Or sometimes I'll let the clutch out a little to fast coming out of second and it will buck sightly.

When I was first learning, I would sometimes get second when I wanted fourth, or try to take off in third. (not easy)

I don't really stall any more and if I do it's usually when I parked, forgot I was still in first and pulled my foot of of the clutch.

[tankinbeans]

Every durn day. Usually they're of the slight lurch, not enough gas on the launch, sort. They'd be nothing that I'd worry too much about.

[ClutchFork]

I make many mistakes, just not too frequently.

1. Slow to stop in second and forget to shift to first so take off in second.
2. Sometimes for get where I am in the shift gate (mind blanks out) and get totally confused trying to figure out what gear to go into.
3. let clutch out smoothly but then abrupt the last little bit, resulting in a jerk
4. not timing shift quite right so engine pulls back before disengaging clutch
5. forget to put in neutral and pull foot off clutch as if was parked in neutral and so kill engine
6. forget to downshift coming off freeway and then try accelerating in overdrive at 30 mph (worse in Ranger than was in F150 4.9L, fortunately I don't do this much if at all in Ranger, so maybe the smaller engine is giving me better feedback on this particular error).
7. Sure there are others and as I think of them I can fill in the blanks:
a. Stall at launch.
b. Occasional syncro grind because didn't disengage clutch in time
c. forget to pull it out of gear and come to a stop stalling the engine

[Shadow]

Very rarely....almost never actually. Then again, I strive for perfection.

But I guess it all depends upon how one defines a "mistake"

[Krimsalt]

I make the occasional too much gas/clutch. Thankfully I haven't stalled in a while!

[Shadow]

A question...or maybe an observation:

Does experience have anything to do with the amount of "mistakes" made while driving a stick? In other words, do the newer people make proportionately more mistakes then the more experienced people?

Also, I think the vehicle itself has at least a little bit to do with it. As most of us know, some vehicles are inherently more easy to drive than others. I'd say the clutch action/take-up/friction point etc...is what gives most people the most trouble.

[ClutchDisc]

A question...or maybe an observation:

Does experience have anything to do with the amount of "mistakes" made while driving a stick? In other words, do the newer people make proportionately more mistakes then the more experienced people?

I would say yes. When I was first learning I made a lot more mistakes than I do now. Now it's really just that I'm not always perfect with my launch. But it is getting much better.

[AHTOXA]

I was a perfectionist and borderline obsessive with ensuring I was as perfect as I could be, perhaps in the first couple of years of driving manual on daily basis. Then, it simply faded. I don't think I make many mistakes however I just don't think about it much. The less I think about it, the more subconscious takes over and the motions become...erm...automatic, which eliminates many mistakes.

That said, today was the first time ever I stalled the Sonic and I've had it for a year and 19k miles. I was pulling out of my parking spot and had a/c on. Went into second too early w/o letting the clutch slip a bit as I was busy arranging water bottles on the way to the trail. It was one of those ghost stalls - I had no idea I stalled until I went to get on the throttle and nothing happened. Looked down to see christmas lights on the dash.

[ClutchFork]

A question...or maybe an observation:

Does experience have anything to do with the amount of "mistakes" made while driving a stick? In other words, do the newer people make proportionately more mistakes then the more experienced people?

I would say yes. When I was first learning I made a lot more mistakes than I do now. Now it's really just that I'm not always perfect with my launch. But it is getting much better.

As I recall, he also found the S10 easier to work with than my Ranger.

[Rope-Pusher]

[tankinbeans]

words words experience words words mistakes words words car

I'd say experience has a lot to do with it. I make fewer mistakes now than 2 years ago because I've stopped thinking so much. I have more confidence in my adultery to drive the car and am not as nervous about stalling and making mistakes.

As for the car, I think that Clifford is definitely easier to work with than my Forte was. The clutch is more predictable, and I don't have a throttle delay (that I can tell) or a clutch delay valve mucking things up. It's all around more pleasant

[rml605]

A question...or maybe an observation:

Does experience have anything to do with the amount of "mistakes" made while driving a stick? In other words, do the newer people make proportionately more mistakes then the more experienced people?

Also, I think the vehicle itself has at least a little bit to do with it. As most of us know, some vehicles are inherently more easy to drive than others. I'd say the clutch action/take-up/friction point etc...is what gives most people the most trouble.

Not to take away from your skills or anything, i'm sure you're a great driver, but i've driven Audis such as the A4, S4, and S5 and they are so incredibly smooth and easy. Getting into 1st is buttery smooth.

I still believe my car is incredibly hard to drive smooth. It doesn't help that I have no wiggle room as my clutch catches literally right away. I can pretty much get on the gas right away and dump the clutch if I want too, but I need to be incredibly quick. It definitely depends on the car. As a valet driver, I usually only get a car into 1st so I can't say i've "driven" multiple cars really, but I did take a 911 Turbo and the place I was at I had to turn onto a public road. Im pretty sure I drove it smoother than I even did my car.