New Member in Great Distress

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theholycow
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by theholycow »

I imagine 14 miles through a city would be pretty awful.

I commute about 75 miles round trip every day but it's usually a pleasant country ride...it gives me time alone to listen to my music and think about things.
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AHTOXA
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by AHTOXA »

Country drive or not, I'm glad I no longer do it. Too much time was taken from my day by that. Now my round trip is 8 miles every day.
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potownrob
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by potownrob »

AHTOXA wrote:That whole Rent-a-Wreck name does not inspire much confidence. :lol:
it used to be a popular chain around here. my mom got a good rate through them when her car was getting fixed for a month or so from an accident. i don't remember hearing or seeing anything about them carrying manual transmission vehicles though :? :o
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by Progressive Shifter »

Well, I guess I may be able to find some stick shift drivers that live in the Southeastern PA area here on the forums. I dunno if it's necessary, but I'll probably wait until I get my permit, which would have been this coming Saturday had my dad set up an appointment for my physical check-up, and not just apparently wanted to shut me up, since I was driving my dad and my grand mother crazy over driving and my first car, the latter of which I know I won't get until I get out of high school with a job and at least a few or so months of college under my belt; much like my older sister who inspired the whole craze when she bought her first car. Also, it's snowin' over here anyway. :P
MANUALS ARE SO UNDERRATED!! xD
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AHTOXA
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by AHTOXA »

That was a long sentence there and I got lost.

When it's snowing, I get out and drive. Love driving in snow.
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by Progressive Shifter »

AHTOXA wrote:That was a long sentence there and I got lost.

When it's snowing, I get out and drive. Love driving in snow.
My bad; TL:DR post.

In a nutshell, I'd probably like to find some Southeastern PA standard transmission drivers here on the forums, but I'd probably have to wait 'til I get my permit, which will be soon.

Also, I love driving,too; however, my damn dad won't let me drive his automatic Altima in the snow, despite the fact that I would have to do so later in life anyway. :roll:
MANUALS ARE SO UNDERRATED!! xD
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by potownrob »

i don't think it's a good idea to be driving in snow before you get more used to driving. not only might you not be good at controlling the gas and brakes and steering but, if you do lose control of the car, you might not be able to react quickly enough to recover control over the car. a year ago i might've felt otherwise but, since i went "off roading" last february, i have been afraid to drive in the snow and couldn't see a new driver being allowed to drive in it :shock: :( :? :)
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by Progressive Shifter »

potownrob wrote:i don't think it's a good idea to be driving in snow before you get more used to driving. not only might you not be good at controlling the gas and brakes and steering but, if you do lose control of the car, you might not be able to react quickly enough to recover control over the car. a year ago i might've felt otherwise but, since i went "off roading" last february, i have been afraid to drive in the snow and couldn't see a new driver being allowed to drive in it :shock: :( :? :)
I do see pure logic in that. I guess my dad is doing what's right; I just figured maybe since driving in the snow is what I'd probably have to do later in life, I dunno why he wouldn't teach me how to drive in the snow. Maybe it's just a matter of experience.
MANUALS ARE SO UNDERRATED!! xD
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by potownrob »

Progressive Shifter wrote:
potownrob wrote:i don't think it's a good idea to be driving in snow before you get more used to driving. not only might you not be good at controlling the gas and brakes and steering but, if you do lose control of the car, you might not be able to react quickly enough to recover control over the car. a year ago i might've felt otherwise but, since i went "off roading" last february, i have been afraid to drive in the snow and couldn't see a new driver being allowed to drive in it :shock: :( :? :)
I do see pure logic in that. I guess my dad is doing what's right; I just figured maybe since driving in the snow is what I'd probably have to do later in life, I dunno why he wouldn't teach me how to drive in the snow. Maybe it's just a matter of experience.
I had 10 years of driving under my belt when I went off the road. I was careless to take the road I took while it was snowing (a curvy downhill backroad - I take it almost everyday on my way to work) and since then I never take that road or any similar ones if the weather's bad. I learned to drive in snow on my on after getting my license. I had a few outtakes where I slid into curbs or did a 360 out of nowhere (not on purpose) but they didn't really scare me much. I used to love testing the limits of traction and revving up and grinding through the snow. When I lost control and went off the road into a ditch just missing trees and a stone wall, it instilled (necessary) fear in me, and I no longer enjoy driving in snow except maybe in huge open parking lots. Understand your father's concerns and just know you will someday get to drive in the snow too. Without having mastered pedal control, lane position, and having a solid familiarity with how to drive in normal conditions, it should be downright scary (at least for your dad) for you to drive in ice or snow.
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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AHTOXA
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by AHTOXA »

Accidents happen, sure, but I don't think an extreme reaction of being overly cautious after one is the right thing. People should learn and move on.
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by wannabe »

Rob - i'm the same way after my accident last december. cautious (not overly so) in the snow.

OP - my sister learned in drivers ed in November cuz she would get her lic in November.
i wouldn't tell most people to learn in the winter, but for her it made sense...she took drivers ed with my cousin who has his birthday in february. Made sense for both of them. me? birthday in march, drivers ed in summer, i mean, yeah it IS michigan, but we typically dont get HUGE snowfalls in march :D

just be careful :D
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theholycow
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by theholycow »

wannabe wrote:we typically dont get HUGE snowfalls in march :D
Don't you get severe freeze-thaw cycles, where snow thaws, floods the road during the day, then freezes into a sheet of ice overnight? Of course I imagine your state salts heavily for that.
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by Progressive Shifter »

potownrob wrote:
Progressive Shifter wrote:
potownrob wrote:i don't think it's a good idea to be driving in snow before you get more used to driving. not only might you not be good at controlling the gas and brakes and steering but, if you do lose control of the car, you might not be able to react quickly enough to recover control over the car. a year ago i might've felt otherwise but, since i went "off roading" last february, i have been afraid to drive in the snow and couldn't see a new driver being allowed to drive in it :shock: :( :? :)
I do see pure logic in that. I guess my dad is doing what's right; I just figured maybe since driving in the snow is what I'd probably have to do later in life, I dunno why he wouldn't teach me how to drive in the snow. Maybe it's just a matter of experience.
I had 10 years of driving under my belt when I went off the road. I was careless to take the road I took while it was snowing (a curvy downhill backroad - I take it almost everyday on my way to work) and since then I never take that road or any similar ones if the weather's bad. I learned to drive in snow on my on after getting my license. I had a few outtakes where I slid into curbs or did a 360 out of nowhere (not on purpose) but they didn't really scare me much. I used to love testing the limits of traction and revving up and grinding through the snow. When I lost control and went off the road into a ditch just missing trees and a stone wall, it instilled (necessary) fear in me, and I no longer enjoy driving in snow except maybe in huge open parking lots. Understand your father's concerns and just know you will someday get to drive in the snow too. Without having mastered pedal control, lane position, and having a solid familiarity with how to drive in normal conditions, it should be downright scary (at least for your dad) for you to drive in ice or snow.
I understand now. I mean, although I have been driving since I was fifteen years old, I really can't say that I am a master at all the stuff in driving yet. I have a solid familiarity with driving in normal conditions, lane positions (eg staying in the center of my lane), and is somewhat good with pedal control (I don't hammer the gas, but I still need to practice pumping the brakes so that I can gradually come to a complete stop). But I'm not highly advanced in all three fields.
MANUALS ARE SO UNDERRATED!! xD
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by theholycow »

My mom used to tell me that the most important thing in driving is judgement. I'd be like "what, like judging where the end of the car is? Judging how wide the lane is?"

Turns out she meant split-second instinctive decision-making. Another car is coming at a funny angle, do you brake, accelerate, steer, what? Your brakes just locked and you're skidding, does your foot do the right thing? Traffic is ridiculous, when do you jump in? Etc. Some of it can be conscious decisions but some is only learned from practice, and lots of it.

Well, I'm not sure just how much good-condition practice is right before you drive in snow. People who have driven a million miles in 20 years having never seen snow may have a more difficult time learning to deal with snow properly than someone in their formative driving years.

However, snow driving certainly shouldn't be a large part of your first however many thousand miles.
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Re: New Member in Great Distress

Post by wannabe »

theholycow wrote:
wannabe wrote:we typically dont get HUGE snowfalls in march :D
Don't you get severe freeze-thaw cycles, where snow thaws, floods the road during the day, then freezes into a sheet of ice overnight? Of course I imagine your state salts heavily for that.
o yes. we do. i'm glad i moved out...my parents house is near the bottom of a hill...where everyone at the top would melt and we'd get it all...my parents have a RWD van that has issues getting up the hill sometimes...
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