Driving a manual transmission is such a joy, that I just couldn’t live without the gas pedal, brake pedal, and clutch pedal that connects me to the car. There’s nothing quite as fun as rev-matching on a downshift. Three pedals and only two feet is not a problem; twist your right foot counter-clockwise to put pressure on the brake pedal with your toes, while briefly pressing the gas pedal with your heel, to match engine speed while you shift from 3rd to 2nd gear.
It’s like a dance. Just take a look at the pedal-cam video of Daniel Demaras in the No. 12 Formula 1200 car. That’s some fancy footwork!
So few young motorists ever learn to drive a stick-shift these days that ‘standard transmissions’ are sometimes called the Millennial Ani-Theft Device. Someone needs to take these youngsters out on the road and teach them how a real driver shifts gears!
I ride motorcycles and there are quick shifters and even dual clutch systems on some Hondas that are basically automatic transmissions and for me, I hate the existence and ‘need’ for some new riders wanting these options. In my opinion it cheapens the experience, but at the same time i do understand that some consumers want this…saddens me though
I think you understand exactly what I mean. Yes, it ‘cheapens’ the experience of riding or driving. One thing I always hated about automatics in a car is that they just pick up speed in the city. The 1988 Chrysler Le Baron which I learned to drive in had a 3-speed automatic. Once you accelerated out of second gear, it was like a runaway train. Even with no throttle, it would just pick up speed. Next thing you know, you’re 20 km over the limit, and getting pulled over.
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I like the fact that I can leave my car in 2nd or 4rd and modulate my speed with the throttle pedal, instead of the brake pedal.
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I can only imagine that a dual clutch setup on a Honda bike would be really quick shifting, but takes away from the manual, tactile feel of engaging the clutch.
Standard is the only way to drive. As I mentioned before, all our cars are standard, even my pickup truck. I now have a BMW GS1200R motorcycle, and it’s standard, too.
Yup… I figured you couldn’t live what out those three pedals too. I was waiting for your comment!
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As I get older, I realize that just because I like something doesn’t mean that I need to force those around me to like the same. When my wife got her license 10 years ago, she learned stick-shift, but never enjoyed it. I no longer feel the need to make her like it.
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But this way I can buy cars that I don’t want her to drive!
My wife hates automatics. Surprisingly, she won’t drive my Miata. It’s probably too slow for her.
Wow. And I refer to my Miata as ‘…the race car…’
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Too slow. I am emotionally and spiritually crushed. But it’s nothing a turbocharger wouldn’t fix.
She likes her Mazdaspeed3 and doesn’t want to drive anything else. Whereas I’ll drive anything, even a stinking automatic.
When we went to pick up a car in France in 2013, the rental agent said, “Oh! You’re American. Do you want an automatic?” I told her I didn’t know how to drive an automatic. She was quite tickled by that.
Word.
I’m spitting facts, yo.
Ugghhh I wish they were all standard transmissions, I would love that. I did my road test in a standard. The dance with the gas pedal/brake reminded me of this crappy Mercury Topaz I drove for a while (sorry Grampa if you’re listening). It was an automatic but it would stall at red lights when you took your foot off the brake and stepped on the gas. Every single time. So I had to drive with both feet and keep left foot on brake but slightly rev up gas at same time and when the light turned green it was a delicate balance between letting off the brake/stepping on gas to keep it from stalling….
Sounds like a bunch of baloney to me. Sounds like every stoplight you got to, you’d do a brake stand… holding the brake jn while pushing the gas pedal to keep the revs up.
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And on green GO GO GO !
Lol no, no brake stands in the Topaz!
Clearly I am mistaken. Never you!
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Never you…