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Teach me to drive manual

4K views 70 replies 24 participants last post by  suicideking 
#1 ·
Long story short: I'm most likely trading my JKU for an LJ, but it's manual trans. I don't know how to drive manual.

I was planning to rent a Uhaul and flat bed and tow it home. Sure enough, Uhaul wants close to $1000, will be a 12 hour drive. My wife knows how, was going to teach me. She's not willing to go on the trip through (3 kids to take care of).

Anyone available before Saturday to teach me to drive manual so I can save $1000. Of course, I would buy dinner and beer.

Plan B:
Pay someone to go with me and drive it home. So if you know anyone wanting to make a few hundred (free food and hotel), let me know.

Maybe a day laborer knows how to drive manual. (I'm only half joking...) :D

:atomic:
 
#3 ·
Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He's in MO, New Mexico is half way.

Plan is to leave here Friday afternoon, drive 6-8 hours, stop at a hotel. Next morning drive the last leg, meet with him for the exchange, head back home. Again, drive 6-8 hours, stop a hotel, then drive the rest of the way home.
 
#6 ·
Wow that's a long drive in a jeep even a LJ Bro. Manuals aren't to hard to master even with no experience , good news is you'll have it mastered by the time your back home. Borrow or rent one and practice before you leave, its really easy just remember to put in the clutch when you stop. :)

Seriously Rick your challenge will come when your wheeling. I thought it was a pain in the ass with my first jeep. A lot of old timer manual trans 4xers use a throttle. I have a buddy that has a manual and he just sets the throttle before attempting a obstacle that way he can use his two feet for the clutch and brakes.
 
#8 ·
I'm determined to learn, it's a sweet LJ, fixed up more than my JKU. It does already have a hand throttle.

What's the plan if you learn how to? Fly out and get it?
I'm driving my Jeep to meet him, we're trading Jeeps + cash on his side.

XJ Phil is checking with his wife. If he can go, going to pay him to be my driver for the ride home.
 
#11 ·
When I was 16 I bought a car with manual transmission. Had never driven one before other than an old tractor. Drove it home with no problem. Takes a few minutes to get used to the clutch (and every clutch feels a little different) but you'll pick it up in minutes. Just jump in and go. You'll be fine.
 
#13 ·
Hey Rick, when you finally get it and want to do a little 4 wheel practicing, bring it out to my house. I got a little test track with a natural drain gully, a freestyle motocross landing, and we can flex it out on a freestyle ramp. Maybe a barbecue and some brewskis and I don't have to drive home. Good luck. Mark.
 
#14 ·
Let's make a party of it Mark. I'll bring a thumb throttle and install it. Your going to need one Rick. I love having one, makes getting through the obstacles much easier. BTW Rick, you will pick up on driving a manual in a heart beat. Try it on dirt or gravel the first time if you can. Let's the wheels slip. Post up and tell us about your new ride.

Grant
 
#15 ·
We will be picking up his new toy late on Saturday evening. After a lesson on the theory of how a clutch works (yet Saturday night), there will be a little hands on learning session early Sunday morning. By the time we get back into town Sunday night, Rick will be all dialed in and ready to rock.
 
#20 ·
Good for you. I hope its a great swap.
Congratulations Rick! My Dad taught me to drive a manual at 14, on his 1960 Ford, it had a granny gear that I would kill for now, lol. I have driven manual's ever since, the JKU is the first automatic I've ever owned. The manual is one reason I don't want to give up my Infiniti, I love the control.......go figure :)

Poor Gunner got stuck behind me a year or so ago on Miller in Mikes Jeep, I discovered how the Atlas changes the whole gear thing on a manual, haha. You will enjoy it once you get the hang of it. Have a safe trip picking it up and I can't wait to see your new toy :)

I always say, "a downshift is better than a brake check"
Thanks all!

Yeah, should be interesting to learn manual. My wife is still giving me crap for not knowing how and her last car had manual. It may be a daily driver for a little while so we can save up for a down payment on something else. So I'll get some practice and see how I like it.

From what I've heard, people seem to like manual for DD, but not so much for wheeling.
 
#19 ·
Congratulations Rick! My Dad taught me to drive a manual at 14, on his 1960 Ford, it had a granny gear that I would kill for now, lol. I have driven manual's ever since, the JKU is the first automatic I've ever owned. The manual is one reason I don't want to give up my Infiniti, I love the control.......go figure :)

Poor Gunner got stuck behind me a year or so ago on Miller in Mikes Jeep, I discovered how the Atlas changes the whole gear thing on a manual, haha. You will enjoy it once you get the hang of it. Have a safe trip picking it up and I can't wait to see your new toy :)

I always say, "a downshift is better than a brake check"
 
#21 ·
It's a trade off as far as wheeling goes. You will be doing a little more work (operating that clutch), but you can end up getting more performance from your control over the torque.

In the old days they used to call it the difference between "driving" and "riding" your car.
 
#27 ·
I'm sure it will be a bit of a shock having to keep my right hand free. I'll have to be careful not to spill my coffee trying to put it down to shift.

Nice job getting an LJ Rick! Since your new to manuals, I want to be there to count the number of stalls on your first run through Holcomb :) that 241 should help you out....
I am looking forward to wheeling with the Rubi Tcase. Don't doubt I'll stall quite a few times. Hopefully I won't need the bubba rope this time though. :facepalm:

Hey Rick, if you want, we will be at our place in Lake Havasu Ciy AZ this weekend. If you and your driver want to stop by for an overnight rest, we have plenty of room.... and I can take you wheeling in some of the gentler canyons to get used to the clutch.

PM if you dont have my cell....
Thanks for the offer Ted! Phil and I are going to knock out the drive in two days so we can be back Sunday night. It will be a shame to cross through other states and not try out some trails.

It will also be the first time my JKU has been out of CA. Tomorrow and Friday are going to be hard days to get through. At least work will keep me busy.
 
#22 ·
Mike seems to be okay with it in the TJ. I think it's like the TJ vs. JKU thing, there is always something a shorter or longer wheelbase is better at and always something a manual or auto is better for. Doesn't seem to stop any of us from getting out there and doing it, that's all that matters anyhow :)
 
#24 ·
Hey Rick, if you want, we will be at our place in Lake Havasu Ciy AZ this weekend. If you and your driver want to stop by for an overnight rest, we have plenty of room.... and I can take you wheeling in some of the gentler canyons to get used to the clutch.

PM if you dont have my cell....
 
#25 ·
Hey Rick, if you want, we will be at our place in Lake Havasu Ciy AZ this weekend. If you and your driver want to stop by for an overnight rest, we have plenty of room.... and I can take you wheeling in some of the gentler canyons to get used to the clutch.

PM if you dont have my cell....
Hey Ted I was trying to Email you but it keep coming back. Have you a new e-mail?
 
#28 ·
I remember the first time I used a clutch. 15 years old (a really long time ago) and my parents took me to the Honda dealer (before they sold cars in America) to purchase a 90cc "motorcycle." The dealership was on the south end of Grand Rapids (Michigan) and we lived 20 miles north of town. I probably stalled that poor bike 50 or 100 times before I got out of town, but by the time I got all the way home, I had it down. The following summer I rode that thing to Louisville, KY (to see a girl) LOL. Fond memory!!
 
#30 ·
It's easier to learn to drive with a manual than you might expect. At age 16, I learned in one night after begging my sister to drive her then-new VW beetle home which was maybe 15 miles. By the time I got home with no one with me to give me any help, it was second nature... I still remember how fun it was to learn. :)
 
#31 ·
Yep - manual's the way to go! LOVE IT! Its kinda like algebra, once you get it, you get it!
Learned on a '69 Bronco.. 3 on the tree...Then in a schoolbus (my parents ran the company).
First car was a 78 Rabbit Diesel 4speed.
Welcome to the club!
The hardest part is knowing when to put the coffee down to shift..!

I'm teaching my kids to drive stick, too. The advice I gave to them: Don't worry about stalling, you're going to stall, it happens. Start it up and try again. Ease off the clutch SLOWLY until the jeep starts rolling ahead (that's the sweet spot), then touch the gas and off you go. Works well on flat ground.
Remember, patience is a virtue!
 
#32 ·
My first 3 cars were manuals, once you learn it's with you forever, "like riding a bike". This is how I learned: When we picked up my first car, my dad told me to "get it home." Took me a few minutes to get the hang of it, but I got it home. One piece of advise that I learned that day, you can't downshift to first gear when you are going 45. If you try it, just make sure no one is behind you!

I went almost 15 years without driving a manual when I ended up behind the wheel of a manual Toyota Hilux in Afghanistan. It was like I never had the break.

By the way, owning a manual is a little theft deterrent, because not a lot of people know how to drive a stick anymore.
 
#34 ·
Ya, that's what I figure: Not as likely to get car jacked if they don't know how to drive stick. Would be funny to put the lockers on and watch them try to get away. :whacky:

Looks like a good jeep Rick. Can't wait to see it on the rocks...after you get a new DD of course.
As for wheelin the rocks with a stick...what I did was gear it as low as possible and just point it and go...worked for me for years.
You can always do an aw4 swap.
Right on Steve! How much do you think an aw4 would run?

Also, would a 9" work in the front of an LJ? Or would I do a 8.8 or D44? I figure eventually will want 37's. Who knows, maybe larger. It has an HPD30 with an ARB in front now. Think Bill said that won't be able to handle gears needed for larger wheels.

Also, it has a Teraflex long arm. I've heard that isn't really ideal for rock crawling?
 
#33 ·
Looks like a good jeep Rick. Can't wait to see it on the rocks...after you get a new DD of course.
As for wheelin the rocks with a stick...what I did was gear it as low as possible and just point it and go...worked for me for years.
You can always do an aw4 swap.
 
#37 ·
I will have other priorities for a while, definitely going to give it some time.

Easiest and hardest thing to remember... the gas and clutch pedals are independent of each other.
For some reason people try to apply the gas and clutch equally.
Doesn't work that way.
Vroom vroom with the gas... push on gas pedal gently.
Let the clutch out just enuf until you can feel things connect...
then just keep the clutch there for a moment while you give more gas...
Jeep moves, more gas smoothly, let clutch out easy.
Easier to do than explain. You'll get it quick enuf. Have fun.
Sounds like good advice. At least I won't be stalling on the freeway. Didn't know you won't really stall at a decent speed.
 
#36 ·
Easiest and hardest thing to remember... the gas and clutch pedals are independent of each other.
For some reason people try to apply the gas and clutch equally.
Doesn't work that way.
Vroom vroom with the gas... push on gas pedal gently.
Let the clutch out just enuf until you can feel things connect...
then just keep the clutch there for a moment while you give more gas...
Jeep moves, more gas smoothly, let clutch out easy.
Easier to do than explain. You'll get it quick enuf. Have fun.
 
#39 ·
What exactly is wrong with a Teraflex long arm? Most the people I see bashing Teraflex are wayalife idiots who aren't speaking from experience but rather echoing what their cult leader says. Instead of rushing out and dumping tons into upgrades, I would adopt the "break, build, repeat" mantra, especially since this isn't your DD. Then you will know EXACTLY what you need to upgrade.
 
#42 ·
Ohhhh gotcha. I'm sure long arms aren't ideal because there is more chance of bending a control arm on a rock since they are more exposed. I thought it was about the company itself, I misunderstood. Congrats on the trade BTW! The good thing is that you can run all the trails you've already ran and it will be a completely new experience!!!
 
#43 ·
Yeah Joe, What I told Rick was that I feel long arms get hung up more often than shorts or mids and the belly pan is usually lower to accommodate the arms. On the good side they ride really nice on the dirt roads and highways. I have nothing against the brand and haven't really used their product. Here is a current link on JF....dig that picture of Jerry :)

Best long arm kit for the money - JeepForum.com
 
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