How did you learn to drive manual? Tips to save the clutch?

[21Rouge]

I am waiting for my 5 speed to arrive....Since 1986 I have had a manual car (86 Corolla and a 92 Eagle Summit Wagon). I first learned to drive manual by driving golf course maintenance equipment (tractors and such) Each person has a unique and personal style driving a 5 speed. But I am curious how others drive a manual properly ie so as to minimize clutch wear. On a regular 5 speed do you make use of the tachometer?When I first started driving I would downshift to minimize brake wear but I soon fond out that a brake job is cheaper than clutch replacement!But when you are in motion, say in third gear or higher and must reduce speed to turn onto another street do you generally downshift to 2nd or how do you get to the lower gear? When stopped on an steep incline but waiting to do move forward do you use the hand brake to maintain postion or still only the foot brake?Let's hear your of your experiences.

[gpk99]

I must say that the clutch in my 05 Vibe took a little bit of use to get use to.It's very touchy...which I think is a good thing.Depending on the type of road and where it is......uphill or down.....I usually let the engine gear down in most cases.....but when I am in a hurry to do a gear move i'll just slip the clutch in and use the regular brakes.I rarely use 5th gear in the city and never put the car in gear parked...I use the hand brake.

[Mase]

-double-clutch when downshifting.-if you're in stop and go or crawling traffic, just leave it in 1st and crawl along instead of taking it in and out of gear constantly.

[Atomb]

i used the tach for awhile once i got the vibe, but now that you mentioned it, you get into 'auto' mode and can 'feel' when you need to shift. Now i only look at it when i let it wind up to 5,000rpm on the straight flat roads in Milton!As for turning onto another street, I'll downshift before the turn usually. It has become so natural i'm sitting here seriously thinking about it just to explain to you! Either that or push in the clutch, turn and then re-engage on the exit in a lower gear.On a hill, i once tried the parking brake technique in my VW Golf and it was unsuccessful. I guess with practice i could get better, but i find i can handle hills with just my feet.I agree with gpk99 on the 'touchiness' of the vibe's clutch. reminds me a lot of the newer VW hydraulic clutches (my wifes Bug felt this way). I used to prefer the older cable style in the Golf and was a little annoyed with the vibe's at first. but after a few weeks, i've come to not mind the vibe's clutch all that much.i had to teach myself to drive manual while driving home, in a blizzard, during rush hour from picking up my brand new VW Golf.Being from the toronto area yourself, imagine going from Markham and Lawrence (Cederbrae VW) to Bloor and Avenue Rd. in the above mentioned conditions and trying to learn how to drive manual at the same time!! I had BUSES honking at me as they drove around my stalled car... one good thing. Another VW driver saw my problem and told me to turn into a side streeet. He stopped and got in my car, spent about 20 minutes with me and gave me some pointers. That helped me get home. Go figure, nice strangers!I then taught my wife how to drive manual in a home depot parking lot...parking lots are great for that.

[B18B]

For those of you who don't like pulling the e-brake when starting off hills, I suggest the following:With your right foot still on the brake (in gear, and clutch pedal depressed), release the clutch until it starts to grab (the friction point). Now when you release the brake pedal, this should prevent the car from rolling back.

[B18B]

Hey Atomb...I'd say the most challenging place to practice the hill start in Mississauga is the underground entrance to Central Library, right by City Hall!

[nismo]

I first learned how to drive a stick in Gaylord, MI. It was like 1am and I asked my brother if he could teach me and he glady said yes. So, now, when I take right turns into side streets, I usually downshift to 2nd and then take off. And if I'm talkin a left, kinda fast, I usually downshift to 3rd. I use my brakes to slow down. I still don't understand, what exactly is double clutching?Inder

[Mr. Poopypants]

When I was 15, my mom had an 87 Subaru GL that would eventually become my first car. She took me up to the highschool parking lot and she let me learn how to drive a 5 speed. My tip, drive gentle (most of the time )

[Mase]

Quote, originally posted by TRD4reel »I still don't understand, what exactly is double clutching?InderThis site has some good videoshttp://www.standardshift.com/videos.htmlBasically, double-clutching (during a downshift) is:1. When getting ready to shift, press clutch2. Put it in neutral3. Press the accelerator and rev it up to the rpm your next gear will be4. Press the clutch again and put it in the lower gear.If you have the revs matched correctly, the shifter should literally fall into gear and you wont get any jerk when letting off the clutch.

[nismo]

O okay. I do that while up shifting.Inder

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by Atomb »i used the tach for awhile once i got the vibe,Hi Atomb. So when you did use the tach did you try and shift around 3000 rpm?Quote, originally posted by Atomb »As for turning onto another street, I'll downshift before the turn usually.If I am in 3rd then dshifting to 2nd is fine. But if in 5th or 4th and approaching a turn, the question is whether to actually go from..say 5th then clutch in, now 4th, clutch in etc until 2nd gear (lots of 'clutching' ) or maybe while in 5th and needing to go to 2nd just depress the clutch fully and use the brakes to decrease speed (while clutch still fully depressed) and then when speed is reduced shift to 2nd and then release clutch? I think their is the technique called "double clutch" which is appropriate when dshifting but im not sure I could understand it thru reading...someone would have to show me...and some say that such a techique isnt appropriate with today's advanced clutches.Quote, originally posted by Atomb »On a hill, i once tried the parking brake technique in my VW Golf and it was unsuccessful. I guess with practice i could get better, but i find i can handle hills with just my feet.I agree. I can easily handle a hill (no slipping) with my feet.Quote, originally posted by Atomb »I agree with gpk99 on the 'touchiness' of the vibe's clutch. I recently test drove a Chevy Cobalt 5 speed with the Getrag clutch. What a beautiful drive ie smooth and easy clutch and transmission...ANYONE could drive this manual transmission. Quote, originally posted by Atomb »i had to teach myself to drive manual while driving home, in a blizzard, during rush hour from picking up my brand new VW Golf.I had BUSES honking at me as they drove around my stalled car... I sympathize. I knew how to drive a manual but in my case the clutch desparately needed replacing in my 86 Corolla. I had to drive it 20 km 'my' car place, in the city. I planned the route to minimize the number of hills I would encounter! It was so nerve racking Quote, originally posted by Atomb »I then taught my wife how to drive manual in a home depot parking lot...parking lots are great for that.I remember teaching my fiance to drive the 5 speed 86 Corolla. She was driving and I was beside her. She got stopped on a hill on Eglinton near Bellamy I think. She couldnt get it up the hill cras and buses honking. All of a sudden she turns the car off, puts on the e-brake and leaves the car and walks away...crying . Definitely not easy teaching a significant other to drive a manual Btw, in the 20 years since she always drives a 5 speed. Our on order 5 speed Vibe will be her car.

[esjones]

I had a high school friend with a BIG Mercury with a manual transmission. He taught me to drive with a manual, and I took to it farily quickly. I've driven many cars with manual transmissions including many European rental cars, a Corvette I once had, and the Vibe.I don't downshift all that much in order to reduce speed. Some exceptions are getting off of highways on exit ramps, I will sometimes go from 5th to 4th to reduce speed, then have to grab 3rd to have any sort of acceleration to merge with traffic. At intersections, I use the brakes to slow down, then attempt to match engine speed to the transmission as I round the corner. Usually, I do this in 3rd, but if I've slowed down a lot, I have to use 2nd.I've played around with shifting according to the tach, and found that upshifting at 3K gives passengers a nice, conservative ride. 90 percent of the time, though, I just shift via sound, feel and instinct.Enjoy the 5-speed! I really like mine, with my only complaint being that the ratio of 4th gear and 5th gear are just too close.

[vibe-04]

I first learned as a kid on a golf course as a grounds keeper driving tractors but never drove a 5-speed untill my girlfriend BOUGHT A NEW CAR WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION BUT COULDN'T DRIVE IT! Yes, kinda strange because I advised against her buying the Hyundai Excel 5-speed but somehow she was convinced. So I picked it up at the dealership and it was the first snow of the year which worked out well because I was popping the clutch like crazy and the snow gave me the slippage (is that a word?) I needed. Three months later... I forced her to learn at my College's parking lot. I wanted my car back.We split up soon after. Today, my wife can't drive the Vibe and I'm not teaching her. The 5-speed makes me drive faster than I should. It's harder to maintain lower speeds when in 2nd or 3rd. 4th is stable and has a longer power band. I've never driven the 6-speed: does any know how it compares to the base 5?A

[MoonDogg]

I learned how to drive a standard by buying a S-10 with a 5 speed... dealer asked me.. "do you know how to drive a stick?" I said of course... spun the tires out the parking lot and the rest is history... Took alittle getting use to but I love a stick and thats why I got the GT!!

[Charlievibe]

Quote, originally posted by MoonDogg »dealer asked me.. "do you know how to drive a stick?" When I got my Vibe, the dealer asked me if I knew how to drive manual and I was honest and said no. I had taken my mom along to test drive the Vibe and let me know what she thought. She is into the sports cars with manual transmission, so her opinion was important to me. The dealer told me that he had taught quite a number of new car buyers how to drive manuals, including his own wife.The piece of advice he gave me, and I don't know how you all feel about this, is to take off your shoes and learn the feel of the car through your feet. My mom is the one who taught me so I tend to drive my car like a sports car.As for saving the clutch, don't ride it. Once you shift gears, get your foot off of the clutch. the hardest part for me with that one is in traffic when it is bumper-to-bumper. I did start out watching the tach, but now don't use it. I like to feel when the engine should be shifted.Good luck learning and just enjoy yourself!!!!!

[esjones]

Quote, originally posted by Charlievibe »The piece of advice he gave me, and I don't know how you all feel about this, is to take off your shoes and learn the feel of the car through your feet. Barefoot is the ONLY way to drive! Especially a manual!

[goodvibe]

The synchros eliminate the need for double clutching. At one time double clutching was the best way to just upshift but we're beyond that now. If your downshifting, clutch, tap on the gas to match rpm up to the lower gear and release the clutch. The idea is to never slip the clutch except for take offs and still not jerk the car around. Try to use it like an on-off switch and time a fast clutch release to match RPMs with the gear and speed. On a GT you have to shift quickly on an upshift when you're off the gas and you'll catch the the correct rpms because of the light flywheel etc.. On a slower shift you can skip a gear and get very smooth results. I do 1-2-4-6 all the time when I'm just cruising around. Having a unichip and stock intake probably helps here as I have as much N/A torque below 3k as possible with this combo. No need to row all the gears either up or down just pick the one you want and get the rpms right.

[wicked1981]

Quote, originally posted by Mase »This site has some good videoshttp://www.standardshift.com/videos.htmlThats a good site. I just learned how to drive a stick and its a pain in the a** until you get it down. I still have problems starting from 1st gear when Im at a stop. I turn the car off but as I practice its getting better. Im learning to drive in my friends Ion Redline and only been practicing for like 3 days last week about an hour each time. I stalled it last week when a cop was behind me I couldnt stop laughing and feeling stupid but ohh well I have to learn.

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by goodvibe »If your downshifting, clutch, tap on the gas to match rpm up to the lower gear and release the clutch. I do 1-2-4-6 all the time when I'm just cruising around. No need to row all the gears either up or down just pick the one you want and get the rpms right. I really enjoy reading this thread. I am learning lots.First, I have driven manual for 25 years but I know very little about cars. Secondly I dont burn through clutches...I guess I drive a manual well enough but I want to understand it better....and hopefully drive a stick better.Tell me what is wrong with this procedure. Say I am in 4th but needing to slow down to 2nd to make a turn. In advance of the turn I fully depress the clutch (stick still in 4th), I gently apply brakes to reduce my speed; at this point my rpms will be coming down right? so when the rpms are low enough I shift the stick directly to 2nd gear then release the clutch and make the turn. I dont understand, as you described, that one needs to apply gas on the *downshift*. Doesnt braking bring the speed of the car to the point where a lower gear is needed? Appreciate the info.

[Ponyota]

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover »Tell me what is wrong with this procedure. Say I am in 4th but needing to slow down to 2nd to make a turn. In advance of the turn I fully depress the clutch (stick still in 4th), I gently apply brakes to reduce my speed; at this point my rpms will be coming down right? so when the rpms are low enough I shift the stick directly to 2nd gear then release the clutch and make the turn. I dont understand, as you described, that one needs to apply gas on the *downshift*. Doesnt braking bring the speed of the car to the point where a lower gear is needed? Appreciate the info. Yup, that's exactly how I do it and have for years and years...

[NUBlackshirts]

I learned to drive a stick in my 1984 VW Scirocco. The salesman took me out in a parking lot and taught me. He even taught the 2 friends I had with me that day.On a similar note, when we went to look at my GT, the salesman took my wife and I out to a parking lot so that he could teach my wife how to drive a stick. I had tried to teach her in the past but lost patience.

[goodvibe]

Nothing wrong with that at all when you slow significantly to turn. If you want to down shift for quicker acceleration or get some engine braking when driving more agressively, the only way to match revs without unduely wearing the clutch is to blip the throttle. gentle is always best but if we can't help ourselves, we can still try to be nice to the clutch.

[Stang2Vibe]

My experiences back up everything that goodvibe has been saying, so I have to agree.Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover »I dont understand, as you described, that one needs to apply gas on the *downshift*. Doesnt braking bring the speed of the car to the point where a lower gear is needed? Appreciate the info. I think I can help clarify. As soon as you push down on the clutch, your RPM's will begin to fall. When you are upshifting (increasing speed), this is what you want. You wind out the gear you're in, push down the clutch, shift to the next gear, the RPM's fall, and you're ready to let out the clutch as the engine is ready to wind up again in the next gear. Then you repeat to upshift again.When downshifting, you want the opposite to occur with the RPM's. When in a higher gear and you want to shift to a lower gear, you have to wind UP the RPM's instead of letting them fall as you do when you upshift. So to downshift, you push down the clutch, shift to the lower gear, tap on the gas (with clutch still depressed) to spike up the RPM's, then gently but steadily let out the clutch. If you matched your traveling speed (a.k.a ground speed) and the RPM's for that gear pretty close, the downshift will be pretty smooth. If you didn't bring the RPM's up enough for the ground speed, then the car will lurch as you release the clutch, jerking you forward in your seat and wearing on your clutch. So you will definitely know when you've done it wrong.As stated before, double-clutching goes to way back in the day before syncros. Some commercial trucks and other large vehicles still require double-clutching even on the upshifts because of the severe strain on the drivetrain due to the heavy weight of the vehicle or it's load. To double-clutch, you have to (while already moving) push down the clutch, put the stick in neutral, release the clutch, tap the gas (with the clutch engaged to wind up the transmission RPM's), push down the clutch again, engage the stick in the next gear, and then release the clutch again. You have to do this pretty quickly so the tranny RPM's don't fall too much or you'll have to spool up the tranny in neutral again. I give truckers a lot of credit because they are able to do this thousands of times and never miss a beat.

[Stang2Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover »On a regular 5 speed do you make use of the tachometer?Well, I have the GT with the 6-speed so my experience will be a little different. I do use the tach when accelerating at full throttle to watch for the redline. Hitting the rev-limiter at the redline while in lift at full throttle doesn't sound or feel too good. So I do use it to time my shift right at the redline and just before the limiter kicks in. I also take a peek at the tach sometimes if I'm boxed in traffic and am not going to be accelerating for a while. I'll check the tach to see if I can upshift a gear or two to save gas while maintaining my speed.Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover »When stopped on an steep incline but waiting to do move forward do you use the hand brake to maintain postion or still only the foot brake?I've tried that a few times with my Vibe and it helped with starting out on very steep inclines when I was first adjusting to driving the Vibe. After I got the feel of it in this car, I didn't need to do it anymore.Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover »Each person has a unique and personal style driving a 5 speed. But I am curious how others drive a manual properly ie so as to minimize clutch wear. I like to shift clutchless whenever I can. It is easier to do this on the upshifts. I just take the stick out of gear as I'm finishing accelerating in that gear, move it to the next gear and apply slight pressure on the stick. When the RPM's fall to the right speed, the stick will slip right into gear. This works well if you aren't accelerating very hard and just driving normally.Downshifting clutchless is trickier and I only do it if I have a good amount of clear distance in front of me so I have time to do it. I pull the stick out of gear, tap the throttle, and again apply pressure toward the gear that I want to downshift to and when the RPM's are right, it goes right in. If it never goes into the gear as the RPM's fall, then you know that you didn't rev up the engine enough and have to rev it up again.I also advocate strongly against riding the clutch or letting it slip excessively when shifting.Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover »I first learned to drive manual by driving golf course maintenance equipment (tractors and such) That's kinda funny because I did too. I taught my sister how to drive my 5-speed Mustang that I had before I bought the Vibe. We used a big shopping center parking lot after hours when it was empty. I tried to teach my g/f how to drive the Mustang, as she insisted on moving it herself one time in front of her house and she wanted me to teach her. After explaining it in words to her in the car, she tromped too hard on the gas, popped the clutch, and smoked the tires for about the length of 3 houses on her street. She got spooked by it and slammed on the brakes after a few seconds and stalled it out. She got real mad and just got out of the car saying that she just didn't understand it and didn't want to drive a stick again. She later asked me what all the noise was as we were moving down the street, so I replied "about 5,000 miles worth of tire". lol. She didn't think it was very funny.Now she asks me sometimes if I'll teach her on the Vibe. I keep telling her that I will if she really wants to, but this is not an easy car and transmission to learn on. This 6-speed is probably the trickiest manual that I've ever driven in a car. The Mustang was really easy. The good amount of low-end torque in the 'stang made it easy to launch (as she found out) and the gears were well spaced and easy to find. The Vibe has a touchy clutch, very little low-end torque, the 6-speed is very notchy and the gears are really tightly spaced. I've let her sit in the driver's seat with the car shut off and had her press in the clutch and move the shifter around to see what I meant. 1st and 3rd are easy to mistake when you're learning on this car, and after I explained about where reverse is, she got kinda freaked out. I'll be happy to try and teach her if she really wants to learn, but I know she'll give up after about 30 seconds of it if things don't go well.

[goodvibe]

Stang, I've always wondered if clutchless shifting may be a bit harder on the synchros. As soon as you put pressure on the stick, you're asking the synchros to match gear speed but with the clutch engaged, the motor's not letting that happen as quickly. It won't go into gear until the RPMs match the speed in gears. The differencial is what the synchros work against. Don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that it's overall worse to do and I've done it now and then since owning bikes in my teens. I'm just wondering if we're balancing one type of wear against another. I've always felt that a huge majority or wear (especially in the GT) was at start from a stop and a proper clutch shiftwhen rolling doesn't wear much of anything but the throwout bearing. By the way, nice description on blipping. I don't drive that way enough to bother but if you've ever driven with somebody that was really good at heal/toeing you know what car control is.

[esjones]

Quote »I like to shift clutchless whenever I can.Echoing goodvibe, I am not a transmission expert, but I would agree that this technique maximizes the wear on the synchronizers. Comments from experts?We've already decided that braking is better than downshifting because brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than a clutch. I would think that using the clutch when shifting is better than your technique (which I have also tried, BTW, and it DOES work) because a clutch is cheaper and easier to replace than gear synchronizers.

[goodvibe]

Yep, brakes are cheaper than the clutch or motor but less fun. A good down shift with a throttle blip to match rpm doesn't cause any more clutch wear than any other shift and the motor doesn't much mind helping with slowing down. Agressive driving is always going to be harder on a vehicle but doing it right will still help it last a long time. If you got a GT you'll find that it's actually easier to drive fast than to be gentile. Light flywheels and peaky HP do that.

[redlava]

I learned on my Dad's '89 Ford truck. My Dad always said, "You can't be a shiftless person forever." I like driving stick, for about three days, and then it becomes annoying. 80% of my driving is in town, if it were reversed then I would have definitely gotten the GT that I wanted in the first place. But my little base is good enough for me.

[SilverExpress]

Hello, I learned how to operate a clutch on my uncle's old but well taken care of Honda 400 motorcycle. I think it was a '74 and I was learning to riding it around in '86. Basically, once you get the feel of a clutch you can easily transfer what you learned to another vehicle. My first manual car was a Fiero. And, it was my first day at my 2nd job in high school. I was a valet! I figured hey, I know how to ride a motorcycle, so a car can't be any harder!Talk about pressure, it was 5:30 pm and the people wanting their cars parked where starting to pile up. The customer's Fiero had a nice stick, but the clutch and the steering wheel lock-to-lock sucked. For such a small car it had a horrible turning radius. So, I kept stalling it because of my inexperience, and gradually because the turning radius sucked, I ran it into the curb (coasted actually). Luckily, the team captain was free to take the car, and I moved on to another customer with an automatic. Whew!That was a kicka** job. It was an upscale restuarant in Birmingham, Michigan, and I got to drive cars you read about in Road and Track. The job kept me in awesome physical condition too! In fact, being 37 now, I wouldn't mind getting a job like that again during the weekends. Today, I got one of those cubicle jobs, and I feel like an overgrown tomato.Back to the topic. In learning to drive a manual, try picturing two PLATES in your head. One disk (call it plate "E) is attached to your engine, and once you start the car this plate starts to turn. How fast that plate turns is shown by the Tachometer on your dash. Got that? Now, picture a second plate (call it plate "T") facing the one above. This plate is attached to your transmission. If this plate turns, and your stick is in a gear, your wheels will turn. Whenever the clutch pedal is free, both plates touch. When you step on the clutch, this plate "T" moves away from plate "E". Try moving your left leg, like you're pushing down on the clutch pedal, and at the same time picture both plates in your head. So every time you push on that pedal, picture plate "T" moving away from plate "E".The trick to getting a car with a manual moving from a dead stop is to get the feel of the two plates mating with each other. REMEMBER, whenever your engine is ON, plate "E" rotates with it. You should always start with the stick in neutral....1. Now with the clutch pedal pushed and held down . Start the car. Plate "E" is now rotating (and not touching plate "T" if it was the car would jump forward).2. Put the car in first gear. Now picture plate "T". As you slowly release the clutch, plate "T" will start to move towards plate "E". NOTE: since the car is not moving, plate "T" is also not rotating. But it's gonna mate with plate "E" soon, so noooowwwww picture this.......Your outside the car, and you gotta push it because it's outta gas. What would happen if you walked a half a block away, and started running real fast towards the rear bumper? And assuming you didn't slow down and kept running with the intent to push it. WHAM! Even though the car is out of park and in neutral, it'd be like slamming into a wall. What you need to do is gradually apply power till you overcome the weight of the car, and it starts moving. The same thing applies to the clutch pedal and plate "T". IF you POP the clutch, PLATE "T" will slam against PLATE "E", and since the car isn't moving, the engine will stall (that's like you running into the car). What you need to do is gradually apply the clutch, give it some gas for power, and slowly you'll overcome the weight of the car, and plate "T" will start moving with plate "E". YOU CAN FEEL THIS HAPPENING and now you can hopefully picture it in your head too. Good luck!!!

[03VibeGT6Spd]

Well I have a GT and since it has tappered gears. And with all the GT clutch issue's. I only use the clutch when taking off, and racing.Floating the gears puts way less wear and tear on the clutch. You arent putting wear on your synchronizers doing that.I grew up in the end of the muscle car era.Shifting Munice 4 speeds, and Doug Nash and Borg warner 5spdsI learn to float on that old manuel Munice, there was no hyd. clutch back then. It was a work out pushing that hard clutch pedal down.I miss that Big old 396, Of course today I couldn't afford to drive it.I didn't pass many gas stations back then.

[goodvibe]

If you can shift without waiting with pressure on the synchros than you're not wrong but a good clutch shift also doesn't wear the clutch. If you can match gear speeds neither causes significant wear. Using the clutch will help a mistake from banging gears.

[03VibeGT6Spd]

I forgot to add I have a accident free million mile award, I did it in 6 years. Shifting 13 gears acrossed are Great Nation and Canada.And on the Double Clutching B.S..I have taught more people how to Double clutch then anyone person should.It's a waste of time, and wear and tear on the trow out bearing. Thought up by a pencil pusher in Washington D.C.I may have taught them how to but only So they could pass there Road Test.I also taught Most of them how to float.The purpose is to get the timing correct, So a Monkey can shift gears in trucks.Trucks don't have synchronizers like Cars and Pickups do. With the clutch you still have to float the gears in trucks.When I hear about people Double Clutching there car or pickup, The only thing that comes to mind is What a dumb a**!!It makes No Sense.............

[goodvibe]

[jwalcik]

two days before i bought my gt, a friend took me out in his '91 nissan hardbody and taught me how to drive a manual in an empty parking lot. i then drove to san antonio (about 90 miles from home) to buy my gt, and got to drive it home alone. the salesman i dealt with was wonderfully patient, and gave me access to he dealership's service road and let me practice for about an hour before attempting the drive home.eight days and 312 miles later, and i'm a *lot* more comfortable than i was when i left the dealership, however i still rev the engine a little high when getting started from a dead stop. i was at a red light on an empty road last night and i think the rx-8 next to me thought i wanted to race. i didn't have time to catch their eye before i saw their tail lights disappearing into the night.