any advice on teaching a 16 year old how to drive a stick shift.i bought a 91 runner 5spd for my son,mom's having a cow(he don't need to be drivin a stick) i want him to have a 4wd drive.i got stranded in the snow one time in a 2 whl drive chevy bought a 94Z71 & said i'd never have nuttin but 4wd again.even the wife now has a 97 runner 4wd.she wants to put the boy in hers & lease a new runner.ok fine that leaves me in the z71 & i want a 4runner or 1st gen double cab taco-preferrably the taco.anyway back to the advice on teaching the stick-if he stays in the 91 i'll have a better shot at the taco

 

take him to a big open parking lot, have him learn starting and stopping... then find a parking lot on a hill...

 

Let him learn in the 91 4Runner and KEEP HIM in the 91 cause you and I both know he'll have a wreck (not if but when) and it might as well be in the cheapo.

Find a VERY LARGE field or parking lot (no light posts) and teach him the basics of shifting, but most importantly BRAKING while down shifting. I taught my brother to drive a stick and he could shift fine, but his clutch in braking almost got us killed cause he didn't let the engine slow itself when he downshifted cause he'd always leave in the clutch.

After he gets the shifting/braking down, time to learn HILL starts and stops. It really is nothing but feel and practice...so be patient and don't yell...too much.

 

Like my dad did....pretty much the same as an auto only including a bunch of practice on where the clutch engages, starts on hills when he figures it out and lots of patience....

only don't set yer beer on the floorboard or it's likely to get spilled.






(ok, no beer, period.)

 

thanx guys,i was even thinking of the open field & maybe putting in low lock so the clutch wouldnt get slipped on take off

 

Two words that will help him get started,

Four Low

Lamm

 

yeah the 4 low could help him a bit at first, more chance of just stalling it though i guess... when i first touched a stick it was in a '72 Plymouth Duster with a little too much torque to just stall out, letting the clutch out too fast at slow rpm just loaded the driveline, seemed to tilt the car, and then it would jump forward still running

 

I tought 3 people to drive stick in my old 4Runner and none of them ever stalled in 4Lo.

Lamm

 

My dad taught me by just driving down behind a Publix.

Here is my advice, this is what my dad did. Just have him release the clutch REAALLLY slow on flat ground to show him how to get going. I didnt understand it at all until I realized that. After he gets that down add in revving the engine a little bit so he gets a feel for it. The rest is just practice.

 

Thats how i learned. You have to let them stall it a couple of times. Its the only way they will learn the clutch / gas sequence. I always have them stall it a couple of time to find the spot on the clutch. Then try adding gas it will only take a few times really, then its just repetative practice. On hill starts the parking break helps out sometimes.

Keep him in the 5 speed, he learns how to drive it he will be able to drive anything. And its cheaper to replace than the wifes.

 

I would start him in a field with 4LOW to give him a sense of how things work without too much fear of stalling it, THEN move into a parking lot in 2HI.

 

you have to try pretty hard to stall it in 4LO... i can put it in 1st 4LO and practically dump the clutch and it'll go...

there is such a huge difference between 4LO and 2HI that it may not even be worth starting out with LO.

 

The idea is to give a sense of the "logistics" of pushing in the clutch, easing off the throttle, shifting, etc without it getting too frustrating for him by stalling all the time.

 

Son learned to drive on level first, then I took him to a long, little used hill (goes up to the community water tower). Had him start, then stop, then start again, all the way up the hill. A couple runs up that, and he had it down.

16 to 19 he has had 3 minor accidents (all his fault). In that time I have been in 1 minor, and 1 major (niether my fault)

 

I drive a 91 4Runner (3.slow) 5 speed. It took me some time on my own before I finally got the whole braking/starting on hills down. I've only stalled like 4 times since I first got in the drivers seat...

I know I'm better off driving the 4Runner with the 3.0 because I can't really speed anywhere....

Explain the paddle type action between the clutch and the accelerator.... go pedal down, release clutch at about the same speed type thing...

 

My folks gave me a little 4 speed 2 seater on my 16th birthday. They insisted my sister and I learn on a stick. My dad set up an obstacle course I had to pass before I could take the test, that included parallel parking in a space not much larger than the car, squeezing between poles positioned an inch away from each side mirror in both forward and reverse and repeating til I could do it at speed. The latter probably wasn't the best idea, cause for fun I used to spin traffic cones to show off to my friends.

Patience is the key. Have him take you for a trip through a parking lot, then as he gets more comfortable, neighborhoods, then finally main roads and freeways. Hills are the hardest part to learn, so make sure he is well versed in those.

 

its easy once you get the hang of it .... see my sig every one has a manual well my sister dont but she used to .... practice is key

 

I agree. I learned how to drive a clutch in an army surplus Jeep when I was 15 using the same method. Once I got the hang of it I never had a problem again. I went 20 years without driving a manual until about 6 months ago and it was like riding a bike, couple of shifts to get familliar with the vehicle and it was like I'd been driving one all my life.

 

The first car I learned to drive at age 14 was a stick. Learned by myself in a TJ Maxx parking lot!

One thing that helped me on STEEP hills in tight traffic, was using the E-brake. There was one intersection on the way to work that was a steep hill that had a stop sign at the top, and you'd have to stop half way up the hill. I'd put the ebrake on, start to let the clutch out, and then let the ebrake off. This way I wouldnt roll back and hit the car behind me (which was right on my tail)

Of course, check out the ebrake on the 91 and adjust it if need be.

 

My Dad taught me in a 79 Toyota Truck in a gravel parking lot. I had to practice until I could get off the clutch reasonably fast without throwing gravel everywhere.