Vin

... what are some of the quirks you do or have noticed other people do with a manual shift car that drive you nuts?

one friend of mine is always dead set getting her car into the highest gear possible as soon as possible. we're talking 5th gear at 40mph. and she wonders why she can't pass anyone!?!

another friends sits at red lights with the clutch in and the stick in first waiting for the light to change - even at the looong red lights for minutes at a time. i guess this doesn't do any damage (maybe the throw out bearing over time) but it drives me crazy for some reason. why sit there needlessly extending your leg if you can sit there in neutral?

i have this morning ritual of holding the clutch in for a sec and rowing through the gears before hitting reverse. only in the mornings. kind of like getting a quick hit to start the drive off :-)

i've also noticed that it's a habit to always tap the shifter a couple of times when i'm stopped and out of gear, just to make sure i'm i neutral. why? beats me.

larryV

I've noticed that alot with women friends of mine who drive manuals - they like to shift early and get to 5th (or 4th on an old civic) for some strange reason. My theories on that are:
1. They shift early because revving the engine any higher than 3000 sounds "bad" and they think it might hurt the car. Sure, this friend of mine could care less about keeping it clean, puts in regular, and doesn't warm it up... but for some strange reason, she's afraid the loud scream of the engine is baaad. hehe. Beats me.
2. They like to get to 5th gear (or 4th) JUST TO GET IT OVER WITH. One of my girlfriends actually admitted this. I thought it was hilarious... we'd be in 5th before even completely getting on the highway on the "on" ramp at like 40 mph... but it's all good, she can forget about shifting after that, cruise, and listen to the radio. Maybe by the time we reach our exit, we would finally break the speed limit.

Ahhh. I miss having a manual. I have a tip but I still don't shift to 5th until I'm at 80. I love hearing the engine scream (but it scares the sh*t out of my friend) She won't let me get my kicks and drive her manual because she thinks I rev it too high (4000)

Larry
99.5 1.8Tqts APR K&N

old mness

As I (or even my wife) is driving our car I'll check that the handle is really down. Not that I've ever driven with it on, but for some reason I get paranoid.