crucial, clutch car-go gig
Well, I've got a problem. It's time to draw from the vast collective wisdom of the internet -- I'm counting on you guys. But this is sort of one of those "I'm running out of space for all my gold doubloons" problems, and I'll understand if you all just bitch me out instead.
So Catherine and I and several of you are all going to Italy at the end of April. It's gonna be great, and I'm going to eat thiiiiiis much gelato and ride the gondola twice. Or at least drink my bodyweight in wine.
Well, it'll be a fun time, but while they were busy filling their country with picturesque locations and people the Italians frustratingly neglected to build an effective, pan-Tuscan mass transportation system. The trains are great for moving between cities and non-miniscule towns, but we're still going to need some rental cars.
Italy boasts some of Europe's priciest rental cars. For an automatic transmission I'm having a hard time cracking the $700/week level. If I could drive stick, though... well, nearly $300 could be shaved off that figure.
The problem is that I haven't driven stick since I was sixteen. My mom felt it was important that I learn -- she approached it like a survival skill, and wanted me to be prepared for the complete lack of automatic transmissions that would doubtless accompany the nuclear winter/viral epidemic/zombie attacks of the future. So we spent a few hours driving up and down my grandparents' street in their decrepit Volkswagen Rabbit. I didn't perform very well, but neither did the car, so for all I know I could be the world's greatest manual transmission driver, EVER.
So what do you guys think? Is this fake-able? Is there a good way to learn before I go? The rental car's clutch only needs to last for seven days, after all.
Comments
Get the stick. You'll pick it up in a second. And it will be so much more fun when you're burning down those Tuscan dirt roads.
Why not go to Rent-a-Wreck or Enterprise and rent a stick to practice before you go? Starting and stoping will be fine for you, just watch out for the hills.
Or you can rely on my preferred method of transportation: the goodwill of others. Sorry Cat, looks you're designated driver that week!
I don't know...you didn't witness my attempt at driving Julie's car in TRAFFIC on the highway down to Myrtle Beach. Actually I think it's on video. Scary stuff.
A bunch of the rest of us drive stick. Also, if you like you can try driving my car before we go, if anything you'll find out whether or not you can fake it. Na, would you like another lesson?
thanks, Julie! I'd love to take you up on that. I promise, I wasn't that bad, I don't think. A quick refresher and I bet I'll be ok.
Tom, driving stick is not something you necessarily learn. It's something you "get". There's like a tipping point, like learning to ride a bike is simply getting the balance thing. Or learning another language has its tipping point and suddenly all else falls into place. The shift tipping point is feeling the balance between lifting your foot off the clutch as you press on the gas pedal. That's it. You could literally get it in 5 minutes or less. It's a zen thing. There's nothing technical about it. But then, maybe that's your problem. There's nothing technical about it.
Good luck. Fitz and the band are taking me over to Ireland next year. That'll be my first trip over to old Europe. While I've travelled all over central and south america, I've never made it across the ditch. I'm jealous! Have fun.--s
Driving in Italy is terrifying enough. I don't think you'll enjoy stalling in the middle of a crowded roadway, or even better on a winding 1 lane mountain road. If your buddies drive stick, and can take the wheel in busy areas, I'd say go for it, but otherwise it may be pretty stressful.
The shift tipping point is feeling the balance between lifting your foot off the clutch as you press on the gas pedal. That's it. You could literally get it in 5 minutes or less. It's a zen thing. There's nothing technical about it.
It's all muscle memory.
A practical tip:
If you can find an open road or parking lot, try to practice just coasting at idle speed without stepping on the gas at all. Starting from a stop, let the clutch out slowly until you roll and try to just hold it there.
You'll no doubt kill the engine several times before you're through, but this should give you a sense of how far you have to let out the clutch before applying the gas.
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