Great job! I learned at around 16 on my dads car. It can be very nerve wracking at first, especially the first time on a real road with cars sitting behind you at a red light or worse, on a hill! Regardless, I’m so glad I learned when I was young . 30 years later I still drive a car with a manual transmission.and still enjoy it to this day. It’s great to see young drivers like yourself and Sophie taking an interest, as driving a manual transmission is unfortunately a dying artform.
Who here is still watching this video despite driving a manual for years? I have been driving a manual for over 20 years and watched the video. This is a great tutorial video. This will be a good reference for my sons when they are ready and want to drive a manual.
Yup. I taught both of my kids years back, but thought it would be interesting to see how they approached it. I'm trying to decide if I want to attempt to teach my wife. The kids did really well, especially with the added pressure of being filmed. And Sofie, having never driven - that's an even greater challenge. My first attempt was also pre-driving experience, and it was an old Chevy pick up with a three on the tree! Next up for another lesson, starting on hills!
@@scottanthony3426 OMG... do not, and I mean do NOT, try to teach your wife to drive stick. The dynamic between a husband & wife is very different than father & child. I don't care how good both of your intentions are going into it, everything you say will not be taken as "instruction".... it will be taken as criticism. Your best bet is to give your car to a friend that can drive stick, and have them teach her. You chuckle.... go try it. 🤣
Just because you asked to tell who the better teacher was in the comments, I think it was Todd. I mean, Paul did some really good explaining, but Todd explained the process in an even better way and, I can't really say why, but I think he gave Sophie more of a relaxed, low stress atmosphere. Besides, I think Sophie was PHENOMENAL; her very first time in a car on her own? Fan-bleeding-tastic! Great teachers, great video!
We'll call it a draw on teaching, but I was a little surprised you guys both introduced the gas immediately. I really liked Matt Farah's approach of practicing letting the clutch out for 8-10 seconds with no gas at first. But you guys had outstanding students that picked it up immediately, so good on them.
That's how I teach people to drive a standard transmission as well (what you said Matt does). Learned that trick in the MSF course many years ago after I already knew how to drive manual in a car, but was learning to ride a bike. They have you practice clutch-only for like 15 min before incorporating throttle. And it worked out well, everybody in the group learned how to ride, and many of them had never used a standard transmission before.
Yeah, that is a LOT to be thinking about all at once when you've never even driven a car. My dad let me have a shot at it when I was about 14, on an old two lane quiet road. But I was so distracted trying to figure out the three on the tree that I almost took out a mailbox. After that, I took every opportunity to sit in manual cars (not running) and row through the gears a bit to try to get a feel for the shift pattern. By the time I got my Learner's Permit, that truck was gone, so I don't think I've ever driven a 3 on the tree. They seemed so mysterious.
My grandma was born in 23 and taught many teens to drive. She never in her life had someone ruin a clutch learning and she was extremely dismissive of that notion. As a mechanic I've never seen it either on customers cars or my own after teaching people. Moral of the story is teach everyone you can to run a standard. The world needs more car people.
I love that you had them swap cars to feel the difference in the clutches. My girls want me to teach them, but I just got a new clutch and I am having a hard time not being protective of it.
@Alaberti I don't think warranty covers the clutch since it's a wear item like brakes. Hyundai can't be at fault for a terrible driver. If I'm wrong then I need to get on that warranty.
Taught my daughter how to drive a stick, much to the objections of both her and her mother. Calm tones and giggles are what make it a memorable experience. The only difference I did from your instruction was that I taught how the clutch engages, without using the gas, so that they learned feathering, to feel where it engages. Lots of stalls, but after an hour or so, she got the hang of it. Do I expect my daughter to buy a car with a manual transmission? No. But that wasn't the purpose. I taught her because god forbid she goes out on a date and her companion has too much to drink and can't/shouldn't drive, I don't want her to be stuck, unable to get home, simply because it's a manual transmission car and she doesn't know how to use it. I agree that it's best to have a non-family member teach if you can. It's stressful, but if you can remember back to when you started driving a stick, and share your experience and patience, it makes all the difference in the world.
I love that you trusted them with some caliber of manual sports car instead of a 1.0 Hyundai. That's how confidence is built best. Sophies smile when she got it was priceless.
@@aygwm Exactly! Taught my kids this "trick" and it came in very handy for one of them. Their car died out in the boonies and he was able to start it this way. His peers were amazed.
After watching this I just wanna say that even though both of you have different approaches it was evident that you were patient and wanted them to succeed and be able enjoy a new aspect to driving. Quickly forwarded it to my brother with a note of “watch this and see if calms your nerves”.
They both got it on the first try?? Impressive and much better than I did. Though come to think of it, my dad just put me in the car and told me to figure it out
I really enjoyed that. I watched it more to see the teaching than anything. Been driving for over 40 years - never owned an automatic, and taught myself manual by sneaking the keys to the old Bluebird church bus when I was 15, so I really enjoyed watching the learning process here. It's very cool to see two young kids who want to learn this and picked it up so quickly.
Yeah, she has good foot coordination and a cool head (as did Travis). The tendency of so many newbies is to just drop the clutch once the car starts moving, resulting in that giant lurch. It took me a lot longer. I do think today's cars are easier than the underpowered mushy gearboxes I first drove back in the 70's. Especially on a hill, but regardless I think it is great that the kids put themselves out there to learn a skill that they could easily just bypass like most of their peers. Paul and Todd did a great job as well. i agree - better to have a non-parent teach the kid, but finding that adult and an available stick are not easy.
@@scottanthony3426 you are right on all of that. I tried to learn on my uncles 80's dodge truck.. that wasnt happening haha. Then one of my friends had a 92 integra that i learned on.. lots of jerking, but i didnt stall every second like that truck. Bought a 95 integra after that and just went for it. About a week going back and forth to work i got it down! Its all about the car, the teacher with patience and the will power
The one thing I have taught to beginners is; when stopping, unless you are planning on immediately taking off (light is about to turn green) just go ahead and put the stick into neutral; that way you always know you can take your foot off the clutch and relax. When you are about to take off, push the clutch back in, slip it into gear, and go. It's safer as there's no risk that you might forget and slip your foot off the clutch and lurch out into the intersection and kill the car. Plus you can now freely do some engine revs to impress the locals. lol
I cherish the memory of my dad teaching me to drive his 1982 Rx-7. Such fond memories. I've not had the opportunity to teach many people how to drive a manual but I absolutely found it rewarding with the couple of people that I did teach. Long live the manual!
The accomplishment is even greater driving a manual for the first time with the cameras on! I think this video is more for the teachers than the students. They need to do it to learn it but you have given us great pointers in how to show new drivers the tricks of driving a manual.
A MAGNIFICENT video, guys. My first car was a 1954 Kaiser with a manual transmission and for many years after I always owned at least one MT. That changed in 2012 when I bought a GTI and my wife asked if I would consider an AT since she drove my car occasionally on daily commutes in horrendous Seattle traffic. I went with the GTI's magnificent dual clutch transmission and replaced the GTI with another in 2018. Again with a DSG. So when my 16 year old daughter began driving last year there was no MT in the garage for her to learn. That's seemed like a shame to me and the video reinforced that feeling. She'll be getting a car of her own in the next year or so and if she doesn't inherit the GTI I'll suggest she might consider an MT. Update: Well, four months after the comment above I came across a rare 2012 VW CC with only 45K miles on the clock and a manual transmission. It was the first new car the owner had ever bought and he took care of it like a "first born." Immaculate. I drove about a hundred miles to see it and bought it on the spot. The owner had tears in his eyes when I drove it away. So now my 17 y/o daughter has an MT to learn and drive. Her friends (mainly teenage guys) are very jealous. Unfortunately, I don't have these guys (or anyone else) around to teach her to drive an MT so that task falls to her father, me. The first thing I did was give her this video to watch. Later today we'll start the lessons and follow the steps demonstrated here. Thanks for the template, gentlemen. I'll try to be as supportive and non-judgmental as the two of you were. And I have complete confidence in my daughter's ability, who is already a very good driver, to master the skills.
When I was learning to drive, I had already been paying attention for a number of years to all the little things. My sister had not, AND she was incredibly afraid of disappointing either one of my parents, eventually they picked one of their work friends, that she had never met, and asked him to teach her. She did really well after that, best idea my parents ever had.
WOW! YOU GUYS WERE GREAT! All of you. Great teaching; great students, and great advice! Love you doing the blips now to get it engrained. I never learned those. Todd, great idea to introduce the car behind you. That’s where it goes all bad when you’re new! I’m getting great tips. You guys are motivating me to get a manual to teach my kids now who are both teens, one just got his license, the other will get his permit in two months! I learned on a 1985 Toyota Corolla 4 door 5 speed…I think my arthritic neck is due to some of those buck starts I experienced learning stick…These guys did great! Love the obstacle course. I think we all tried all this on the real roads with real cars…crazy! I think we’ve found Sophie’s first car!!! I want to see Travis do a little drifting. He looks ready!!!! Love the rolling car at the end…one of my favorite memories was driving my dads Toyota pickup to the VHS store, getting to the checkout and the lady asking me if that was my truck rolling across the parking lot!!! LOL. Big applause to all involved. This was a unique and great experience. You guys should do one now training folks who’ve been driving for a long time (10 years plus) who have never driven stick and trying to teach them!!!
i saw another video instruction of learning manual clutch. while in a parking lot, the suggestion was to just engage the clutch slowly and get the car rolling without gas and repeating that a few times to get to know the engaging point. even though i've been driving a manual for decades it's always nice to get others input on how to do it, i always learn something.
Cool video guys! Been a while since I been on here. I was taught by my drunk father back in 85’ on a winter day at night while he was yelling don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop I SAID NOT TO STOP. I drove the Ford Escort into a snow berm. Then he made me take it out of the berm and drive him home. I know newer cars are easier to start in 1st gear as opposed to the older vehicles.
One thing that helped them a lot was learning on modern, fairly forgiving cars. It's probably harder when you learn on junk. I learned on a 70s 3/4 ton Chevrolet farm truck that wasn't fit for the road and didn't do as well as these kids. It's awesome they got that experience.
Hard to peg who was the better teacher…true teaching is dynamic and needs to morph to be able to get the student to absorb, understand, and learn…Travis and Sophie are coming from different driving backgrounds. Todd broke things down much more for Sophie, but since she’s never driven, that was very appropriate (and clearly worked). Paul, was more into the meat and potatoes since Travis has a couple of years under his belt, so no need to get into some of the car dynamics…which also worked. Great job both! TIE!
LOL. My son learned to drive when he was 18 y.o. in my Cayman. The Porsche channel people thought I was nuts, but think he needed to learn so a little wear-n-tear was worth it. It's a survival skill for my kids...if your friend needs you to drive, you can limp home in a manual car. Good episode.
I think y'all both did way better than I would (have done teaching my wife lol). There's a few things from each of you I'll be sure to use in the future when teaching. I know there was way more said off camera that we didn't see as well. Thank you for doing the Lord's work and teaching the next generation. Also, both kids did amazing for their first time. I agree that the trick is not being taught by a family member, especially parent or spouse
My first time was off the dealer's lot in a new brz and into live traffic. Learning under pressure really helped. No one I know drives a manual so I had to learn each concept from youtube beforehand on the vehicle purchase.
I think the first mistake is telling people that you have to get the clutch out and gas in balanced before they even grasp the concept of the biting point. You don't even need to touch the gas to get going when driving slowly (or when learning). Release the clutch till it bites, hold it there!!!, and then the car will roll. And at that point add gas if necessary.
They were both rather proficient with no former experience of manual gearboxes as for teaching the both of you different approaches but did well to explain the importance of pedal control, having given all three of my daughters their first driving experience in a manual it’s the most important thing
This video is great! You're good teachers. As a father of a young lady (and a car enthusiast) I wait for the day that she'd learn to drive MT, and hope that she's interested in cars by then. Well done Sophie and Travis!
I wish I had this opportunity....instead my dad said "you break it, you buy it", and off we went. Fortunately I didn't do too bad and it started my interest in cars and engineering. You guys are awesome
This is the best hands down tutorial on how to drive a manual transmission when I was taught when I was a teenager I sucked! really bad and my brother was teaching me, adult now I never forgot the manual transmission even though I was really bad, stalling out all over the place I never gave up hope learning for me it was always muscle memory! over the years in my life I’ve had the chance of some of my friends let me practice on their cars it was way better teaching experience. I have my own car that’s a standard 2016 Fait 500x and I love it so much absolutely love this video! I only wish when I was growing up learning to drive I wish I had y’all for teachers great at explaining everything! weather young or older anybody can drive a manual transmission and the skill really stays with you forever!! Best feeling 🥰
Great Video!! Just taught my 16 year old daughter to drive on my wife's 2013 Audi A4 6 speed. She is now a proficient manual driver and so glad she learned a dying art!! Manuals are going away for sure but still think it's an amazing skill to have at any age!!
Excellent job for both of them! I was fortunate enough that dad taught me how to ride a dirt bike around 12 years old, so clutch/throttle, shifting, rev-matching, etc was all already second nature... was just a matter of teaching different limbs new muscle memory.
Wow Sophie did amazing for her first time driving and first time with manual at once! I wish my experience went that smooth haha. The analogy with the paddle board was actually a really good one if you've ever done that and driven manual
Kinda did me dirty on the editing there, hahaha! Despite what I said I most definitely did not have everything down, but the hand brake on the SLK is broken and only partially engages even when it’s pretty much 100% pulled
@@travish3626 Dunno if they told you this but since manuals don't have a "P- Parking" what you do as an equivalent in manual is after turning off the car you put it in 1st gear we call this "in gear", though also is good to use the E brake along side with the gear. You guys did great
@@travish3626 Don't sweat it, Travis. I think everyone who has learned a manual has at one time been humbled by it. You have to make some of the mistakes to even figure out that it is possible to make that mistake. Back in my early years, the stick I occasionally drove was an old tired Datsun (now Nissan) pick-up truck. Underpowered as heck (meaning more gas needed to get it moving) and the worn gear box was more of a "gear bag" in that the shifter was so loose and floppy that it wasn't easy to determine what gear you had just selected. Spent several minutes in front of the neighbor girl's house stalling it over and over, until I finally figured out I was trying to start in third instead of first. And when riding with our buddies who were making jerky starts, we'd call them "Lerch" (after the Adams Family character and a play on words.) Stick with it, and you will find the effort and result gratifying.
Thank you for making a video I’m 19 and I got a Porsche Boxster and it’s stick so thank you this will help today I got to drive my car for the first time
Really impressed with Sophie and Travis. Learning to stick can be intimidating under the circumstances. Doing it with cameras rolling must have been several times as hard. A month ago I turned my son loose with a 2009 stick shift Jetta. He still misses 3rd some of the time. Not quite ready to let him drive my 2022 mustang gt. My wife is a bit more trusting. She’s willing to let him drive her 2013 mini. Long live the manual.
Good on ya guys! I’ve taught multiple people, first step is getting muscle memory on throttle by holding revs at around 2k, second is muscle memory on how far the clutch pedal moves before engagement, 3rd is the full spectrum.
Havent driven a stick in over 20 years. Bad knee, bad ankle... etc. 2nd vehicle was a stick. 10 minutes learning. #1 tip when learning: Start in 2nd gear for the 1st week ish. Especially when the local roads are mostly hills.
Great job guys. We should teach more youngins the ole ways of manual. Next session drive the manual at night 😱. Im not sure why but when i first started driving that was so scary hahaha.
I learned how to drive a stick by watching my school bus driver and I learned what double clutching was before I knew what it meant. While in high school I worked at a travel trailer dealer part-time and one day had to take a customer's GMC pickup up the road a mile to a welding shop to have a hitch installed. The pickup had a four-speed with a granny low and I didn't realize that I only really needed 2nd through 4th to get there. I killed the engine a few times on the way but I got it done.
I’m more like Paul when he started his lesson. I teach people to rely less on throttle and feel the clutch. I usually go to an abandoned parking lot and have them drive from 1st to 2nd to 3rd all without ever touching the throttle so they can learn to feel the clutch. Once they get that feel down we add throttle and speed.
Enjoyed the lesson! I learned to drive a stick in 1988. Bought a brand new Acura Integra the salesman had to drive home for me because I still wasn’t proficient enough to make it home on my own. 4 cars after the Acura have all been manual transmission. Currently drive a 2012 BMW 328i. It saddens me to see fewer and fewer manuals available in the US. It’s videos like these that give me hope that this skill is valued and kept alive.
Learning with the clutch only first is a better method. The brain can't absorb left and right side information at the same time, so one pedal at a time is better.
I enjoyed watching the video. Both of your young drivers did a fantastic job! Far better than I did my first time with a manual transmission! I think you both did a good job of teaching but I would give Todd a slight edge in teaching his student. 🙂
Awesome video guys! I’m only 24 but I’ve taught my sisters and several cousins to drive stick in my FR-S! I’ve found the easiest way to get the hang of clutch engagement is to leave the gas pedal out entirely at the beginning. Let them get the feel for how the clutch engages and makes the car react, focusing solely on the steady movement of your left foot. Like Paul was saying, bring the clutch up until you feel the car start to move, then pause (!!) which tends to really be the key. Once they get a feel for that, then integrate using the gas. Sometimes moving both pedals is too much to think about at first. It’s always fun to pass along the knowledge. Cheers! :)
Great video. I think both had similar teaching styles. I remember hearing CarTalk's approach and thought theirs was best, they advocated not touching the gas at all so that you get used to letting the clutch out super slowly and engaging it without the gas so you learn what the clutch does on its own. I had about 5 minutes of instruction before I got a manual car of my own at 23. My dad went with me to pick it up and, god bless him, offered only "Easy" as advice though he did stay calm when I stalled or squealed the tires a bit (to avoid stalling). I was competent after about a week I'd say, and haven't been without a manual car available to me other than about 6 months since then.....nearly 20 years now.
I learned on an old 90’s Ford F-150 with that easy first gear. I stalled so many times, and I was a driver for several years before that. These kids did so good. If I had a camera and crew near me I’d definitely screw up more than they did!
Think Paul may have edged out the victory, but both of ya'll do it better than me. I start off a bit more theory based by teaching that the clutch "disconnects" the engine from the wheels, and throttle simply means the engine makes more or less power. Then move on to having them feel the catch point in the clutch, and incorporate the gas from there. I think your guys' way is easier to understand, because I haven't had anybody catch as quickly as those 2. Great students right there!
I'm so proud of both of these drivers for learning how to drive a manual car and doing it on camera. I don't know how they felt, but I know I would have been more nervous learning in front of the camera. As Todd said they learned exceptionally fast and smoothly. Props to them, but we also need to recognize Todd and Paul's ability to successfully teach it. If new learners don't learn as fast as these did that is OK!
This is a great video. I’ve already watched it a few times as I was planning on getting a standard shift car and recently found an affordable SRT-4 Neon and came back to see if I’ve picked up everything from this video. It’s definitely a challenge as the shifter is a bit sloppy and hard to get into 1st and the grab point of the clutch is basically right off the floor but getting the hang out that one should make other cars in the future easier. I’m still making some of the same mistakes they did with smooth starts but at least I can drive around town without stalling anymore. I was pretty much thrown into the deep end as I had my first go with a friend and since then have been on my own but these online videos help a lot.
This was so cool to see, it would make a great series. Super impressed how good they did their first time, I definitely did not catch on without killing the car at least 10 times within 5 minutes!
Love the color coding of everyone's shoes. Note sure if that was planned or happened spontaneously, but it's this sort of attention to detail that makes this channel so much fun to watch. :)
enjoyed seeing the different approaches to teaching clutch. I use the blip method but found it interesting to see how both young drivers adapted. great job to both students and teachers
There is no better teacher, but personally I learned best when putting it into Todd’s ideals, though there are mechanical or engineer ways that are important to incorporate, once you understand friction zones better you can feel them better is what I say!
Damn, they made it look so easy. I been wanting to learn since I got my license but never had to opportunity because no one I know of and no one in my area either has a manual to teach with. Great driving. I wouldve stalled all day.
Thanks for the video guys, you brought back fond memories. I always wondered what my neighbors thought about all of the 'laps' we took around the block while learning manual. lol.
I learned manual shifting on driving video games, or at least the need to drive attentively. Manual transmission cars are not passive experiences the way autos are.
I didn't learn manual until I was 20, but having played games like Forza, BeamNG.Drive, and Gran Turismo, and watching several car channels on TH-cam, by the time I bought my first manual, an 05 tC, it was natural. Kinda surprised my parents, lol, they thought they would have to teach me how to drive all over again. 😂
Todd is the better teacher by a hair. With cars like these just have them not put any gas at all until they get the clutch bite. You spoiled these kids, though. My old Z4 was such a smooth gearbox. I can't speak for Merc but I'd imagine it was much the same. Get these kids used to these gearbox/clutch and then make them drive an old manual Corolla or something.... that would be funny.
Paul won since teaching to put in the clutch before braking leads to bad habits in emergency situations. Like Paul said, it's also not necessary. In terms of driving off, I thought Todd's method was easier to grasp. Either way, both were very successful. Great show idea!
Great episode! Very timely, as I'm teaching my 16 yr old daughter in my 2012 Mustang GT. 6 sp. unfortunately for her, the mustang's clutch is quite firm. She watched the episode and was rooting for the girl!
![In Depth Tour Hyundai Tucson Hybrid [NX4] - Indonesia](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/l0lmiscES1M/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks so much for having me, it was a very fun experience!
TRAVIS - You did great, man. Thanks again for you and your dad coming out to spend the day with us!
Great job! I learned at around 16 on my dads car. It can be very nerve wracking at first, especially the first time on a real road with cars sitting behind you at a red light or worse, on a hill! Regardless, I’m so glad I learned when I was young . 30 years later I still drive a car with a manual transmission.and still enjoy it to this day. It’s great to see young drivers like yourself and Sophie taking an interest, as driving a manual transmission is unfortunately a dying artform.
Good job learning in front of the camera. Now go convince your Dad to buy you a manual sports car for your "Going to College" present.
Well done man. Takes lots of guts to learn on camera, Thanks for taking us along for ride.
Nice job!
Who here is still watching this video despite driving a manual for years? I have been driving a manual for over 20 years and watched the video. This is a great tutorial video. This will be a good reference for my sons when they are ready and want to drive a manual.
Yup. I taught both of my kids years back, but thought it would be interesting to see how they approached it. I'm trying to decide if I want to attempt to teach my wife. The kids did really well, especially with the added pressure of being filmed. And Sofie, having never driven - that's an even greater challenge. My first attempt was also pre-driving experience, and it was an old Chevy pick up with a three on the tree! Next up for another lesson, starting on hills!
@@scottanthony3426
OMG... do not, and I mean do NOT, try to teach your wife to drive stick. The dynamic between a husband & wife is very different than father & child. I don't care how good both of your intentions are going into it, everything you say will not be taken as "instruction".... it will be taken as criticism. Your best bet is to give your car to a friend that can drive stick, and have them teach her. You chuckle.... go try it. 🤣
Just because you asked to tell who the better teacher was in the comments, I think it was Todd. I mean, Paul did some really good explaining, but Todd explained the process in an even better way and, I can't really say why, but I think he gave Sophie more of a relaxed, low stress atmosphere. Besides, I think Sophie was PHENOMENAL; her very first time in a car on her own? Fan-bleeding-tastic! Great teachers, great video!
We'll call it a draw on teaching, but I was a little surprised you guys both introduced the gas immediately. I really liked Matt Farah's approach of practicing letting the clutch out for 8-10 seconds with no gas at first. But you guys had outstanding students that picked it up immediately, so good on them.
That's how I teach people to drive a standard transmission as well (what you said Matt does). Learned that trick in the MSF course many years ago after I already knew how to drive manual in a car, but was learning to ride a bike. They have you practice clutch-only for like 15 min before incorporating throttle. And it worked out well, everybody in the group learned how to ride, and many of them had never used a standard transmission before.
Sophie is gonna be a great driver, very good. Travis too he was just nervous lol
I blown away that this is Sophie's first time driving a car by herself. Amazing job everyone!
Yeah, that is a LOT to be thinking about all at once when you've never even driven a car. My dad let me have a shot at it when I was about 14, on an old two lane quiet road. But I was so distracted trying to figure out the three on the tree that I almost took out a mailbox. After that, I took every opportunity to sit in manual cars (not running) and row through the gears a bit to try to get a feel for the shift pattern. By the time I got my Learner's Permit, that truck was gone, so I don't think I've ever driven a 3 on the tree. They seemed so mysterious.
My grandma was born in 23 and taught many teens to drive. She never in her life had someone ruin a clutch learning and she was extremely dismissive of that notion. As a mechanic I've never seen it either on customers cars or my own after teaching people.
Moral of the story is teach everyone you can to run a standard. The world needs more car people.
I love that you had them swap cars to feel the difference in the clutches. My girls want me to teach them, but I just got a new clutch and I am having a hard time not being protective of it.
@Alaberti I don't think warranty covers the clutch since it's a wear item like brakes. Hyundai can't be at fault for a terrible driver. If I'm wrong then I need to get on that warranty.
Find a friend with an old beater(cheap,easy clutch replacement!😎
Taught my daughter how to drive a stick, much to the objections of both her and her mother. Calm tones and giggles are what make it a memorable experience. The only difference I did from your instruction was that I taught how the clutch engages, without using the gas, so that they learned feathering, to feel where it engages. Lots of stalls, but after an hour or so, she got the hang of it. Do I expect my daughter to buy a car with a manual transmission? No. But that wasn't the purpose. I taught her because god forbid she goes out on a date and her companion has too much to drink and can't/shouldn't drive, I don't want her to be stuck, unable to get home, simply because it's a manual transmission car and she doesn't know how to use it. I agree that it's best to have a non-family member teach if you can. It's stressful, but if you can remember back to when you started driving a stick, and share your experience and patience, it makes all the difference in the world.
I love that you trusted them with some caliber of manual sports car instead of a 1.0 Hyundai. That's how confidence is built best. Sophies smile when she got it was priceless.
Agreed. She had a great time and we were honored to be part of it.
Nothin' wrong with learnin' in a Hyundai or Honda. Learning is learning, regardless of preference.
I wish I had y’all when I learned stick. Instead, my dad just yelled a lot. 😂
Travis just needs 20 minutes on an LA Freeway and he’ll be pro on the 1st gear transition!
I want Sophie to turn into some SCCA racer in the future.
That would be awesome...
Same!!
Nasa events are better
Just jokes 😂😐
What all drivers need to know:
Drive a manual
Change a flat tire
Jump start a car
Also push start
@@aygwm Push Start is probably easier than jumping one
Knowing how to check your oil level very important
Got my vote
@@aygwm Exactly! Taught my kids this "trick" and it came in very handy for one of them. Their car died out in the boonies and he was able to start it this way. His peers were amazed.
After watching this I just wanna say that even though both of you have different approaches it was evident that you were patient and wanted them to succeed and be able enjoy a new aspect to driving. Quickly forwarded it to my brother with a note of “watch this and see if calms your nerves”.
Getting the clutch quickly to just the contact point and then slowly letting things get going is the ideal
Thats how I learned. Drive around a parking lot using only the clutch, no gas
They both got it on the first try?? Impressive and much better than I did. Though come to think of it, my dad just put me in the car and told me to figure it out
I really enjoyed that. I watched it more to see the teaching than anything. Been driving for over 40 years - never owned an automatic, and taught myself manual by sneaking the keys to the old Bluebird church bus when I was 15, so I really enjoyed watching the learning process here. It's very cool to see two young kids who want to learn this and picked it up so quickly.
Sophie is a natural. She did way better than i did. Travis did good too
Agreed, and to think she doesn’t even have her license yet! Great job by them both 👍
Yeah, she has good foot coordination and a cool head (as did Travis). The tendency of so many newbies is to just drop the clutch once the car starts moving, resulting in that giant lurch. It took me a lot longer. I do think today's cars are easier than the underpowered mushy gearboxes I first drove back in the 70's. Especially on a hill, but regardless I think it is great that the kids put themselves out there to learn a skill that they could easily just bypass like most of their peers. Paul and Todd did a great job as well. i agree - better to have a non-parent teach the kid, but finding that adult and an available stick are not easy.
@@scottanthony3426 you are right on all of that. I tried to learn on my uncles 80's dodge truck.. that wasnt happening haha. Then one of my friends had a 92 integra that i learned on.. lots of jerking, but i didnt stall every second like that truck. Bought a 95 integra after that and just went for it. About a week going back and forth to work i got it down! Its all about the car, the teacher with patience and the will power
The one thing I have taught to beginners is; when stopping, unless you are planning on immediately taking off (light is about to turn green) just go ahead and put the stick into neutral; that way you always know you can take your foot off the clutch and relax. When you are about to take off, push the clutch back in, slip it into gear, and go. It's safer as there's no risk that you might forget and slip your foot off the clutch and lurch out into the intersection and kill the car. Plus you can now freely do some engine revs to impress the locals. lol
I cherish the memory of my dad teaching me to drive his 1982 Rx-7. Such fond memories. I've not had the opportunity to teach many people how to drive a manual but I absolutely found it rewarding with the couple of people that I did teach. Long live the manual!
Dude, soph’s a natural.
The accomplishment is even greater driving a manual for the first time with the cameras on!
I think this video is more for the teachers than the students. They need to do it to learn it but you have given us great pointers in how to show new drivers the tricks of driving a manual.
A MAGNIFICENT video, guys. My first car was a 1954 Kaiser with a manual transmission and for many years after I always owned at least one MT. That changed in 2012 when I bought a GTI and my wife asked if I would consider an AT since she drove my car occasionally on daily commutes in horrendous Seattle traffic. I went with the GTI's magnificent dual clutch transmission and replaced the GTI with another in 2018. Again with a DSG. So when my 16 year old daughter began driving last year there was no MT in the garage for her to learn. That's seemed like a shame to me and the video reinforced that feeling. She'll be getting a car of her own in the next year or so and if she doesn't inherit the GTI I'll suggest she might consider an MT.
Update: Well, four months after the comment above I came across a rare 2012 VW CC with only 45K miles on the clock and a manual transmission. It was the first new car the owner had ever bought and he took care of it like a "first born." Immaculate. I drove about a hundred miles to see it and bought it on the spot. The owner had tears in his eyes when I drove it away. So now my 17 y/o daughter has an MT to learn and drive. Her friends (mainly teenage guys) are very jealous.
Unfortunately, I don't have these guys (or anyone else) around to teach her to drive an MT so that task falls to her father, me. The first thing I did was give her this video to watch. Later today we'll start the lessons and follow the steps demonstrated here.
Thanks for the template, gentlemen. I'll try to be as supportive and non-judgmental as the two of you were. And I have complete confidence in my daughter's ability, who is already a very good driver, to master the skills.
When I was learning to drive, I had already been paying attention for a number of years to all the little things. My sister had not, AND she was incredibly afraid of disappointing either one of my parents, eventually they picked one of their work friends, that she had never met, and asked him to teach her. She did really well after that, best idea my parents ever had.
WOW! YOU GUYS WERE GREAT! All of you. Great teaching; great students, and great advice! Love you doing the blips now to get it engrained. I never learned those. Todd, great idea to introduce the car behind you. That’s where it goes all bad when you’re new! I’m getting great tips. You guys are motivating me to get a manual to teach my kids now who are both teens, one just got his license, the other will get his permit in two months! I learned on a 1985 Toyota Corolla 4 door 5 speed…I think my arthritic neck is due to some of those buck starts I experienced learning stick…These guys did great! Love the obstacle course. I think we all tried all this on the real roads with real cars…crazy! I think we’ve found Sophie’s first car!!! I want to see Travis do a little drifting. He looks ready!!!! Love the rolling car at the end…one of my favorite memories was driving my dads Toyota pickup to the VHS store, getting to the checkout and the lady asking me if that was my truck rolling across the parking lot!!! LOL. Big applause to all involved. This was a unique and great experience. You guys should do one now training folks who’ve been driving for a long time (10 years plus) who have never driven stick and trying to teach them!!!
I am so impressed with these two wonderful kids. They did amazing and you guys did amazing teaching them.
i saw another video instruction of learning manual clutch. while in a parking lot, the suggestion was to just engage the clutch slowly and get the car rolling without gas and repeating that a few times to get to know the engaging point. even though i've been driving a manual for decades it's always nice to get others input on how to do it, i always learn something.
Cool video guys! Been a while since I been on here. I was taught by my drunk father back in 85’ on a winter day at night while he was yelling don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop I SAID NOT TO STOP. I drove the Ford Escort into a snow berm. Then he made me take it out of the berm and drive him home.
I know newer cars are easier to start in 1st gear as opposed to the older vehicles.
One thing that helped them a lot was learning on modern, fairly forgiving cars. It's probably harder when you learn on junk. I learned on a 70s 3/4 ton Chevrolet farm truck that wasn't fit for the road and didn't do as well as these kids. It's awesome they got that experience.
Hard to peg who was the better teacher…true teaching is dynamic and needs to morph to be able to get the student to absorb, understand, and learn…Travis and Sophie are coming from different driving backgrounds. Todd broke things down much more for Sophie, but since she’s never driven, that was very appropriate (and clearly worked). Paul, was more into the meat and potatoes since Travis has a couple of years under his belt, so no need to get into some of the car dynamics…which also worked. Great job both! TIE!
LOL. My son learned to drive when he was 18 y.o. in my Cayman. The Porsche channel people thought I was nuts, but think he needed to learn so a little wear-n-tear was worth it. It's a survival skill for my kids...if your friend needs you to drive, you can limp home in a manual car. Good episode.
I think y'all both did way better than I would (have done teaching my wife lol). There's a few things from each of you I'll be sure to use in the future when teaching. I know there was way more said off camera that we didn't see as well. Thank you for doing the Lord's work and teaching the next generation.
Also, both kids did amazing for their first time. I agree that the trick is not being taught by a family member, especially parent or spouse
My first time was off the dealer's lot in a new brz and into live traffic. Learning under pressure really helped. No one I know drives a manual so I had to learn each concept from youtube beforehand on the vehicle purchase.
Wow. That’s a trial by fire! Good for you - and great car too. Thanks for watching!
I think the first mistake is telling people that you have to get the clutch out and gas in balanced before they even grasp the concept of the biting point.
You don't even need to touch the gas to get going when driving slowly (or when learning).
Release the clutch till it bites, hold it there!!!, and then the car will roll. And at that point add gas if necessary.
Wouldn't it be grest if these cars were given to Sophie and Travis at the end of their run?? !!!!!
As Travis' Mom , I agree with this comment!
They were both rather proficient with no former experience of manual gearboxes as for teaching the both of you different approaches but did well to explain the importance of pedal control, having given all three of my daughters their first driving experience in a manual it’s the most important thing
This video is great! You're good teachers. As a father of a young lady (and a car enthusiast) I wait for the day that she'd learn to drive MT, and hope that she's interested in cars by then. Well done Sophie and Travis!
I wish I had this opportunity....instead my dad said "you break it, you buy it", and off we went. Fortunately I didn't do too bad and it started my interest in cars and engineering.
You guys are awesome
This is the best hands down tutorial on how to drive a manual transmission when I was taught when I was a teenager I sucked! really bad and my brother was teaching me, adult now I never forgot the manual transmission even though I was really bad, stalling out all over the place I never gave up hope learning for me it was always muscle memory! over the years in my life I’ve had the chance of some of my friends let me practice on their cars it was way better teaching experience. I have my own car that’s a standard 2016 Fait 500x and I love it so much absolutely love this video! I only wish when I was growing up learning to drive I wish I had y’all for teachers great at explaining everything! weather young or older anybody can drive a manual transmission and the skill really stays with you forever!! Best feeling 🥰
Glad you enjoyed this, thanks for watching!
Great Video!! Just taught my 16 year old daughter to drive on my wife's 2013 Audi A4 6 speed. She is now a proficient manual driver and so glad she learned a dying art!! Manuals are going away for sure but still think it's an amazing skill to have at any age!!
Excellent job for both of them! I was fortunate enough that dad taught me how to ride a dirt bike around 12 years old, so clutch/throttle, shifting, rev-matching, etc was all already second nature... was just a matter of teaching different limbs new muscle memory.
Nice work kids! Definitely much better than when I was learning manual~ I think I was taught more by Todd's style.
Wow Sophie did amazing for her first time driving and first time with manual at once! I wish my experience went that smooth haha. The analogy with the paddle board was actually a really good one if you've ever done that and driven manual
Taught both my kids to drive stick in my ‘99 Miata, best car ever to learn in, period.
Instructors: How’s it going?
Kid (a bit cocky lol): Good I got everything down..
Car: **begins to roll**
At least he pulled the e brake quickly lol.
Kinda did me dirty on the editing there, hahaha! Despite what I said I most definitely did not have everything down, but the hand brake on the SLK is broken and only partially engages even when it’s pretty much 100% pulled
@@travish3626 Dunno if they told you this but since manuals don't have a "P- Parking" what you do as an equivalent in manual is after turning off the car you put it in 1st gear we call this "in gear", though also is good to use the E brake along side with the gear.
You guys did great
@@travish3626 Don't sweat it, Travis. I think everyone who has learned a manual has at one time been humbled by it. You have to make some of the mistakes to even figure out that it is possible to make that mistake. Back in my early years, the stick I occasionally drove was an old tired Datsun (now Nissan) pick-up truck. Underpowered as heck (meaning more gas needed to get it moving) and the worn gear box was more of a "gear bag" in that the shifter was so loose and floppy that it wasn't easy to determine what gear you had just selected. Spent several minutes in front of the neighbor girl's house stalling it over and over, until I finally figured out I was trying to start in third instead of first. And when riding with our buddies who were making jerky starts, we'd call them "Lerch" (after the Adams Family character and a play on words.) Stick with it, and you will find the effort and result gratifying.
I've been driving stick for almost 40 years and I did that just a few weeks ago lol.
Dad will have Travis at Road America soon!😎
Todd seemed to be more calming with his tone of voice, but both of you were extremely effective.
Thank you for making a video I’m 19 and I got a Porsche Boxster and it’s stick so thank you this will help today I got to drive my car for the first time
We do hope it proves helpful! Congrats on your Boxster, and thanks for watching!
Really impressed with Sophie and Travis. Learning to stick can be intimidating under the circumstances. Doing it with cameras rolling must have been several times as hard. A month ago I turned my son loose with a 2009 stick shift Jetta. He still misses 3rd some of the time. Not quite ready to let him drive my 2022 mustang gt. My wife is a bit more trusting. She’s willing to let him drive her 2013 mini. Long live the manual.
Good on ya guys! I’ve taught multiple people, first step is getting muscle memory on throttle by holding revs at around 2k, second is muscle memory on how far the clutch pedal moves before engagement, 3rd is the full spectrum.
Havent driven a stick in over 20 years. Bad knee, bad ankle... etc. 2nd vehicle was a stick. 10 minutes learning. #1 tip when learning: Start in 2nd gear for the 1st week ish. Especially when the local roads are mostly hills.
Great job ! I learned on an old Plymouth with “3 on the tree”. My first car was a VW Dasher with 4 speed manual. 😊
Great job guys. We should teach more youngins the ole ways of manual. Next session drive the manual at night 😱. Im not sure why but when i first started driving that was so scary hahaha.
I learned how to drive a stick by watching my school bus driver and I learned what double clutching was before I knew what it meant. While in high school I worked at a travel trailer dealer part-time and one day had to take a customer's GMC pickup up the road a mile to a welding shop to have a hitch installed. The pickup had a four-speed with a granny low and I didn't realize that I only really needed 2nd through 4th to get there. I killed the engine a few times on the way but I got it done.
You still painting?
I’m more like Paul when he started his lesson. I teach people to rely less on throttle and feel the clutch. I usually go to an abandoned parking lot and have them drive from 1st to 2nd to 3rd all without ever touching the throttle so they can learn to feel the clutch. Once they get that feel down we add throttle and speed.
Same. You can get into first in any car with zero throttle. But I’m a real life situation that won’t work
Enjoyed the lesson! I learned to drive a stick in 1988. Bought a brand new Acura Integra the salesman had to drive home for me because I still wasn’t proficient enough to make it home on my own. 4 cars after the Acura have all been manual transmission. Currently drive a 2012 BMW 328i. It saddens me to see fewer and fewer manuals available in the US. It’s videos like these that give me hope that this skill is valued and kept alive.
We hope so too. Thanks for watching!
Learning with the clutch only first is a better method. The brain can't absorb left and right side information at the same time, so one pedal at a time is better.
I came here for a laugh, I'm leaving, feeling like a proud older brother.
To everyone involved, for what it's worth, I salute you.
Encouragement is the best teacher. Both of you have it in spades. They did great.
Anyone else thinking at the end of the challenge Sophie and Travis should get these cars?
I enjoyed watching the video. Both of your young drivers did a fantastic job! Far better than I did my first time with a manual transmission! I think you both did a good job of teaching but I would give Todd a slight edge in teaching his student. 🙂
Awesome video guys! I’m only 24 but I’ve taught my sisters and several cousins to drive stick in my FR-S!
I’ve found the easiest way to get the hang of clutch engagement is to leave the gas pedal out entirely at the beginning. Let them get the feel for how the clutch engages and makes the car react, focusing solely on the steady movement of your left foot. Like Paul was saying, bring the clutch up until you feel the car start to move, then pause (!!) which tends to really be the key. Once they get a feel for that, then integrate using the gas. Sometimes moving both pedals is too much to think about at first.
It’s always fun to pass along the knowledge. Cheers! :)
you guys should give them those cars when you're done!
Great video. I think both had similar teaching styles. I remember hearing CarTalk's approach and thought theirs was best, they advocated not touching the gas at all so that you get used to letting the clutch out super slowly and engaging it without the gas so you learn what the clutch does on its own. I had about 5 minutes of instruction before I got a manual car of my own at 23. My dad went with me to pick it up and, god bless him, offered only "Easy" as advice though he did stay calm when I stalled or squealed the tires a bit (to avoid stalling). I was competent after about a week I'd say, and haven't been without a manual car available to me other than about 6 months since then.....nearly 20 years now.
I learned on an old 90’s Ford F-150 with that easy first gear. I stalled so many times, and I was a driver for several years before that. These kids did so good. If I had a camera and crew near me I’d definitely screw up more than they did!
We were shocked by how well they both did - Especially because they were being recorded!
Just showed this to my son and went out to drive the manual right after! So great!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching!
Think Paul may have edged out the victory, but both of ya'll do it better than me. I start off a bit more theory based by teaching that the clutch "disconnects" the engine from the wheels, and throttle simply means the engine makes more or less power. Then move on to having them feel the catch point in the clutch, and incorporate the gas from there. I think your guys' way is easier to understand, because I haven't had anybody catch as quickly as those 2. Great students right there!
I'm so proud of both of these drivers for learning how to drive a manual car and doing it on camera. I don't know how they felt, but I know I would have been more nervous learning in front of the camera. As Todd said they learned exceptionally fast and smoothly. Props to them, but we also need to recognize Todd and Paul's ability to successfully teach it. If new learners don't learn as fast as these did that is OK!
This is a great video. I’ve already watched it a few times as I was planning on getting a standard shift car and recently found an affordable SRT-4 Neon and came back to see if I’ve picked up everything from this video. It’s definitely a challenge as the shifter is a bit sloppy and hard to get into 1st and the grab point of the clutch is basically right off the floor but getting the hang out that one should make other cars in the future easier. I’m still making some of the same mistakes they did with smooth starts but at least I can drive around town without stalling anymore. I was pretty much thrown into the deep end as I had my first go with a friend and since then have been on my own but these online videos help a lot.
This was so cool to see, it would make a great series. Super impressed how good they did their first time, I definitely did not catch on without killing the car at least 10 times within 5 minutes!
Love the color coding of everyone's shoes. Note sure if that was planned or happened spontaneously, but it's this sort of attention to detail that makes this channel so much fun to watch. :)
EveryDayDriver is the kind of channel where I just like the video before I watch it.
Thank you. We consider that high praise!
Seeing your teaching method was fascinating. Thanks for sharing! Props to the learners for being willing to do this with so many eyes on them.
Good job, being in control behind the wheel is the best feeling in life.
Both taught great and both students were sponges. Excellent work by everyone
3:36 Let's be honest that was just an excuse to do a bit of a burnout ;)
Absolutely! But also... hopefully... helpful...
Cones: "That's what they're for, they're made to be destroyed!" this would make a great bright orange t-shirt!
It helps having cars with a little power to learn on. I learned on a 1994 Geo Metro. Even after being comfortable, I would still kill it on hills.
What a wholesome video, thanks guys
Thanks for watching!
enjoyed seeing the different approaches to teaching clutch. I use the blip method but found it interesting to see how both young drivers adapted. great job to both students and teachers
Great driving instructors and teachers. Cheers!
They are really doing well for their first time. Bravos!
I was hoping to see a wheel to wheel drag race between Travis and Sophie.
There is no better teacher, but personally I learned best when putting it into Todd’s ideals, though there are mechanical or engineer ways that are important to incorporate, once you understand friction zones better you can feel them better is what I say!
Damn, they made it look so easy. I been wanting to learn since I got my license but never had to opportunity because no one I know of and no one in my area either has a manual to teach with. Great driving. I wouldve stalled all day.
I was about to say "Wow the two kids seem a little short" then I remembered, Oh wait Paul and Todd are just massive human beings
Yes. Very true. Thanks for watching!
This was a great instructional video on instructing new manual transmission drivers!
Thanks for the video guys, you brought back fond memories. I always wondered what my neighbors thought about all of the 'laps' we took around the block while learning manual. lol.
I learned manual shifting on driving video games, or at least the need to drive attentively. Manual transmission cars are not passive experiences the way autos are.
I didn't learn manual until I was 20, but having played games like Forza, BeamNG.Drive, and Gran Turismo, and watching several car channels on TH-cam, by the time I bought my first manual, an 05 tC, it was natural. Kinda surprised my parents, lol, they thought they would have to teach me how to drive all over again. 😂
Honestly this might be your best video! So entertaining and highly nerve-wracking! You guys did great!
Great Video … thanks!
Paulie... great video by you and Todd bud. Makes me want to teach my younger son again in the 330! :)
Todd is the better teacher by a hair. With cars like these just have them not put any gas at all until they get the clutch bite.
You spoiled these kids, though. My old Z4 was such a smooth gearbox. I can't speak for Merc but I'd imagine it was much the same.
Get these kids used to these gearbox/clutch and then make them drive an old manual Corolla or something.... that would be funny.
Paul won since teaching to put in the clutch before braking leads to bad habits in emergency situations. Like Paul said, it's also not necessary. In terms of driving off, I thought Todd's method was easier to grasp. Either way, both were very successful. Great show idea!
My hand me down car was stick so I was taught but oh boy those first few solo drives in it were an experience
Great episode! Very timely, as I'm teaching my 16 yr old daughter in my 2012 Mustang GT. 6 sp. unfortunately for her, the mustang's clutch is quite firm. She watched the episode and was rooting for the girl!
Yasss it’s here! Been excited to see this one
That was fun to watch ...and that SLK is a nice looking car!
i learned on my brz . still mastering rev matching . brz is #1 lol