The biggest problem I had when learning, was I had this primal instinct to
avoid letting the clutch slip. I felt it should be either all the way out or
all the way in, but letting it slip made my engineer's mind imagine all
sorts of horrible scraping and sliding that just couldn't be good for the
thing.
Only when I realized that you are _supposed_ to let it slip, that the clutch
material is _designed_ with all kinds of material science magic to slip
smoothly and finally engage without damaging anything, did it all make
sense.
When I taught one of my engineer type friends how to drive a clutch, I
remembered the above told him this. He must have had the same fear of
letting the clutch slip, because 10 minutes later he was driving the thing
smoothly.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Kelly, Katie
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2001 17:17
To: ba-autox@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: renting a car with a manual tranny
Boris writes...
>It
doesn't
> have to be anything special, just a vehicle to teach my GF how to shift
for
> herself. The only place I've found so far is Specialty Rentals. They
offer
> some nice machinery at very special prices. Any suggestions?
The key is to find a car that isn't too flashy. Something that blends in
with the scenery. Like a Ford Pinto.
Then, you must go to a place where there aren't too many people around. A
bad idea is the parking lot of Cal High in San Ramon, as hundreds of
teenagers board buses home after the East Bay Athletic League (high school)
Swimming Championships.
Then, and this is imperative, you must remain absolutely quiet. No sudden
spurts of, "Oh my God!" and heavy breathing. This is probably the most
difficult part.
Do not bring a younger passenger, like a younger sister, or in your case,
son of student. He will only serve as a tormentor.
When the car begins moving in convulsions, you must resist the urge to
scream. Laughing is even worse. Laughter is the worst teaching tool, because
we all know that laughter is merely an extension of displaced fear. Work on
your breath control skills. When the car comes to a complete stop, and only
then, take a deep breath, count to ten, and decide if you want to continue
the lesson.
My suggestion is you find a very large, wide open parking lot. You go to one
end, and leave your student on the other. Tell her to figure it out for
herself while you enjoy a nice book or something. Watch the car hop along
the horizon, and tell yourself smugly how glad you are that you're not in
it. Realize that there is NOTHING you can say that's going to make the
student pick it up any faster or slower, once you've said, "As you gently
accelerate, slowly lift up on the clutch."
NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING!
Katie "My Dad tried to teach me how to drive a stick once" Kelly
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