Is driving a stick shift becoming a lost art?

[Charger440RDN]

When I was in high school drivers-ed back in 1992 all of the cars were automatic and they didn't teach you how to drive a stick. It seems as though nearly every new car is an automatic also, so when do kids get the opportunity to learn to drive a stick? Every charger enthusiast should experience the thrill of driving a maual 4 speed charger at some point  

[Brock Samson]

what's the ratio of Autos to Standards,.. 10-1 15-1?.. 

[471_Magnum]

No doubt it's becoming a lost art. Frankly, the new automatics are engineered so well, the historic benefits of a manual (performance and efficiency) are now simply not valid anymore. Furthermore, with the advent of hand held mobile communication devices, nobody want to dedicate one hand to shifting.

That being said, I'm doing my best to keep the art alive. My daily driver is a stick, and the Cuda I'm building is a stick. I simply enjoy the extra mechanical input involved in piloting a stick shift. Simply put, IT'S FUN!

[kab69440]

what's the ratio of Autos to Standards,.. 10-1 15-1?.. 

I would guess closer to 1500 : 1.

[Blown70]

2 of my cars are sicks 6 speeds, overall to me, that adds a nice drive imput/feel to the driving expericence...... I love them.

That being said the other 2 driveable cars are autos....still fun, just not the same....

Tom

[Mike DC]

                  
 

Chronically traffic-jammed highways & suburbs have done as much to make the clutch pedal extinct as any of the other factors.  

Stop-n-go traffic is the one place where NOBODY wants to be dealing with a manual, no matter how much of a gear-headed car enthusiast they might be.  

[Silver R/T]

Stick driving is the way to go. Manual trannies usually last much longer also compared to auto's.

[Mike DC]

Well, sort of.  Manuals give you the miles in a different way.    

It's like manuals give you one huge clutch outside the tranny case that's gone every 50,000 miles.  Whereas automatics just trade it for 3 built-in clutches that are all toasted at about 150,000.  

[69bronzeT5]

Well, I was learning on my dad's '90 Mustang 5.0 with a 5spd but that ended when he crashed the car My Charger and Duster will be automatic but I'd like the make the Coronet a 4spd or 5spd considering my plans for it.

[jaak]

Since I was 16 all my vehicles were manual....in '01 I bought a new S10 for a daily driver it was my first automatic (still have it). I got the 4 speed '73 now, and its a blast to drive on weekends and such, but for everyday driving, I'd rather have a automatic.

Jason

[kab69440]

Well, sort of.  Manuals give you the miles in a different way.    

It's like manuals give you one huge clutch outside the tranny case that's gone every 50,000 miles.  Whereas automatics just trade it for 3 built-in clutches that are all toasted at about 150,000.  

If you burn up a clutch disc every 50k miles , stop riding the pedal. I don't think I've ever replaced a clutch that had less than 130k on it.

[Brock Samson]

  When I took lessons at the Russell Racing School at Sears point (aka infinion), I learned to drive a 90 HP Formula Ford - and that was really an amazing experience, it took me most of the first morning to match the revs to keep from at first stalling - then crunching gears, quite intimidating while surrounded by instuctors and real racing drivers there for their off season practice...   It was quite unlike the few "Sticks" i had driven in normal street cars,.. the instructor pulled me out of the F.F. and let me try a few laps alone on the track in a real SCCA Eagle Talon with a five speed,..
There is no substitute for experiance. When i finally did get everything togeather out on the track the second and third days,.. I was really quite a Zen experiance, because your actually driving a hundred or so yards ahead of where your car is actually at the moment, aming for apexes and matching Revs. for maximum momentum and smoothness,.. there were a few minutes when it was really quite an etherial sensation. It's no joke when they say "A blending of man and machine". Hard to discribe unless your really driving at 10 10ths - surrounded by compeating open wheeled racers.
Probably the best $2+K I ever spent.  

[Silver R/T]

Well, sort of.  Manuals give you the miles in a different way.   

It's like manuals give you one huge clutch outside the tranny case that's gone every 50,000 miles.  Whereas automatics just trade it for 3 built-in clutches that are all toasted at about 150,000. 

really depends on how you use your clutch I guess. I have 102,000 on my daily driver with stock clutch, still holds strong.

[John_Kunkel]

                 
 

Chronically traffic-jammed highways & suburbs have done as much to make the clutch pedal extinct as any of the other factors.  

Stop-n-go traffic is the one place where NOBODY wants to be dealing with a manual, no matter how much of a gear-headed car enthusiast they might be.  

I totally agree, that's why I reserve the clutch pedal for my "Sunday" cars. The last time I got stuck in a freeway "parking lot" traffic jam in my Viper I took an off ramp that added a half-hour to my driving time but at least I was moving.

[471_Magnum]

Much like brakes, clutch life is dependent on vehicle weight, driving technique, and driving conditions. Any reasonably lightweight car can do 100K on a clutch. A truck driven loaded in city traffic, on the other hand, probably won't give you that life.

Since I bought my first car (not counting the hand-me-down I started with), eight of the twelve cars I've owned in the last fifteen years have been sticks. My wife insists on automatics though, so my current daily driver with a stick will probably be my last.

Another fact worth mentioning is that they absolutely KILL you on resale. Dealers automatically low ball you on trade-in. I've had a tough time selling every late model stick I've owned. I've sworn never to buy another for that very reason, but once I get in the market, I'm a sucker for shifting it yourself.

On muscle cars though, it tends to be the opposite. A four speed will typically bring a premium, although it narrows your market. You might get a better price, but it might take longer to find a buyer.

[Silver R/T]

                 
 

Chronically traffic-jammed highways & suburbs have done as much to make the clutch pedal extinct as any of the other factors.  

Stop-n-go traffic is the one place where NOBODY wants to be dealing with a manual, no matter how much of a gear-headed car enthusiast they might be.  

I totally agree, that's why I reserve the clutch pedal for my "Sunday" cars. The last time I got stuck in a freeway "parking lot" traffic jam in my Viper I took an off ramp that added a half-hour to my driving time but at least I was moving.

You have a Viper now? Please post some pics if you already haven't

[wayfast1500]

I purposly bought a 5 speed for my first car, and I'm real glad I did.  Unless someone knows someone who owns one, there is no other way to learn stick and the feeling of knowing you can drive pretty much anything if you need to is priceless.  Besides they are a lot more fun, and you have more control over the vehicle IMO.

[1969chargerrtse]

I was one of those boys that had nothing but 4 speed Muscle cars.  Now as a soon to be old fart, my plans for a 4 speed in my Charger are no more and I enjoy the automatic. How sad. 

[bull]

 When I took lessons at the Russell Racing School at Sears point (aka infinion), I learned to drive a 90 HP Formula Ford ...

Wow, 90 hp. Must've been a real screamer.

[Brock Samson]

here's the deal though these are the new cars... it's all about power to weight ratio...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVTCHYckok0

[ITSA426]

I got three on the tree in one of my chargers.  Kids look at it like it's broken.  I could probably leave it with the keys in in most any high school parking lot.  My other cars are four speeds but an automatic is nice when you're idling through heavy traffic.  Everybody should at least learn how to drive a stick for their first car.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

I've never owned a stick car myself...I have driven them though when I worked at the dealer but not for any length of time.   I'd like to get a toy with a manual trans but NOT a daily driver.....traffic in NYC would drive me nutz!

[General_01]

It seems to be a lost art to me. I drove my Dad's '77 4-door Volare' with a 4-speed when I was a kid('84-'87) all the time. When I bought the Bee in '89 it still had the 4-speed in it and I drove it like that until about '95 when I put an automatic in it. I recently put the 4-speed back in the car and am having difficulty re-learning to take off from a dead stop and I have missed third a few times while doing some hard acceleration. Hopefully I will get the knack back, but right now the art is lost to me.

[Ghoste]

Lost art?  I find myself frequently questioning if it was ever an art.    I work a lot of auctions in a year and see a lot of drivers in a lot of cars and it truly amazes me at the huge number of drivers who grew up in an era of vehicles with standard transmissions being commonplace and that can't drive them.  Not that don't want to, they can't as in they don't know how.

[c00nhunterjoe]

i was surprised at how many people my age cant drive a stick- and i'm only 26.  i prefer stick to auto but they are hard to find in newer cars and trucks. if i could have found my truck in a stick then i would have bought that, sadly all i could find was the automatic. my escort is a stick and my charger is a stick. the wife's focus is an auto cause she cant drive a stick to save her life.