learning to drive a stick shift near chicago

[waltzconmigo]

hello guys and gals,

a friend of mine wants to learn how to drive a stick and i was wondering if anyone knows of or has any experience with a school in DuPage or Cook county. i learned from my parents, my dad required this for me to get my license, but remember a fair amount of stress and annoyance. i do not really want to deal with this so i am looking for other options for her. thanks in advance for any help.

ciao,
waltz

 

[oilhammer]

Do any schools actually 'teach' that any more? Seems so second-nature to me (like swimming and walking) that I don't really think much about the actual teaching.

I've shown lots of people how, including my wife. It is not very hard, BUT, there are some things people do that they shouldn't, and things people don't that they should.

Always seems like observation is one of the better methods. I grew up around manuals (my parents drove them) so I had plenty of chances to observe.

 

[waltzconmigo]

i learned to drive in a stick as well and twenty years later i still prefer them. maybe i should take this thread in another direction, if i can not find any school, any advice for teaching someone to drive a manual. ie. some of those things that should or should not be taught. this just came up this weekend so i have not given much thought to it. i have never taught anyone before and like i mentioned above i am not sure i want to deal with the stress and annoyance that i remember when learning myself. maybe things will be different from the other perspective, the passenger seat. thanks again

ciao,
waltz

 

[MaddogTDI]

My only advice would be to take her to an empty, flat parking lot... and have her get the car moving from a stop by letting off the clutch slowly with NO go-pedal (i.e., let the engine idle). Seems wrong, but it teaches the feel of the clutch, engagement point, and helps non-stick drivers finally "get it". Do that a couple of times... and then start to have her use the go-pedal a bit while still keeping it slow. That should help her get used to things and it's all cake from there.

Although... maybe I shouldn't say it's cake from there. Some people are just not compatible from a teacher - student perspective. I think if my wife didn't already know how to drive a stick and I had to teach her... I'd likely end up having to sleep on the couch for the next week... and that's if I were lucky.


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[ChiTDI]

Cemeteries.

 

[Masonjar]

To echo Maddog, I would make sure to give plenty of time to get used to the mechanism of making the car go, without the road distraction/pressure. Assuming that she is a fairly competent driver already (???), this lesson is really about working the machine, not learning the rules of the road. So just keep it at that.

Andrew

 

[waltzconmigo]

thanks for everything so far...
if anyone knows of a local driving school with manual transmission courses that would still be greatly appreciated. she is a competent driver with two decades of driving behind her so as far as rules of the road and such i do not have to worry about that. this is my ex-fiance,she lived out of state for longer than our relationship was able to endure, is now back in chicago. like maddog alluded to, i have no desire to sleep on my own couch, so i am a bit concerned about that aspect.
on the other hand, you guys have me thinking about this a bit differently than before. she already knows how to drive so it is more just getting her to mentally understand what physically needs to be done without regard to any other driving instruction. i may be assuming much of the stress from when i learned was coming from driving a stick as opposed to learning to drive at the same time.
any other information, comments or advice are welcome,

ciao,
waltz

ps---i have read four or five of the threads that came up in search, most had some great advice

 

[All of Us]

Waltz:

Can you teach this person yourself? I understand that you may not have a manual trans (MT) car or be willing to teach her(?) and if that's the case great. I don't think that you are going to find a "driving school" that still teaches MT. At least not in the Chicago area. Also, does this person seriously want to learn how? I tried to teach my daughter how to drive stick because all we have is MT cars, but ultimately she decided that the car should do the job of shifting and still (after 4 years) doesn't drive or even have her license.

Dan

 

[waltzconmigo]

dan,

yes i drive a stick, i am probably going to have a go at this myself. she seems to be sincerely interested but i guess that really can not be known until i get her in the car and see how much time and effort she wants to put into it. wish me luck, lessons may begin saturday.

ciao,
waltz

ps--i will report back with any insight i have after a couple of sessions.

 

[Ski in NC]

Some girls pick it up super quick to the point of amazing you. Some girls are simply untrainable. And it seems to have little to do with any other sort of smarts.

You'll find out what type you're dealing with in ten minutes...

 

[kjclow]

I taught my oldest to drive in new neighborhoods. Down here they put in the streets before building the houses. So we had all the intersections and stop signs without any people. Also got her used to starting on a hill. Unintentionally, she found out that the car would not go when in third versus first. Pattern on the beetle was so tight that I could not tell she was in third until she gave up and I got in the driver's seat. She still thinks I did that on purpose!

Since they're not throwing up neighborhoods like they were a few years ago, I've had to do the parking lot thing with the youngest. But since the manual is not at home, I haven't gotten her on the streets.

As a side note, my wife taught me to drive a manual with a three on the tree! City kid versus a farm kid.

Just don't get frustrated with her and make her feel like an idiot. At any age, those things are not forgiven!

 

[suparag]

I taught my wife how to drive the stick shift. Just took her to the local high school parking lot, and told her what to do, it took her only 45 minutes to get comfortable. She was on the road later back to home, she may have killed the engine a few times for the first week, that's about it.

Of course, I live in KS where it is pretty flat. If I lived in any other states where there are ups and down it may have taken a little bit longer.

Suparag

 

[waltzconmigo]

thanks again guys and gals,
i am going to try the approach this as it is the teacher's responsibility to teach and that the student's failure would actually be that of the teacher. i have no desire to degrade or condescend her. will update when appropriate. more thoughts always welcome.

ciao,
waltz

 

[TheSpatulaOfLove]

Never try to teach the one you're sleeping with (or hope to) how to drive a stick...

 

[bhtooefr]

A unique way to go may be to have her take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course.

They go heavy on clutch control (and I'd say it'd be easier to get the idea on a bike, because the wet clutch tolerates more slippage, and you can feel what the bike is doing a lot more than a car) in the beginning. Actually applying those concepts in a car will require different muscle movements, though - I had to unlearn my car-derived "left foot equals clutch, right foot equals throttle, right hand equals shifting" habits when I took the BRC myself, and still botched a few shifts.

 

[MoparMarv]

I remember seeing a driving school in the Chicago area that advertised stick shift instruction. I was kind of surprised to see that. Probably more than a few years ago now. I agree with the do it yourself approach. Find a flat empty parking lot and practice the no throttle clutch only to get the car moving. Move on to some hills then.