Should I teach stick-shift with my new yaris?

[Flex12]

I recently got a new yaris hatchback manual and i love it. My girlfriend doesn't know how to drive stick shift and i was thinking about teaching her with my car, but I'm concerned. Will the inexperience/revving/stalling cause my car trouble? I just passed the break-in period but i kinda want to drive like the break-in period forever to keep my car in prime shape. Let me know if there are wear-and-tear issues or if I'm just being a protective wus.

[supmet]

It will do some damage, that's for sure.(if anyone tells you that you can shift improperly without doing ANY damage to the engine they are smoking something) If you're a good teacher and she's a fast learner it shouldn't be that much of a problem, and most of the damage will be on the clutch, which is relatively cheap and easy to fix.

[Bob Dog]

Stick shifting is usually best taught on a rust rotting relic with large clouds of smoke issuing from the back, just before it is taken to the crusher.

[hachi-roku_fan]

You can do it, just be careful. Teach her the basics, by going forward in 1st for a solid 20ft, stopping, and going in reverse, doing this over and over will get her use to the engaging point of the clutch. After she masters that, take her to an empty lot or late at night on the road so she can run it through the gears.Good luck

[SilverBack]

Agree with supmet on being a fast learner. Education on the clutch function also makes it easier to learn

[CtrlAltDefeat]

I think the yaris is not a very good car to learn on. You have to rev it higher then some to get it going... seems like a more forgiving, lower revving car would be more appropriate.

[Astroman]

My girlfriend learned the stick with her '09 yaris. She still hasn't mastered it yet, but she's doing well. Hills are still a problem though. Told her just to keep practicing.

[YarisOwnersDad]

Man, my Jeep Wrangler would be a great vehicle to teach someone to drive a stick shift on. It has so much low end torque that you can just about let the clutch out and take off from idle speed, and if it is in four wheel drive low range, you CAN take off without giving it any gas.

Tom

[detroiter]

My girlfriend learned the stick with her '09 yaris. She still hasn't mastered it yet, but she's doing well. Hills are still a problem though. Told her just to keep practicing.


If it's a steep hill, she can always cheat it until she gets it down pat. Just pull up the e-brake to hold the car in place and then it'll help keep the car from rolling backwards until she takes off, then she can release the ebrake as she's starting to pull away. If done right, would do very minor wear, if any at all, to the rear brake pads.

[marcus]

oh GOD NO!!... synchro is gonna be messed up with one improper shifting. yikes i did that with my wife on my celica..newly installed tranny nad grinded it like crazy..not enuff pressure on the clutch did it..or she maybe didnt even press it at all..*headache* coming back.

oh by the way stalling a couple of time i believe will still damage the synchro.but i could be wrong.

[firemachine69]

If it's a steep hill, she can always cheat it until she gets it down pat. Just pull up the e-brake to hold the car in place and then it'll help keep the car from rolling backwards until she takes off, then she can release the ebrake as she's starting to pull away. If done right, would do very minor wear, if any at all, to the rear brake pads.



This is the correct way to start on an uphill FYI.


I heel-toe the brakes and gas to get going, but that's not the legit way to do it.





To the OP:


You'll experience some wear, yes, but I wouldn't worry about it. Myself and my brother both learned on my dad's Jetta, the thing has over 160K miles, and the clutch is just starting to slip (the clutch disk / flywheel combo is what takes the brunt of the abuse).

[yaris-me]

If your girlfriend REALLY wants to learn, then by all means. If she is not interested, don't waste your time or Yaris.

[aca72]

If your girlfriend REALLY wants to learn, then by all means. If she is not interested, don't waste your time or Yaris.

This is the best answer.

[Loren]

I'll add that the true question is "should YOU be teaching her to drive stick?" The answer to that question can be "no" for several reasons, the largest of which are that you may not be a good teacher, it's stressful and might wreck your nerves, and being stressful, it can put a strain on your relationship.

IF you are the right person to teach her, it doesn't matter what car you do it in.

The very first thing any new stickshift driver needs to be taught is that they can start off in first gear without touching the gas. This teaches them where the clutch release point is. Teach that first, the rest is cake... and all the nonsense with over-revving and smoking the clutch is minimized.

Best advice: START IN A BIG EMPTY PARKING LOT and have NO expectation of allowing her to drive out of that parking lot before at least a few days of practice. From there, progress to low-stress residential streets. In other words, you should be less worried about the clutch and transmission than you are about THE CAR getting crunched due to putting an inexperienced driver on the street in a car they don't know how to drive before she's ready.

[scape]

i find the 1st gear in my hatchback to be unrelenting and geared to low, but that's probably just me. when i was learning stick shift years ago, all the people told me the wrong things, and it took a motorcycle class and independence for me to figure it out-- now I can shift no problem, once I took it into my own hands without someone over my shoulders, per se. I agree w/ other's here though, I had a gf learn to drive in my old volvo..and thank god it was an old volvo... ;D

[IllusionX]

I tried to teach with my yaris. It just doesn't work. I think the yaris is very hard to begin with because of the DBW lag.

I guess a Civic or a Jetta/Golf would do a better learner's car.

[nemelek]

The biggest problem in teaching my wife the stick was the clutch. I had a hard time convincing her that the clutch should be either in or out. When shifting fron 1st to 2nd, or 2nd to 3rd, etc she would pause leaving the clutch 1/2 way engaged. Now were all automatic and it's no longer an issue.

[MUSKOKA800]

I've driven manuals for ~38 years and can say that if she can learn the Yaris clutch she can drive em all. I stalled it periodically until I put the TRD exhaust on and then could actually hear the engine rev's. In stock form it was soooo quiet and the clutch seems to grab at one spot rather then transition slightly allowing the driver to feel it start engaging and add some rev's to move away from stop.

Oh yea, as Loren suggested, stay off the streets and away from obsticles and pedestrians for a while. Many years ago some friends and I was nearly mowed down by a girl learning stick in her boyfreinds hopped up Starsky and Hutch mobile. She came over the curb and shot across the sidewalk 10' behind us, flattened a 3" thick maple while passing us and crushed a baby carraige against the brick house beside us. Mom had lifted the baby out just seconds earlier.
Her first try a standard. Confused the gas and brake so pushed harder when she wasn't slowing. Nobody was injured but oh, so close it was.

[Loren]

My former girlfriend (now my second wife, go figure) totalled my car when I thought I'd teach her to drive stick one day. She did fine until we got to that first stop sign. Then, after stalling two or three times, she finally got it going... and chugged right out in front of a big Oldsmobile.

Take the time to do it right!

[CtrlAltDefeat]

My former girlfriend (now my second wife, go figure) totalled my car when I thought I'd teach her to drive stick one day. She did fine until we got to that first stop sign. Then, after stalling two or three times, she finally got it going... and chugged right out in front of a big Oldsmobile.

Take the time to do it right!

Is that why she's no longer your wife? :laugh:

[schleppy]

I would vote no. I've taught a few people how to drive stick (on other cars, not my own) and the Yaris would be an awful first one (IMHO). It's too quiet, the electronic throttle is too inconsistent, and the clutch has a vague feel.

[Loren]

Is that why she's no longer your wife? :laugh:
I didn't say she was no longer my wife.

Wasn't her fault she wrecked my car. It was entirely my fault for not teaching her in a controlled and safe environment.

[Flex12]

Thanks for the good advice guys. It would probably be ok to teach her but i think im not gonna risk it. That just means that i always have to drive on roadtrips...which i prefer anyway.

[auxmike]

One of a couple of reasons I bought the AUTO version of the LB.
My girl can drive anytime.....:clap:

[CtrlAltDefeat]

I didn't say she was no longer my wife.

Wasn't her fault she wrecked my car. It was entirely my fault for not teaching her in a controlled and safe environment.

ahh well I was just kidding :respekt:

[Zaphod]

Man, my Jeep Wrangler would be a great vehicle to teach someone to drive a stick shift on. It has so much low end torque that you can just about let the clutch out and take off from idle speed, and if it is in four wheel drive low range, you CAN take off without giving it any gas.

Tom

I agree, I'm still stalling the Yaris because I'm not used to having to get the RPMs going. Only two ways to stall a Jeep really: drop the clutch really fast with no gas, or leave it in gear while coming to a stop.

The only problem with a Jeep is they have too much low end torque and tend to lurch forward to the point of scaring a beginner. My vote goes to the civic, for it's forgiving clutch and broad RPM range.

Does anyone else think the Yaris clutch seems a little too binary?

[Loren]

The Yaris clutch is anything but binary. It begins to release really low, but isn't completely released until very near the top of travel. Veeeeery analog. A "binary" clutch is either off or on, going from disengaged to completely engaged in less than 1" of travel.

Seriously, like I said above, if you teach your student to feel the initial engagement point and work with it, they won't have any problems. Doesn't take a lot of throttle to launch a Yaris, just good clutch control. And if you don't have enough skill to get a Yaris rolling without touching the gas pedal (not saying you need to drive that way all the time, just that you should have the skill and understanding to do so), you have no business teaching anyone else.

[33OH]

I started to teach my wife in the Yaris in an empty parking lot and she had it pretty well down after a few stalls. I'd say go for it; you have the warranty anyways if anything happens to the clutch/tranny.

[Astroman]

Warranty doesn't cover wear parts like the clutch, brake pads & tires.

[33OH]

Okay, well if anything happens to the tranny then. =) And my tires had a 2 year warranty on them.

[Zaphod]

The Yaris clutch is anything but binary. It begins to release really low, but isn't completely released until very near the top of travel. Veeeeery analog. A "binary" clutch is either off or on, going from disengaged to completely engaged in less than 1" of travel.
That was exactly what I meant when I described it as feeling binary. Honestly I didn't even know it was a common description for a clutch, I was just grasping for words there.

It just seems very binary compared to the F150, pinto and TJ. I've even stopped wearing boots with the bugger until I get used to it.

[Loren]

The Yaris clutch is certainly "weird". It does BEGIN to engage pretty close to the floor, but really doesn't fully engage right away. Find somebody who has a super-high capacity high-performance clutch, then you'll know what a binary clutch REALLY feels like!

Nothing shifts as easy as my old Pinto did. I miss that car.

[HTM Yaris]

HMMM weird , I taught my Son and GF how to drive stick with my Yaris almost exactly how Loren described . Now my GF won't stay out of my Yaris and I had to buy my Son his own Yaris . Be careful what you ask for :biggrin:

[CtrlAltDefeat]

HMMM weird , I taught my Son and GF how to drive stick with my Yaris almost exactly how Loren described . Now my GF won't stay out of my Yaris and I had to buy my Son his own Yaris . Be careful what you ask for :biggrin:

One big Yaris family! :biggrin:

[anonymous user]

SRSLY. The yaris is toyota's budget, entry level car. What elsr would you like to teach a newbie on? It's fine, and look at it this way, the only thing that can go wrong are things i want to change down the line anyway. She may shorten the life of your clutch, trans gear teeth, etc. All things that can be upgraded to better quality parts anyway.

[Zaphod]

The Yaris clutch is certainly "weird". It does BEGIN to engage pretty close to the floor, but really doesn't fully engage right away. Find somebody who has a super-high capacity high-performance clutch, then you'll know what a binary clutch REALLY feels like!

Nothing shifts as easy as my old Pinto did. I miss that car.
The Pinto was the first car I learned to drive, and it happened to be both manual transmission and steering. Still that was an incredibly easy car to learn with and it lasted 15 years. It would have lasted longer if not for the rust.

I actually have driven a mustang with a 500lb clutch before. It wasn't really a mustang anymore, and it wasn't street legal. I didn't drive that thing for longer than 20 minutes though, it scared the heck out of me and I was petrified of being pulled over.

[Rain]

Aside from the risk on your NEW car, you are also risking straining your relationship.
First of all, did she tell you she wants to learn or did you just decide that you want to teach her? I think that right there makes the difference.
If she wants to learn, let her take the initiative.
Personally, I am enrolling in a driving school instead of asking my boyfriend to teach me.

[RedStickHam]

I recently got a new yaris hatchback manual and i love it. My girlfriend doesn't know how to drive stick shift and i was thinking about teaching her with my car, but I'm concerned. Will the inexperience/revving/stalling cause my car trouble? I just passed the break-in period but i kinda want to drive like the break-in period forever to keep my car in prime shape. Let me know if there are wear-and-tear issues or if I'm just being a protective wus.

If she really wants to learn, why not? I just got my Yaris 3 months ago, after having driven automatic for 13 years, and once I started doing it, I remembered quickly. I think the salesman got a little nervous during the test drive though.

The first time I tried to drive standard was in my sister-in-law's 1971 VW Beetle, manual everything, plus it pulled because of frame damage from an accident. I only stalled it twice! A couple of years later, I got a used 1988 Ford Escort GT and once I got the loose accelerator down, I did fine with that too.

If she really wants to learn, why not give it a shot? The best thing to do at first is to try driving in neighborhoods with little traffic, that makes it a little less stressful. Good luck!

RedStickHam

[aeipee13]

I think you should do it. Older cars have all types of wacky things that can interfere with her learning properly. I've taught a handful of people using this method, including my then girlfriend (now baby momma and wife) how to drive stick when I ruptured my ACL playing soccer. She had to learn in about 5 minutes to get me to the hospital, and it worked. This was in a 2001 impreza with steel braided everything, all types of bushings and motor mounts, beefier clutch, and Cusco Zero2R cold overs. Not your typical learning car but I had no choice.

I think a good start is to teach her about the clutch and how in engages. Have her press the clutch down and put the car in first while holding down the clutch (obviously). Then have her slowly left her foot and tell her to "feel" for the clutch without pressing the gas. The car will slowly move forward at which time she can lift her foot off the clutch and coast. Once car slows have her press the clutch and stop (as you know). Just do that over and over until she can do it smoothly. Starting is the hardest part and it you teach her how to manage the clutch properly the rest will follow easily.

I think this will be a good relationship test. if she can't take your orders, she doesn't deserve you.

[Rain]

I think this will be a good relationship test. if she can't take your orders, she doesn't deserve you.

I agree but only if you are referring to a slave-master relationship in your statement.

[twowheels]

Loren has said it twice, but I think it bears repeating...

Start out in an empty parking lot and practice starting from a standstill w/o using the gas pedal over and over. Once she gets the hang of that, the rest will be easy. I've used that method before and have taught two people to drive manual transmissions w/o destroying my cars. I learned the same way on a farm forklift when I was a kid, just 8 years old. Yes, the Yaris is the most difficult one that I've ever driven as it has the vaguest feel, but they'll learn.

Before you teach it... are you sure YOU know how to drive a manual correctly? Many people don't and have bad habits. Do you rest your hand on the stick while you're driving? Do you take a fistfull of the stick and jam it into gear, or do you guide it in? (I tell beginners to shift with their fingertips so that they can feel how much force they're putting on the syncros rather than with their palm) Do you time your shifts such that the engine speed is matched (goes along with guiding it into gear)? Do you hover over the clutch when you're not shifting? (I once drove alongside a girl in doorless jeep and watched her foot riding on the pedal the entire way as she bounced over every bump pressing it 1/4 to 1/2 of the way)

[CompanyXPaladin]

I've taught 5 of my friends how to drive stick in my Yaris, which seemed to be no worse for the wear.. they all got the hang of it in about two days - or less.

OTOH, my girlfriend just can't seem to get it. She can't seem to do anything without lurching, grinding, stalling, or squealing tires. We've just about given up on getting her driving my car. She can't get it in her sister's 5-speed truck, either.

Anyway, if the person you're trying to teach is like my girlfriend, where its just the car screaming in pain every time she sits in the driver's seat, hour after hour and day after day, I'd definitely move to something on it's way to the junk yard.

My dad taught me to drive stick - his method was this: I'd already bought the car - a '80 320i, which he drove home for me. He drove me (in the 320) to an empty parking lot about 2 miles away from the house, helped me tool around the parking lot for a little while, and then bet me $50 he could beat me home - walking. Unfortunately, our house was at the top of a steep hill, so he beat me home.

[aeipee13]

I agree but only if you are referring to a slave-master relationship in your statement.

what type of slave?

:biggrin:

[CtrlAltDefeat]

I learned shift points from driving video games, and my friend told me the secret of "as the gas gets pushed in, the clutch gets let up." He then let me drive his 300Z solo to the gas station. Did pretty well but took off like a drag race at every stop light. I squealed the tires pretty pretty good when starting on a slight incline out of the gas station parking lot. Someone pulled right up to my bumper, and I kinda freaked out about it. All in all not too bad. When I got my own manual, I pretty much squealed the tires every where I went until I got used to it (though I did stall it a few times too)

[Zaphod]

Before you teach it... are you sure YOU know how to drive a manual correctly? Many people don't and have bad habits. Do you rest your hand on the stick while you're driving? Do you take a fistfull of the stick and jam it into gear, or do you guide it in? (I tell beginners to shift with their fingertips so that they can feel how much force they're putting on the syncros rather than with their palm) Do you time your shifts such that the engine speed is matched (goes along with guiding it into gear)? Do you hover over the clutch when you're not shifting? (I once drove alongside a girl in doorless jeep and watched her foot riding on the pedal the entire way as she bounced over every bump pressing it 1/4 to 1/2 of the way)
Those are all excellent points. I was taught by an officer and so learned those things correctly, but it amazes me the number of people who've acquired some/all of those bad habits.

If you've got a place, practice starting on a hill with and without the cable brake to get a feel. In teaching various people, I've found that really stresses some people out in traffic, to the point that they're prone to make a mistake they otherwise wouldn't have.

I'm also an advocate of teaching compression braking early, with an emphasis on not wearing out the clutch while engaging on the downshift. This teaches them to more efficiently engage/disengage the clutch, and emphasizes looking ahead and acting more proactively, which of course has safety implications regardless of the transmission being used.

[tomato]

I think the yaris is not a very good car to learn on. ... seems like a more forgiving, lower revving car would be more appropriate.


I agree with that. I don't think the Yaris clutch is all that user friendly, so I don't let anyone drive it. I never had second thoughts about letting anyone drive my old Honda 5 sp. because it was easier to shift gears so I didn't worry about anyone having a hard time with it. The Yaris takes a little getting used to. My 2 c, though.

[prelude]

check out preludepower.com and it actually gives you step by step on learning how to drive stick without making any damage besides burning the clutch if not then just make sure she gets used to using the clutch before she actually does any real driving. tell her its easier to explain than right it out on words but check out the forum website and it should help.