Learn to Drive a 5-Speed Video

[yaris_ninja]

Hey guys I made a how-to video about driving a manual. I really wanted to do a video like this for a long time. Then I had a idea pop in my mind. I had to think of a way to mount the camera at pedal level. Then BAM!! it came to me. I used a cereal box that i cut up to make a mount for the camera. then i duct taped the mount to my seat. I then noticed it would be pretty dark down there. I saw my light was in my car and BAM!! another idea slapped me. I taped the light just below the mount and used the flood light portion of the light to light up the pedal area. It worked out so well. I really like the way the video came out. Go check it out and please rate and comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sJv4wNOQs0

[edmscan]

I watched the video ... and only found one issue. You never mentioned that you remove your foot from the gas when you are upshifting.

Also ... in my Yaris there is no way I would go up to 3000 rpm to shift .. I shift at max 2500 and I believe that some people even shift at a lower rpm. I just shift based on the sound of the engine .. and my tach shows me that it is precisely 2500 rpm.

Other than that ... a good video.

[yaris_ninja]

Thanks for watching. You are right i never talked about lifting off the gas as you upshift. I think having the camera at pedal level shows all my foot movements. Also about the RPM to shift at varies from person to person. I could shift at 2k but i find 3k the sweet spot for the Miata.

[edmscan]

Originally Posted by yaris_ninja

Thanks for watching. You are right i never talked about lifting off the gas as you upshift. I think having the camera at pedal level shows all my foot movements. Also about the RPM to shift at varies from person to person. I could shift at 2k but i find 3k the sweet spot for the Miata.

My comments are not a criticism .. just pointing out that a newbie unless they are told what to do, may not catch everything that is going on. So it is our job to help them along, and your video does a fantastic job showing someone how to drive a standard.

I have been driving a stick for 30 years so for me it is just natural (as I am sure driving a stick is for you), thus making every little thing hard to portray on a video as to us at this point it just comes naturally.

Yes .. the point you shift will definitely vary from car to car so what may work on your car may not work for someone else. I personally think that someone learning how to drive a standard has to decide when to shift for them. For my Yaris .. I find that 2500 is just about right.

[yaris_ninja]

I didnt take ur comment as a criticism at all. I was just agreeing with you. Thanks for the feedback and for watching my video. Did you hear my nice exhaust in the background lol. :p

[Tomatogrower]

thanks for the vid :) i've always wanted to learn how to drive with a manual transmission...one day i'll make that happen

[yaris_ninja]

Thanks for watching the video. It was my first time making a video like this. I have a automatic yaris cause the 4door hatch didnt come in a 5-speed. also i wasnt too sure of getting a manual at the time. I love driving a 5-speed now that I have my miata. It funny cause i bought the miata and basically had to re-learn the manual. The last time i drove a manual was back when i was 18 which was 7 years ago lol.

[403RS]

Thanks!

+1 for always wanting to know how to, but never having the means to do so.

[matti]

Cool video. Thanks for sharing.

FWIW, I shift my Yaris at 2k rpms.

[yaris_ninja]

Originally Posted by matti

Cool video. Thanks for sharing.

FWIW, I shift my Yaris at 2k rpms.

Thanks for watching. shifting at 2k is normal lol. afterall when i was teaching my friend to drive i told him to shifty 2k in my miata.

[yaris_ninja]

Hey guys i just made a new video yesterday. I have two new mounting locations on the rollbar and steering wheel. In this video i only used the rollbar location. the steering wheel location needed some work. I did the steering wheel location today. I will be uploading that video today. Please rate and comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly28beHhiBE

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by yaris_ninja

Thanks for watching. You are right i never talked about lifting off the gas as you upshift. I think having the camera at pedal level shows all my foot movements. Also about the RPM to shift at varies from person to person. I could shift at 2k but i find 3k the sweet spot for the Miata.

I think when a person shifts depends in large part on what their overall motivation is. With some previous cars, performance was a motivating factor and I tried to shift at the optimal point on the torque curve. With the Yaris, better fuel economy is a motivating factor re when to shift. Judging from his posts, I would guess that Edmscan is also motivated by better fuel economy re choosing when to shift. I also go by the engine sound as my Yaris doesn't have a tachometer. The car I had before my Yaris didn't have a tachometer either.

[solarVitz]

Nice video. Very good instructions. I still remember when my older brother teaches me how to drive our manual car back in the 80's when I was still 14 years old. It took me 1 week to master it. Brings back memories.

[Altitude]

Shift points vary greatly depending upon driving conditions and terrain. I usually shift at 3 to 3.5k rpm's due to being in a very hilly location. I can't possibly shift at lower rpms and make it up some of the hills around here.

[RacerFreakXXX]

Jorge I didn't know you were part of the yaris forum too. Nice videos, I have to say learning stick in a yaris would be a good thing since most don't come with tachometers. This is good because no matter when you say you shift it should be about feeling and speed not rpms. When I first taught myself stick I had to not look at the gauge and concentrate on pedal feeling to get it right. I actually taught my girlfriend stick on a yaris and it was easier for her than the miata because there was no tach for her to look at. I tried to tech a friend stick on a 350z once and he cried cuz it was so hard, but that is another story. Nice videos again.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Altitude

Shift points vary greatly depending upon driving conditions and terrain. I usually shift at 3 to 3.5k rpm's due to being in a very hilly location. I can't possibly shift at lower rpms and make it up some of the hills around here.

Good point. Your post prompted me to think about some of the hills I used to drive up and down in Berkeley, Oakland, Marin County, and San Francisco. There is no way I could shift at the low rpm point I usually do now while driving up and down those hills.

[yaris_ninja]

It's great to see so many good comments on here. Is there anything else I could do to enhance the manual driving experience. I am planning to do hill starts. Also to do start ur car and then have to back up on a hill. I have never used my E-brake to help me. It's all about feeling that part of engagement as you release the clutch. I also would show how to do a proper launch and hard launch. If you guys have any idea let me know and stay tuned to my youtube channel.

[yaris_ninja]

Originally Posted by RacerFreakXXX

Jorge I didn't know you were part of the yaris forum too. Nice videos, I have to say learning stick in a yaris would be a good thing since most don't come with tachometers. This is good because no matter when you say you shift it should be about feeling and speed not rpms. When I first taught myself stick I had to not look at the gauge and concentrate on pedal feeling to get it right. I actually taught my girlfriend stick on a yaris and it was easier for her than the miata because there was no tach for her to look at. I tried to tech a friend stick on a 350z once and he cried cuz it was so hard, but that is another story. Nice videos again.

Lol yeah I been in the Yaris forum for awhile now. After all I do own a 2009 Yaris hatchback. I am happy you enjoyed the videos. Your comment got me thinking. I could do another video at Overhead view and have the viewers focus on the sound of my exhaust. I could do the same at Pedal view and the Steering wheel location and cover up the RPM side. This way they only see the speed and have to hear for the exhaust to know when to shift. So yeah thanks for the comment.