[xxx_big]

Well, i am getting my 335xi coupe 6MT on Wednesday, but unfortunately i do not know how to drive a stick shift car. The only reason why i got it is because i would like to practice driving one. I called a few driving school and none of them offer manual driving lessons, so i was wondering if any of you out here in the New England area knows any school that offer and perhaps refer me to one. Thanks!

[Kev]

Try one of those that advertise in the free Chinese papers at Super 88

[xxx_big]

Aite, since today is a holiday for most of the stores, i guess i will try first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks Kev.

[Mr. BMW]

Look in the yellow pages. I took a lesson back in 1995. I think the place was in Cambridge.

[!Xoible]

do you not know ANYTHING about 6MT? i will teach you some theory, then u go practice, it's not neuro science IMHO.
i'll tell u how to practice too if u want....

ALL THAT FOR FREE... "Ass Seen on TV" jkjk.... but yah i'll teach ya

[JETBLACK 330]

Originally Posted by xxx_big

Well, i am getting my 335xi coupe 6MT on Wednesday, but unfortunately i do not know how to drive a stick shift car. The only reason why i got it is because i would like to practice driving one. I called a few driving school and none of them offer manual driving lessons, so i was wondering if any of you out here in the New England area knows any school that offer and perhaps refer me to one. Thanks!

Shoulda spent the extra $$ on the automatic! J/K... Good luck! Sorry we couldn't make it work.

[xxx_big]

Well, one of the reasons why i went for the Stick instead of the Auto is because my brother wants to drive one and i figured i shouldn't be in his way of having fun with the car. The money factor is just an excuse to make myself feel good.

[AWD Addict]

1) Don't try and learn on your new BMW.
2) Rent a shitty manual transmission car, and just go out and learn. It'll take you a day or two of stalling and jerking, but you'll pick it up quickly enough, especially with a friend/someone helping you with the basics.

I taught my brother in an afternoon when he was 16 in a parking lot. Get the basics down on another car, then you'll only mildly trash your brand new clutch.

[!Xoible]

i wish i was in boston right now... i would have done this over lunch, and u'll be rolling already

edit: more like i wish u were in socal

[!Xoible]

basics:
Gears:
Just like an auto the 6MT has gears. Now the lower the gear the stronger it is and the SLOWER it is. for instance first gear can move the car when it's standing still, but can only take it up to like 32 mph. 6th gear will take the car up to 155, but will never be able to move the car from a dig, nor if the car is moving at 30 mph.
that's why we go from 1st (you can launch in 2nd too if u want) and we typically go thru the gears all the way to the 6th.

on freeway you probably get to 6th, in the street going like 40 you probably need up to 4th gear max. If the car roars like it's tired, shift up... if it starts shaking a bit then ur in a gear that's too high, shift down.

in MT you can skip gears like go from 1 to 3rd, or 5th to 3rd or something like that. Now why would you ever do that?
Let's say u need to accel hard to go thur a yellow light, ur in 3rd gear, u look and u see ur at 55 mph, so u decide to let the car rest so u shove it into 5th directly.

or let's say ur coming to a sudden stop and u need engine braking (generally bad idea, but in emergencies) u shift from like 5th to 3rd gear (if ur not going over the speed 3rd gear can take... around 80 or 90 mph)

Let's say ur going 120 in 4th gear and decided to to shift down to 3rd or 2nd, gear box will blow up, and engine might brake (i've seen engines shatter into pieces or melt)

Engine braking is bad generally. Engine is to move the car forward, not to stop it. Brakes are to stop the car. WHen you shift down and use engine braking you are making your clutch and synchronizers work hard, so they will wear out sooner. It is cheaper to replace brake pads than changing anything in tranny.

Clutch (plate and pedal):
(http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm) very good read
Clutch is what uses the spinning speed of engine to make the wheels turn. sits in the middle between the 2. when you push the clutch in, the clutch plate is spinning free, as you start lifting your foot the clutch plate is sticking to the wheels (well kinda.. indirectly) and tries to spin them. That's why there's an engagement point where the car starts trembling a little. you should keep your foot there for a second until the car stablizes and starts moving. if you take ur foot off too quick you will stall, and it will harm your engine bay in the long run. if you keep it there too long it will glaze and eventually wear your clutch out prematurely. so somewhere in the middle. with practice you will get the hang of it

Synchronizers:
there are basically 3 speeds that your car has: engine spinning speed (RPM), flywheel and transmission spinning speed (inside the tranny), and wheel spinning speed (your MPH). there are things that keep to synch these speeds every time you shift. they are called syrnchos, or synchronizers.

You notice, if you shift down, they will make ur RPM go up, if u shift up they will make ur RPM go down.
you dont have to worry about them right now. This is where driving 6MT becomes really fun, but first let's get basics down.

engaging (quick engage vs. slow)
again, u engage slow it will wear ur clutch plate quicker, if u engage too quick u can stall or jerk hard so u'll damage ur engine bay. moderation is always good, this will become ur second nature in no time. ur foot will automatically do it without u realizing.

Rolling:
BMW has a hill assist, so the car will give u a second or 2 before it starts rolling back at a hill. so ur good there. if it starts rolling just relax, there's plenty of time to catch the car again by letting the clutch engage (and might wanna give it a bit more gas.. just a bit)
if there's a very steep hill use e-brake. pull it up so the car doesnt roll. then do the normal operation of engaging the clutch. once the car starts wanting to move release ebrake, if you dont release e-brake you will stall.

Practice:
for now do this: go in a straight flat street, go in first gear, move the car, shift to 2nd. then stop again (make sure u depress the clutch when u come to full stop, remember clutch will match the 3 speeds? it will make the engine match the 0 mph speed of wheels, so u will stall - come to 0 RPM)

after you start getting the hang of that (do it over 10 times) go to a place where there's a hill, and start doing the same trying to catch the car as it wants to roll back. you will get it in no time

now if u are stalling on the street, do not give ears to people honking behind u. they will stress you out, and you will stall. just relax.

[!Xoible]

just in case other people have comments, and in case people search in the future

[dmichael]

If you have no other prospects, I'll teach you, no charge. I'll take you out in my car first to show you, then you can drive yours. BTW, how are you going to get it home, if you don't know how to drive it?

[xxx_big]

Originally Posted by dmichael

If you have no other prospects, I'll teach you, no charge. I'll take you out in my car first to show you, then you can drive yours. BTW, how are you going to get it home, if you don't know how to drive it?

My brother knows a bit so we were able to get back safely.

[carrabassett786]

I'd even look at buying a cheap e36 on ebay, and most dealers I have test driven with have told me they give lessons (before we leave the lot)

[JCLBoston]

I'll teach you... on your car

Really though.. takes about an afternoon or so to learn the basics and the rest.. is just practice

Btw.. I wouldn't get too discouraged if it takes a little while to make your shifts from 1st to 2nd smooth.. I think the CDV has something to do with it

EDIT: Just noticed that you got the car for about 4 weeks now.. how's the driving going??