The best way to learn is just to do what you've already done—get a nice friend with a manual to let you learn on thiers. If you're out of nice, manual-owning friends, your best bet is probably just to wait until you get your car. You'll have it down by the end of the first day driving, the 2nd if you're a slow learner.

The arcade isn't going to give you anything realistic enough to practice on, unless maybe you find one that still has an old "Hard Drivin'" machine in it...

 

true, thanks for the help, i kinda have the concept in my head but, i just need to try it to get the hang of it. i got another question, can somebody give me a rundown on what moves in a 5spd car causes to stall out and about downshifting?

 

Although this may seem retarded, back in HS when some friends and I were screwing around we came upon a video that tried to teach people how to drive stick and what to do and what not to do. Although they were doing it in like mid 80's VW's and BMW's and all had mullets I guess it was pretty educational. Look for it just google it I guess. I want to see it again just for the mullets.

 

lol i learned on busted 240sx's and corollas. i still suck though since i don't have a running manual car of my own to drive all the time.

 

this is going to be a weird explanation, and someone can explain better...but here it goes

when you car is at idle, the flywheel is spinning and the engine is running, you have just enough fuel going to keep the engine going...does the flywheel spin at idle? no matter, enough fuel to keep the engine running

if you think about it, when the clutch is out, its only powering the engine, then when you let go of the clutch, it starts pulling the car, and thus it needs more fuel to spin the wheels and transmission and such, along with pulling the weight of the car

so when you let off the clutch and don't give it gas, it puts too much stress on the engine and it can't stay alive, think about if you pulling say...a gallon of milk with a rubberband, you have enough strength to pull the milk and thats about it, so think about if you, as an exaggeration, add pulling a car to the weight of the milk, and adding gas is like adding more rubberbands, if you try and pull it all with one, the rubberband will snap, but if you add more then you can pull it without the rubberband snapping, but obviously your engine doesn't snap like a rubberband...jesus christ this is the worst explanation ever, i'm terrybly sorry but i hope you get the point

 

(slightly off topic)On my VW, no. For all practical purposes the clutch is the flywheel and the flywheel is the clutch.

EDIT: (Trying to post something semi-helpful)

The best way it was described to me:

Your feet have gone back in time to the 2nd grade at recess. Driving a stick means they're at the playground on the teeter-totter. One goes up while the other goes down, and vice versa.

At the same time your right hand is having sex for the first time. (putting it into gear) you want to slide it in slowly and smoothly, yet still firm enough for her to feel it.

 

If you don't want to stall...

Don't roll to a stop without pushing in the clutch or putting the car in neutral. (Provided it's in gear)

Don't just drop the clutch at a stand still lol... you'd have a fun time with that

At first the hardert part for me was starting out in 1st gear at a complete stand-still. This was pretty tricky but with practice you will get better!

 

I love dropping the clutch in my buddies' WRX it pisses him off sooo much!

Same thing with the starting off part. Launch from a stop was a pain in the ass, but once you got it down it is pretty easy in just about any other manual tranny car your gonna drive.

 

Yeah it's pretty fun actually.... a girl I know has a 91 Mazda Protege and I fuckin drop that shit like it's hot... ROFL

But really, I drop the clutch into 1st all the time without giving it gas and its so funny to bounce around like two gangsters with airbags

 

jus do the motions, i did that and i wasent bad when i first learned, i had never driven a 5spd in my life. I had trouble workin the clutch for bout a wk or 2 and learning how to shift rite, but nvr really stalled alot. g/l w/ w/e u get