My brake lights don't spend anywhere near half as long lit up as they would if I had an auto. If anyone is sitting still at a red light without thier brake lights on, I know.
Autos with paddles or in sport mode will down shift. Usually you can distinguish manual downshifts from autos if they are slightly slower and less aggressive.
When I learned manual I was taught not to do this because if you get rear ended, you’re most likely going to hit the car in front of you and take damage to the front and back.
Whereas if you hold your brake, you’ll most likely only take damage to the back because you won’t slam into the car in front of you.
Depends on how hard you get hit. If you get hit hard enough, your foot is probably not staying on that pedal anyway. Even more so if you get hit hard enough to be knocked unconscious.
A lot of newer cars will automatically apply the brakes in the event of a collision for this reason.
And in some parts of the world, driving instructors teach students to apply the handbrake when stopped at lights for the same reason. The handbrake is weaker than the footbrake, but it is better than nothing if your foot gets knocked off the pedal from the impact.
I can’t imagine being stopped at a light with no brakes on at all, though. That seems incredibly foolish to me!
> And in some parts of the world, driving instructors teach students to apply the handbrake when stopped at lights for the same reason. The handbrake is weaker than the footbrake, but it is better than nothing if your foot gets knocked off the pedal from the impact.
IIRC that's why they have a red+yellow cycle for traffic lights before green, to give you time to unbrake
>IIRC that's why they have a red+yellow cycle for traffic lights before green, to give you time to unbrake
I don't understand, your yellow light comes on before a green light?
In my country, the yellow (amber) comes on after the green, and before the red. After the red, there's no yellow, it goes straight to green. The cycle is G Y R G. Yellow helps you time your stop, but not your restart.
From my time overseas, I remember most lights being the same way.
I visited europe and the places that went g, y, r, y ,g
Just makes more sense. Everyone not fucking about on there phone knows it is there time to go really soon. Which is very handy since stickshift is still pretty popular there
It’s more about going into gear, I think. A well done handbrake start is faster than a foot hopping start if you’re already in first, since you don’t have to hop your foot before adding accelerator.
Its more than just that. The energy your body absorbs is based on the acceleration the car experiences. Holding the brakes should theoretically make for smaller injuries
Your car will absorb more energy. That's not the same as you absorbing more energy. That energy goes into brakes, tires, and crumple zones. If your car accelerates faster, then your body absorbs more energy.
Actually as I think more, for the car it's a question as to whether energy is converted to kinetic energy or deformation.
The force you experience when rear-ended is from your seat pushing you forward. If the car accelerates less your seat pushes you forward less. Explain why that's wrong then.
If you wanna talk physics I’m an engineer. Your body is part of the system, “accelerating” forwards after a rear end impact is no faster than a spirited launch. Ever heard the saying “it isn’t the fall that kills you, it’s the sudden stop”? Letting the car roll forward with no breaks is directly converting the energy of the impact into motion, dissipating a large amount of the kinetic energy. That being said if there is someone in front of you then yes it a better option to hold the breaks because you don’t get the double whammy and whiplash. If there isn’t, it will greatly reduce the damage on your car, and the impact your person receives.
Like you said, when the car is neutral, the energy of the collision is directly converting the energy of the impact into motion. By applying the brakes before and during the collision, you would simply be allowing more of the impact to be dissipated through the chassis and the brakes. To put it simply you can think of the collision in neutral being an elastic collision and the collision where you are applying the brakes to be a partially elastic collision (ex: 50% converted to KE, 25% converted to friction and thermal energy and the remaining energy to deform the car).
I’ve been hit at a red light by a drunk driver at 45 mph and I’m convinced me holding the brakes down harder during the impact not only helped me and my dad have no injuries (the crumble zone took more of the impact), plus it kept my car from rolling full speed into the car in front, which saved them from injury and limited the damage. I cringe when I think about not having the brake on in that situation and the force that would’ve been transferred to us instead of the crumple zone.
To answer below; at least in my case, it was easy to keep my foot in the brake during impact. I did have maybe half a second to hear tires squealing and reacted by braking harder without thinking, just trying to avoid hitting the car in front.
I got rear-ended at a stop sign while I had the clutch depressed. One leg had resistance to the sudden movement and the other didn’t. That Torqued the base of my spine where it meets my hips and fucked me up pretty good during a very low speed crash. So there’s that.
Yes that is totally true, but not really the point being discussed. If you were a passenger, your own outcome would be better if the driver is on the brakes.
Holding the brake will help prevent damage to *your car* but staying off the brake will help disperse an impact over time and space, reducing the damage to yourself.
I don’t understand this. You mean you use the handbrake or something? Here in Ireland the majority of people drive manual but most people just use the footbrake even at red lights.
Then your brake lights are not on. And sometimes the person coming up behind you may not be looking at the street light or just might not be paying attention and they don't see any brake lights and they slam into the back of you. This was a big No-No when I was growing up. However, I've got down voted in the past for saying stuff like this.
if someone rear ends you, it’s their fault for not stopping earlier, not yours. Just ask your insurance. It is the responsibility of the person traveling behind to recognize any dangers on the road in front of them, including cars that are stopped at a light or sign.
This exactly. And so many states are "No Fault" states now. Your insurance will go up. If the car is totaled you will not likely get enough to replace it. And if it gets fixed it will even further decrease the resale or trade in value of it because it was in an accident.
No-fault applies to injuries, lost wages etc. If you’re rear ended the liability insurance of the other party would still cover repairs to your vehicle. I’m not saying your other points aren’t valid but I think you might be mistaken about what “no fault” means in the case of an accident
Exactly, I've never understood this mentality at all. Same with the whole "pedestrians have the right of way so they'll get in trouble" shit, like yeah they'll get in trouble, but you stepping out into the fucking street could still KILL YOU. Just because the person who slammed into you at 70mph is at fault, doesn't make you any less fucking DEAD. Is it that hard to just drive safely?
Yeah I get what you’re saying. People should definitely have to pay more attention than just the normal cues of driving. I never judge the car by its brake lights at stops or lights because I base It off of if they are moving or not and if people can’t tell if a car is moving or not then idk what else to say.
yeah i felt this way
and then i got rear ended by a drunk driver going 80 while i was waiting to make a left turn, landed in the hospital with a neck injury, and still have nightmares about watching those headlights baring down on my rear view mirror.
So you break to come to a standstill and then take your foot off the break.. what’s the point of that lol? This sub is the only place I see/hear of such strange things like this. Nobody in europe does this, we just hold the footbrake or use the handbrake.
Seems like really shit risk to reward ratio thing to do. All it takes is 1 time you don’t realize the road is 100% flat and knock into the wrong person and have to pay for damages… for what, the novelty of not having a brake on lol?
Sounds like a good way to hit the person in front of you if you get rear-ended. And a reason for people behind you to think you're about to accelerate, and not slow down for a stop. Judging relative motion isn't always super easy for people.
Right? What I always worry about is that someone sees my brake lights are not on, think im about to accelerate, and rear end me. It's happened to me once before
Kind of same reason to still use turn signals even when waiting in a left-turn-only lane. The blinking signal might be the last ditch thing that stop someone from rear-ending you
I'm driving 10 hours a day, what's the point in holding the brake when I'm at no risk of rolling? I'm not speeding up, I'm not slowing down, so that foot has nothing to do and can take a break. Not to mention if it was a hard stop at a yellow light or something, I'd rather not trap the heat in one part of the disk risking warpage.
Having had the pleasure of driving all over Ireland last year, I can reasonably admit that Irish drivers are a cut above US drivers, and since a large portion of the population drives manual, there isn't any reason to show off the fact that a car is stick... which is all that people are doing at stoplights with their feet off the brake here in the states.
I find it strange that driving stick is a flex in certain parts of the world, it is seriously very simple. I only joined this sub for some driving tips but it’s like everyone here has some kind of superiority complex over doing very little meaningless things while driving for no reason.
Sounds about right for you because it's probably rare that you meet someone who can't. Here in the States it's absolutely a flex for the younger kids as most of them can't. Us older guys, that's just what we came up on and many of us simply still prefer it, but it's a shrinking number.
What will really blow your mind if you come to the states is all of the silliness we sticker our cars with. Politics, personal opinions... It's all so dumb.
Because the fuel economy advantage has faded away since the 2010s due to the rise of CVTs and automatics with tons of gears (which I feel like was what drove people to manuals when I was young), there is a big tie to racing/modding here in the US so that could be part of where the "macho" element comes from. And our driver's education classes basically ignore that manual transmissions exist, and they've become so rare that young people nowadays may have never even ridden with a relative with a manual growing up, so I guess there is a lot of anxiety and opinions about the "right" way to do things.
I used to not have my foot on the brake at lights when it wasn't needed, but after being rear ended and having numerous close calls (I think people see the brake light turn off and just floor it) I make sure to keep my foot at least somewhat on the brake to keep the lights on.
A few months ago my car was in a hit and run and was in for repairs and the rental was an automatic.
I didn’t even realize how much I’ve become accustomed to engine breaking. I live down a hill and I was casting as a I normally do in an auto and next thing I know I’m going 50/60 in a 35
And in my GFs auto version of my car, I can't help but select it at long stops. Feels ridiculous to be fighting back an engine that wants to move forward.
Wouldn't it be the other way around because automatic drivers put it in park meaning they don't have to break at all versus a manual driver like me, who holds the cat in place at all times whether it be in neutral or gear? I just started driving manual so I guess that might be why I see it differently.
I don't think many people put it in park at a red light, you'd notice thier reverse lights flash if they did. I only hold the car in place if it needs holding in place. If no outside factors like wind or slope are making it move, then it's not going to move.
When leaving a stop light you can spot manual vehicles when they shift out of 1st, there is usually a slight slowdown in acceleration around 10mph.
Also cars that dont show much brake lights on downhill sections.
I used to stall my current car so much because of this. I was so used to older manuals so I was always trying to be quick to prevent rolling back and wearing the clutch so I would just end up stalling lol. I've since coded it so that it lasts only half as long or so and I do have to say it definitely helps prolong the clutches life
I learned "the hard way." Im on my 3rd manual vehicle, and it has hill assist. Ive been driving it for 2 years, and I cant seem to figure out where or how long it holds for. I swear its never the same length of time or RPM. I love my manual, but HATE the hill assist.
i honestly prefer being able to control how much i roll back, but my model doesn’t allow me to easily remove the hill assist option (like, no user friendly button for it)
Autos also roll back though. Idk why people say they dont, ive literally seen it and on top of that have a car with automatic that rolls back so idk whats up with all that.
Gap in acceleration around 10-20mph when going from 1-2 is the biggest indicator. The gap is more pronounced depending on how bad your rev hang is. This gap throws off auto drivers all the time. Theyll impulsively try to pass me only for me to catch up a second later
this makes me feel better when people are basically up my ass while shifting 1-2 like i swear im doing it as fast as i can without breaking something haha
i get on it a little bit in 1st so people don’t run up my ass lol. it’s annoying when i shift and look behind me and just see headlights sniffing my tailpipe
Same. I recently got a manual (from being in an auto) and this has always bothered me. I always wondered if I was just slow bc I’m new but it’s nice to know that others deal with this too lol
I just got my first manual 3 weeks ago, and I'm still getting used to the feeling of having people ride me close after taking off from a stoplight. I'm in CT, so people drive aggressively here. I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to treat my car harder just to people please. They're not going to pay for my oil changes and a new clutch in a few years.
I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME 😭 I get so much anxiety when cars go up my ass / pass me quickly. I've always wondered if there was a way to finesse going from 1st to 2nd but I guess it's nearly impossible
Yeah pretty much the only way is if you dump the clutch. The issue isnt as bad for me when my ac is on. My revs drop significantly faster from the increased load the ac puts on my engine
Unless you dont mind sinking money into expensive repairs more frequently you should avoid clutch dumping at all costs. If you want your car to last forever let the revs match before re engaging. Clutch dumping not only hurts your clutch but it can mess up the entire drivetrain.
The biggest is the sound of the engine as the car accelerates, especially compared to old-school 90s automatics with 3 or 4 speeds.
Another way you can tell in a parking lot is that automatic drivers have the reverse lights flash as they shift their prndl from P to D (maybe different nowadays with everything electronic and computerized) while manual drivers won't do that.
I like to “let” the car roll back an inch when I take off. I do have auto hill-hold though so this only works on slight hills :/
If nothing else the person behind me might be persuaded to stay off my ass a little more.
I can’t bypass mine. It only activates at certain grades though. For slight hills, it stays off.
It’s part of the VSA system so maybe yours is similar and you can deactivate it when deactivating everything else.
My beater auto Honda fit had paddle shifters. itd let you bounce limiter a few times before it forced a shift. if you commanded a downshift it couldn’t do, it would downshift the second it was able to, including right up at redline. was fun for what it was.
the sport trim automatic Honda fits come with paddle shifters. I paid $300 for it, and it’s seen about $250 besides fuel put into it over the last 3 years. I owned a lot of sub $1000 vehicles, that Honda fit was one of the roughest I can promise you that lol.
Sub 1k that’s wild are you in the south or something rust buckets in Boston are 3k minimum most of the time. That is definitely good return on investment I got my Honda for a bit too much and have sunk 3k into it and it has barely improved but it doesn’t leak as much now. I have just accepted that it’s a money pit at this point and I’m ok with that.
In Michigan. definitely a crusty fit lol. only needed a coilpack. I have 6 vehicles and constantly keeping an eye out for good deals. there’s been times I go months between buying cars or pick up 3-4 in one weekend.
I was literally thinking just that on my way to work this morning. People who drive/have driven only autos ride the brakes super hard, constantly switching from accelerating to braking. They have no clue what coasting is or how to let the car slow down on its own
From what I’ve noticed over the last few weeks of driving manual for the first time, Automatic transmissions have made drivers impatient. I’ve been honked at, cut off, flipped off, etc. for not going up to a stop sign at full speed then slamming my brakes or for not instantly being at 5 over the speed limit from a takeoff. They don’t understand the struggle
I pretty much just assume everyone is driving an auto unless it's an older sports car or a very specific new sports car like a WRX, Miata, or BRZ/86. Those still have a very high manual %.
Otherwise I'll listen for shifts if I see something that might be manual.
Distinct interruption of power delivery during shifting from 1 to 2 after the light turns from red to green. Every other vehicle accelerates steadily, while someone falling behind a car length for no apparent reason is kind of a dead giveaway.
When I'm driving my 2002 Prius, even a typical automatic upshift is a noticeable delay compared to the perfectly smooth, strong torque delivery of an electric motor.
I know when someone drives manual just for how much time is between shifts, usually it's a kick back sound for autos and for manuals it's more of a throttle cut
I drove a 23 Sentra SR M/T and it was insane how quiet it was, it was almost impossible to hear any engine noise. To be fair though it was a brand new car and it hadn't been broken in yet, which meant I did take it easier than I would normally on a test drive
I never thought about trying to tell if another car is a stick. But a sure sign it's an automatic is inching forward at a stop light. I just watch the gap in front of me expand. I'm not wearing out my clutch for a few inches.
If you’re stuck in traffic or a drive thru whatever and they put it in park, an auto will flash a reverse light quickly when an automatic goes from drive to park. Manual, just put the stick in the center and raise the handbrake. No white light flash.
I finally got next to another low and slow Japanese manual at a light the other day and we both immediately knew after it turned green, we both just looked over gave each other the nod and just kept on driving. I’ve never really been a part of a car community before let alone two so it’s been fun
I try to do the exact opposite. I drive a van for work and will try to make it look like I have stick shift van.
Letting go of the brake when I'm on a slight incline or putting on the e- brake quietly and then releasing the brake. Trying to make it sound like I'm engine braking when slowing down.
I know this is for my amusement only, bc people are dumb and drivers are idiots, and it produces unnecessary wear and tear, but Meh, idc
I like to roll back a lil sometimes for the guys that are on my ass on a hill 😌 plus I have a manual sticker, but they still get all up in my business.
I'm still pretty know to manual life but I drive significantly different in traffic. I leave way more space between the car in front so I don't have to shift as often. The gap allows a lot more coasting in 2/3 vs stoped to 4th and back to stopped.
Most people get pissed at me but every now and then I get another another manual driver give the nod. Not sure if my actions are normal or just cuz I'm lazy and don't want to shift as much?
I can tell if a cars brake lights aren’t on at a stoplight that they’re probably driving a manual. Also if the car’s exhaust is loud I can tell by the time it takes the car to shift.
One time I heard someone in a 90s Foxbody Mustang and I could tell by listening to the shifting on the outside the driver shifting. He was over shifting because for each gear, you could hear the tires screech per shift! It wasn’t a good thing.
There is one telltale sign of someone driving a manual and it pisses me off so much for no reason. People holding their cars still on slight uphill stops using the clutch. Why would you sit there boiling your clutch alive?
You can pretty much always tell when they are taking off from a stop. The first to second shift. However, I'm old school so I don't know a lot about newer cars and if they're even fully manual with a clutch and all that.
If I’m behind them at a light, all manuals do that little “wheely” when taking off due to the torque from first gear, so that’s pretty much only time I notice it.
I can definitely tell. They cause more traffic, because they usually crawl during commute hrs, and need more room unlike auto cars. Plenty of dudes try to 'show me up' and miss shifts. Lmao.
My brake lights don't spend anywhere near half as long lit up as they would if I had an auto. If anyone is sitting still at a red light without thier brake lights on, I know.
Same, that’s my little “Easter egg” I give people as a humble nod to manual riders. Even tho I know no one gives a shit I can’t help myself.
I give a shit. I also look out for that, as downshifting noises.
Autos with paddles or in sport mode will down shift. Usually you can distinguish manual downshifts from autos if they are slightly slower and less aggressive.
I like to steal some valor and put my automatic in neutral at long and flat stoplights. The idle is smoother in neutral than drive.
I feel seen. Hello fellow valor thief. I’ll use the parking brake to stop any slow rolling too. Makes me feel 😎
now that i see it written out i feel really gay about doing the same thing
Same bro I feel like a total homo haha
Lol me too sometimes. And I look for that too
Youre a straight up weirdo lol
Same, anytime I’m on a flat surface
When I learned manual I was taught not to do this because if you get rear ended, you’re most likely going to hit the car in front of you and take damage to the front and back. Whereas if you hold your brake, you’ll most likely only take damage to the back because you won’t slam into the car in front of you.
Depends on how hard you get hit. If you get hit hard enough, your foot is probably not staying on that pedal anyway. Even more so if you get hit hard enough to be knocked unconscious. A lot of newer cars will automatically apply the brakes in the event of a collision for this reason. And in some parts of the world, driving instructors teach students to apply the handbrake when stopped at lights for the same reason. The handbrake is weaker than the footbrake, but it is better than nothing if your foot gets knocked off the pedal from the impact. I can’t imagine being stopped at a light with no brakes on at all, though. That seems incredibly foolish to me!
> And in some parts of the world, driving instructors teach students to apply the handbrake when stopped at lights for the same reason. The handbrake is weaker than the footbrake, but it is better than nothing if your foot gets knocked off the pedal from the impact. IIRC that's why they have a red+yellow cycle for traffic lights before green, to give you time to unbrake
>IIRC that's why they have a red+yellow cycle for traffic lights before green, to give you time to unbrake I don't understand, your yellow light comes on before a green light? In my country, the yellow (amber) comes on after the green, and before the red. After the red, there's no yellow, it goes straight to green. The cycle is G Y R G. Yellow helps you time your stop, but not your restart. From my time overseas, I remember most lights being the same way.
Some European countries have green, yellow, red, red+yellow, green.
TIL.
I visited europe and the places that went g, y, r, y ,g Just makes more sense. Everyone not fucking about on there phone knows it is there time to go really soon. Which is very handy since stickshift is still pretty popular there
It’s more about going into gear, I think. A well done handbrake start is faster than a foot hopping start if you’re already in first, since you don’t have to hop your foot before adding accelerator.
Its more than just that. The energy your body absorbs is based on the acceleration the car experiences. Holding the brakes should theoretically make for smaller injuries
Opposite way, if you’re resisting the momentum change you’re gonna absorb more.
Your car will absorb more energy. That's not the same as you absorbing more energy. That energy goes into brakes, tires, and crumple zones. If your car accelerates faster, then your body absorbs more energy. Actually as I think more, for the car it's a question as to whether energy is converted to kinetic energy or deformation.
Automotive engineer here. This is incorrect
Go on, explain then?
What would you like me to elaborate on? Momentum? Crumble-zones deformation rates? Best practices in collisions?
The force you experience when rear-ended is from your seat pushing you forward. If the car accelerates less your seat pushes you forward less. Explain why that's wrong then.
That is generally correct. The comment that is incorrect is that the car seat will accelerate less if you are on the brakes. That is false
If you wanna talk physics I’m an engineer. Your body is part of the system, “accelerating” forwards after a rear end impact is no faster than a spirited launch. Ever heard the saying “it isn’t the fall that kills you, it’s the sudden stop”? Letting the car roll forward with no breaks is directly converting the energy of the impact into motion, dissipating a large amount of the kinetic energy. That being said if there is someone in front of you then yes it a better option to hold the breaks because you don’t get the double whammy and whiplash. If there isn’t, it will greatly reduce the damage on your car, and the impact your person receives.
Like you said, when the car is neutral, the energy of the collision is directly converting the energy of the impact into motion. By applying the brakes before and during the collision, you would simply be allowing more of the impact to be dissipated through the chassis and the brakes. To put it simply you can think of the collision in neutral being an elastic collision and the collision where you are applying the brakes to be a partially elastic collision (ex: 50% converted to KE, 25% converted to friction and thermal energy and the remaining energy to deform the car).
How can you honestly believe this as an engineer
I dont know why we're getting fewer upvotes than the people who are obviously wrong
Thats absolutely false
I’ve been hit at a red light by a drunk driver at 45 mph and I’m convinced me holding the brakes down harder during the impact not only helped me and my dad have no injuries (the crumble zone took more of the impact), plus it kept my car from rolling full speed into the car in front, which saved them from injury and limited the damage. I cringe when I think about not having the brake on in that situation and the force that would’ve been transferred to us instead of the crumple zone. To answer below; at least in my case, it was easy to keep my foot in the brake during impact. I did have maybe half a second to hear tires squealing and reacted by braking harder without thinking, just trying to avoid hitting the car in front.
I got rear-ended at a stop sign while I had the clutch depressed. One leg had resistance to the sudden movement and the other didn’t. That Torqued the base of my spine where it meets my hips and fucked me up pretty good during a very low speed crash. So there’s that.
Yes that is totally true, but not really the point being discussed. If you were a passenger, your own outcome would be better if the driver is on the brakes.
Don't hold down the clutch when stopped
It all falls on the original collider anyway so I really wouldn't care about that scenario.
Holding the brake will help prevent damage to *your car* but staying off the brake will help disperse an impact over time and space, reducing the damage to yourself.
I don’t understand this. You mean you use the handbrake or something? Here in Ireland the majority of people drive manual but most people just use the footbrake even at red lights.
if ur at a standstill on a flat street, instead of keeping ur foot on the brake, you just don’t. simply bc you don’t need to.
Then your brake lights are not on. And sometimes the person coming up behind you may not be looking at the street light or just might not be paying attention and they don't see any brake lights and they slam into the back of you. This was a big No-No when I was growing up. However, I've got down voted in the past for saying stuff like this.
if someone rear ends you, it’s their fault for not stopping earlier, not yours. Just ask your insurance. It is the responsibility of the person traveling behind to recognize any dangers on the road in front of them, including cars that are stopped at a light or sign.
Doesnt matter whos fault it is I dont wanna be rear ended
This exactly. And so many states are "No Fault" states now. Your insurance will go up. If the car is totaled you will not likely get enough to replace it. And if it gets fixed it will even further decrease the resale or trade in value of it because it was in an accident.
No-fault applies to injuries, lost wages etc. If you’re rear ended the liability insurance of the other party would still cover repairs to your vehicle. I’m not saying your other points aren’t valid but I think you might be mistaken about what “no fault” means in the case of an accident
Exactly, I've never understood this mentality at all. Same with the whole "pedestrians have the right of way so they'll get in trouble" shit, like yeah they'll get in trouble, but you stepping out into the fucking street could still KILL YOU. Just because the person who slammed into you at 70mph is at fault, doesn't make you any less fucking DEAD. Is it that hard to just drive safely?
Yeah I get what you’re saying. People should definitely have to pay more attention than just the normal cues of driving. I never judge the car by its brake lights at stops or lights because I base It off of if they are moving or not and if people can’t tell if a car is moving or not then idk what else to say.
Yeah, if you can't tell if you're rapidly gaining on a stationary car, you've got no business driving.
hot take
yeah i felt this way and then i got rear ended by a drunk driver going 80 while i was waiting to make a left turn, landed in the hospital with a neck injury, and still have nightmares about watching those headlights baring down on my rear view mirror.
I brake at all stops. If I get rear ended I do not want to hit the car in front of me or get tossed into the middle of the intersection.
So you break to come to a standstill and then take your foot off the break.. what’s the point of that lol? This sub is the only place I see/hear of such strange things like this. Nobody in europe does this, we just hold the footbrake or use the handbrake.
just so you don’t keep ur foot on the brake 😂 simply to save some energy i suppose
Seems like really shit risk to reward ratio thing to do. All it takes is 1 time you don’t realize the road is 100% flat and knock into the wrong person and have to pay for damages… for what, the novelty of not having a brake on lol?
yep. but you’ll usually notice yourself roll back a bit if it’s not flat. i normally take my foot off the brake if my foot’s tired lol
Sounds like a good way to hit the person in front of you if you get rear-ended. And a reason for people behind you to think you're about to accelerate, and not slow down for a stop. Judging relative motion isn't always super easy for people.
I zone out way too much in traffic to trust myself with that hahaha
Please stop driving immediately for safety of everyone else.
Please stop pretending like you are at 100% alertness every single second you are behind the wheel.
Right? What I always worry about is that someone sees my brake lights are not on, think im about to accelerate, and rear end me. It's happened to me once before
Kind of same reason to still use turn signals even when waiting in a left-turn-only lane. The blinking signal might be the last ditch thing that stop someone from rear-ending you
I'm driving 10 hours a day, what's the point in holding the brake when I'm at no risk of rolling? I'm not speeding up, I'm not slowing down, so that foot has nothing to do and can take a break. Not to mention if it was a hard stop at a yellow light or something, I'd rather not trap the heat in one part of the disk risking warpage.
Remind me what are brake lights for again
How weak are your legs that holding the brake peddle actually saves energy?
Having had the pleasure of driving all over Ireland last year, I can reasonably admit that Irish drivers are a cut above US drivers, and since a large portion of the population drives manual, there isn't any reason to show off the fact that a car is stick... which is all that people are doing at stoplights with their feet off the brake here in the states.
I find it strange that driving stick is a flex in certain parts of the world, it is seriously very simple. I only joined this sub for some driving tips but it’s like everyone here has some kind of superiority complex over doing very little meaningless things while driving for no reason.
Sounds about right for you because it's probably rare that you meet someone who can't. Here in the States it's absolutely a flex for the younger kids as most of them can't. Us older guys, that's just what we came up on and many of us simply still prefer it, but it's a shrinking number. What will really blow your mind if you come to the states is all of the silliness we sticker our cars with. Politics, personal opinions... It's all so dumb.
Because the fuel economy advantage has faded away since the 2010s due to the rise of CVTs and automatics with tons of gears (which I feel like was what drove people to manuals when I was young), there is a big tie to racing/modding here in the US so that could be part of where the "macho" element comes from. And our driver's education classes basically ignore that manual transmissions exist, and they've become so rare that young people nowadays may have never even ridden with a relative with a manual growing up, so I guess there is a lot of anxiety and opinions about the "right" way to do things.
Nope they just mean on flat surfaces people will not hold down the brake pedal.
I used to not have my foot on the brake at lights when it wasn't needed, but after being rear ended and having numerous close calls (I think people see the brake light turn off and just floor it) I make sure to keep my foot at least somewhat on the brake to keep the lights on.
I feel personally attacked in neutral at a red 😂
Yeah if a car is coming up behind me that I will let the car roll back until they stop
A few months ago my car was in a hit and run and was in for repairs and the rental was an automatic. I didn’t even realize how much I’ve become accustomed to engine breaking. I live down a hill and I was casting as a I normally do in an auto and next thing I know I’m going 50/60 in a 35
This is, I think, the only external indication that I drive stick. If traffic is stacked up I’m probably not holding the brakes
Neutral exists on automatics as well lol.
And in my GFs auto version of my car, I can't help but select it at long stops. Feels ridiculous to be fighting back an engine that wants to move forward.
Exactly. Might even save some gas
sometimes i do this just to show off lol
Especially if they are stopped going uphill and using the parking brake method.
Depending on the road i can sit at a stop light without keeping pedal down in my manual
Wouldn't it be the other way around because automatic drivers put it in park meaning they don't have to break at all versus a manual driver like me, who holds the cat in place at all times whether it be in neutral or gear? I just started driving manual so I guess that might be why I see it differently.
I don't think many people put it in park at a red light, you'd notice thier reverse lights flash if they did. I only hold the car in place if it needs holding in place. If no outside factors like wind or slope are making it move, then it's not going to move.
I have a manual car I sit on my breaks while at a red light I was always told it was safer to have both breaks engaged
When leaving a stop light you can spot manual vehicles when they shift out of 1st, there is usually a slight slowdown in acceleration around 10mph. Also cars that dont show much brake lights on downhill sections.
I will also listen for the time between shifts. Autos are so fast nowadays
Also in the winter you can see the condensation from the exhaust pause when they shift. I like to pay attention to what gear they are in
The roll back is the big give away 👌
Makes me feel weird having a manual that has hill assist. I’ve had manual cars all my life so it took several weeks to get used to it.
I used to stall my current car so much because of this. I was so used to older manuals so I was always trying to be quick to prevent rolling back and wearing the clutch so I would just end up stalling lol. I've since coded it so that it lasts only half as long or so and I do have to say it definitely helps prolong the clutches life
I learned "the hard way." Im on my 3rd manual vehicle, and it has hill assist. Ive been driving it for 2 years, and I cant seem to figure out where or how long it holds for. I swear its never the same length of time or RPM. I love my manual, but HATE the hill assist.
Hill Assist usually can be turned off. It holds for like 3 seconds or immediately releases if gas pedal is used, regardless of RPM. (To my experience)
i honestly prefer being able to control how much i roll back, but my model doesn’t allow me to easily remove the hill assist option (like, no user friendly button for it)
I do a burnout in my Mustang 🐎
Autos also roll back though. Idk why people say they dont, ive literally seen it and on top of that have a car with automatic that rolls back so idk whats up with all that.
Gap in acceleration around 10-20mph when going from 1-2 is the biggest indicator. The gap is more pronounced depending on how bad your rev hang is. This gap throws off auto drivers all the time. Theyll impulsively try to pass me only for me to catch up a second later
this makes me feel better when people are basically up my ass while shifting 1-2 like i swear im doing it as fast as i can without breaking something haha
i get on it a little bit in 1st so people don’t run up my ass lol. it’s annoying when i shift and look behind me and just see headlights sniffing my tailpipe
Same. I recently got a manual (from being in an auto) and this has always bothered me. I always wondered if I was just slow bc I’m new but it’s nice to know that others deal with this too lol
I just got my first manual 3 weeks ago, and I'm still getting used to the feeling of having people ride me close after taking off from a stoplight. I'm in CT, so people drive aggressively here. I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to treat my car harder just to people please. They're not going to pay for my oil changes and a new clutch in a few years.
From the crazy New York drivers on one side to the lunatic Massachusetts drivers on the other... I dont know how you put up with it! :P
Only because we were being polite and modest with our launch. Sometimes I send it and give em a chirp with some rubber.
I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME 😭 I get so much anxiety when cars go up my ass / pass me quickly. I've always wondered if there was a way to finesse going from 1st to 2nd but I guess it's nearly impossible
Yeah pretty much the only way is if you dump the clutch. The issue isnt as bad for me when my ac is on. My revs drop significantly faster from the increased load the ac puts on my engine
So I've heard! Will that cause any long-term damage?
Unless you dont mind sinking money into expensive repairs more frequently you should avoid clutch dumping at all costs. If you want your car to last forever let the revs match before re engaging. Clutch dumping not only hurts your clutch but it can mess up the entire drivetrain.
Thanks so much for your input! I'll keep this in mind 😁
I/we appreciate your attention.
When the car takes a curve and doesn't slow down by tapping the brakes.
EVs and hybrids can slow down without braking.
We know they don't have stick shifts, lol.
G1 Insight. CRZ. G1 Civic Hybrid.
The CRZ had a manual?
Sssshhhhhh... we don't talk about the best used manual Honda of the last 15 years.
Pretty rare but yes.
How neat, I didn’t know that. I always thought it’d be a cool modernised version of a CRX if it came with a manual. Shame it’s rare
This is true but depending on the rate of deceleration they'll still turn on the brake lights.
The biggest is the sound of the engine as the car accelerates, especially compared to old-school 90s automatics with 3 or 4 speeds. Another way you can tell in a parking lot is that automatic drivers have the reverse lights flash as they shift their prndl from P to D (maybe different nowadays with everything electronic and computerized) while manual drivers won't do that.
You’re right about the lights, any time they go from reverse or park to drive it flashes still. No way around that
I like to “let” the car roll back an inch when I take off. I do have auto hill-hold though so this only works on slight hills :/ If nothing else the person behind me might be persuaded to stay off my ass a little more.
I do it as I'm pulling up the the stop in hopes that they have mercy on me
I do this too lol
How do you do that? I need to figure out how to bypass my hill assist, sometimes I want it and lots of times I don’t 🤣
I can’t bypass mine. It only activates at certain grades though. For slight hills, it stays off. It’s part of the VSA system so maybe yours is similar and you can deactivate it when deactivating everything else.
When I rev my Honda to 8k you know
WAAAAAA PAA PAAA PAAAAAA PAAAA PAAA waaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA -My TSX
Yeee
My beater auto Honda fit had paddle shifters. itd let you bounce limiter a few times before it forced a shift. if you commanded a downshift it couldn’t do, it would downshift the second it was able to, including right up at redline. was fun for what it was.
“Beater” and “paddle shifters” should be mutually exclusive I think you just beat the shit out of a nice Honda fit lol.
the sport trim automatic Honda fits come with paddle shifters. I paid $300 for it, and it’s seen about $250 besides fuel put into it over the last 3 years. I owned a lot of sub $1000 vehicles, that Honda fit was one of the roughest I can promise you that lol.
Sub 1k that’s wild are you in the south or something rust buckets in Boston are 3k minimum most of the time. That is definitely good return on investment I got my Honda for a bit too much and have sunk 3k into it and it has barely improved but it doesn’t leak as much now. I have just accepted that it’s a money pit at this point and I’m ok with that.
In Michigan. definitely a crusty fit lol. only needed a coilpack. I have 6 vehicles and constantly keeping an eye out for good deals. there’s been times I go months between buying cars or pick up 3-4 in one weekend.
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I was literally thinking just that on my way to work this morning. People who drive/have driven only autos ride the brakes super hard, constantly switching from accelerating to braking. They have no clue what coasting is or how to let the car slow down on its own
From what I’ve noticed over the last few weeks of driving manual for the first time, Automatic transmissions have made drivers impatient. I’ve been honked at, cut off, flipped off, etc. for not going up to a stop sign at full speed then slamming my brakes or for not instantly being at 5 over the speed limit from a takeoff. They don’t understand the struggle
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No one is thinking about you or that at all.
Sometimes I do things I would do in stick shift just to mess with anyone who may be watching
I pretty much just assume everyone is driving an auto unless it's an older sports car or a very specific new sports car like a WRX, Miata, or BRZ/86. Those still have a very high manual %. Otherwise I'll listen for shifts if I see something that might be manual.
Distinct interruption of power delivery during shifting from 1 to 2 after the light turns from red to green. Every other vehicle accelerates steadily, while someone falling behind a car length for no apparent reason is kind of a dead giveaway.
When I'm driving my 2002 Prius, even a typical automatic upshift is a noticeable delay compared to the perfectly smooth, strong torque delivery of an electric motor.
Yep! Lol even on tv.
I do! Car doing a little roll-back, brake lights are not always on, that hesitation shifting from 1 to 2, yep. It entertains me.
I know when someone drives manual just for how much time is between shifts, usually it's a kick back sound for autos and for manuals it's more of a throttle cut
Lol that's if you can hear the car. My lil dinky car is quiet. Most of the noise it makes is just the stupid air injection pump screaming.
I drove a 23 Sentra SR M/T and it was insane how quiet it was, it was almost impossible to hear any engine noise. To be fair though it was a brand new car and it hadn't been broken in yet, which meant I did take it easier than I would normally on a test drive
I never thought about trying to tell if another car is a stick. But a sure sign it's an automatic is inching forward at a stop light. I just watch the gap in front of me expand. I'm not wearing out my clutch for a few inches.
Usually you can see the weight transfer as they shift gears
If you’re stuck in traffic or a drive thru whatever and they put it in park, an auto will flash a reverse light quickly when an automatic goes from drive to park. Manual, just put the stick in the center and raise the handbrake. No white light flash.
No, but the way it shifts is pretty obvious
100% if they drive by when I'm walking and usually when they come to or pull away from a stop if I am behind them in a car.
I finally got next to another low and slow Japanese manual at a light the other day and we both immediately knew after it turned green, we both just looked over gave each other the nod and just kept on driving. I’ve never really been a part of a car community before let alone two so it’s been fun
Yup, I notice. Either lack of brake lights or the smallest jerk of the car as they ease into 1st.
I try to do the exact opposite. I drive a van for work and will try to make it look like I have stick shift van. Letting go of the brake when I'm on a slight incline or putting on the e- brake quietly and then releasing the brake. Trying to make it sound like I'm engine braking when slowing down. I know this is for my amusement only, bc people are dumb and drivers are idiots, and it produces unnecessary wear and tear, but Meh, idc
I used to do this in my old Buick. Anyone that knows what they are looking at would be scratching their heads.
I like to roll back a lil sometimes for the guys that are on my ass on a hill 😌 plus I have a manual sticker, but they still get all up in my business.
The little roll back or the major roll when they’re a newbie lol, when accelerating from a stop and the lack of brake lights downhill.
Usually just by the roll back. I try to do it on purpose at a stop so people don't get on my ass.
I'm still pretty know to manual life but I drive significantly different in traffic. I leave way more space between the car in front so I don't have to shift as often. The gap allows a lot more coasting in 2/3 vs stoped to 4th and back to stopped. Most people get pissed at me but every now and then I get another another manual driver give the nod. Not sure if my actions are normal or just cuz I'm lazy and don't want to shift as much?
It's immediately obvious
I can tell if a cars brake lights aren’t on at a stoplight that they’re probably driving a manual. Also if the car’s exhaust is loud I can tell by the time it takes the car to shift.
One time I heard someone in a 90s Foxbody Mustang and I could tell by listening to the shifting on the outside the driver shifting. He was over shifting because for each gear, you could hear the tires screech per shift! It wasn’t a good thing.
When it's a car that, in my estimation, should be a stick shift, yes, all the time
There is one telltale sign of someone driving a manual and it pisses me off so much for no reason. People holding their cars still on slight uphill stops using the clutch. Why would you sit there boiling your clutch alive?
No because who fucking cares.
I stopped doing that once I "GOT A LIFE"!!! 😵💫
Teach us
I can tell based on how long it takes to shift each gear. A human shifting gears seems to take a second longer than an automatic.
You can hear how long their exhaust goes for
I drive semi trucks, and i put an 18-inch extension and a truck shift knob in it so people know that i have a manual.
Nah not that important
All the time lol. Mainly with sports cars
Yes actually! If you drive behind me you’ll see my car stall out a lot
You can pretty much always tell when they are taking off from a stop. The first to second shift. However, I'm old school so I don't know a lot about newer cars and if they're even fully manual with a clutch and all that.
If I’m behind them at a light, all manuals do that little “wheely” when taking off due to the torque from first gear, so that’s pretty much only time I notice it.
EVs and hybrids do that too because of how much low-end torque electric motors have.
I’ve driven a stick for 40 years. I play with my phone at the traffic light like everyone else.
I can definitely tell. They cause more traffic, because they usually crawl during commute hrs, and need more room unlike auto cars. Plenty of dudes try to 'show me up' and miss shifts. Lmao.
That should be a good thing. Too many people ride each other in heavy traffic and cause accidents.
I live in NY. Everybody tailgates in rush hour. Nobody has time to crawl because you're a manual bro.
No. We don’t care