Driving stick

[YePpErZePerDo]

Ok guys I just wanted to know what you thought. I was reading on another post that some members felt that the Elise is not an easy car to drive if you don’t have a lot of experience driving stick. I just wanted to give my 2 cents about my first experience driving an Elise and that it was very easy it drive. In fact I actually kind of found it a little scary because of how easy it is to drive the car fast. As far as stick experience goes I have driven a mustang for about 2 weeks, A Saturn a couple times, and a Vette a couple times. I personally felt that the Elise was one of the easiest vehicles to drive especially compared to the Mustang. Just wondering how you guys felt on your first experience about driving the car. It would be cool just in general to hear every ones first experience.

Thanks for your time,

Yepper

[cspak71]

Originally Posted by YePpErZePerDo

Ok guys I just wanted to know what you thought. I was reading on another post that some members felt that the Elise is not an easy car to drive if you don’t have a lot of experience driving stick. I just wanted to give my 2 cents about my first experience driving an Elise and that it was very easy it drive. In fact I actually kind of found it a little scary because of how easy it is to drive the car fast. As far as stick experience goes I have driven a mustang for about 2 weeks, A Saturn a couple times, and a Vette a couple times. I personally felt that the Elise was one of the easiest vehicles to drive especially compared to the Mustang. Just wondering how you guys felt on your first experience about driving the car. It would be cool just in general to hear every ones first experience.

Thanks for your time,

Yepper

I've driven a stick before the Elise, so that wasn't anything new. I do agree that the stick in the Elise is pretty easy to work, considering too that it's straight from Toyota, which is probably why.

As for my first experience... I was a bit nervous. Never really drove something to this level before... so I was a little hesitant when driving the demo car at the dealership, but that lasted all of 2 minutes before I started grinning uncontrollably. Then I just drove it like it was mine.

Funny thing, as I drove the demo car (top was off), a motorcyclist next to me at a red light comments, "Great car huh? Do you like it?" Me not wanting to let him know that I was on a test drive, just replied.. "great car." Then went on our way.

[SIIK2NR]

If you think the Elise is easy....try an S2000.

[jallingt]

Basically I learned on my Elise, I drove my brother's Maxima on Mon night, then drove the Elise home on Tues night. Yea, I think it is easy to drive.
Now I gotta learn to drive it real fast! Can't wait for our track (Highplains Raceway) to be built.

[Gizmo3000]

I'd have to agree as well, the Elise is definitely one of the easier stick shift cars to drive.

The engine/tranny combo has just the right feel and is fairly forgiving I'd say, with just the right amount of power.

too much power, and stuff like this happens:

[smokin orange]

Thats why my wife will never learn to drive a stick....or my daughters. i could not handle it, looking at my car in pieces.

[cspak71]

Originally Posted by SIIK2NR

If you think the Elise is easy....try an S2000.

Drove one of those too... even easier.. although, because the throws on the shifter are so short, it can be easy to mis-shift.

[99hondaaccord]

lmao, I wonder how this guy's thought process went. Maybe something like this "The wife wants to learn to drive a manual transmission. I suppose I'll let her learn in my priceless high-powered sports car." Then the wife "I just cant figure this out...how do I...well...maybe if I lay into the throttle...oops."

[Aedo]

Originally Posted by smokin orange

Thats why my wife will never learn to drive a stick....or my daughters. i could not handle it, looking at my car in pieces.

Method of operation of the gearbox has no bearing on the ability of a driver - are you saying that your wife can't drive responsibly and you aren't going to teach your daughters to drive responsibly

[codymac]

Originally Posted by smokin orange

Thats why my wife will never learn to drive a stick....or my daughters. i could not handle it, looking at my car in pieces.

Try this on for size... girlfriend calls you to drive her brand-new-second-hand 911 home since she's never driven a stick. I spent the next several late evenings in Barton Creek Mall's parking lot, teaching her - the short shift kit didn't make it any easier.


But the Sunday runs out 2222, sans girlfriend, made up for it.

[Bavarian Motorist]

It is much easier to use than a Corvette in terms of effort/smoothness AND finding gears, but finding the gears in an Elise can still be difficult (particularly going into third gear from 2nd)


Sometimes when I shift I feel like I am making two motions instead of one; one to move the lever and the other to feel around for the right spot.


To put it simply: It's not bad, but it's no Porsche or Lamborghini (have driven both)

[BrendanDolan]

The only thing I've noticed with the Elise is that it is easy for a new stick driver to slip the clutch too much. Having tight engine mounts means you dont feel the pogo stick like feeling you usually do in a lot of cars when you slip the clutch and then it hooks up.

Best bet is to remember you want less than 1.5k rpms to start from a roll, and you want the clutch hooked up after an upshift before you apply power. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Elises and Exiges driven, and hear brrrrr BBBRRRARRRR rrrrrrr during an upshift (sorry for the goofy typing, I'm trying to make the noise with words...)

[YePpErZePerDo]

I have never heard that and when i first drove the car i was rippin through the gears like i had a vette with a unlimited warranty lol ohh well

[habendanio]

It was my second vehicle with a stick but being low on torque in the lower rpm, takes getting used to. Also when it was new it tended to stall out or die at weird times like at a stoplight or when putting into reverse. The engine has 21k miles on it and it hasn't had any problems in the last 20k miles. Its actually very rewarding to drive because of the stick.

[Terculees]

I drive a 2004 tiburon GT with a stick as a daily beater, and the lotus is MUCH easier to shift. Perhaps this is because Hyundai equips their cars with a "delay valve" that literally slows down the movement of the clutch plate before it catches, so that you can't drop the clutch. They don't want rice kiddies burning up trannies on new tiburons and taking them in to get the clutch replaced under warranty after 1000 miles.

The delay valve actually changes the catch point on the clutch depending on the viscosity of the tranny fluid (which varies with temperature) so shifting from 1st to 2nd can be smooth or VERY jerky. I've owned the car for more that 1 year, and people still tell me I need to learn how to shift, because sometimes I make the car "bounce" on the clutch unintentionally because the clutch catch point has changed on me again!
Sure there are instructions to remove this valve, but that involves effort ;-)

Since I got the Elise, my shifting has never been smoother. And hearing the engine tear through the 2-3k RPM range on the Larini muffler is SOOOOO satisfying.

[Bavarian Motorist]

What kind of Elise do you own? Mine doesn't tear through the 2-3k RPM range, lol.. more like tiptoe

[Cardinal]

"Yep, she did it. I knew it, I knew it."

[ishur]

It's not as "snick snick" as my old '91 Miata, but still fine. A little higher effort and longer throws than the Miata but not hard to shift smoothly. My biggest challenge has been getting used to having a 6 speed with very different ratios than the Miata. "Let's see, now, do I want third or fourth here..."

[delise]

Here is a great clutch exercise to get the action of your car down, and it does not trash the car if you do it right. In a big , empty parking lot or such, with the car idling in neutral, push the clutch in and put the car into first, no foot on the brake pedal, now, gently, gently smoothly bring the clutch out till you start to move then once you start to creep , smoothly (key word smooth) bring it out a bit quicker until all the way out and you are moving ahead in 1st! Now Don't hit the brakes but, push the clutch in again till you coast to a stop and repeat over and over till you can do it perfectly smoothly and quickly without spending too much time with the clutch grabbing, but also not so quickly or suddenly that you set up a lurching ahead problem.

[Bavarian Motorist]

Originally Posted by ishur

It's not as "snick snick" as my old '91 Miata, but still fine. A little higher effort and longer throws than the Miata but not hard to shift smoothly. My biggest challenge has been getting used to having a 6 speed with very different ratios than the Miata. "Let's see, now, do I want third or fourth here..."

I'm surprised you haven't adjusted to the six-speed yet. I know what gear I want to be in without even looking at the speedometer.


I came from a 5 speed Boxster that has pretty wide ratios.