Should I teach stick-shift with my new yaris?

[Loren]

My former girlfriend (now my second wife, go figure) totalled my car when I thought I'd teach her to drive stick one day. She did fine until we got to that first stop sign. Then, after stalling two or three times, she finally got it going... and chugged right out in front of a big Oldsmobile.

Take the time to do it right!

[CtrlAltDefeat]

Originally Posted by Loren

My former girlfriend (now my second wife, go figure) totalled my car when I thought I'd teach her to drive stick one day. She did fine until we got to that first stop sign. Then, after stalling two or three times, she finally got it going... and chugged right out in front of a big Oldsmobile.

Take the time to do it right!

Is that why she's no longer your wife?

[schleppy]

I would vote no. I've taught a few people how to drive stick (on other cars, not my own) and the Yaris would be an awful first one (IMHO). It's too quiet, the electronic throttle is too inconsistent, and the clutch has a vague feel.

[Loren]

Originally Posted by CtrlAltDefeat

Is that why she's no longer your wife?

I didn't say she was no longer my wife.

Wasn't her fault she wrecked my car. It was entirely my fault for not teaching her in a controlled and safe environment.

[Flex12]

Thanks for the good advice guys. It would probably be ok to teach her but i think im not gonna risk it. That just means that i always have to drive on roadtrips...which i prefer anyway.

[auxmike]

One of a couple of reasons I bought the AUTO version of the LB.
My girl can drive anytime.....

[CtrlAltDefeat]

Originally Posted by Loren

I didn't say she was no longer my wife.

Wasn't her fault she wrecked my car. It was entirely my fault for not teaching her in a controlled and safe environment.

ahh well I was just kidding

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by YarisOwnersDad

Man, my Jeep Wrangler would be a great vehicle to teach someone to drive a stick shift on. It has so much low end torque that you can just about let the clutch out and take off from idle speed, and if it is in four wheel drive low range, you CAN take off without giving it any gas.

Tom

I agree, I'm still stalling the Yaris because I'm not used to having to get the RPMs going. Only two ways to stall a Jeep really: drop the clutch really fast with no gas, or leave it in gear while coming to a stop.

The only problem with a Jeep is they have too much low end torque and tend to lurch forward to the point of scaring a beginner. My vote goes to the civic, for it's forgiving clutch and broad RPM range.

Does anyone else think the Yaris clutch seems a little too binary?

[Loren]

The Yaris clutch is anything but binary. It begins to release really low, but isn't completely released until very near the top of travel. Veeeeery analog. A "binary" clutch is either off or on, going from disengaged to completely engaged in less than 1" of travel.

Seriously, like I said above, if you teach your student to feel the initial engagement point and work with it, they won't have any problems. Doesn't take a lot of throttle to launch a Yaris, just good clutch control. And if you don't have enough skill to get a Yaris rolling without touching the gas pedal (not saying you need to drive that way all the time, just that you should have the skill and understanding to do so), you have no business teaching anyone else.

[33OH]

I started to teach my wife in the Yaris in an empty parking lot and she had it pretty well down after a few stalls. I'd say go for it; you have the warranty anyways if anything happens to the clutch/tranny.

[Astroman]

Warranty doesn't cover wear parts like the clutch, brake pads & tires.

[33OH]

Okay, well if anything happens to the tranny then. =) And my tires had a 2 year warranty on them.

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by Loren

The Yaris clutch is anything but binary. It begins to release really low, but isn't completely released until very near the top of travel. Veeeeery analog. A "binary" clutch is either off or on, going from disengaged to completely engaged in less than 1" of travel.

That was exactly what I meant when I described it as feeling binary. Honestly I didn't even know it was a common description for a clutch, I was just grasping for words there.

It just seems very binary compared to the F150, pinto and TJ. I've even stopped wearing boots with the bugger until I get used to it.

[Loren]

The Yaris clutch is certainly "weird". It does BEGIN to engage pretty close to the floor, but really doesn't fully engage right away. Find somebody who has a super-high capacity high-performance clutch, then you'll know what a binary clutch REALLY feels like!

Nothing shifts as easy as my old Pinto did. I miss that car.

[HTM Yaris]

HMMM weird , I taught my Son and GF how to drive stick with my Yaris almost exactly how Loren described . Now my GF won't stay out of my Yaris and I had to buy my Son his own Yaris . Be careful what you ask for

[CtrlAltDefeat]

Originally Posted by HTM Yaris

HMMM weird , I taught my Son and GF how to drive stick with my Yaris almost exactly how Loren described . Now my GF won't stay out of my Yaris and I had to buy my Son his own Yaris . Be careful what you ask for

One big Yaris family!

[anonymous user]

SRSLY. The yaris is toyota's budget, entry level car. What elsr would you like to teach a newbie on? It's fine, and look at it this way, the only thing that can go wrong are things i want to change down the line anyway. She may shorten the life of your clutch, trans gear teeth, etc. All things that can be upgraded to better quality parts anyway.

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by Loren

The Yaris clutch is certainly "weird". It does BEGIN to engage pretty close to the floor, but really doesn't fully engage right away. Find somebody who has a super-high capacity high-performance clutch, then you'll know what a binary clutch REALLY feels like!

Nothing shifts as easy as my old Pinto did. I miss that car.

The Pinto was the first car I learned to drive, and it happened to be both manual transmission and steering. Still that was an incredibly easy car to learn with and it lasted 15 years. It would have lasted longer if not for the rust.

I actually have driven a mustang with a 500lb clutch before. It wasn't really a mustang anymore, and it wasn't street legal. I didn't drive that thing for longer than 20 minutes though, it scared the heck out of me and I was petrified of being pulled over.