Six-Speed Roll Call! - Page 4

lDneGeL · 04-10-04, 07:32 AM

welcome i wish i had a 6 speed

Gerald · 04-18-04, 01:48 PM

Wow, I've read through this thread and these seem very rare. I'm dabating whether I should purchase one or not. My friend and cousin said I would enjoy a manual, but I'm not too sure if I'm up for going through tha gear box all day. Sometimes I just wanna cruise around and relax. I'd like to hear some words of wisdom from my fellow 6spd owners

alexc · 04-18-04, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Wow, I've read through this thread and these seem very rare. I'm dabating whether I should purchase one or not. My friend and cousin said I would enjoy a manual, but I'm not too sure if I'm up for going through tha gear box all day. Sometimes I just wanna cruise around and relax. I'd like to hear some words of wisdom from my fellow 6spd owners

Here's my take on it, I hope this is helpful.

I think you should try driving some other manual cars first. Get someone to teach you how (I'm assuming you don't know). Then test drive a stick legend. I had never driven stick before the Legend, and I had my mind made up that my next car would be a stick. I got into legends and I knew I had to get a six speed. So I had a couple people teach me a bit in their cars, then I drove out to buy it and drove it home. The 6 speed is very pleasant to drive. IMO, the gears, shifter throws, and gates are spaced and designed perfectly for daily driving.

As far as the driving experience, I love it, it's infinitely better than driving an automatic. It took me a while to learn, but that's just because I'm a slow learner. The principles of driving stick are easy, it's just the finesse that makes shifts smooth that will take practice. When you drive you are more aware of the car, like you're mechanically connected to it. Shifting does not become tedious, only in really bad stop and go, and even then I really don't have much else to do except drive. Hills kind of suck until you get used to them too. After you drive stick long enough, it pretty much becomes 'automatic'.

I love cruising in my car too, I like taking the long way home just to finish up a couple songs. Music is a lot better when you're driving stick, trust me on it. You might not feel that at first because you're more focused on not f'ing up, but once you're relaxed and confident it's all butter. Winding out the revs and hitting your shifts to a tight beat will put a smile on your face every time. 'Cruising' is no different really, you don't spend most of your time shifting. Once you're up to speed, you don't need to touch the gears unless you have to stop or slow or you want to rev it up and pass.

There are automatic drivers, there are stick drivers, and there are those that just don't care (I'm speaking in terms of personalities, not whatever tranny is stuck in your current vehicle). The auto drivers want to enjoy the drive while taking a more passive role in it. The manual crowd enjoy a more active role in the driving experience. The people that don't care just want to get from A to B. I think you should decide what category you're in.

Fut · 04-19-04, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by alexc
There are automatic drivers, there are stick drivers, and there are those that just don't care (I'm speaking in terms of personalities, not whatever tranny is stuck in your current vehicle). The auto drivers want to enjoy the drive while taking a more passive role in it. The manual crowd enjoy a more active role in the driving experience. The people that don't care just want to get from A to B. I think you should decide what category you're in.

Nuf sed!!!

One...

Fut

Gerald · 04-19-04, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by alexc
Here's my take on it, I hope this is helpful.

I think you should try driving some other manual cars first. Get someone to teach you how (I'm assuming you don't know). Then test drive a stick legend. I had never driven stick before the Legend, and I had my mind made up that my next car would be a stick. I got into legends and I knew I had to get a six speed. So I had a couple people teach me a bit in their cars, then I drove out to buy it and drove it home. The 6 speed is very pleasant to drive. IMO, the gears, shifter throws, and gates are spaced and designed perfectly for daily driving.

As far as the driving experience, I love it, it's infinitely better than driving an automatic. It took me a while to learn, but that's just because I'm a slow learner. The principles of driving stick are easy, it's just the finesse that makes shifts smooth that will take practice. When you drive you are more aware of the car, like you're mechanically connected to it. Shifting does not become tedious, only in really bad stop and go, and even then I really don't have much else to do except drive. Hills kind of suck until you get used to them too. After you drive stick long enough, it pretty much becomes 'automatic'.

I love cruising in my car too, I like taking the long way home just to finish up a couple songs. Music is a lot better when you're driving stick, trust me on it. You might not feel that at first because you're more focused on not f'ing up, but once you're relaxed and confident it's all butter. Winding out the revs and hitting your shifts to a tight beat will put a smile on your face every time. 'Cruising' is no different really, you don't spend most of your time shifting. Once you're up to speed, you don't need to touch the gears unless you have to stop or slow or you want to rev it up and pass.

There are automatic drivers, there are stick drivers, and there are those that just don't care (I'm speaking in terms of personalities, not whatever tranny is stuck in your current vehicle). The auto drivers want to enjoy the drive while taking a more passive role in it. The manual crowd enjoy a more active role in the driving experience. The people that don't care just want to get from A to B. I think you should decide what category you're in.

Alex,

Thanks for tha insight. That helps out. You're right, at this point I do not no how to drive a manual. It doesn't look hard, but I've never driven one. Tha only people in my family that have standard shifts are my two uncle, but I rarely see em. One has a black I30 and tha other has a red M Roadster

. My city is a very busy college town with a lot of damn hills........too many of em. I can't seem to figure out which group of persons I am in (driving that is). I think I'm one of those auto during tha weekday, manual on tha weekend type. I'm kinda clueless on that one. My mind keeps chaging all tha damn time. That's why I can't make a final decision on which to buy

Once again, Thanks
Gerald

KA8's6spd · 04-19-04, 11:26 AM

glad this got bumped up or i never would have seen it

I have had 2 6-speeds.
First was a 1994 Coupe L, dark metallic green, got a great deal on it.
Three months later, an Expedition ran over my car's front end and it was totalled.
Started looking for another 6-speed and found a 1993 Coupe L, this one is Vineyard Grey and in MUCH better shape than my first, so I bought it.
I now am a devoted Legend coupe fan, i pledge to never, never sell the one I have now.

Happy 6-speed owner,
Kate

alexc · 04-19-04, 11:53 AM

Quote:

I think I'm one of those auto during tha weekday, manual on tha weekend type.

I feel ya on that. I think you'd be very happy with a nice auto coupe (I know I would), with the 6 speed as a bonus. Driving a clean legend is good enough for me! I'm sure you got some friends with stick cars, or make it a point to visit your uncles. If they are encouraging you to purchase a manual, I bet they would be happy to show you the ropes. Even if you don't own a manual, it's a very handy skill.

From my experience learning stick, it was harder than I thought. Not to say it was terribly difficult, but it wasn't what I expected. I know I didn't enjoy the first months with my car as much as I could have because I was more concerned with practicing my driving and not ruining the clutch. But I had very little prior experience and I'm a slow learner. Most folks would probably take to it better than I did. Once you adjust to the car you become 'one' with it while you drive. I know it sounds corny but it's true in a sense. Try a manual and see how you like it.

legend4life · 04-19-04, 12:04 PM

Alexc,
Great posts man. Would love to read what you and others have to say on your experience with the first few months with a manual car, learning/practicing driving the manual, and not ruining the clutch. I have read that the smoothest shifts and starts(ie. slipping the clutch the most) are the ones that wear the clutch down the most as well. Any tips/advice, etc?

I'm gonna be pushin my 5spd coupe for awhile now and give my GS a little rest.

-Imran

Gerald · 04-19-04, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by alexc
I feel ya on that. I think you'd be very happy with a nice auto coupe (I know I would), with the 6 speed as a bonus. Driving a clean legend is good enough for me! I'm sure you got some friends with stick cars, or make it a point to visit your uncles. If they are encouraging you to purchase a manual, I bet they would be happy to show you the ropes. Even if you don't own a manual, it's a very handy skill.

From my experience learning stick, it was harder than I thought. Not to say it was terribly difficult, but it wasn't what I expected. I know I didn't enjoy the first months with my car as much as I could have because I was more concerned with practicing my driving and not ruining the clutch. But I had very little prior experience and I'm a slow learner. Most folks would probably take to it better than I did. Once you adjust to the car you become 'one' with it while you drive. I know it sounds corny but it's true in a sense. Try a manual and see how you like it.

My homeboy has a white '96 240sx. I'd ask to drive it, but I just don't wanna mess up somebody's clutch like that. If I mess up a clutch, it'll be mine.........that's just how I feel. He put on an ACT clutch about 30k miles ago after he learned how to drive it. He's always encouraged me to purcahse a manual. I've known this kat since elementary.

You don't sound corny at all. One of my old co-workers that moved away had a '98 ciivic and he said it was 2nd nature once you get use to it, then it's nothing to it. He's been driving manuals since he was in high school, so it's butter to em.

This is a very hard decision right now. I've found a pearl auto and a pearl manual. Tha auto is about half tha distance of tha manual, but they are both still out of the way. I'm lost

alexc · 04-19-04, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Alexc,
Great posts man. Would love to read what you and others have to say on your experience with the first few months with a manual car, learning/practicing driving the manual, and not ruining the clutch. I have read that the smoothest shifts and starts(ie. slipping the clutch the most) are the ones that wear the clutch down the most as well. Any tips/advice, etc?

Whenever the flywheel and friction disk(clutch) are moving at a different speed, wear is occuring. When you take off, you will cause wear (moreso than when you are changing gears) because you are using the friction of the clutch to move the vehicle. You want to minimize the time the clutch is not fully engaged, but not to the point where you are dumping it. So if you gas it up to like 3000 and let the clutch out really slow, it will wear the clutch faster.

Smooth starts that aren't hard on the clutch take a bit of practice. What I do is begin to let the clutch out and go into the gas at the same time. The revs are up between 1100 and 1300 as the clutch begins to grab, and it comes into the gear nice and smooth. When you're starting it's easier to hold the revs around 1200-1500 and let the clutch out slow. After you get comfortable driving the car, you'll want to work the clutch fairly quickly and use the gas only as much as necessary, to compromise between clutch wear and not making every take off a bullriding event.

Since there is interest... here is my 'learning stick' story. It came out a lot longer than I expected and this post has turned into a book.... sorry.

I decided I was going to get a six speed before I even knew how to drive stick. I kind of knew that I would enjoy driving stick, because as I drove the automatic, I would manipulate the gas to get it to shift right where I wanted it. I wanted to be more involved in the driving process, and the extra gas mileage was a good incentive too.

So I asked my buddy who had this ford probe SE hoopty. It looked like a beater, it was the 2.0L but it was apparently prepped for turbo before he bought it and that thing had balls. It had no power steering and the lights in the instrument panel were not working (I was practicing at night). He had his idle adjusted funny too, it idled between 2 and 3k. The car is off, I got in it and pushed the clutch a little bit. I had no idea how a clutch travels. So I keep trying to start it and he tells me to push it all the way to the floor. Doh... it just didn't register to me because I wasn't used to pushing a pedal all the way to the floor on a regular basis.

So then I messed around with the gear shift, the linkage seemed kind of sloppy and messed up because he beat the hell out of it. Clutch in, car in first, he tells me to let it out really slow with no gas. Even with the high idle, I managed to stall it once or twice. After that I got the hang of it. I drove it around the parking lot for a bit, on a couple of different nights. Then I drove it out on the street and did okay. I had a couple gear grinds, some trouble getting the gears in because the clutch was not all the way down, and I'm sure I looked like a complete beginner, but I was driving it.

So I wanted some practice on a 'normal' car, I asked a friend if I could practice in her integra LS. She agreed. I must have stalled that thing 50 times. I just didn't get it, because in the probe all I had to do was let the clutch out slow. It didn't help that she really wasn't explaining it to me, but once I realized I needed to give it gas to get started I was doing okay. The shift linkage was very tight and 1/2 & 3/4 were very close together. I drove it on a couple nights, it was much easier and more pleasant than the probe, although it was gutless (NO torque).

I went out and got the legend. I got it going okay but I was a bit thrown off by the high disengagement of the legend clutch and how hard it bites when you let it down, so I was giving it too much gas or not enough and I stalled it several times on the way home.

In the next several months or so I probably stalled it about ten times. I would grind a gear several times a week in the first month. I was always on edge while working the stick, especially on a hill. I was really nervous about messing something up and looking like a dolt in such a nice car. It didn't help that my daily commute was not a very 'challenging' drive so I didn't get much practice in. After a while I was no longer nervous, and when I stopped thinking too hard about what I was doing and just did it, I learned faster and drove better.

Now I have more fun than I've ever had driving. I pretty much learned the hard way, but I'm happy with where I'm at now! The six speed is such a pleasant drive, I don't think it gets much better. My only regret is that I didn't have enough practice and confidence to enjoy the car right off the bat.

So that concludes my novel, I hope it was as helpful as the other posts. If you want more advice I would be happy to answer to the best of my knowlege and ability.

alexc · 04-19-04, 01:09 PM

Quote:

My homeboy has a white '96 240sx. I'd ask to drive it, but I just don't wanna mess up somebody's clutch like that. If I mess up a clutch, it'll be mine.........that's just how I feel.

I missed your last post while writing my novel, and that was how I felt too. One car I practiced on (the probe in the previous post) had a performance clutch and my friend was convinced I couldn't mess it up. My other friend with the integra.. well it belonged to her parents. Seriously you can learn the ropes pretty quick, 2 or 3 hours on a couple different days of driving is enough. It's the finesse that makes the drive smooth and enjoyable that takes time and practice to learn. If you do get a stick legend and don't have much experience, just make sure you practice on the hills before you set out. Stalling and rolling into someone's car would really suck.

Legend clutches are not cheap to replace, especially if the 6 speed flywheel needs replaced. But hey, you can always upgraded to a performance clutch, which will probably last the life of the car if you aren't one to flog it all the time.

EDIT:
I meant to add, do some reading on howstuffworks.com about manual transmissions and clutches. It helps to understand what is happening on the inside, it helped me a LOT.

Atiyeh · 09-18-04, 12:40 AM

Found mine on ebay, saw the pics on the auction.. and it was super clean. The auction happened to be very close to me, so I called the guy up and asked to come see it. I drove it once, and had to have it.

95 LS Coupe 6 Speed Blk/Blk

KokDahkJeE · 09-18-04, 09:12 AM

found mine end of May

funny thing is i missed graduation for this car

lol

when my graduation was going on, i was in the middle of buying the car, paid him

a few things i must work on

was looking for months, finally found a 6 speed in colorado, other than CU's, tried to buy his, lol

but i love it, my mom drives a camry and after drivning in a legend

that camry cannot accelerate, its just wrong what a legend can do, but traffic is a little annoying

my clutch leg always hurtz

garys92 · 09-18-04, 10:09 AM

I have a 92 coupe 6er (GREY)

Fut · 09-18-04, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garys92

I have a 92 coupe 6er (GREY)

a 92 6 speed? Hummmmm...

One...

Fut

04-10-04, 07:32 AM	#46 (permalink)
lDneGeL 1ofAknd Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: san jose,CA Posts: 1,837 Car 1: 92 CGM Legend L sedan iTrader: (0)	welcome i wish i had a 6 speed __________________ http://img43.photobucket.com/albums/...dnegel/sig.jpg

04-18-04, 01:48 PM	#47 (permalink)
Gerald Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 2,368 Car 1: 1991 Cobalt Blue KA8 Car 2: 1998 Kouki (sold) iTrader: (0)	Wow, I've read through this thread and these seem very rare. I'm dabating whether I should purchase one or not. My friend and cousin said I would enjoy a manual, but I'm not too sure if I'm up for going through tha gear box all day. Sometimes I just wanna cruise around and relax. I'd like to hear some words of wisdom from my fellow 6spd owners __________________ Help Me Find White/Black KA8

04-19-04, 11:26 AM	#51 (permalink)
KA8's6spd Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: UGA Posts: 35 Car 1: 1993 L coupe 6-speed Vineyard Grey iTrader: (0)	glad this got bumped up or i never would have seen it I have had 2 6-speeds. First was a 1994 Coupe L, dark metallic green, got a great deal on it. Three months later, an Expedition ran over my car's front end and it was totalled. Started looking for another 6-speed and found a 1993 Coupe L, this one is Vineyard Grey and in MUCH better shape than my first, so I bought it. I now am a devoted Legend coupe fan, i pledge to never, never sell the one I have now. Happy 6-speed owner, Kate __________________ http://members.aol.com:/infinit8y/Legend/sig/ka8

04-19-04, 12:04 PM	#53 (permalink)
legend4life Blk/BlkGS6 Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 1,779 Car 1: '94 Black/Black Legend GS Sedan 6 Speed Car 2: '92 Silver LS Coupe Car 3: '94 Cashmere L Sedan iTrader: (1)	Alexc, Great posts man. Would love to read what you and others have to say on your experience with the first few months with a manual car, learning/practicing driving the manual, and not ruining the clutch. I have read that the smoothest shifts and starts(ie. slipping the clutch the most) are the ones that wear the clutch down the most as well. Any tips/advice, etc? I'm gonna be pushin my 5spd coupe for awhile now and give my GS a little rest. -Imran __________________ Black/Black GS 6 speed FS $3800 OBO Lots of mods/parts FS To contact me, e-mail desijigga786@gmail.com

09-18-04, 12:40 AM	#57 (permalink)
Atiyeh my retro> yours Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 811 Car 1: Black 95' KA8 6Spd (sold to KeithQNguyen) Car 2: 00' S2000 iTrader: (0)	Found mine on ebay, saw the pics on the auction.. and it was super clean. The auction happened to be very close to me, so I called the guy up and asked to come see it. I drove it once, and had to have it. 95 LS Coupe 6 Speed Blk/Blk __________________ www.atiyehphoto.com 95 LS 6 Spd - Sold to KeithQNguyen 00' S2000 - Silverstone.Black

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
The Acura Legend & Acura RL Forum Advertisement

09-18-04, 09:12 AM	#58 (permalink)
KokDahkJeE Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Location: MiLe HigH ~ Posts: 514 Car 1: KA8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, R iTrader: (0)	found mine end of May funny thing is i missed graduation for this car lol when my graduation was going on, i was in the middle of buying the car, paid him a few things i must work on was looking for months, finally found a 6 speed in colorado, other than CU's, tried to buy his, lol but i love it, my mom drives a camry and after drivning in a legend that camry cannot accelerate, its just wrong what a legend can do, but traffic is a little annoying my clutch leg always hurtz __________________ 2nd Generation F.A.Q.

09-18-04, 10:09 AM	#59 (permalink)
garys92 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: dallas TX Posts: 229 Car 1: 92 grey coupe iTrader: (0)	6 I have a 92 coupe 6er (GREY)

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)