Driving a 5-speed

[kerph32]

I'm replacing my totaled '96 328is Auto with a 5-speed... I've driven sticks before (uncle's 2002 Corvette mostly) but my last couple stints behind the wheel of stickshifts have been... embarrassing. My step-dad's porsche 911 was met with my clumsy feet and 4 stalls later, I give up in favor of keeping that beautiful piece of engineering intact.
So... question is, how long does it normally take for someone to get "competant" at driving a stick? And, are E36 5-speeds comparatively easy or hard to drive?
Thanks for any input!
Mike

 

[bahnstormer]

depends on your teacher, your skill, your brain and the car to some extent. easy enough to do teh clutch, its not a lambo or anything =]

took me 1 day to get good, 3 days to get smooth and confident on the road. after 2 weeks i couldn't imagine ever stalling

 

[skandalous]

They're not that hard. I had to learn on a Big F-350 with a glass rack on the back. Not fun. Talk about bouncn' around. Then, I actually got a lot better on a work cart at the golf course I worked at. It was a little 3-speed transmission that was really easy to get a hang of.

Also, I hat looking at the picture of your car in your signature, and then thinking of what it looks like now. Sad to see.

 

[brahtw8]

E36's have fairly easy clutches. 911s can be a bit tricky. Just give it gas, and let it out slowly until you figure out the friction point.

You just need to log some time behind the wheel.

 

[lupes5]

i'd say a few good days of practice, and u'll be a natural....took me 2 days to get comfortable....the first day was full of stalls, second day i slowly progressed and got good at it.....it jus takes practice.....once u get comfortable with the car and clutch, its easy

 

[kerph32]

Thanks, sounds like practice is all it takes. I'm glad to hear that E36's are relatively easy. How durable are the clutches? If I'm getting a '97 with 90K miles on it, should I expect to have to replace anything associated with the 5-speed any time soon?
Thanks for the info!

 

[Wadula]

morning dude!

well as everybody said before E36 is a good car to train on. Concerning your question about the clutch and lifetime i think they are pretty good and last long. of course depending on how the preowner drove, you should not necessarily run into some time at the shop for it. a way to test the clutch work is, to stop at some more or less abandoned place or where only little trafic goes by. engange the handbrake fully, push the clutch pedal, put 3rd gear in and release the pedal as fast as possible. jump of it to make the car stall. when the engine dies immediatly everything is fine. if it takes a while and idle goes down else then in a blink of an eye, there seems work to be waiting.

 

[kerph32]

Wadula thanks for that info, I'll try to remember to do that when I'm on my test-drive (if the owner doesn't mind!) Hopefully he'll be patient with me as I relearn the whole process, it's been a few years.
Thanks again, Mike

 

[BMWer]

Enjoy the stick! I've been driving sticks for over 23 years. Still have a Honda Accord 5 speed. I have to admit, I'm tired of it. Getting in the 328i with auto is a pleasure. Who knows? Maybe it's Age!

 

[bmw4life13]

good to hear that you're getting a 5 speed. once you get the hang of it you'll be asking yourself why you didn't get a manuel before.

 

[brahtw8]

once you get the hang of it you'll be asking yourself why you didn't get a manuel before.

Once you go Spanish you never go back, eh?

 

[frolf]

, its not a lambo or anything =]

i know a girl, a really really hot girl, who learned on her dads lambo. i almost threw up when she told me that, but was strangley aroused at the same time.

 

[f1speedrcr]

Easy on, Easy off (easy on the gas, easy off the clutch). I don't think you could ask for a better clutch and gearbox to start on. I agree with Bahnstormer Teacher, Skill, Brain. In that order. Auto is not a poatch on 5 speed. Keep with it and good luck!

 

[kerph32]

Well I went out w/my friend in his new Civic 5-speed and had some fun. Didn't stall at all, a few rough launches but overall I really boosted my confidence. He was a good teacher, never lost patience and, being my age, understood what I was doing wrong/right.
Can't wait for my 328 now... going to see one this weekend, black on black 328is 6-speed, hopefully this is the one

 

[jcsmfever]

My 1998 M3 is the second car I've ever had and the first stick. I could drive a stick before but was never good. It took me a couple days to get around without stalling, but about a month or so to really be able to let it rip with confidence and smooth shifting.

The main thing to do is just relax. Take it slow, the more you try to accelerate fast, the harder it will be for you and the longer it will take to learn. Let it happen naturally. Just focus on consistancy at lower acceleration. It will all happen in time, don't get bummed. The great thing is that with manual, the car becomes more and more fun to drive the better you get.

 

[brahtw8]

. . . black on black 328is 6-speed, hopefully this is the one

No such thing exists from the factory, AFAIK. Must be a typo or mistaken ad, unless somebody converted a 328 (which seems very unlikely).

 

[kerph32]

Typo, meant a 5-speed. I can't get anything by you guys!

 

[carcus]

Just go out and drive it, the first stick I learned on was a 1970 VW bug. Hey, the BMW is fun to drive, I prefer stick, but never had the paitence to teach the wife......the BMW is our family car, if I get a car just for me, I will get a manual. Once you learn on one, you never forget it, kinda like riding a bike.

I still enjoy my BMW E36ic with the auto, still fun to drive, just cheaper to replace a clutch than a auto trans.

 

[kerph32]

Well I drove one today, the 5-speed, was pretty slick. one concern- the shifter was fairly loose in its gears, ie it 'jiggled' around alot; is that normal from general use?
can't wait to find my 5-speed!

 

[jcsmfever]

Well I drove one today, the 5-speed, was pretty slick. one concern- the shifter was fairly loose in its gears, ie it 'jiggled' around alot; is that normal from general use?
can't wait to find my 5-speed!

On the original BMW shifters they use plastic bushings and shifter balls that can wear out and cause this problem. You can order new shifters and parts all over the internet. www.uucmotorwerks.com has a really nice replacement shortshifter set. I want a new one for my car too. They have a good picture of how the shifter works and why your BMW one would feel loose.