rec.autos.simulators

New to the group... can you recommend a good simulator that might be a
reasonable place to start learning about how to drive a car with manual
transmission?  I know there is no substitute for the real thing, but I
somehow think it would help to have some practice on a simulator...

To make a long story short, I am considering purchasing a sports car, and
was thinking it would be great to have it as a stick shift- only problem is
that I've driven an automatic all my life, and all my closest friends drive
them too (or are not willing to let me wear out/ruin the clutch in their
manual transmission).

Seems like driver schools don't typically teach stick, so I'm in a bad
way...

I have a pretty limited CPU setup (667 MHz PIII); might be worth investing
in an upgrade, if it saves me a grand to get a clutch replaced 5-10K into
ownership of my new car.  Maybe I can somehow upgrade my old PSX in the
process (still like to play a game now and then...).

Any help greatly appreciated...

ChrisS

Probably one of the best things you could do to help you learn to drive
stick is try to get smooth at left-foot braking.  If you can do that, it
seems to help quite a bit when working the clutch., as you're training
yourself to work your left foot in small increments.

Milhouse

I was told by a friend that if you own a manual car in the US, you don't
need to bother locking it as the thieves can't drive it...thought it was
funny. But believe me, it's not hard!

Driving automatics must be really boring I always thought -- I definitely
recommend getting a real car, as you're doing ;)

I don't reckon that there's many computer simulations that will help -- and
you need a third pedal on the controls too. Knowing when to change gear
isn't a problem (you know all about it if you're in the wrong gear), it's
the control of the clutch which is the tricky bit at first.

Best of luck! If the 17-year old boy racers around here can manage it,
anybody can...

We all learned how to drive sticks without simulators and you can do it too
no sweat.  It may be a little intimidating but really, there is nothing to
it.

-Tim

Unless you live somewhere really weird you'll find a driver school to help
you.  The major one in my town teaches the method of your choice.

A friend of mine thought he could learn standard in one night before picking
up his Subaru Impreza.  Didn't work out for him ;)  He found a driving
school that did by the hour instruction on whatever you wanted.  Took two
sessions and he was good to go.

Try calling the smaller driving schools (like the one-man operations).

D.

Todd Wasson
---
Performance Simulations
Drag Racing and Top Speed Prediction
Software
http://PerformanceSimulations.Com

My little car sim screenshots:
http://performancesimulations.com/scnshot4.htm

That would explain why F1 cars are semi-auto, eh? Who wants to***around
with changing gears all the time during rush hour? It's just a pain in the
arse.

Wayne Templin

You might find an arcade operator (in the phone book) that still has one of
these around somewhere.  If you really get lucky, maybe you could get them
to set it to free-play for a flat hourly rate or something, otherwise it
can get a little pricy at 50 cents per 2 minutes or so (until you get
good enough to play a long time on one coin-up).

During the game development we taught several people from the
administratative group how to drive stick on either Hard Drivin or Race
Drivin (both Atari coin-op games).  The pedals are easily good enough, as is
the engine-driveline model.

Milhouse

-Tim

Buy the car and have them teach you in your car.  

I'm sure there are private driving instructors that can teach stick.
Ask around.

--
Gunnar
    #31 SUCKS#015 Tupperware MC#002 DoD#0x1B DoDRT#003 DoD:CT#4,8 Kibo: 2
               "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy"

Thanks again- happy simulating...