Why can't my wife drive my Camaro?

[Synner]

It would take a LOT of stalls to be an issue. The bigger problem is if she has the pedal halfway down for an entire block before letting up and burns it up; far more likely than a stall killing it in my opinion.

[Shu71]

Although I find the clutch in the Camaro easy to drive, it does not give as much feedback as heavier feeling pressure plates. Compared to my wife's Mustang the clutch is much easier to push and release in the Camaro and you do not feel the engage point quite as easily. But once you get used to the feel of the clutch pedal it is really quite easy to drive and MUCH easier in stop and go traffic.

[Sunlover]

Years ago, when I was first learning to drive a stick, my husband's teeth would grind much louder than the occasional clutch grind when I missed a shift. I hesitated to drive the car, cause I knew he was always waiting for me to mess up, and it made me nervous. But he finally sent me out with his brother, and I found I did fine. His brother came back and told him I could handle it well, and from that point, no problem.

Maybe she doesn't need to be sent out alone (afraid she'll be stranded somewhere) but instead be sent out with a "impartial party" so she's more comfortable.

[Nessal]

I think one of the easiest clutches to learn on are VW. They have a very long friction zone so it's much harder to stall. On the Camaro, the friction zone is probably half of that but still not too bad. I do wish that it was a bit longer so it makes it smoother when you feather the clutch.

[jhabetler]

Thanks Sunlover for the idea - I'll send my wife out for a drive with someone other than me.
Hopefully she'll get the hang of it without me there.

[DroptopZ]

Years ago, when I was a senior in high-school my dad had bought a brand-new (at the time) Y2K Corvette hardtop, black on black 6 speed. He told me if I could learn how to drive it by prom, I could take it. You'd better believe it was on.

I kept killing it in the high-school parking lot, and he got REALLY fed up. Eventually, he said "Enough! I'd rather have you roast the tires off the d*mn thing than kill it again!"

...so, a few 3k clutch drops later, I had the hang of it. And his tires had slightly less tread

The point is, tell her not to be intimidated by the car or scared by the power. Use it, feel it, and she'll be fine!

[Wesman]

Have her practice driving the car in an empty parking lot or some side roads where there is no traffic.

Teach her using the "no throttle" method. That means getting the car moving using just the clutch, no throttle. This allows the driver to focus on clutch engagement alone, and not have to worry about how much throttle to apply. For a new learner, this is critical.

The LS3 has enough torque to easily move the car in 1st gear without using any throttle application. So have her get the car going with just the clutch and release the pedal fully, then depress the pedal, stop the car, and do it again. Once she can feel exactly where the clutch engagement point is, she will be much less nervous and will be able to get the car going.

Once the clutch engagement is mastered, then you can have her use the throttle to allow for quicker starts and in order to get the car going on hills. I've used the "no throttle" method many times to teach people manual transmission, and I've found it to work better than anything else.

[mulletman]

Reminds me of the time the headlight dimmer switch was moved from the floorboard to the turn signal. Countless accidents were caused by women getting their left leg tangled in the steering wheel!

[Shu71]

Originally Posted by mulletman

Reminds me of the time the headlight dimmer switch was moved from the floorboard to the turn signal. Countless accidents were caused by women getting their left leg tangled in the steering wheel!

Now that was funny
Speaking of that, why the heck did they ever change that. The floor mounted part could be bought for 5 bucks and replaced in a matter of minutes with nothing but a screwdriver versus the new system where you have to remove the steering wheel, airbag, etc to replace and costs $100. Are we this stupid? Also if you live in the country where bright lights are used often you have noticed it takes people a lot longer to dim the brights when coming at you. Used to be just a quick click of the foot, now it takes them a minute to put down their stupid cell phone, so they can put their right hand on the wheel, then remove the left hand to reach down and click the lever the wrong way two or three times which intensifies the lights on some vehicles because they have it wired up to turn on the dims and brights at the same time then finally figure it out and turn them off as you pass by the offender completely blinded hoping your eyes readjust before you pound a possible critter or deer in the road.

[Shu71]

Originally Posted by Wesman

Have her practice driving the car in an empty parking lot or some side roads where there is no traffic.

Teach her using the "no throttle" method. That means getting the car moving using just the clutch, no throttle. This allows the driver to focus on clutch engagement alone, and not have to worry about how much throttle to apply. For a new learner, this is critical.

The LS3 has enough torque to easily move the car in 1st gear without using any throttle application. So have her get the car going with just the clutch and release the pedal fully, then depress the pedal, stop the car, and do it again. Once she can feel exactly where the clutch engagement point is, she will be much less nervous and will be able to get the car going.

Once the clutch engagement is mastered, then you can have her use the throttle to allow for quicker starts and in order to get the car going on hills. I've used the "no throttle" method many times to teach people manual transmission, and I've found it to work better than anything else.

That is one advantage of ECU controlled idle speed. You couldn't do this in the old days with Muncie Rockcrushers and heavy clutch plates. Very good tip. Even the V6 has the capability to do this like most new cars on level ground. Don't try it on a hill though.

[mulletman]

Shu71, the floor mounted dimmer switch was subject to mud, snow, salt, and moisture. Where in Illinois are you?

[Phail]

Originally Posted by Shu71

That is one advantage of ECU controlled idle speed. You couldn't do this in the old days with Muncie Rockcrushers and heavy clutch plates. Very good tip. Even the V6 has the capability to do this like most new cars on level ground. Don't try it on a hill though.

The 6 can do it, but really isn't practical, there just isn't enough torque I find. She'll end up stalling alot more then needed, and potentially frustrate her even more. Learning how to feather the gas to keep it at that 1kish RPM mark for a smooth engage is just as important as learning the engagement point in the clutch... might as well learn to do both from the start.

Also.. I wish I had your problems OP. My wife won't stop trying to steal my ride

[SSNIGHTMARE]

I would definitely let her take it out herself, or go to the mall, and let her drive in the parking lot while u go inside.

[Shu71]

Originally Posted by mulletman

Shu71, the floor mounted dimmer switch was subject to mud, snow, salt, and moisture. Where in Illinois are you?

In 20 years of driving with that floor mounted switch I only had to replace one and that was on a 1972 Pontiac LeMans. But I can see your point. I'd still rather replace a $5 part every few years though. I'm in West Central Illinois near Quincy.