Does pops know best?

SouthArk370Z · 01-05-2013, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livethefunk

Also this is my first manual car and I swear I've read on here once that you shouldn't drive with your hand on the shifter. Only touch it when you are shifting. Now he's an old school guy so my pops said he has his hand ALWAYS on the shifter. Which one is right? Thanks for the help and reading guys.

It depends on the shifter and which way you are putting pressure on the lever. If the shifter has stops and you are gently pushing toward the stop, it's not a big deal. If you are pushing the lever to the point where the transmission starts to come out of gear or the shifter doesn't have stops, then that can cause problems. Just don't push the lever forward or backward. Rest your hand so its' weight is pressing straight down.
A lot of "old school" shifters don't have stops and pushing on the lever can cause problems (gears aren't perfectly meshed), but I never saw anybody really worry about it. "Everybody" drove with one hand on the shifter a lot of the time, we just didn't push on the lever. I shift my 7AT with the shifter and seldom use the paddles - old habits die hard.