9 replies to this topic

[tomsov]

probably the most disappointing part of my injury to me is that i will most likely not be able to drive stick again. Maybe i am just not looking hard enough to find that there are already controls for a standard transmission or in my case the ones that i have seen don't seem to make it as fun as it should be. i know i am not the only one who has dropped the clutch at 4500 rpm. So in this case i want to give my idea out there in hopes that someone some day will make this work for the people who long to control the noise the speed and everyother part of the automobile as much as i did. so here. there are a couple vehicle out that directly under the shift knob there is a lever that prevents you from going into reverse. basically you take your pointer finger and your middle finger and kinda close them into a fist. Now i know that this may seem difficult to understand but even with bmw's smg, volkswagens DSG, and mitshubishi's SST transmissions that use dual clutches really don't make the movements of HH to get through the gears. plus if anyone knows how to drive stick properly they'd know that in reality you only need the clutch getting started in 1st and getting started in reverse. so on to my idea. this lever needs to be connected to the clutch assembly. most likely by a hydrolic clutch because it will make it easier to use. litteraly the idea is to use this lever underneath the shift knob to control a manual trans. The cars that i absolutely know had this are a 2001 manual cavalier and i think a focus. I really hope someone can build this and make it easy to install. theoretically it should work bassed on the fact all motorcycles clutches can me used with one hand. please when someone makes this just come back here and tell me where i can buy it. until then good
luck

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[baldfatdad]

Do you want to street drive or some form of competition? Oddly enough you use motorcycles as an example of a hand clutch. My able bodied buddy just built a monster chopper that uses a centrifugal clutch.
I use to drive a stick on the street. Built my own hand control for it. First mechanical, then air assist. Found it to be a pain in the --- in traffic. Now with lock up torque converters, (I have a button that I can keep mine locked as much as I want.) I find standard trans to be obsolete.
All the stuff is out there, if you want to do it. Just hunt around.

[tomsov]

my whole thing is i want to control the gear that i am in. believe me i have researched all the cars transmissions. my favorite of all time is t5 t45 tko transmissions commonly used in mustangs. all i want to do is launch the car go from 5th gear to 2nd gear to get sideways and have fun when certain times call for it. more often then not when a tool bag in a chevy thinks he has the upper hand. (not a chevy person). I want to be able to drive stick with nothing more then my hands. that is my goal. i bring up the motorcycle because that alone shows that a clutch can be operated by a hand. as for getting on a motorcycle again. more often then not most of what i have seen is people use servo motors or something similar to the power commander quick shift. that is for another day though. really for motorcycles all i want is for campagna to lower the price of the t-rex. all that is is a glorified zx14 with a fiberglass body. so this is my goal i want to make motorsports fun for sci people. since my accident were i destroyed a 2003 svt lightning i have since had to sell not one but two motorcycles that i spent the last three years of my life paying for. all i want to do is be behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and have it fun.

[mcferguson]

man, i miss that, too. i also miss feeling the vehicle vibrations in my butt. the whole experience of driving is different now. i'm thankful i can still drive, but still...

[roo]

Hi guys i have a good friend in the uk that makes car controls is this what you are looking for .If not worth looking at his site loads of other things on there .
He is also wheelchair bound ,am sure he could help you is contact details are below
vince ross @ http://www.davincimobility.co.uk/

Semi Automatic Clutch
Syncodrive Semi Automatic clutchAloows the driver of a manual vehicle to operate the clutch withoutusing a foot pedal. The driver operates the cluth by placing his hand overan infra red sensor situated on the gear stick or by pressing the cluchbutton as show on the picture. The cars electronics installed in the will then operate the clutch.

• Semi-automatic clutch system
• Complete automatic control of clutch
• Suitable for most vehicles?

prices from £1995.00

[DeafGary]

I was deafened by meningitis, when I was ten.
My family lived on a farm, about 15 miles south of the City of Milledgeville, GA, (though it's no longer farmland, out that way, now) and we all drove early.
I was driving a standard transmission from the time I was eleven and I used to forget to push the clutch, prior to changing gears.
I was shocked that it didn't cause problems, until years later, when I talked to a mechanic and he told me that's easy to do...the transmission is designed that way and many truckers do it all the time.

The only problem is this: You MUST utilize the clutch, while the automobile is in not in motion, so that would be a problem for someone, who cannot use his/her legs.

[tomsov]

deafgary- i know. the only time to utilize a clutch is to start the vehicle and a initially make it move. however i want to be able to dump the clutch, and i want to be able to go from 5th to 2nd to race the car. i want to be able to down shift with out lag. auto transmissions give you either 4 over drive or 4 and overdrive. there for you only really have 3 to 4 gears to work with and when you drag the rpm so low it looses the ability for a car to be in its power band.

all i want is to have the feeling back of what it felt like to drive my mustang. cable operated clutch spec stage 2 clutch disk fidanza alluminum flywheel steeda short-throw shifter with a upr hand that gave me the feeling that gear to gear was about 1.5 inches apart. p.s. i emailed davinci thanks for the link i want to make sure i can have that feeling before i spend that kind of money

[edlee]

As I've said in my preSCI days,, " If only I had another hand growing out of my chest!!!". Back then, it was so I could actually have a hand free to work, while I was hanging on to the column, ( connecting iron).

It would help here, too. one for the clutch/brake,, one for the gas,, one for the gear shift,,,, and one for steering,,,,, wait,, that's four,,,, sh!t.

I feel for you, T,,,,, but rest assured,, if you're willing to pay enough,, somebody will build it.
ed

[Denny]

I had a car in India with manual transmission. Right hand on steering wheel and left hand for Brake, accelerator, clutch and Gear Check this Controls I had were even more basic, 1 liver for Brake and bike style accelerator, and another for Clutch. To change gear push clutch liver forward and it locks, after changing gear release the lock. It was good enough for me to drive to work at that time

[Greg NZ]

Hi Tomsov,
The device you probably want is a Duck Clutch, made in Italy and available around the world, we fit it here in New Zealand seems like you are in the US? I could figure someone who fits these in your area if you are not sure where to start. Fully gives you the control for any sort of driving!

You can see pics of it on our web page at http://abiliquip.com/handclutch, plus other things we make ourselves http://abiliquip.com/prodinfo which we are looking at selling in the US soon.
Cheers!