Driving manual transmission car is an art, so to speak. Even though, most of the cars in the modern world are automatic, where navigating from Point A to Point B does not include using a stick shift and a clutch. There might come a time in every driver’s life, where they are faced with a situation of driving something other than an automatic. Maybe you will be forced to drive a pick-up truck after they had a bit too much, or you may finally find a decent car at reasonable cost, only to find out it is manual.
Here are some of the basic and easy steps to learn manual transmission driving:
Learn the basics
The following are certain introductory information you need to know about gears and other accessories associated with manual cars:
- A car usually has four to five speeds and one reverse.
- The clutch pedal, located at far left, is used for moving up and down from one gear to another. To disengage the clutch, push it into the floor.
- Neutral is not a gear – it is the absence of a gear. Thus, when your car is in neutral, it doesn’t move even if you rev it up. You can also use this to wiggle the shifter back and forth, which isn’t possible when a gear is engaged.
- For most cars, the second gear is extremely useful. It helps in moving up and down steep hills, and also driving through heavy traffic.
- Reverse gear has bigger range than other gears, but it doesn’t work too long or too fast.
- The acceleration pedal, at far right, works with the gears to give power to the engine at different levels. Do not use it with a partially engaged clutch else it will wear out with time.
Knowing the gears
Learn the location and feel of going through all the gears:
- Initially, learn shifting gears with the car not running.
- Remember to press the clutch every time in this case.
- Next, ask someone to do the same, and you observe it from the passenger seat. An unpleasant grinding sound from your gear means your car is not in gear – be sure that you place the stick properly inside the gear, until it doesn’t go inside any further.
- Learn to realize gears from the sound it makes – not a chugging sound means gear too high, not a high revving sound means gear too low, etc.
- If your car has a tachometer, know which gear number denotes which reading.
Start the car
You have two ways to start the car:
- Start the car in gear with clutch pedal engaged, now shift to neutral followed by releasing the clutch pedal, and let the car warm up.
- Put the car in neutral and start the car- note that certain cars may not start till the clutch isn’t engaged, then leave the shifter in neutral and let the engine warm up.
Using the clutch
The clutch, located at the left of all three pedals, helps in moving the gears up and down smoothly. Know the following about clutches:
- Avoid disengaging and engaging gears without pressing the clutch, else you can hear an unpleasant sound.
- Do not accelerate with a partially engaged clutch.
- When at red signals don’t put the clutch on hold for more than a few seconds, else your clutch will get eventually damaged. Put the car on neutral while stopping for any duration.
Acceleration
One of the most important lessons of manual transmission is up-shifting or acceleration. The steps to accelerate are:
- Rev up high
- Press clutch and disengage accelerate pedal
- Move shifter slowly to the higher gear level
- Gradually disengage clutch and engage the accelerate pedal
Deceleration
Down-shifting or deceleration is another important lesson, particularly useful in situations where immediate braking is perilous. The following are the deceleration steps:
- Press the clutch and shift gear to the immediate low speed.
- Disengage the clutch slowly to avoid high revs.
- Repeat again to shift gear to the next lower level.
- Do not shift gear directly to first.
Reverse
Reverse is a very quick gear, and the clutch is the most helpful for reverse. To back your car, engage the reverse gear followed by disengaging the clutch slowly, and then engage it when using brakes.
Practice makes a man perfect. Thus, even if all these steps may overwhelm you at first, relax. Practice in big open spaces, followed by eventually riding on roads when you feel comfortable. Even though it may seem difficult and requires manual operation, remember that mastering this art is a valuable life skill, and you can drive any four-wheeler if you know how to drive a manual transmission.