Driving a car with manual transmission

I've been driving an automatic car for about a year now but my dad wants me to use the manual car as even he doesnt know how to drive it. He says I can learn it faster than he can. So, feeling like an idiot for asking this, but how do you drive one.

I need pointers in:
Getting it to move
Stopping the car while in motion
Downshifting
Upshifting
Reversing

Of course you could suggest I take classes, but my dad wants me to learn it the old fashioned way. So thats not an option. I also tried google but that didnt really help. Im hoping someone with experience can help.

 

Dont have any experience but my friends do and they learned by driving around their neighborhoods or parking lots where u can get the hang of it while not having to worry about other people Good luck, try not to run anyone over

 

Push down the cluch (pedal on the left) put the car in first gear (for forward) and reverse (for backwards) then slowly release the cluch and press on the accelarator. When you want to change gears push down the cluch and move the gear. From first to second, from second to third etc. good luck. more difficult then it sounds.

 

Make sure you "meet" the clutch with a little gas, and make it as smooth as possible. For uphill, best way is to have the handbreak on, press clutch, put in first, release clutch slowly while giving gas, and when you feel the car starting to strain against the breakes you let the handbreak down slowly.

While in motion, press break to stop. Don't you do that on automatic as well? As the car slows down, you will hear the engine "struggle" a little, then it is time to press the clutch and shift down to a lower gear (or neutral if you are stopping). You can also slow down by just shifting to a slower gear, they are fond of teaching that at the driving schools in sweden. Wonder if they have a deal with garages...

For upshifting and downshifting, you need to train your ear to hear when it is time. Basically for upshifting, you press the accelerator so that the revs go up, and the engine "asks" for next gear, you will hear that the rev isn't good for the engine. Can't tell you at what rev it is because it depends on car and on road, if it is uphill, downhill or flat. For downshifting, when you drive to slow, the engine with start coughing when it needs a lower gear. That is a little late, you should preferably shift down just before that... Lol.

Reversing same as putting it in first, only it goes backwards.

I'd recommend ONE lesson for the basics. You already know how to drive, and you will learn those basics so much faster if you either have a friend next to you who is used to manual shifting, or an instructer. They can point out when it is time to shift, and what you need to listen for.

In Sweden when you get your licence, if you've driven automatic during training and for the test, you are only allowed to drive automatic after that for the rest of your life, unless you take the licence again. That is how different it is considered!

Good luck!

 

Best rule of thumb I have heard -
If you stall or almost stall the engine once a day when you are taking off in 1st gear, then you are doing the right amount of accelerator to clutch. (Courtesy of the Car Guys.)
I agree with Solange in the listening area. You need to train you ear to listen for the correct sound of the engine. I find if I have the radio too loud I will miss shifts more frequently. I hardly ever look at the tachometer for engine speed.
Just be glad the transmissions are synchronized now. Used to have to double clutch to change gears in trucks and older cars. Once to get it out of the gear then clutch again to get it in the next.
Between my wife and I, we have put close to 1.2 M miles on various 3, 4 and 5 speeds. It's no big deal to learn. Just a little practice and away you go.
Have fun.

 

Personally I prefer a manual, they really do give you more control. You can even have cruse control with them, so no big deal on the option front.

The big thing is like brakes, don't ride the clutch. It's easy to do, you need to pop that sucker smoothly. Some vehicles, like older volkswagons, need to be driven like you're mad at them, they like higher engine speeds.

 

I just let my 15 year old son loose on our manual pick-up. First time he ever drove AND everything is on the left of the cab, where as he is used to seeing it on the right, being from the UK. You can do this!

Remember the pedals, from right to left go ABC: A=Accelerator (gas); B=Brake; C=Clutch.

Your right leg operates the brake and the gas, as with an automatic; your left the clutch. That's the rule of thumb.

The clutch and accelerator work together, in that if you are operating the clutch with your left, you need to also be operating the accelerator with your right. Yeah, you are going to stall it. That's no biggie. People who have been driving years still do it occasionally.

Just remember when you are braking to stop completely, you need to depress the clutch pedal to avoid stalling into the car in front of you in the line at the stop lights

Just a note: In England, if you get your license in an automatic, that is all you can drive, and automatics are not that popular in the UK (getting a little more so now, but more expensive). However, if you get your license in a manual, you can drive either. Most people, for that reason, do their test in a manual.

 

If you're a techno-geek, it may help to visualize the mechanical interaction. Clutch involves two solid plates, held together by strong springs. Friction keeps them from slipping, and the assembly ties the engine to transmission solidly; they go and stop together. Transmission has various gears to select speeds/ratios for low speed/high torque, high speed/low torque, and reverse.

The clutch pedal pulls the plates apart, disengaging the transmission, which is necessary to change gears or keep the engine running when the car is stopped.

Starting up is the biggest challenge. An engine idling in neutral or with the clutch depressed gets only enough gasoline to keep the engine running with no load on it. Starting/driving puts more load on the engine, requiring more fuel to make more horsepower (more throttle from YOU). At stop, the transmission side plate is not spinning, the clutch plate attached to the engine IS spinning. The clutch plate is designed to allow smooth sliding friction, and you progress from stop to going by slowly increasing friction (to start the transmission turning) to to point where they're solidly coupled and spinning at the same speed. The trick is to increase the friction (as you let the clutch up) at the same rate that you're increasing the fuel (throttle).

Clutch practice should be in a quiet parking lot or somewhere that you don't have to worry or focus on driving per se, so you can focus on clutch use. At idle, let the clutch out slowly until you feel/hear it start to load the engine down. This is the point where the plates start to touch lightly. Keep that point in mind, as that's the point where you will start adding power. Pedal movement below that point doesn't do anything. From fully depressed, you can let the pedal up quickly to THAT point without doing anything. From the point where the plates start to rub, the higher the clutch pedal, the higher the friction between the plates, and the more strongly they'll try to lock together and spin together, to the point where they're locked together, and the more throttle you need to provide the power for the increased load. Once they're solidly coupled, throttle is just used for speed control

Generally, you'll let the clutch up to just below the friction point, add a bit of throttle to make more power, then slowly add power as you add (let out) clutch. Done in balance, you'll have a smooth start. Too much throttle/too slow clutch will have the engine racing, and too little throttle/too much clutch will have the car bucking or stalling. Practice until you get a feel for how much throttle/clutch to use together. Practice starting/stopping in first gear until you get comfortable with the clutch and starting, with nothing else to distract. When slowing to a stop, you can depress the clutch at any time, but you don't NEED to until the engine speed starts bogging down, and engine braking (using the engine to help slow down) helps save your brake linings, so leave the engine engaged while you slow until you need to disengage or downshift. For creeping along in very slow conditions, you may spend a fair amount of time just partially engaging the clutch to get the car moving slowly, then disangaging it and coasting. Keep in mind that the intermediate clutch slipping, where engind and tranny are NOT locked together will heat up the clutch, wear the friction plate, and TOO much slipping will wear down the friction plate excessively, and in extreme cases can overheat and burn out the clutch, so try not to stay in the slipping stage longer than you have to. It IS durable; normal usage is not a problem. If your car has a tachometer, that will make it easier to see what the engine is doing, since you can see it's speed directly. As Lev noted, starting uphill can be scary, especially if somebody is on your tail. Car will start rolling backwards as soon as you release the brake, and you'll need more throttle for the increased uphill load. Holding the hand brake while getting the engine pulling, then releasing the handbrake slowly as the engine takes the load is easiest, if you've got a hand brake.

Once you master starting/stopping, you can start working on gear changes. Much easier than starting from a stop, but you will need to pick the right gear for the right speed and/or acceleration conditions. Engines make more power at higher rpm, and lower gears have more torque to turn the wheels, so quick acceleration or driving up a steep hill may require a lower gear/higher engine speed. If the engine isn't pulling strongly enough, downshif a gear to get more power, as long as the engine isn't already near its upper limit.

When you upshift as you pick up speed, you disengage the clutch, choose the next higher gear, which causes the transmission plate to spin SLOWER, so you let the engine rpms drop a bit before re-engaging the clutch to allow them to spin more at the same speed as you engage the clutch. When you're downshifting, the lower gear will cause the tranny-side plate to spin faster, so you'll want a bit MORE engine rpms's before re-engaging the clutch for smooth coupling. When changing gears, you can let the clutch out more quickly than when starting from a stop, but don't slam the clutch out, as the plates will generally not be perfectly matched in speed, and slamming them together will cause a noticeable jerk in your movement.

Practice, practice..... it gets easier and more intuitive as you do it, and starting out is the hardest part. But it won't take you long to master. But get comfortable starting/stopping before getting out into traffic.

 

Big empty carparks are the best place to learn.
Let someone who has experience with a manual, drive you there.
On the way, watch what they do and when they do it.

Getting started, in first gear, is the hardest.
You will stall the engine often, and /or, you will kangaroo hop often.
It is a matter of matching your revs to the amount of clutch pedal released.

Here in Australia, we also have separate licences.
If you learm in an automatic transmission car, then you can only drive an auto.

If you get your licence in a stickshift, then you can drive either. Best of Luck. Bazza

 

The old fashioned way? The one where you and he hope you don't wreck into someone or hurt/maim/kill someone while learning? Classes will be cheaper than legal fees.

 

I dont think that will be a problem. I am gonna be practicing somewhere where there are no people nearby, and I got good insurance on the car in case we do crash, but a friend of mine who knows manuals will be accompanying me so I wont crash along the way.

 

*hears Star Wars theme song in distance*

 

Here you go Bladesofhalo, study the link below, especially the in-car videos it should be really helpful to you, once you get the hang of it its really easy.

The main thing to remember is to completely depress the clutch while changing gears and to take your foot off of the clutch after changing gears ie: don't ride the clutch (makes for short clutch life).


Good Luck


James

ps. the double clutch and heel and toe are advanced moves, for now concentrate on just the basics


http://www.standardshift.com/

 

If you're "melding" then shouldn't you be hearing the Star Trek theme song instead?

 

Just to add abit to G.T.'s response, keep the gas on when the car starts to move. Most people react to the motion by backing off the gas pedal, then the car bucks and stalls.