How to Drive a Manual Transmission Car

Driving a manual transmission car is a fun and easy experience. The best thing to do is to find a used car to learn in. Newer cars have stickier clutches, which makes things a little harder. There are a few little tricks to master in order to effectively drive a manual transmission vehicle.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Observe the pedals. The gas and the brake work the same as in an automatic transmission vehicle. The clutch is on the far left, next to the brake. Put the right foot on the brake and push the clutch to the floor with the left foot.

2. Become familiar with the gears. First gear is in the upper left. Second is underneath first gear. Third is to the left of first gear. Fourth is below third gear. Finally, fifth is up and to the right of third gear. Reverse is usually below and to the right. Practice shifting without starting the car. The clutch must be pushed in to be able shift to a different gear.

3. Shift the car into neutral, pushing on the clutch and moving the gear shifter to the middle. The shifter should move from side to side if it is in neutral. Start the car and shut off anything that makes noise, such as the radio.

4. Move forward by pushing in the clutch and moving the gear shifter to first gear. With the right foot on the accelerator, let out the clutch slowly while giving the car a little gas. Give the engine a little more gas, making sure the RPMs stay constant. If the clutch is let out without giving the engine gas, the car will stall.

5. Drive the car around, getting up speed in order to shift. First gear is used up to 15 miles per hour. Exceeding this will over-rev the engine. Keep your foot off of the clutch when it is not in use. This will wear out the clutch faster.

6. Shift the car from gear to gear as you increase speed. Shift to second gear when the car reaches 15 miles per hour. Shift to third when the car reaches 30 miles per hour, and shift to fourth gear when the car is going 45 miles per hour. Fifth gear is used for anything from 50 miles per hour and more. A good rule of thumb is to shift to the next highest gear when the RPMs reach 3000 revolutions per minute.

7. Stop the car by pushing in the clutch and the brake at the same time.

[ab2ih]

on 8/23/2008 Step #2 above should read, "third gear is to the RIGHT of first gear".