How to Drive a Manual Car

This article is intended to give you step by step instruction on how to shift in a car with manual transmission.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Car with manual transmission

1. Get in the driver seat but don't turn on the car. Unlike an automatic, there are 3 pedals (Left to right: Clutch, Brake, Gas). The clutch is operated with your left foot and the brake and gas pedals are both operated with your right foot.

2. Step on the clutch (left foot) and shift through the gears (Most cars have a shift pattern on the shifter). Get familiar with where each gear is. Neutral is in the middle, when you can jiggle the shifter left and right.

3. Make sure you are in neutral and turn on the car. Push the clutch pedal (left foot) in and push the brake (right foot middle pedal). Release the hand brake (usually right hand center console).

4. Put the shift lever in 1st gear. Now release the brake very slowly release the clutch pedal (left foot) until the car starts to pull a little bit. At the same time, slowly press the accelerator (right foot right pedal), but just a little. The more you release the clutch, the more gas you need to give it at the same time.

5. If you stall, put it back in neutral and try again with letting the clutch out more slowly or giving it more gas at the same time.

6. Once you practice, move on to 2nd gear and so on. Clutch in, shift to 2nd, clutch out slowly as you push the gas.

7. Good luck

Tips & Warnings

• make sure you have ample space. An empty parking lot would be great to practice in.
• do not panic
• make sure your car is in neutral and you are on the brake before you turn it on
• always press the clutch all the way down when stopping or you will stall
• make sure you are on level ground or the car may roll