How to Drive a Stick Shift With a Clutch Pedal

Find a wide-open, flat area to practice driving with a stick shift. An empty parking lot with no obstructions is ideal. Before you begin, get familiar with your car's pedals and parking brake. With the car off, practice allowing the clutch pedal to rise slowly. Over time, you will learn to smoothly transition from a dead stop to first gear. As you learn, you will probably stall the car a few times. Don't worry, this won't damage the car.

Instructions

Preparation

1. Make sure the parking brake is on.

2. Move the stick to neutral, typically signified by the letter N.

3. Depress the clutch (the left-most pedal) and the brake (the center pedal). Hold them down.

4. Start the car.

5. Disengage the emergency brake, if necessary.

Driving

1. Move the stick to first gear.

2. Take your foot off the brake.

3. Allow the clutch pedal to rise slowly and evenly. You will feel the car begin to gain speed. A smooth transition from dead stop to first gear is the most difficult part of driving a stick shift and will require practice. If the engine stalls, you have allowed the clutch to rise too quickly.

4. Press the gas pedal (rightmost pedal) until you hear the engine straining. It is now time to go into the next gear.

5. Hold down the clutch, move the stick shift back to neutral and then into second gear. Release the clutch pedal as soon as the stick is in second gear. Since you are already moving, you do not need to raise the clutch pedal slowly.

6. Continue to apply the gas and shift up through the gears as necessary. Most cars only have five forward gears, but a few have six gears.

7. To slow down the car, apply the brakes. Although you don't have to simultaneously hold down the clutch pedal, it is good practice to do so. This will keep the car from stalling when it reaches a dead stop.

8. To park the car, bring it to a stop (make sure you have the clutch pedal down). Put the shift stick in neutral, set the parking brake and turn off the car.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you are comfortable with using the clutch to get the car into first gear, you can begin simultaneously adding a little gas while you raise the clutch pedal. Don't worry if the car's movement is jerky at first. A smooth, controlled movement takes time to develop. Going in reverse is just like getting into first gear. Hold down the brake and clutch pedal, move the shift to "R," release the brake and lift the clutch slowly.

References

• How to Drive a Car With a Manual Transmission
• How to Drive a Stick Shift