Introduction to Manual Transmissions : Learn to Drive a Stick Shift

Series Summary

Many cars, especially sports cars, have standard or manual transmissions (as opposed to automatic transmissions that shift for the driver) that require the driver to shift the gears using the hand stick shift. How a driver shifts gears can effect gas mileage, acceleration, deceleration, and top speed. Vehicles equipped with manual transmissions also include a tachometer which reads the RPM's or rotations per minute of the engine. Watching the tachometer or tach allows the driver to decide when to shift gears depending on whether the driver wants to maximize acceleration or gas mileage. To shift gears the driver must depress the clutch with the left foot and with the right hand move the shifter to the desired gear. When the clutch is depressed while the vehicle is on an incline the car can roll back if careful attention is not paid to this situation; learn to do this and other manual trans driving tips from our expert. In this free online video series learn how to drive a manual transmission from retired New York Firefighter and hot rod enthusiast, Rob Albino. Learn important aspects of using a stick shift including: sequence of gears, getting moving, how to get going on an incline, how to handle a clutch when going downhill, bypassing gears, how to start a manual transmission car with a dead battery, what RPM to shift on, heel-toeing technique, what not to do when driving with a manual transmission, and what to do with your hands and feet when driving.

Video Transcript

"My lesson today is how to drive a manual transmission car. Has this ever happened to you? Someone offers you their car to borrow and you open up the door and what do you find? Three pedals on the floor. Don’t panic, this is what we are going to learn today. Get yourself in the car, feel your 3 pedals; brake in the middle, gas on the right and clutch on the left. The clutch is what engages the transmission in the engine together. You take your foot off of it; power can go to the transmission. You push the clutch in that separates the transmission from the engine. You get in the car. Most cars have a safety switch. You have to have the clutch depressed to start the car. To start the car, make sure the car is in neutral before you release the clutch, get yourself comfortable, adjust your mirrors, and make sure your driving position is okay. Your foot has to be able to push the clutch all the way to the floor, get yourself ready and we can go."