Where To Learn How To Drive Stick Shift

She did it! Kim learned to drive the 6-speed stick shift Mazda MX5, and she did it in about half an hour. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Isn't preparation the key to everything?

You lot've talked about why drivers should acquire to drive a stick shift: yous're more in command, yous can avoid upward-charges at automobile rental counters in foreign countries, it makes you a more in-tune commuter. Plus, it's a lot of fun.

But then there are the reasons NOT to learn to bulldoze a stick shift, which I admit, I considered before I learned (and acquiesced): I don't want to, I don't actually demand to, the person didactics me was shouting at me, I thought we'd be killed in traffic when we stalled. But for me, information technology came downward to staying home or having a social life, so driving a stick was a necessity.

If you want to learn, or want to teach someone, hither are some tips to arrive an easy, shout-free experience that volition too teach the new-to-stick driver how to dear driving a manual. I had the hazard recently to teach my friend Kim Tate to bulldoze a Mazda MX5 vi-speed. And, I might add, she did great!

i. Notice a apartment, depression-traffic identify to learn

Real world driving and parking dynamics, such as a parking lot or shopping center volition help you larn to stop at an intersection, pull into and back out of a parking space and follow other rules of the route.

Become familiar with the of import equipment on a stick shift including the clutch, gear shift and paw brake. Photo: Mazda

2. Learn the important equipment in a stick shift

The three pedals (clutch, brake and gas), the gear shift (and the gear blueprint) and the parking brake (either a hand restriction or an electrical parking restriction) are cardinal to driving a manual. Learn how to put the car in reverse; not all manuals have the same opposite pattern or process (for instance, some have a ring yous pull up with your fore and middle fingers as yous catch the gear shift, others button downwardly, and all the same others have a spring that separates contrary from driving gears).

The hand brake is really important considering the car has no "park" gear like an automatic; when parking a manual transmission auto, always put information technology in first gear and pull the paw brake afterwards shutting off the engine. If yous don't, the car might ringlet away.

3. Which feet do which job?

Left foot is always—and only—for the clutch. Right foot alternates between the brake and accelerator, just like an automated manual.

4. Adjust the seat

Since the driver's left leg is constantly in use while driving a stick shift, make sure the seat is close enough to become the clutch all the mode to the floor but not so shut that y'all're bumping your knee against the dashboard.

5. Have the driver test out the clutch and learn the gear pattern

Before starting the auto brand sure to get a feel for this new equipment; it won't be second nature and then you'll demand to exercise before starting off. Put the clutch all the way to the floor, and with the clutch in, shift through all the gears so you know where each i is. Some cars take an indicator calorie-free on the dashboard that signals which gear y'all're in, merely most don't, then learning where they are is of import.

The gearshift in the Mazda iii illustrates the gear blueprint; neutral is the center position between gears.

half-dozen. Make sure you know where neutral is

Neutral is important for idling (and not keeping your foot on the clutch), for times of dubiousness, braking and of course, NOT leaving a automobile in neutral when parked.

7. The clutch is too your backstop

When in doubt, put your foot on the clutch; this will aid to reduce engine power, keep the auto from stalling out and put yous back in control.

8. The tachometer and engine sound

You know, that 'other' gauge with numbers from i-1 (ten 1000)and labeled RPM? That's the tachometer and information technology's likewise a guide to when to shift gears. But you lot can rely on listening to the engine, too. Only after learning to bulldoze a stick did I learn what the tachometer measures (engine speed, or RPM: revolutions per minute); I was taught to heed to the engine to know when to shift gears.

When listening to the engine, when it gets to low to mid-roar, it's fourth dimension to shift to a higher gear; once you get to your cruising speed, the highest gear will keep your engine running efficiently, using the least amount of gas. And if the engine is too tranquillity or is unresponsive when giving it gas, you need to downshift to a lower gear (the tachometer reading volition probably exist low, in the 1,000-ii,000 range).

9. Discover the blood-red line

Make sure to note the red zone on the tachometer. If the tachometer's needle crosses the ruby line, the engine may exist suffering harm; if that happens, either shift to a higher gear or put your foot on the clutch to protect the engine.

Now, yous're ready to larn.

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Journalist, entrepreneur and mom, Scotty likes to say the automotive business found her, she didn't pursue it. Simply recognizing the opportunity to give phonation to powerful female consumers and create a voice to match their spending ability, her mission became to empower women as car buyers and owners. A career-long announcer, she has written for the New York Times, Boondocks & Land, Adweek and co-authored the book Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery visitor Stew Leonard'south. Her love of cars started when her male parent insisted she acquire to alter the oil in her MG Midget, but at present it mostly plays out in the many route trips taken with her family.