How to Manual: A Complete Guide to Driving a Manual Transmission Car

How to Manual

A Complete Guide to Driving a Manual Transmission Car

by: Dillon Howard

Need to know how to drive a manual car? You have come to the right place, by the end of this guide you will know just that. Driving a manual car is not difficult and with an afternoon of practice you can have it down. Driving a manual is a good skill to have, because you never know when you might find yourself in a situation where you need to get behind the wheel. If that ever happens you do not want to find yourself stranded so let's get started. 

Getting Started

What you need

1. A manual transmission vehicle 

2. A large clear area like an empty parking lot or quite road. 

Knowing Your Vehicle

There are few things in the car that you will notice are different from a automatic vehicle that you are familiar with. Before starting we will go over these.

1. The Pedals

The two pedals to the right should be familiar to all that know how to drive. The gas is on the far right and in the middle is the brake, but in a manual car you also have a clutch which is on the left. When driving use your right foot to operate the gas and brake and the clutch with your left. Every time you change gears you will need to have the clutch engaged.

2. Gear leaver

In a manual this is what replaces your gear selector. In most cars there will be 1 through 5 or 6 gears and a reverse gear. The gear locations are displayed on the top of the shift knob. 

3. Parking Brake

There is a parking brake in automatic vehicles as well, but you need to be much more aware of when you need to apply it in a manual. Manual cars do not have a park gear so when you want to exit the vehicle or not let it move, the parking brake must be active. 

Proper Seating Position 

When driving a car it is important to have a safe seating position. Set up the seat to be most comfortable for you and make sure you are able to completely press the clutch pedal to the floor with your left foot. Then if you can adjust your steering wheel put it in a position so with you back flat on the seat you can extend your arm and have your hand fall over the steering wheel like in the image.

Driving the Car

Now you are ready to start the fun part of actually driving the car.

1. Starting the Car

To start a manual car first make sure that the car is in neutral by taking it out of gear or checking if the gear leaver can move freely from side to side. Now push the clutch all the way to the floor and start the ignition. Once the car is on you can take your foot of the clutch

2. Getting the Car to Move From a Stop

Start by pressing the clutch and moving the gear leaver to the left and then up into first. Slowly left off the clutch til the car starts to move. While you lift of the clutch add a little gas with your right foot. Do not get discourage if you stall at this point. This is the hardest part of learning how to drive a manual and you will stall a few times before getting the hang of it. 

3. Changing Gears

Now that you have the car moving comes the fun part. Continue to add gas til the engine's revolutions per minute are between 2000 and 3000. At this point press the clutch and take your foot of the gas at the same time. Then pull the gear leaver straight down into second and release the clutch and add a little gas. You will repeat this step every time you need to change gears moving the gear leaver into the next gear; up and over for third, straight back into fourth, and repeat for fifth and sixth. For practice purposes I would not go any higher than fourth. When you are prepared to slow down and stop apply the brake and as you are slowing down press the clutch and take the car out of gear leaving it in neutral (We will go over down sifting later as it can be tricky and you can damage the engine if not done right). Continue to practice going from a stop and changing gears til you get the hang of it. 

4. Going in Reverse 

Now that you are able to get the car moving forward we can work on going backwards. Before this though we need to know how to get the car in reverse. Most cars have a safety so that you do not accidentally put the car in reverse. In the example I have you must press the gear leaver down then over into reverse as shown. Check your car's manual to see how to access the reverse gear if it is not already obvious. Now starting in reverse is just like starting in first. You are going to slowly release the clutch and add gas. Only this time you will need to add a bit more gas than previously. In most cases you will not be completely releasing the clutch in reverse. You want to pull the clutch out to you're moving and then press it back in and coast. You want to use this technique to keep the car under control when moving in and out of parking spots. When finished with reverse move the gear leaver out while the clutch is pressed. 

5. Down Shifting

This is important when you slow down or need to accelerate. In order to perform a downshift you must get comfortable with rev matching. This is where to press on the gas to increase the rpms to match what the engine will need to be at when the lower gear is engaged. You will need to be comfortable with knowing what gear to shift to when slowing down. If you are going 10 to 20 mph go to gear 2, between 20 and 35 mph go to gear 3 and 35 to 50 mph use gear 4. Do not take this a always true. This is only to help you get a grasp on downshifting all cars will vary and you can always use a lower gear at faster speeds, you will just need to rev the engine to higher rpms. Be careful, if you go into too low of a gear at high speeds you will cause the engine to go past red line and blow the engine. Now to start practicing get up to speed and begin to decelerate to about 15 mph and press in the clutch put the car in second gear and add gas til the rpms are between 2000 to 3000. Slowly left off the clutch til the gear is active. You may feel the car jerk at this point, and that is okay. It means you could have done a better job of rev matching. Watch where your tachometer jumps to and mimic that next try. This takes lots of practice before you can down shift smoothly. Keep practicing while varying your speed and the gear you select til you become comfortable.

You are Done!

You now have a complete knowledge of how to drive a manual transmission. Do not get discourage if you stall or have any trouble. There where times where I stalled in the middle of traffic and had to quickly restart my car. It takes a lot of practice before you get everything down smoothly and in time you it will be second nature and will not have to think about what to do.

Tips and Do Not's

You may be ready to drive a manual but lets go over some tips and what not to do so you can be the best and most informed driver. Here are some quick tip to make you even better with a manual transmission. 

Tip: Leave the Car in Gear When You are Parked

As you now know manual cars do not have a park gear. You can just use the parking brake and in most cases that is just fine, but what about when you park on a steep hill. In this case it is a good idea to either leave the car in first or second gear. This is like putting the car in park for a manual car. If the brake fails the engine will stop the car from rolling down the hill. Just remember to take it out of gear when you start the car.

Do Not Rest Your Hand on the Gear Leaver When Driving 

 When you drive it may be comfortable to rest your hand on the gear leaver. You should not do this when at speed. Putting pressure on the top part of the gear leaver can cause parts in the transmission to rub up against each other and cause premature wear. 

Tip: Use the Parking Brake When Starting on a Hill

Starting on a hill can be tough for even experienced drivers. If you do not fall into that category and fear you may roll back into the car behind you use the parking brake to help you start. While stopped on the hill engage the parking brake and put the car into first. At this point you can take your foot off the brake and start to apply gas without the car rolling. Now take off the parking brake to begin moving. 

Do Not Lug the Engine

Lugging the engine occurs when you try to add more gas at a low rpm. When you are cruising on the highway and want to accelerate you should not just mash the gas pedal. In an automatic the car will down shit for you and you never have to think about it. In a manual car you need to do it, so down shift a gear or two so you can accelerate properly.