How to Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle
Driving a vehicle with manual transmission can be difficult for those who drive an automatic vehicle. The manual transmission vehicle has a third pedal called clutch. The Clutch is like a handle that is used to shift gears. In certain countries, manual transmission cars have most of the market. So if you want to learn how to use clutch, read the tips on driving stick shift explained below.
Manual transmission vehicle has some basic differences to that of automatic transmission vehicles. When you drive an automatic transmission vehicle you use both feet to control the car. But in manual transmission vehicle, you only need to use right foot to operate. The stick is controlled by drivers to shift gears from first gear to fifth. Unlike the automatic transmission vehicle, drivers have only options of drive, park and reverse.
People who drive manual transmission vehicle set the first gear when the vehicle is moving within the range of 10 to 15 mph. The second gear is used to accelerate up to 25 mph. This gear is helpful during situations like traffic lights, pedestrian walking and for other stop-and-go situations. Next, the third, fourth and fifth gears are used to speedup the vehicle at full speed especially on freeways and highways.
For the automatic transmission vehicle drivers, it could be a challenging task in the beginning. First of all, new driver should learn how to start car. The first step would be checking if the stick is in neutral or not. If the stick is not in neutral, you can shift it to neutral position by stepping on the clutch. Once you step on the clutch using your left foot, you can start your car. Once the engine is turned on, step on clutch fully before changing the stick to move on first gear.
The next step is to accelerate while the car is on the first gear. Slowly press the gas pedal at the same time let go the clutch slowly. New drivers may face balancing problem in the beginning but practicing it will make is used to the combination. Getting nervous is obvious but you need to relax more and try to balance the two pedals. Once the vehicle starts to move, try to control the pedal gently and never press heavily on the gas pedal.
Once you are comfortable and are able to set the vehicle to accelerate, you now need to shift the gears calmly. Once the vehicle reaches around 10-15 mph, you can now shift to next gear. Make a full step on the clutch when you want to shift the stick to next gear. At this point, you need to step on the gas and then release the clutch slowly. With that practice, now you can shift to third gear by repeating the same step. Getting back from second gear to first needs same step.
