Yahoo Autos How to Drive a Stick
New to the stick-shift game? Don't be intimidated! It'll take less time than you think to master the manual transmission, and soon you'll be rolling on your own. But before you attempt to drive a manual-transmission vehicle, there are six basic things to do that will significantly increase how fast you'll learn and how safe you are during the process:
You'll need someone who knows how to drive a stick to ferry you and the car to a good practice location and coach you from the passenger seat. Select a large, level, empty parking lot for your first session. This will greatly reduce distractions from traffic or pedestrians.
Once you're in the driver's seat, make sure the vehicle's emergency brake is on.
Get familiar with the pattern of your vehicle's shifter by consulting the owner's manual. On most floor shifters, a grid of sequential numbers-called the shift pattern-can be found atop the shift-lever knob or on the face of the dashboard. The shift pattern shows you the location of each gear and the order you must move the lever through as you accelerate and decelerate-first gear being the lowest and used for starting from rest.
Look down at the three pedals on the floor. On the left is the clutch. The center pedal is the brake. And on the right is the throttle, or accelerator.
Push the clutch pedal in with your left foot, hold it down, and move the lever in sequence through the gears, from the lowest gear to the highest, and then from highest to lowest. Now do it again, but after sliding the lever into the next gear, release the clutch. Then depress the clutch and move the vehicle to the next gear, release the clutch, and so on. These are the motions you will use when you're driving.
And finally, push the clutch pedal in and move the lever into the neutral position. When the shifter is in neutral, it can be wiggled easily left and right. When slotted into each gear, it is locked in place and lacks this side-to-side motion.
You are now ready to learn how to operate a manual transmission by driving the car. Here are the steps:
Put the shifter into the neutral position. Place your right foot firmly on the brake pedal and fully depress the clutch with your left foot.
Turn the ignition key or press the starter button. (If you're not holding the clutch pedal fully down, a neutral-safety switch might not allow the starter to be activated.)
With the clutch depressed and the car now running, move the shift lever into the first-gear position in the shift gate. Check the area immediately in front of the car for vehicles, objects, and pedestrians, then release the parking brake.
Critical step! Very smoothly and slowly, lift your left foot until you feel the car just begin to move. At the point the car starts to inch forward, stop any movement of your left (clutch) foot. Now simultaneously slide your right foot off the brake and onto the throttle pedal (to the right), bringing engine speed up a bit.
Feel the car edge forward, and as it does, release a little pressure from the clutch; at this point, you will be hardly moving it.
Finally, lift fully off the clutch pedal and slowly step into the throttle pedal. The car should be picking up speed. If it shudders to a stop and the engine shuts off, you've stalled. Put the shift lever back in neutral and start over again with more focus on a smooth application of throttle and more gradual clutch-pedal release. Getting this coordinated might take a few tries. Don't give up!
If the car is now gliding along at low speed, it's time to shift into second gear. Lift your foot off the throttle while simultaneously stepping down fully on the clutch pedal. As the car coasts, move the shift lever from the first-gear position to the second-gear position. Release the clutch pedal slowly while gently stepping back into the throttle pedal.
As with a multispeed bicycle, higher road speeds are attained by moving up sequentially through the gears. Each time a higher gear is required, lift off the gas, step down on the clutch, and move the lever to the next higher gear. If your car's acceleration seems "bogged down," you needed to be in the previous gear a bit longer. You'll get the feel for which gear you should be in at a given speed; the engine's sound and the amount of acceleration the car is delivering will guide you.
To slow down or stop, apply the brake pedal smoothly. To stop fully, you must push the clutch all the way in as the car gets below about 5 mph, or the engine will stall. At a stop, it's a good idea to slide the shift lever into neutral and keep the foot brake applied.
For parking, you'll need to be able to access reverse. In some cars, the shift lever needs to be pushed down before you can slot the lever into position (to disengage a safety lockout that keeps you from shifting into reverse while driving forward). Consult your owner's manual about how to engage reverse. Don't try reversing and parking until you've mastered creeping ahead in first gear from rest, as you'll need to perform the same slow-creep operation while backing up.
When you're done driving: To park the car safely, put the shifter into first or reverse and apply the parking brake.
Shifting priorities: The key to driving a stick like a pro is the simultaneous engagement of the clutch and smooth application of the throttle. To practice, try listening and feeling for slight clutch engagement in first gear without applying any throttle-until you can recognize clutch engagement by the slight movement of the vehicle and the engine sound, which will dip slightly.
All that's left to become an expert manual-shift driver is to practice your clutching, shifts, throttle application, and takeoffs in a low-traffic area. You'll be surprised how fast you can learn if you do your homework up front.
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