how to drive manuel

[jonxpak]

i have some couple questions about driving a manuel car...First off...how do you drive one? and second how do you shift and when do you shift? How do you know when to shift? When do you shift down? also when your going about ...lets say 70 miles on the freeway and you suddenly stop what do you do then and do you have to shift down?

i jus got my license..kinda late and i been thinking about getting a wrx i might get a manuel but i don't know how to drive one

[crazycam31]

Do a search. There was just a very extensive post about this.. P.S. The WRX is a very hard car to learn on.

[Spinin4]

Do a search. There was just a very extensive post about this.. P.S. The WRX is a very hard car to learn on.

very true, do a search!

[§tï]

I think you would be better off with a auto.

[Mar48]

I am learning how to drive manual on my wrx... I recommend practicing with someone who can tell you what to do. It would be kinda difficult learning from the internet rather than from someone with experience.

[Trainrex]

Driving The Manual Shift Car
Starting the Engine

Press and hold the foot brake, in case the car rolls.
Make sure the clutch is depressed. Very important! Some cars have safety switches which do not allow the engine to start unless the clutch is on the floor. If the car is in gear and the clutch is not depressed, the engine is essentially connected to the wheels. Turning on the starter with the key at this point would MOVE the car! (It would also place an unnecessary load on the starter motor, potentially damaging it.) Always start the engine with the clutch depressed.
Make sure the gearshift is in neutral.

Start the engine.

Once the engine starts, check the instruments. Check all the warning lights and the tachometer: the RPM's should read idle speed.
Make sure the gearshift is in neutral.
Release the clutch.
Release the foot brake only if the parking brake is engaged.
Moving The Car Forward From A Stop
Press and hold the foot brake.
Make sure the clutch is depressed.
Move the gearshift to 1st. gear.
Release the parking brake (if engaged).
Release the foot brake. The car may roll at this point if the road is inclined. If the road surface is level, the car will remain stopped. In the beginning, practice these steps on a level surface.
Ease up (slowly) on the clutch pedal. At the same time, add some gas with the accelerator pedal.
When the clutch reaches the friction point, the car should start to move forward. At this point, you should stop any further clutch movement. You can tell the clutch has reached the friction point by feeling the car beginning to move forward. You may also feel the engine struggling slightly, especially if you have not added sufficient gas. It is very important to look up, and not down at the pedals or instruments; you need to perceive the motion of the car. Once the car has begun to move, stop bringing up the clutch.
Balance the clutch and gas pedals together. To move the car forward faster, add slightly more gas, and ease up slightly on the clutch. If the engine starts to struggle, press the clutch down slightly. If the car starts to bounce, depress the clutch down to the floor and begin again.
Once the car is rolling smoothly forward and the gear is engaged, release the clutch completely. The longer you hold the clutch at the friction point, the smoother the start will be. Don't worry about clutch wear at this point. Aim for smoothness, not speed; with practice, speed will come naturally, and wear will be minimized.
Rest your left foot off the clutch and on the foot rest (dead pedal). Pressing the clutch, even slightly, when you're NOT using it is very bad habit that can lead to premature clutch wear.
These steps are the most difficult to master! Repeat over and over again to perfect your technique. The most common error is bringing the clutch up too fast, or not pausing correctly at the friction point. Other errors: not adding enough gas, which stalls the engine; adding too much gas, which spins the tires; taking too long to find the friction point, which causes the car to roll back too far; bringing up the clutch before releasing the brake, which stalls the engine; trying to move the car in a gear other than 1st.; releasing the clutch before the engine is fully connected to the gear; etc.
Some things to practice: moving the car forward with the clutch only, no gas; and finding the balance point between the clutch and the gas on an uphill road (so that the car remains in one place without the brake).

Stopping The Car Once In Motion

If the clutch is still partially depressed (as when balancing with the gas pedal), depress the clutch first, to the floor.
Press the brake as necessary.
If your foot is off the clutch, depress the clutch to the floor before the car comes to a complete stop. The engine will stall otherwise.
Place the gearshift into the next required gear, or neutral. Don't place the car in neutral unless the car is stopped or stopping.
You can slow the car down with the brake without pressing the clutch, but only if the car doesn't come to a complete stop. For example, if you're in 2nd. gear and you need to slow down to make a turn, you don't need to depress the clutch, as long as you keep the car rolling in 2nd. gear. If the engine starts to shudder, you must depress the clutch and change to a lower gear.
Practice creeping the car at very low speeds, by using the clutch as a brake. Basically, you start moving the car with the clutch and gas as normal, but to maintain minimal speeds, depress the clutch frequently, instead of the brake. At VERY low speeds, as in parking, the clutch causes the car to coast, which (usually) slows it down. Use the brake if you need to stop the car again. Incidentally, this is the ONLY method you should use when in reverse gear. Completely releasing the clutch in reverse gear causes the car to go too fast - faster than you ever really need to go in reverse.

Which pedal should I press first, the brake or the clutch? In general when stopping, use the brake first if you're driving at higher speeds, and use the clutch first when you driving at very low speeds. The higher the gear, the sooner you'll need to clutch. For example, if you're coming off a freeway exit ramp in 5th. gear, you'll need to clutch before the car reaches 40 km/h (25 mph), otherwise the engine will stall. In the beginning, practice using both pedals in synchronization for stopping, until you get more practice gearing down. Remember that the clutch is always depressed down to the floor, whereas the brake is only pressed as much as needed. Practice separating the movement of both feet - they should operate the pedals independent of each other, but in varying combinations, i.e. clutch and gas, clutch and brake.

[Trainrex]

Shifting Gears Up

When you're ready to shift gears (i.e. you need to go faster and the car feels as if the engine is holding it back) reach for the gearshift with your right hand. Don't look at it! Practice finding the gears without looking at the gearshift. Keep your eyes on the road!
Depress the clutch to the floor.
Ease off the gas completely. The RPM's should come down. You don't need to move your foot from over the pedal, just release it.
Shift the gearshift to the next higher gear. Don't search for the next gear! You should already know where you need to move the gearshift before moving it. There is no need to heavy handed; a gentle movement of the lever is more accurate than a quick, forceful one.
Ease up on the clutch to the friction point.
Add gas again.
Release the clutch.
You don't have to spend too much time balancing the clutch and gas as you do when starting from a stop. The car is already rolling so it doesn't require as much accuracy. Common errors: not releasing the gas when shifting gears; not clutching to the floor; not shifting to the proper gear; adding the gas after the shift before the clutch is in the right place; releasing the clutch too quickly; keeping the clutch on the floor too long; attempting to shift gears without clutching. The whole shifting sequence should take no longer than 2 seconds. Practice!
Shifting Gears Down
Bring the car to a speed appropriate for the new gear. For example, if you want to enter a turn in 2nd. gear and you need to shift from 3rd. gear, reduce the speed of the car with the brake to below 40 km/h (25 mph), or the appropriate speed.
Reach for the gearshift with your right hand. Don't look at it!
Depress the clutch to the floor.
Ease off the gas.
Shift the gearshift to the desired gear. You can skip gears when down-shifting (i.e. shifting from 4th. to 2nd. gears) as long as you reduce the speed of the car appropriately with the brake. Don't skip gears when shifting up - they are designed to give the car the most efficient acceleration when used in sequence.
Ease up on the clutch to the friction point.
If trying to slow down, don't add gas, but balance the clutch so that the transition is smooth. The engine will cause the car to slow down, and the RPM's will be brought up naturally.
If you're not trying to slow down, add some gas. An advantage of gearing down without reducing speed is an increase in power from the engine, useful when passing, climbing hills, etc. The disadvantage is a drop in fuel economy.
Release the clutch only after the transition is smooth.
Gearing down is an advanced topic that requires some practice to do well. It should be noted that you can bring up the clutch in a lower gear even when your foot is on the brake, slowing the car down. The engine won't stall as long as the car keeps rolling. Once you try to stop, the clutch must be depressed fully.
When slowing down or stopping, should I gear down or just slip it into neutral? You should gear down when the road and traffic ahead demands a lower speed. If you're coming to a stop, like at a fresh red light, gearing down may become unnecessary - you can simply gear down to neutral and return to 1st. gear. If the possibility exists that you might not need to stop, like at a stale red light, then you should gear down to the appropriate gear for the new speed. You should avoid "coasting" in neutral; the car should always be in gear when moving. Coasting down a hill riding the brake pedal will only wear out the brakes. Use a lower gear so that the engine assists in slowing the car. At all times you should avoid gearing down to 1st. gear unless you're absolutely certain that you'll be stopping, or unless the car is rolling very, very slowly. You should also take care not to gear down to a gear that is too low for the speed. The risk is that you bring the RPM's too high, past the red line. Remember also that when gearing down to slow down, the car will slow, but unless you also use the brake, the brake lights will not light. The danger, of course, is that the car slows down but traffic behind gets no prior warning of the fact. The best method is to use a combination of braking and gearing down at the same time. When shifting to reverse gear always make sure that the car is stopped.

[TigsteRz]

its not that hard at all, just get a beater car to practice with... after a few hours of stalling/jerking/riding on clutch you should get the hang of it. good luck =]

[nvmywrx]

my friend was crazy enough to let me learn on his type R. But the clutch pedals are way different than wrxs. I like the wrx pedal better.

[gusto]

I'm not sure Manuel will like you playing with his stick.

[STI4theSlowGuy]

I learned on a porsche 944S Turbo.

Wanna race?!

[nvmywrx]

I'm not sure Manuel will like you playing with his stick.

i noticed that too but didnt want to comment.

[spyderpaint2004]

I'm not sure Manuel will like you playing with his stick.

we go too far out of our way just to make a wise @ss comment around here

[wrxlude]

its not that hard at all, just get a beater car to practice with... after a few hours of stalling/jerking/riding on clutch you should get the hang of it. good luck =]

I drove my brother's saturn for approx. 5 miles and got the hang of it

[Trainrex]

I drove my brother's saturn for approx. 5 miles and got the hang of it

Saturns are nice easy manuals to learn on. I've taught two people how to drive stick on my Saturn. You can let the clutch out with little worry of stalling.