ALT-1 How to Drive a Standard Vehicle
My first experience with driving a manual (stick shift) transmission vehicle equation went something like this:
Start with a 70-something Ford Pickup (column shift) plus a boat on a trailer; add my guide my Father (not known for his patience) and include the detail that the whole assembly needed to be BACKED someplace. I would love to say it equaled to a very nicely parked boat, but it didn't. The truck and boat survived unscathed, I wasn't long in the driver's seat, however.
Fast forward a few years. I am now in Driver's Education in high school. The local Ford dealer would provide a vehicle to the school for new drivers to learn to drive on. We were supplied with a Ford Fairmont; the ugliest peach color I have ever seen. It was a 4-door and it had a standard (manual) transmission.
To successfully complete our class and be able to get our driver's license, we had to drive 6 hours each behind the wheel of the car.
We would drive from Arizona into California. There was a little place on that side of the border that was full of small hills. The Driver's Education instructor would take two students and we would drive an hour each.
My best friend and I were in the car and for some reason, with me behind the wheel, the teacher decided to teach me how to get the car going on a hill using the parking brake and not using the clutch. I stalled that car 27 times straight trying to do it his way.
Stop the car facing up on a hill. Engage the parking brake. On this car it was a hand lever on the right side of the driver's seat. Then, without using the clutch, I was supposed to have the car in gear and giving gas at the proper moment release the emergency brake and drive off.
Right; 27 times later I was able to convince him to allow me to try my way. I had the clutch in and my right foot on the brake. I shifted from the brake to the gas and gave it gas then released the clutch. It only took one try my way without stalling.
The teacher asked what would I do if I lived someplace like San Francisco with rolling hills. I replied I wouldn't live in a place such as that and I am happy to report that 28 years after graduation, I never did.
Fast forward to today. My pickup is 22 years old. It is a Nissan 4x4 and has a manual transmission. The clutch was replaced for the first time at 132,000 miles, not because it needed it but because I found someone I trusted to do the work and figured it was a matter of time before it would need it.
The actual steps to drive a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission include the basic safety steps of ensuring your car is not in gear when starting, ensure there is nobody around the vehicle while you practice (you may not know which direction it will go). Learn the shift pattern, i.e. Standard "H" where first is to upper left, second is bottom left, third is top right, and fourth is bottom right. Reverse can be down and right or left, but whatever the case, familiarize yourself with the location of all the gears and how to get into them (reverse may require the stick be pressed or have some other special way to engage it to prevent accidental engagement) before even attempting to move the car.
The simple steps area. Start the car; put the car gear shift selector in either first or reverse depending on which direction you need to travel. Release the clutch as you slowly apply the accelerator. It will take a few tries to get the right ratio to do this so as to move smoothly off.b. To shift gears, go the recommended speed for the gear you are shifting to (i.e. approx 10-20 to go from first to second). The engine will sound fast, in a fluid motion, depress the clutch to the point the clutch disengages fully while easing off the accelerator pedal, move the gear shift to the appropriate gear, then while releasing the clutch apply gas and hopefully you continue to move smoothly along.
It sounds complicated, but once you can grasp all that happens, it will go smoother. I have found when teaching others that if you don't concentrate on it so much, it will go easier.
Those are the basic moves to get the car rolling. Only practice in a vehicle can help, though. To help ensure longevity of the clutch components there are some things to remember:
1. The clutch pedal should always be all the way depressed (to the point the clutch disengages fully, not necessarily all the way to the floor) or all the way released. If you are driving with your foot on the clutch, you will ruin your clutch components and need to replace them sooner. This can get expensive as the transmission must be removed to access these components. Remember the clutch plate seats against your engine's flywheel. If you ride' your clutch by keeping your foot resting on the clutch, you will be damaging the surface of the flywheel over time requiring it to be resurfaced when the clutch is replaced to ensure a long life of the replacement components.
2. NEVER routinely use your engine as a brake to slow and/or stop the vehicle. This means when approaching a stop, do not downshift then release the clutch using the car engine to slow the car. Brakes are cheaper to replace and easier to get to. Let them do their job to slow and stop the car.
3. Do not use the clutch to hold your car on a hill. Use the brakes for the same reason as stated above.
4. Do not shift gears without using the clutch. You may be able to do it at certain speeds into certain gears, but
5. Practice. You cannot get proficient driving a standard if you don't drive one to the point of being comfortable with it. Once you are comfortable with driving a manual transmission vehicle, it will return to you when needed.
Remember the clutch is there to allow you to shift gears smoothly. Following these steps will help you get a long life from your manual transmission shifting components including the clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearing, and pilot bearing/bushing. Happy motoring!
