Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Xerxys Guide to driving a manual transmission vehicle.

Xerxys · 05-14-2009, 01:55 PM

OK, so here's the deal. You know all those idiots who can ride a bike and tell you "It's easy ..." then you fall off a milion times in order to get the "easy" part?

Why doesnt anybody actually tell you something is gonna be frustrating to learn before jumping to the it's easy part. You know, so you can brace yourself. I hate being 'protected' so that I don;t lose my moral.

Let's begin.

Proper Planning & Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.

You will need hefty mounds of patience and comfort. Your feet are gonna be moving up and down often largely because it's your first time and not doing so will not produce desired results. Fix the chair to sit exactly where you need it to be so you don;t have to think about it.

All other aspects of general checking should be covered like making sure the mirrors are adjusted to your height and blinkers are working 'n all that jazz.

The Gears errr.. Stick

The gears either look like this ...

or ...

Acclamate yourself with them. They range from 1-5/6 and reverse can be on either side. Neutral, on automatic transmission has the 'N' on it but in Manuals, it's the center of the shaft that's neutral. It's the spot where you can wriggle up, down, back-forth. That is where the gear is supposed to be set when starting the car. On neutral, (meaning no gear) otherwise the car will jump ahead. Fuckin' Scary!!

Starting the car should be done with the clutch and brake fully depressed. The clutch is the pedal always on the left side of the car. Brake at the center, Accelerate at the right. This setting does not differ whether the vehicle is a Left or Right hand drive. (commonwealth countries).

The Clutch, crotch of satan or god's G-spot, you decide

Now, you have to protect this. Ever heard of burning the clutch, yeah. Happens when you accelerate TOO much if the clutch is depressed. Yet again, you can't just release it at once. Also burning it happens when you shift gears without depressing it all the way back, like practically standing on the bitch before you change gear. When you don't depress it all the way back and change the gear you will hear an annoying grinding sound. It works to draw your self esteem as a driver.

You have to drive slowly at first in order to avoid wearing the clutch. You might end up replacing it 6 months afterwards if your not careful.

Don't hold the clutch in at a stop sighn, also you can't let go of the clutch if a gear is engaged. You have to pick one. So, instead shift gears to neutral, depress the brake and slowly let go of the clutch. For newcomers you may want to engage the handbrake as well. I'll explain later.

So remember, Depress fully, with a purpose, and let go gently but completely. Tapping it will make the car lurch ahead.

Balance, Kimosabi, Balance

This is where actually driving comes along. The hardest part of driving sticks is knowing when the accelerator goes down and when the clutch goes up. This cannot be taught. You know you CANNOT floor the accellerator. But the Clutch is all the way in. Slowly raise the left and less than slightly lower the right foot. >>PRACTICE.

At stop lights and hills or worse, stop lights at hills, you will need, for the first few times, the handbrake. When at the red light...,

engage the handbrake.
shift to neutral
slowly let go of the clutch

At the green light...,

Step on the brakes
Step on the clutch (all the way to the wall baby, Balls to the wall)
shift to 1st gear
Slightly accelerate while depressing clutch
disengage the handbrake once RPM get to 2.

While changing the gears when the car is moving, braking is not neccessary.

Step on the clutch (all the way to the wall baby..., again)
shift to next gear
Slightly accelerate while depressing clutch

When to shift Gears

They will tell you, "listen to her as she moans, and you'll know what to do". Now, driving is not fucking and you could kill people if you try to be fuckin' David Hassell hoff (sp?) so note. A good way to tell if the gear needs to be increased is to watch the RPM meter. Once it get's to 2 1/2 shift to the next highest.

What they won't tell you is that you never shift to gear 1 at ANY time unless (and ONLY if) the vehicle has come to a complete stop. You will, (physically, not an exageration) drop the gear box if your in the highway and try to engage 1st gear.

Downshift

It's good practice to down shift whilst slowing down. Downshift is the process of shifting to the lowest gear. Now, do it systematically, like you increased from 1 to 2 to 3 etc etc... because you were increasing speed. Now, Downshifting is the oppositte. You shift from 5 to 4 to 3 and then to 2. Again, NEVER to 1 unless at a complete stop.

Backing up/Reversing

Countries that drive on the right hand side usually don't drive in reverse except for very few reasons such as exiting out of a parking spot or makin a three point turn. This is because Vehicles are not desighned to move backwards, they have a blind spot as big as the planet saturn.

Now, Manual transmission in reverse is the equivalent of gear 3 only backwards which means the car has potential to move very fast. When Reversing, use the handbrake and try not to accelerate unnecesarily. Usually the brake and the clutch will suffice but if your on a hill, you can give it just a bit of gas.

Hand Brake

When at a complete stop with no further intention of moving forward, HANDBRAKE!! The car will roll forward. When the Gear is set to neutral, it's not the same as "Park". So when parking, or simply stopped with the engine turned off, (i.e. pulled over by a cop), use the handbrake.

Also, don't be into the habit of driving with the handbrake slightly elevated. Always shove it all the way down.

Be careful and drive safely.

05-14-2009, 01:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
Xerxys Junkie Location: My head.	Xerxys Guide to driving a manual transmission vehicle. OK, so here's the deal. You know all those idiots who can ride a bike and tell you "It's easy ..." then you fall off a milion times in order to get the "easy" part? Why doesnt anybody actually tell you something is gonna be frustrating to learn before jumping to the it's easy part. You know, so you can brace yourself. I hate being 'protected' so that I don;t lose my moral. Let's begin. Proper Planning & Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. You will need hefty mounds of patience and comfort. Your feet are gonna be moving up and down often largely because it's your first time and not doing so will not produce desired results. Fix the chair to sit exactly where you need it to be so you don;t have to think about it. All other aspects of general checking should be covered like making sure the mirrors are adjusted to your height and blinkers are working 'n all that jazz. The Gears errr.. Stick The gears either look like this ... or ... or ... Acclamate yourself with them. They range from 1-5/6 and reverse can be on either side. Neutral, on automatic transmission has the 'N' on it but in Manuals, it's the center of the shaft that's neutral. It's the spot where you can wriggle up, down, back-forth. That is where the gear is supposed to be set when starting the car. On neutral, (meaning no gear) otherwise the car will jump ahead. Fuckin' Scary!! Starting the car should be done with the clutch and brake fully depressed. The clutch is the pedal always on the left side of the car. Brake at the center, Accelerate at the right. This setting does not differ whether the vehicle is a Left or Right hand drive. (commonwealth countries). The Clutch, crotch of satan or god's G-spot, you decide Now, you have to protect this. Ever heard of burning the clutch, yeah. Happens when you accelerate TOO much if the clutch is depressed. Yet again, you can't just release it at once. Also burning it happens when you shift gears without depressing it all the way back, like practically standing on the bitch before you change gear. When you don't depress it all the way back and change the gear you will hear an annoying grinding sound. It works to draw your self esteem as a driver. You have to drive slowly at first in order to avoid wearing the clutch. You might end up replacing it 6 months afterwards if your not careful. Don't hold the clutch in at a stop sighn, also you can't let go of the clutch if a gear is engaged. You have to pick one. So, instead shift gears to neutral, depress the brake and slowly let go of the clutch. For newcomers you may want to engage the handbrake as well. I'll explain later. So remember, Depress fully, with a purpose, and let go gently but completely. Tapping it will make the car lurch ahead. Balance, Kimosabi, Balance This is where actually driving comes along. The hardest part of driving sticks is knowing when the accelerator goes down and when the clutch goes up. This cannot be taught. You know you CANNOT floor the accellerator. But the Clutch is all the way in. Slowly raise the left and less than slightly lower the right foot. >>PRACTICE. At stop lights and hills or worse, stop lights at hills, you will need, for the first few times, the handbrake. When at the red light..., engage the handbrake. shift to neutral slowly let go of the clutch At the green light..., Step on the brakes Step on the clutch (all the way to the wall baby, Balls to the wall) shift to 1st gear Slightly accelerate while depressing clutch disengage the handbrake once RPM get to 2. While changing the gears when the car is moving, braking is not neccessary. Step on the clutch (all the way to the wall baby..., again) shift to next gear Slightly accelerate while depressing clutch When to shift Gears They will tell you, "listen to her as she moans, and you'll know what to do". Now, driving is not fucking and you could kill people if you try to be fuckin' David Hassell hoff (sp?) so note. A good way to tell if the gear needs to be increased is to watch the RPM meter. Once it get's to 2 1/2 shift to the next highest. What they won't tell you is that you never shift to gear 1 at ANY time unless (and ONLY if) the vehicle has come to a complete stop. You will, (physically, not an exageration) drop the gear box if your in the highway and try to engage 1st gear. Downshift It's good practice to down shift whilst slowing down. Downshift is the process of shifting to the lowest gear. Now, do it systematically, like you increased from 1 to 2 to 3 etc etc... because you were increasing speed. Now, Downshifting is the oppositte. You shift from 5 to 4 to 3 and then to 2. Again, NEVER to 1 unless at a complete stop. Backing up/Reversing Countries that drive on the right hand side usually don't drive in reverse except for very few reasons such as exiting out of a parking spot or makin a three point turn. This is because Vehicles are not desighned to move backwards, they have a blind spot as big as the planet saturn. Now, Manual transmission in reverse is the equivalent of gear 3 only backwards which means the car has potential to move very fast. When Reversing, use the handbrake and try not to accelerate unnecesarily. Usually the brake and the clutch will suffice but if your on a hill, you can give it just a bit of gas. Hand Brake When at a complete stop with no further intention of moving forward, HANDBRAKE!! The car will roll forward. When the Gear is set to neutral, it's not the same as "Park". So when parking, or simply stopped with the engine turned off, (i.e. pulled over by a cop), use the handbrake. Also, don't be into the habit of driving with the handbrake slightly elevated. Always shove it all the way down. Be careful and drive safely. Last edited by Xerxys; 09-30-2010 at 07:42 PM.. Reason: Due to a general consensus that the clutch is indeed expensive, I went ahead and removed the comment that said otherwise.