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What is the Best Way to Learn How to Drive with a Manual Transmission?

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

Learning how to drive with a manual transmission is a valuable skill to have, even in a world filled with automatics. This type of transmission is still popular in sports cars and off-road vehicles, such as tractors or jeeps. Parents looking for a dependable first car for their children may find a bargain-priced five-speed economy car from a few decades ago. Knowing how to drive a manual car can also prove useful when driving other people's vehicles. It pays to learn all of the different driving systems in case of emergencies.

One way to learn the details of a manual transmission is through an approved driver education course. Many high schools offer classes with both simulator and real road practice, although some do not emphasize manual techniques. If the school's class does not offer stick-shift training, it may fall on parents to demonstrate. Private driving schools may offer training if the student specifically requests it. A standard shift vehicle may be available at the school or the student may have to obtain one.

Manual transmissions can be found in many exotic sports cars.
Manual transmissions can be found in many exotic sports cars.

Many drivers in training will practice their skills in an empty parking lot or other private property with minimal distractions. This is not always the optimal environment to learn manual techniques, however. Standard shift cars need a significant amount of linear space in order to go through all of the gears. A parking lot is still a great place to practice parking, reversing, and braking, but a student needs to experience the feel of a manual transmission as the motor reaches roadway speeds.

Manual transmissions are popular in off-road vehicles.
Manual transmissions are popular in off-road vehicles.

Unlike learning to drive an automatic drive, beginning students may need to sit in the passenger seat and observe an experienced driver at first. The instructor should demonstrate the proper way to depress the clutch, position the gear shift lever and coordinate the gas pedal. As each gear reaches maximum torque, the instructor should tell the student how to listen for a distinctive engine noise. This sound should indicate the need to shift to a higher gear or jump back to a lower one. Again, the balance between gear shift, clutch, and accelerator should be demonstrated. At this point, braking and downshifting back to first gear should also be demonstrated.

A manual transmission is controlled through a stick shift.
A manual transmission is controlled through a stick shift.

Learning to drive a manual transmission is usually a matter of trial-and-error until the student learns the natural rhythm of a standard shift car. For this reason, it may be best to practice with an older but mechanically-sound vehicle, not an expensive sports car. Finding third gear while simultaneously releasing the clutch and depressing the accelerator is not easy for many drivers, so one should expect some grinding of the clutch and stutter stopping. Eventually, most drivers do learn the intricacies, even if they prefer the relative ease of an automatic.

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular WikiMotors contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular WikiMotors contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

clippers

I have had trouble finding a driver's ed school that can teach me to drive a stick. Is it common for this to be so rare? I know that the manual transmission is not as popular as it once was, but people still need to learn how to drive them, right?

nextcorrea

Time and patience, time and patience. I wish that there was an easier way, but working at it is the only way to get good at driving a stick. Make sure you have a good teacher and practice on a car that has a decent clutch.

anon105443

I've never had a problem with hills. Just give it extra gas. I don't roll back at all.

anon40596

I had to learn driving a manual transmission before I got my license. Although I was always afraid of the hills. so what I did was avoid them. Instead of taking the exit that had the hill with a stop light, I took a different route that I knew had no hills or was down sloped.

anon40273

When I taught my kids how to drive a stick, I first had them make all their seat adjustments until they were comfortable with their position -- then I had them back up a notch or so. This forced them to learn to flex their ankle when pushing the clutch. If you sit too close, you tend to use your upper thigh muscles which gives you much less control and leads to jerky starts.

I prefer manual transmissions because I feel more in control of the vehicle, but for me their biggest drawback is that in extended bumper-to-bumper traffic your clutch-leg can get extremely tired (nothing like a leg cramp in the middle of an LA freeway).

Manual transmissions are also generally cheaper and easier to repair than an automatic. Note: it's cheaper to replace brake pads than clutches so don't make downshifting your primary means of reducing speed.

BTW - if you're going up a hill, use your emergency brake to hold your stopped position. When starting off, try to smoothly engage the clutch and release the brake as you start to move. You might stall a few times before you get it right, but at least you won't roll back into someone else. This is admittedly easier when the brake release is between the front seats and not below the instrument panel but it is still doable.

somerset

Probably it is better to start with manual transmission and later drive automatic. Manual transmission is a little more difficult to learn, but once you get it it is yours. However, no matter how long I drove manually, having to stop at a red light in the middle of a hill always made me nervous. Nothing ever happened, but just the same, driving in hilly areas was just a bit nerve racking. Now I drive only automatic, it is a breeze, you do feel though like you have better control of the vehicle when driving with a stick shift.

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    • Manual transmissions can be found in many exotic sports cars.
      By: md3d
      Manual transmissions can be found in many exotic sports cars.
    • Manual transmissions are popular in off-road vehicles.
      By: AK-DigiArt
      Manual transmissions are popular in off-road vehicles.
    • A manual transmission is controlled through a stick shift.
      A manual transmission is controlled through a stick shift.
    • Many drivers first learn manual transmission skills in an empty parking lot.
      By: Lee Barnwell
      Many drivers first learn manual transmission skills in an empty parking lot.
    • Driving improperly with a manual transmission can lead to damage and require repair.
      By: ashadrov
      Driving improperly with a manual transmission can lead to damage and require repair.
    • Instructors may help new drivers learn how to operate a manual transmission vehicle.
      By: Lisa F. Young
      Instructors may help new drivers learn how to operate a manual transmission vehicle.