Tips For Driving a Manual Car

A manual car is a car that runs with a manual gear shift.
Since recent cars are all automatic, all gear shifting is done automatically.

The automatic cars drive with only two pedals of accelerator and brake, while manual cars drive with another pedal in addition called the clutch.

What Is the Clutch Pedal?

To explain it briefly, the clutch plays the role of separating the engine and the tire while driving.

The clutch pedal is the pedal for operating the car's clutch.

When you step on the clutch pedal, it disconnects the engine and the tires. And when we release it, it connects the engine and the tires.

The reason why clutch exists in the manual car is because the transmission is manually operated.

Because of its structure, manual transmission car cannot shift up or down the gear while driving since the engine is connected to the tires.

So, for you to shift up or down the gear, the engine needs to be temporarily disconnected to the tires by using the clutch function.

Tips for Driving a Manual Car

Try Connecting the Clutch in the Stopped State

Every clutch pedal in different cars has its own so called "habit" when you use it.
So it is important to grasp the sense of how far the clutch will be connected when you release the clutch pedal at the first time.

So before you start running, start the engine with the clutch pedal pressed down.

Make sure the clutch is connected properly and pull up the hand brake to avoid sudden run or jumps.

And after that, set the gear to 2nd gear, since setting it to 1st gear could easily cause sudden jumps.
So now let's try to release the clutch pedal little by little and try to remember at which point the car starts to accelerate.

Half Clutch When Starting

Stepping on the clutch pedal cuts the connection between engine and the tires, and releasing it suddenly would either cause sudden run or engine stop.

To transmit the power of the engine to the tires, release the pedal slowly.

As you release it slowly, the engine's speed will drop a little and the car will start to advance forward. This state is called "half clutch" state.

When you reach this state, let’s step on the accelerator pedal slowly as soon as you release the clutch further.

Hence, the power of the engine will be transmitted to the tires, and the car will run smoothly.

Increase the Engine Speed While You Are at Uphill

In case of starting a car at a hill, the car is in a position where it would go down by itself.
So if you do a half clutch with the same engine speed as on flat road, the power transmitted will be weak and the car could go down instead of going up.

In order to go up the hill with a half clutch, you need to accelerate and increase the engine rotating speed more than what you need on a flat road.

For a 2.0 liter class car, it would be better to raise the engine speed up to about 3000 rpm (rotation).

Also, on the slope, you will need to use the hand brake as well, since you will have to release your foot from the brake when stepping on the clutch and accelerator.

Quick Shift Change While Driving

If you start driving, you will have to raise the gear more and more to speed up.
When you speed up, it is necessary to step on and release the clutch pedal every time a gear change occurs.

The clutch operation needs to be done quickly.
The operation of stepping on the clutch pedal (cutting off) quickly, shifting up, and quickly releasing the clutch (reconnect) will allow you to accelerate more smoothly.

On the other hand, when you want to decelerate, you have to downshift in reverse. But in order to do it quickly, it is necessary to decelerate sufficiently with the brake.

Shifting down in a state where the car is not decelerating and connecting the clutch quickly will cause excessive engine braking and it will hurt the engine and the clutch.

The behavior of the car will become unstable and hence it could lead to an accident.
In that case, you should step on the clutch again to avoid the worst cases.

Do Not Put Your Feet on the Clutch Pedal While Driving

Placing your left foot on the clutch pedal so that you can operate the clutch immediately is not good.

There is a chance for the car to do unexpected vibrations or movements while driving. So, if you put your feet at the clutch pedal, you could accidentally step on it and reduce the driving force.

The clutch will be intermittently in the half-clutch state, and the wear of the clutch would become intense.

As a result, the clutch lifespan may become short, and there is a possibility that it will break down.

Let's put our left foot on the footrest to the left of the clutch pedal while driving.

Manual Car Is Fun to Control Car

At the moment, automatic cars are the ones that have speed and accuracy for shift change, but manual cars can give you the feeling of "manipulating the car by myself" so it is more enjoyable to drive.

For more information, please visit Car Manuals.