My English essay ... in case anyone wants to know how to drive stick ;)
Driving a stick shift car is one of the most exhilarating experiences one can have with an automobile. If you like driving then you most likely enjoy driving a car with a manual transmission. The response and feedback you get while driving a manual just does not compare to that of an automatic car.
I have been able to drive a car with a manual transmission since long before I could legally drive. I was fortunate enough to have a dad with an old 4 speed truck and a camp road to practice on. If you haven't had such an opportunity then this essay is for you.
Before we get into how to actually drive a vehicle with a manual transmission I will first explain what a transmission does and the difference between a manual and an automatic. The way that engines work, they have to be constantly spinning (running) or they will die (shut off). And as we all know in order for a car to move the wheels have to be forcefully turned via the engine. Here arises the problem. How can we keep the engine spinning when the we need the wheels to stop? This is were the transmission comes in to play. For an automatic this process although it sounds much simpler is actually fairly new technology compared to the manual transmission. The way that an automatic transmission connects the engine to the wheels is a device called a torque converter. A torque converter is a small round case filled with fluid. Two shafts, one connected to the wheels and one connected to the engine's transmission enter the case opposite each other. Connected to these shafts are small propeller like fans. The fan connected to the engine spins the first fan which causes the fluid to spin and this motion then causes the second fan attached to the wheels to spin. Because these two shafts can spin each other but are not directly connected the engine can still spin freely even when the wheels are stopped. Modern day automatic cars lock these shafts once the car is in motion resulting in better fuel efficiency.
This problem is solved in a slightly different way with a manual transmission car. In a manual instead of the engine and wheel shafts being connected to fans they are connected to two separate pressurized plates. When the wheels are stopped these plates have to be separated in order for the engine to continue running freely. When pressure is applied back to these plates it will cause the engine to spin the wheels. This is the most confusing and difficult part of learning how to drive a manual. Applying the clutch to start the car moving. And this is where I will start my instruction.
But first I must explain how the gears inside the transmission work. I will use a ten speed bicycle to explain. The bicycle has gears 1 through ten. 1 having a ratio of many peddle spins for very little movement. But it is also the easiest gear to go with and the gear most often started in. As we move though the gears on the bike we can go faster but it is harder for the peddles (engine) to push the bike (car). Tenth gear would be our highway speed gear because it keeps the peddles moving as slow as possible for the speed resulting in less energy (fuel) used. This is almost exactly the same idea as in a car. 1st gear is our starting gear and we use the other gears to accelerate and depending on which speed we are traveling at. And 5th gear would be our highway cruising gear.
Now that I have everything explained I will start with the most difficult part of driving a manual getting the car moving form a standstill. In a manual the car is in neutral (engine running with the car stopped) when A: the car is out of gear(usually the stick in the middle standing straight up) or B: when the clutch peddle is pushes down to the ground. The car should always be started with it either in neutral or with the clutch pushed in(most manual cars will not start unless the clutch pedal is pushed in). The clutch pedal is the farthest left pedal in the car with the brake being next on the right and finally the gas pedal furthest to the right. Now the second thing to learn is how the shifter works. The standard shifter pattern is on through five gears. 1st gear is the stick left and forward 2nd is all the way left and back, 3rd is in the middle and straight forward, 4th is in the middle and straight back, and finally 5th is all the way right and forward. We will worry about reverse later on.
Ok before starting anything make sure you are comfortable, the seat is positioned properly (left foot can push the clutch peddle ALL the way to the floor), and that you have your seatbelt on(saved my life in a car crash two winters ago). To start the car depress the clutch peddle all the way to the floor, and turn the car on. Never let go of the clutch peddle unless the shifter is in neutral or you plan on moving the car( I have ran my car into the garage door by not paying attention to this). Now that the car is started and you have the clutch fully depressed put the car into first gear. First gear is always the gear used to start. Higher gears are designed for higher speed not starting. Remember how the in a manual the car is moved by the two clutch plates rubbing together and connecting causing the car to move. That is what we are doing to get the car moving. Slowly releasing the clutch peddle which in turn causes the clutch plates to push up against the engine clutch plate resulting in the car moving. The tricky part is letting the clutch peddle out slowly and steadily enough to get the car moving without the engine stalling. A good way to figure out the "feel" of the clutch and where the car will start to move at is to very slowly release the clutch peddle until the car just barely starts to move. Once you get the peddle to this point hold it there and try to keep the car moving without it stalling. This is the clutches "release" point. Once you get to this point you can either push the clutch peddle back down to the floor and disconnect the clutch plates. Or you can continue to let the peddle out slowly causing the plates to connect fully and get the car moving steadily in first gear. Now many people have a hard time doing this because the engine will stall out easily because it is only idling (running at stopped speed with no gas applied). A way to solve this problem is to give the car a little gas simultaneously as you are slowly letting the clutch out. This increases the cars RPM's (rotations per minute) making it less likely to stall out. After you have this mastered the rest is a breeze to learn.
The next part of driving after you have the car moving along in 1st gear is shifting the car through the gears as you accelerate faster. Similar to the bike once the car gets going to fast in 1st gear its going to be revving the engine very fast but the car will be moving very slow. So we have to "shift" the car to the next highest gear which is 2nd gear. To do this the engine has to be momentarily disconnected from the wheels. To do this we simply push the clutch peddle down. This makes it possible to pull the shifter back and left into second gear. Then just let the clutch out smoothly and continue accelerating the car. Do this through all the gears until the car is running at a suitable RPM for the speed (around 2000) or until 5th gear is reached.
Now your probably wondering what to do when stopping. Well there are two options. You can simply put the car in neutral(clutch pushed in or shifter in center) and stop using only the brake pedal. Or you can use a process called down shifting or "jaking" often used by truck drivers to slow down their heavy trucks. This is a process in which you shift the car to a lower gear then you are currently in and let the clutch out which causes the engine to be spinning slower than the wheels resulting in the car being slowed down.
Now that you have the basics covered your ready to REALLY learn how to drive a stick shift. It is a fun and rewarding skill to learn and I recommend that everyone at least learn evan if they don't plan on owning a stick shift.
I have been able to drive a car with a manual transmission since long before I could legally drive. I was fortunate enough to have a dad with an old 4 speed truck and a camp road to practice on. If you haven't had such an opportunity then this essay is for you.
Before we get into how to actually drive a vehicle with a manual transmission I will first explain what a transmission does and the difference between a manual and an automatic. The way that engines work, they have to be constantly spinning (running) or they will die (shut off). And as we all know in order for a car to move the wheels have to be forcefully turned via the engine. Here arises the problem. How can we keep the engine spinning when the we need the wheels to stop? This is were the transmission comes in to play. For an automatic this process although it sounds much simpler is actually fairly new technology compared to the manual transmission. The way that an automatic transmission connects the engine to the wheels is a device called a torque converter. A torque converter is a small round case filled with fluid. Two shafts, one connected to the wheels and one connected to the engine's transmission enter the case opposite each other. Connected to these shafts are small propeller like fans. The fan connected to the engine spins the first fan which causes the fluid to spin and this motion then causes the second fan attached to the wheels to spin. Because these two shafts can spin each other but are not directly connected the engine can still spin freely even when the wheels are stopped. Modern day automatic cars lock these shafts once the car is in motion resulting in better fuel efficiency.
This problem is solved in a slightly different way with a manual transmission car. In a manual instead of the engine and wheel shafts being connected to fans they are connected to two separate pressurized plates. When the wheels are stopped these plates have to be separated in order for the engine to continue running freely. When pressure is applied back to these plates it will cause the engine to spin the wheels. This is the most confusing and difficult part of learning how to drive a manual. Applying the clutch to start the car moving. And this is where I will start my instruction.
But first I must explain how the gears inside the transmission work. I will use a ten speed bicycle to explain. The bicycle has gears 1 through ten. 1 having a ratio of many peddle spins for very little movement. But it is also the easiest gear to go with and the gear most often started in. As we move though the gears on the bike we can go faster but it is harder for the peddles (engine) to push the bike (car). Tenth gear would be our highway speed gear because it keeps the peddles moving as slow as possible for the speed resulting in less energy (fuel) used. This is almost exactly the same idea as in a car. 1st gear is our starting gear and we use the other gears to accelerate and depending on which speed we are traveling at. And 5th gear would be our highway cruising gear.
Now that I have everything explained I will start with the most difficult part of driving a manual getting the car moving form a standstill. In a manual the car is in neutral (engine running with the car stopped) when A: the car is out of gear(usually the stick in the middle standing straight up) or B: when the clutch peddle is pushes down to the ground. The car should always be started with it either in neutral or with the clutch pushed in(most manual cars will not start unless the clutch pedal is pushed in). The clutch pedal is the farthest left pedal in the car with the brake being next on the right and finally the gas pedal furthest to the right. Now the second thing to learn is how the shifter works. The standard shifter pattern is on through five gears. 1st gear is the stick left and forward 2nd is all the way left and back, 3rd is in the middle and straight forward, 4th is in the middle and straight back, and finally 5th is all the way right and forward. We will worry about reverse later on.
Ok before starting anything make sure you are comfortable, the seat is positioned properly (left foot can push the clutch peddle ALL the way to the floor), and that you have your seatbelt on(saved my life in a car crash two winters ago). To start the car depress the clutch peddle all the way to the floor, and turn the car on. Never let go of the clutch peddle unless the shifter is in neutral or you plan on moving the car( I have ran my car into the garage door by not paying attention to this). Now that the car is started and you have the clutch fully depressed put the car into first gear. First gear is always the gear used to start. Higher gears are designed for higher speed not starting. Remember how the in a manual the car is moved by the two clutch plates rubbing together and connecting causing the car to move. That is what we are doing to get the car moving. Slowly releasing the clutch peddle which in turn causes the clutch plates to push up against the engine clutch plate resulting in the car moving. The tricky part is letting the clutch peddle out slowly and steadily enough to get the car moving without the engine stalling. A good way to figure out the "feel" of the clutch and where the car will start to move at is to very slowly release the clutch peddle until the car just barely starts to move. Once you get the peddle to this point hold it there and try to keep the car moving without it stalling. This is the clutches "release" point. Once you get to this point you can either push the clutch peddle back down to the floor and disconnect the clutch plates. Or you can continue to let the peddle out slowly causing the plates to connect fully and get the car moving steadily in first gear. Now many people have a hard time doing this because the engine will stall out easily because it is only idling (running at stopped speed with no gas applied). A way to solve this problem is to give the car a little gas simultaneously as you are slowly letting the clutch out. This increases the cars RPM's (rotations per minute) making it less likely to stall out. After you have this mastered the rest is a breeze to learn.
The next part of driving after you have the car moving along in 1st gear is shifting the car through the gears as you accelerate faster. Similar to the bike once the car gets going to fast in 1st gear its going to be revving the engine very fast but the car will be moving very slow. So we have to "shift" the car to the next highest gear which is 2nd gear. To do this the engine has to be momentarily disconnected from the wheels. To do this we simply push the clutch peddle down. This makes it possible to pull the shifter back and left into second gear. Then just let the clutch out smoothly and continue accelerating the car. Do this through all the gears until the car is running at a suitable RPM for the speed (around 2000) or until 5th gear is reached.
Now your probably wondering what to do when stopping. Well there are two options. You can simply put the car in neutral(clutch pushed in or shifter in center) and stop using only the brake pedal. Or you can use a process called down shifting or "jaking" often used by truck drivers to slow down their heavy trucks. This is a process in which you shift the car to a lower gear then you are currently in and let the clutch out which causes the engine to be spinning slower than the wheels resulting in the car being slowed down.
Now that you have the basics covered your ready to REALLY learn how to drive a stick shift. It is a fun and rewarding skill to learn and I recommend that everyone at least learn evan if they don't plan on owning a stick shift.