Be A Better Man In 30 Days | Day 4: Know How To Handle a 5-Speed
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Driving a manual transmission is slowly working its way into the history books. Especially in this day and age, what with the higher-end manufacturers making SMG, PDK, flappy paddle gearboxes, and various other clutchless-manuals (no, not automatic’s with shiftmatic settings) that perform equally and sometimes better than even the best drivers. It seems fewer and fewer drivers care about the ability to improve gas mileage, experience greater vehicle control, amp up their driving enjoyment, or the indisputable fact that chicks dig the stick! I doubt any of the GP Crew members based in larger metropolitan areas do. I certainly wouldn’t.
These days, learning to drive with an automatic is almost de facto. It’s a sad byproduct of generations succumbing to the slushbox and its driving dynamic succubus qualities. For any driving enthusiast, this is a sad notion. It makes us lazier drivers and, in the end, everyone loses. I still recall hounding my friend to teach me how to drive his manual Volkswagen Jetta and I still remember the ever-so brief instructions he gave me. They were the ones he had learned only weeks prior. They went something like this…
- Push clutch all the way down.
- Put car in gear.
- Let out clutch slow.
- Give it some gas… WAIT, NOT TOO MUCH! WAIT, NOT ENOUGH! WAIT, WHAT’S THAT SMELL (oh, it’s the clutch, melting)?!
- Repeat.
Granted I’ve come a long way since then, and, though I’m no stock car racer, I often find myself cringing when getting into the car with an unaware driver at the helm of a manual. The following are a few simple tips to improve your manual driving skills.
The Clutch is Your Friend, Not The Town Bike. Don’t Ride It.
It is not uncommon for drivers to reach over 100,000 miles on the original clutch. It is also not uncommon to hear about people who burn their clutches out at 20,000 miles. Essentially, if the clutch isn’t all the way down or up (FYI: pressing the clutch pedal disengages the clutch and vice-versa), you’re riding the clutch. Typical practices suggest you spend 1 to 2 seconds releasing the clutch and easing the car into gear. Not only is smooth shifting an essential man-practice, it won’t give your passenger(s) whiplash either.
Don’t Use The Clutch To Brake.
Have you ever had someone tell you to use your clutch to save your brakes? Chances are, it’s probably the same guy who replaces his clutch every 20,000 miles. If you haven’t checked (and likely you haven’t), it’s cheaper to replace your brakes than your clutch. Here is the proper way to Engine Brake:
The key is rev-matching. What the hell is rev-matching? Well it’s this: when downshifting (to engine brake), you should tap the gas (blip the throttle) to increase your RPMs to the same point they would be in the lower gear before letting the clutch out. Relying on your clutch to do the rev-matching for you will not only slow you down but also burn through your clutch quicker. Some modern cars like the new Nissan 370Z have internal computers to do this for you making you look like a manual driving hero. For those of us without such electronic gizmos, the aforementioned steps will get you rev-matching. It takes some time, practice, and really getting to know your car’s behavior.
Stay In Neutral When Stopped At A Light.
It’s always easy to forget the basics but here’s a friendly reminder: always keep your car in neutral when stopped at a light. Keeping your car in gear with the clutch disengaged burns your clutch (yes, sounds backwards). Staying in neutral also helps in case you get rear-ended. The last thing you want to do is have your foot slip off the clutch and lurch into the car in front of you or, worse, into a busy intersection.
Hopefully, these tips are just a quick refresh to your Speed Racer/Mario Andretti/Dale Gordon-like driving skills. Just remember that avoiding any technique that rides the clutch means you’ll spend more time in gear and less time in transition. After all, less wear = less money on repairs and replacements. Not to mention the most important aspect of all - you’ll drive and look like a man in control of his ride.
If you’re like me, you learn well from someone demonstrating. Here’s a (decent) video I found on YouTube of some advanced manual transmission driving techniques.
Let’s continue the conversation. Do you ghost brake when your friend (god bless him/her) is at the wheel? Do you wince when a fellow driver has no idea that they constantly mash the throttle instead of easing? Share your horror stories or tips below and spare the world one more burnt clutch.
As someone who grew up with an automatic and now lives in Manhattan I can only read this piece and longingly dream about real driving. Good tips though.
Amen to it all. Nice tips. I wish I could heel-and-toe but my feet are too big for my car's small pedals and foot well.
Couple more things: while you're moving, always have the car in a gear. Don't drift around a cloverleaf exit ramp riding the brakes, with the clutch pedal pushed in. Pick your gear and slow down as you enter the turn, get off the brakes and be ready to accelerate out of the turn.
I'm sure we could get a nice debate going here on starting out in second gear. I do it as long as the car is rolling on flat or downhill pavement. Saves a shift and saves 1st gear synchromesh. Always first gear from a dead stop. I'm sure others might disagree.
And use the upper end of your car's RPM band once in a while, especially four cylinder engines. Saving gas is great most of the time. But wasting torque, fun and a nice exhaust note is a crime. It's the beauty of a manual transmission!
I'm sure we could get a nice debate going here on starting out in second gear. I do it as long as the car is rolling on flat or downhill pavement. Saves a shift and saves 1st gear synchromesh. Always first gear from a dead stop. I'm sure others might disagreehere!
Totally agree.
While the video does leave things to be desired, his heel-and-toe-ing is pretty damned good.
Jason, I also have to agree with you. I too will commonly start in 2nd gear unless at a complete stop. Great points to remember about exit ramps and turning as well, not to mention using the higher RPMs! Might as well have some fun. That's what its there for!
Ever thought about getting racing pedals? Might help some with your big feet and pedal spacing. Not sure what you can do about the foot well though.
Jason, I also have to agree with you. I too will commonly start in 2nd gear unless at a complete stop. Great points to remember about exit ramps and turning as well, not to mention using the higher RPMs! Have some fun. That's what its there for!
Ever thought about getting racing pedals? Might help some with your big feet and pedal spacing. Not sure what you can do about the foot well though.
this so makes me want a manual transmission car again. i learned to drive on a five but have since migrated to automatic. good post. i've never heel-and-toed before. and i learned a few things about double clutching too.
Funny that you mention waylaying the clutch on a VW Jetta; I had the same experience, only from the other seat. In college, I had a pretty nice 1.8T Jetta on which I taught my then girlfriend (now wife) to operate a manual transmission. That clutch definitely got smoked in the process. To her credit, she did go on to bigger and better things as a gear grinding Jeep driver in later years.
Forgive the utter hypocrisy of this statement (in light of the fact that I drive an auto in my company car), but driving almost isn't worth doing without shift lever in hand. When I make it big, I'll get people to do my errands and my taxes but changing gears I'll keep a personal handle on.
this so makes me want a manual transmission car again. i learned to drive on a five but have since migrated to automatic. good post. i've never heel-and-toed before. and i learned a few things about double clutching too.
I don't think I'll ever go back to an automatic. Sure, sitting in traffic sucks with a clutch, but nothing beats a manual on an open road or something really windy. What's the best car you've driven with a manual? I currently drive a Wrangler and its loads of fun, but the nicest has been a 330i BMW, it practically shifted itself.
Also remember that you never have to worry about a dead battery with a manual transmission, you can always roll start the car and pop the clutch!
that was a favorite move of mine during high school when we were sneaking out late at night. roll the car down the hill, coast a little bit, pop the clutch when out of audible range, then laugh all the way to the party.