How To Drive A Stick Shift

My Personal Experience:  

I was 15 turning 16 whenever I was taught to drive a stick shift. My stepdads old truck was a 5-speed manual and he told me it could be mine and that I needed to learn. Not only did I need to learn to drive that truck but learning how to drive one has helped me out for several reasons. Whenever I was learning I did the normal thing when learning which is you stall out by letting the clutch out too fast. But by learning how to drive a stick has helped me out in the real world having to drive or move a car for someone because they don't know how to drive a stick. 

The Invention of the Stick Shift: 

The first stick shift car was invented by two french guys by the names of Louis-Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor. They created the first 3-speed vehicle in 1894 which is the basic design that is still the starting point in today's modern society. Most of the cars back in the first half of the 20th century, the manual was standard among the vehicles. However, most Americans nowadays use and prefer automatic transmission vehicle but in other countries, overseas they are still standardizing manual vehicles to operate. 

How To Learn To Drive a Stick in Ten Simple Steps!

Step One: It's very important to make sure you know which pedals are defined. For instance, the gas pedal and brake are in the same places they normally are there is just one more pedal added to the left of the brake and that pedal is called the clutch.

Step Two: You want to make sure the vehicle has the parking brake on and that it's in neutral which is in the middle of all the gears and you can tell whenever you can move your gear shift knob from side to side.

Step Three: You then want to press the clutch in (towards the ground) all the way, and then turn the key to start the vehicle and then with the brake on and vehicle in neutral you can take your foot off of the clutch.

Step Four: Press the brake and take the parking brake off while holding the clutch in and put the vehicle into 1st gear by taking the shift knob in neutral, all the way to the left and up and it should slide into gear.

Step Five: Take your foot off the brake and press the gas a little bit and slowly let off the clutch. While you're slowly letting off the clutch you need to be giving it more gas, but don't let the clutch out too fast because that'll cause you to stall out and that'll cut the vehicle off.

Step Six: Once you get moving in 1st gear, you're going to want to shift at 2500-3000 RPMs. To get into 2nd gear you press the clutch in (while moving) and then you take the gear shift knob and you pull it straight down, all the way down into 2nd gear. 2nd gear is about 25 mph.

Step Seven: Going from 2nd gear to 3rd gear you want to press in the clutch and take the shift knob up into neutral and slightly to the right and up. You don't want to force it because if you force it you'll end up in 5th, not 3rd, which is a very common occurrence. Just barely go to the right and it'll grab into 3rd. 3rd gear is about 35 mph.

Step Eight: When you're in 3rd and you want to go to 4th gear, just press the clutch in and take the shift knob straight down into 4th gear and then let off the clutch while you're still rolling. 4th gear also runs about 45 mph.

Step Nine: Whenever you're in 4th gear and you want to shift into fifth gear this is what you do. You press in the clutch and from fourth you go up into neutral, then go all the way over to your right and then you go up and that's fifth gear. Also, 5th gear roughly runs about 55mph or so.

Step Ten: To get into your last gear needed (reverse), from neutral, press in the clutch and go all the way to the right and down. When your in reverse just take your foot off the brake and ease off the clutch and give it a little gas and the vehicle should start to move.

Advantages of a Stick Shift: 

• Being able to drive one will help you out in real-world problems by being able to drive a stick
• Manuals are lower in price than an Automatic vehicle
• They are better on gas as opposed to an automatic vehicle

Disadvantages of a Stick Shift:

• They are not ideal for driving in traffic with all the stopping and going
• Their also a little bit harder to drive rather than an Automatic
• Not being able to learn how to drive it off the get-go like you would an Automatic