Two rules:
0. The gear changes when the clutch pedal is pressed.
The clutch and gas pedals work like a swing: one is pressed and the other is released.
Keeping this in mind, you will be able to drive with some success. Mastery, as always, will come with repetition.
!!!And I’m saying this, who won’t even come close to the car. But in life anything can happen and you need to know very simple rules that will allow you to drive (badly, but drive) in an emergency situation!!!🤣
Do NOT change gears without depressing the clutch.
Use Drive Gear for flat.
The higher the incline including hills, the higher the gear. Higher gears mean more efficient upward climb.
Practice how to do this in a parking lot then residential streets then major traffic then a flat highway. Only do small hills at first. This is an applied skill.
@rticks@dancinyogi This; though I’d amend 4 to Release clutch slowly, especially for 1st gear and until you get the hang of it. It gets tricky when you are on an incline - you’ll learn to release the hand brake while releasing the clutch and stepping on the gas. In time it will be second nature and lots of fun but you’ll grind a few gears before then and every so often after - I did. Upstate New York.
@dancinyogi it’s been a while, but… clutch is the foot pedal to the far left; you'll need to use it when you start or change gears. Gear shift is between the seats. There’s often a top-down diagram of which position is which on top; anywhere that's not a gear is neutral. Press the clutch, press the brake, make sure you're in neutral, start the engine. When you're ready to go, put the shifter in 1st, release the brake, slowly ease off the clutch. You’ll probably stall the engine. Good luck! 😁
@dancinyogi Go to a flat, empty parking lot. Depress clutch and put car in first gear. As slowly as possible, let out the clutch. Note what happens. Depress the clutch again and let car stop. Repeat as needed. If you want to go faster, start using the gas pedal. If you want stop quicker, use the brake. Once you figure this out, up and down shifting are pretty easy.
@dancinyogi push clutch to floor when starting, ldling, braking, or shifting. Lift up on clutch as you push down on gas. Do that every time you shift. That part takes the most practice. Shift gears in order, theres a diagram on the stick of where they are. Many cars have a dummy light that will tell you when to shift but if not do it around 2500-3000 rpm. If you slow down, go down a gear. From a complete stop go back to gear 1. When you park leave it in reverse and pull the emergency brake
@dancinyogi South Africa, where automatics are for the disabled and the elderly.
My last rental car was an automatic. I almost crashed trying to get it out of the parking lot because it turns out they just move on their own unless you actively keep your foot on the brake!
@dancinyogi@pixel I live in California but I was born in NYC and learned to drive in New Jersey. I didn't regularly drive a car with an automatic until 2007 (I learned to drive around 1973-74).
@cloudthethings@dancinyogi me too - straight from manual transmission to no transmission. I would say that the pleasure of a deft gear change or a graceful start on a nasty hill is the only thing I miss from my years of fossil-fueled driving.
@dancinyogi Possibly fun fact! For all intents and purposes I’m blind. Have been since birth. But I do know how to drive a manual! I’ll probably never take that knowledge further than the space I learned it in, for good reason let’s be honest, but I can do it!
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