I am sure there are countless articles and instructions online about how to drive a manual transmission car, but I am going to share a secret that will guarantee you can drive one, no matter what.
Why do you need to know in the first place? After all, most cars on the road today are automatics, you may even own an auto and never see yourself driving a stick. Without going into why I prefer manual transmissions, let me present a little scenario.
You are out on the weekend with your buddy and some ladies. Things are going well when out of nowhere your buddy gets sick as hell, one too many Jager bombs perhaps. It’s definitely time to go so you carry him out to his car. After situating him in the backseat and loading up the girls you climb into his car ready to drive off, only to discover it is a stick shift! As a man reading this you should already feel some sweat bullets forming. You realize you only have one option, to ask if one of the girls knows how to drive the car. If you are fortunate neither one will and you can at least save some of your ego, most likely though one of those ladies will have learned to drive on their parent’s old Volvo or something and will step in and save the day, leaving you looking like a big pansy holding your buddy’s head up in the back seat.
As a man you should know how to operate virtually any type of machinery, and definitely something as common as a stick shift car.
With that said, lets get started.
Driving a manual is not difficult, in fact, if you understand how it works you should be able to teach yourself in no time. When I bought my first car my dad let me drive it around a parking lot to get a feel for it. After that, I drove it over 10 miles home. The next day I drove to town with my two brothers. I had never touched a stick shift before that.
When you first get in the car you will notice three pedals, from left to right they are the clutch, brake, and gas. To start the car all you have to do differently is fully press the clutch while you crank it. Easy.
Next, shift to first gear. To do this simply push the shift lever all the way to the left and then up. Actually most gear shifters have the locations of the gears marked on the top, so it is simple.
Now it is time for the secret. Most people, when teaching others to drive a manual, will tell you that now you should slowly start releasing the clutch while simultaneously pressing down gradually on the gas. And, like most people, if you follow this advice you will immediately stall the car.
What happens is the car isn’t producing enough power to overcome its own weight and it gives up, it stalls. The secret is simple, don’t try and simultaneously do anything. Rev the car up to 2500, or even 3000 rpms and keep it there. Then you can start slowly releasing the clutch. This ensures the vehicle is making enough power to get started and will not stall. The key is: when in doubt, give it more gas.
Now I can already hear the experienced manual drivers cringing, isn’t this bad for the car and clutch? Well, first of all, if you already know how to drive a stick why are you reading this article? Seriously though, this article is meant to give the average guy the emergency knowledge necessary to keep from looking like a total wuss if the need ever arises to drive a stick.
If you can remember to always rev up the engine first you will be guaranteed to get to your location. You may look like somewhat of a novice but you won’t be stuck stalling in the parking lot while the young lady in the passenger seat is thinking, “don’t be such a pansy”.
