Drive A Manual Transmission Stick Shift
| Field | How to drive stick |
| Went Obsolete | With the popularization of the automatic transmission during the 1960s (although the automatic was first introduced in the 1940s) |
| Made Obsolete By | The automatic transmission |
| Knowledge Assumed | The clutch is the pedal on the far left, the brake is in the middle and gas is on the right. Start the car by depressing both the clutch and gas, then the ignition key with parking brake engaged (note: this is usually done while in the "neutral" setting, however it is not necessary). Next, put the car into gear. There is often a little diagram on the top of the gear shift lever, which is the joystick-looking thing the the center of the cockpit. If you want have a forward start, engage clutch, pull shift-lever back and all the way to the left, engaging first gear. Slowly increase gas while removing clutch, not too slowly though or you will be "riding the clutch" characterized by a loud spinning noise accompanied by a grinding sensation that will permeate the floorboards of your car. When you start moving at 5-10 mph, release the gas, re-engage the clutch and shift into second gear, (please refer to diagram) re-engage gas in order to continue accelerating to such time you will need to shift into third gear, etc. This may be judged by observing two common indicators: the tachometer, which displays the engine's revolutions per minute (RPMs?) and the pitch of the engine sound. For the former method, you must find out what RPM range is ideal for your car's performance and attempt to maintain it by shifting up for higher speeds and down for higher torque/acceleration. The sound of the engine will rise in pitch as the engine's speed approaches the point where you must shift up a gear to maintain the optimum number of RPM, and vice-versa for descending gears/speed. |
| When useful | Whenever you are driving a particularly old car or one of the few modern cars that are released in a stick shift. It should be noted that the manual transmission improves fuel efficiency by both reducing weight and more closely maintaining the optimum operation speed of your engine (RPM). The ability to operate a manual transmission is often a necessary skill when renting a U-Haul or similar larger truck. Above a certain size truck, automatic transmissions are not available. Many sports car enthusiasts prefer a manual transmission as well. |
| Is this really an outdated skill? | Not in most of the world anyway. The manual transmission is only rare for passenger vehicles in the US and Japan. In Europe it's a very much required skill as the majority of cars - even new ones - are stick-shift. All performance cars are stick-shift. It's just that few, if any, minivans and sedans offer manual as an option. |
Sadly, it seems that a small minority of drivers in the U.S. still know how to drive with a manual transmission. Recently (2008), a man in Florida was shot to death by two carjackers because they couldn't drive his car with its stick shift.
I don't understand where the notion that "you can hardly find manual transmissions" is coming from. They are an easily available option on a great many sedans, and are absolutely required for larger trucks. I think this entry reflects the (in)experience of a few authors who don't understand just how widespread this technology still is.
Not to mention that manual transmissions are usually more fuel efficient than automatic. A skill to learn when you want to save gas.
In Russia, the ability to drive a manual shift car is required to pass the state driving exam, regardless of what kind of car you plan to eventually drive. The great majority of all cars, as well as the majority of newly sold cars, are manual shift.
This is a great entry, but is very America-centric. Most of the world still uses manual transmissions in small cars. Why? Fuel economy and better performance from pint-sized engines. Newer five speed electronic autos are eliminating this advantage, and paddleshifters will probably eventually supercede manuals outside of enthusiast applications.