Stick Shift Driving

NYC Driving Lessons

Stick Shift Driving Lessons in NYC

by Leave a Comment

Driving Lessons

Finding a good place to give stick shift driving lessons in NYC isn’t the easiest task, but if you know what to look for, it isn’t that hard either. Ideally, you want to avoid hills, one lane or tight streets and heavy traffic areas. The biggest inconvenience is other motorists interfering with your learning concentration. A honk is the number one concentration breaker.

Look for an open flat area. Ideally, you’d want some obstacles, but make sure that you can control the situations you put yourself in or whoever you’re teaching. For example, if you find a nice hill near by, make sure you can put the hazard lights on and pull over to the side. Traffic should be able to maneuver  around you easily.

Don’t resort to parking lots for driving lessons. Parking lots won’t prepare anyone effectively. Open, flat roads with light traffic and obstacles close by are ideal. For obstacles, make sure you have one small hill, one large hill and one long stretch of road for gear cycling.

 

Buying a Stick Shift Car

by 1 Comment



Buying a stick shift car can be intimidating. Stick shift cars are very similar to any other car. The only difference is the manual transmission and clutch pedal. Knowing what to look for and how to detect the problems is key.

Key Points

    • Of course, mileage is very important
    • If you’re buying a used car, check the oil, tires and go for a test drive
    • Step on the clutch and see where it begins to engage
    • Make sure the emergency brakes aren’t worn out
    • Test drive the car and go through every gear
    • Put the car in neutral and rev the engine to make sure it’s smooth
    • Make sure you get an accurate background for the car


Buying a Stick Shift Car

Check the mileage and the oil. Cars that are driven in the city usually have more wear and tear than cars driven in suburbs. Turn on the car and rev the engine. It should be smooth. Take it for a test drive and listen for ticking in the engine. Listen for any knocking noises when making turns to make sure there is no problems with the bearings. The muffler shouldn’t be smoking. On a cold day, some white smoke will come out when the car is first turned on, but that’s normal.

Check the Clutch



Stick shift cars have clutches, so make sure the clutch doesn’t catch too high.. Put the car into first gear and start coming off the clutch. Most clutches begin to catch about half way up or sometimes a little more. Make sure the clutch doesn’t catch too high, or else that means it’s worn out and needs to be replaced soon.

For new cars, the clutch will be very responsive. The window to buffer the friction point will be smaller. It’s like taking two magnets and bringing them close together. When you get too close, they will snap together. Same with a brand new clutch. As you come off the new clutch, it will get to the point of friction and quickly engage. Most new clutches need to be broken in.

Preparing to Drive Stick Shift

by Leave a Comment

Stick shift and automatic follow the same rules of the road. However, there are a few differences in stick shift driving that may have you feeling awkward.


Stick Shift Key Points

  • Having comfortable footwear is essential for handling the clutch
  • Seating position is important. You might have to move your seat up
  • Use the ball of your foot on the clutch to push it down
  • If you need to adjust your foot on the clutch, put the car in neutral first
  • Push the clutch down all the way until it hits the floor
  • Don’t lean your heel on the floor. Keep your foot lifted
  • The gas is more sensitive initially, until the clutch starts engaging

 

Stick Shift Preparation

The first thing you want to do before you even get into a stick shift car is making sure you’re wearing proper shoes. Sneakers work best. Often times, people will have a hard time with boots, flip flops and dress shoes. The clutch pedal itself is very awkward, so proper footwear is important.

The next most important thing is seating position. This is very important because of the clutch. You want to make sure you can go down on the clutch all the way until it can’t go anymore comfortably. Make sure you have your other foot down on the brakes when you go down on the clutch, just a good habit for safety. When pressing down on the clutch, use the ball of your foot. Get into the habit of having your foot lifted the entire time instead of resting your heel on the floor as you use the clutch.


Simple Things to Look out For

For a beginner driving stick shift, sometimes you will need to adjust your foot position on the clutch. If you find yourself holding the clutch down in an awkward position, just pop it out of gear and into neutral, adjust your foot and you’re ready to go!


When starting up on the gas, you will notice that the engine is extremely sensitive and will rev quickly. This is because the engine is not engaged to anything and has no force to pull yet. The more you come off the clutch,  the more friction, meaning the engine (gas pedal) will become less sensitive.

Driving manual transmission on open roads is not as dangerous for beginners as one would think. Traffic laws, distancing, etc is all the same on the road. Starting and stopping will be the main issue. Follow these few simple steps and make stick shift driving an easier task.

 

To learn more about a manual transmission, you can check out the stick shift wiki

Stick Shift Driving Lesson: Hill Starts

by Leave a Comment

Hill starts have to be the hardest skill to tackle for new stick shift drivers by far.  If pulling off from a dead stop wasn’t hard enough, add the pressure of rolling back and the feeling of losing control of the car………….Now that’s stressful for any beginner.

 

Key Points for Hill Starts

    • Don’t panic. Panic will get in the way of your concentration and create more room for error.
    • Don’t hesitate! The more you hesitate, the more time you allow for the car to roll back on a hill start!!
    • Come off of the clutch quickly into the friction point, but do not come off the clutch fully!
    • Hold your foot on the clutch at the friction point long enough for the car to pick up enough speed to avoid stalling.



Panic

Panic is probably the number one thing that makes hill starts for a beginner so hard. The idea of losing control and the sensation of “falling back” coming together make concentration really hard. The best way to eliminate the panic is to find a wide, clear hill with very little traffic and practice.

The last thing you want to do is probably going to be the first thing you’re going to do out of reflex. Slamming on the gas and popping of the clutch is the worst thing you can do. Giving the car excessive gas won’t help stop the roll back because the clutch isn’t engaged yet. Popping off the clutch quickly will engage the clutch quick, but the clutch to gas ratio is out of balance so the car will jolt forward and the wheels will probably skid.

 

Hesitation



Hesitation is the second reflex to get rid of. Since adding excess gas and popping of the clutch made the car jump forward uncomfortably, now there is hesitation. The second to last thing you want to do is to come off the clutch VERY slowly while increasing the gas excessively. You’ll quickly notice that no matter how much gas you give it, the car will not go anywhere. That’s because the clutch isn’t engaged so the car can’t go anywhere.

 

Starting Smoothly on a Hill

Getting a smooth hill start with a stick shift car takes time and practice. The time to learn it can be cut down drastically with the proper techniques to practice.

The key is to come off the clutch into the catch point quickly and without hesitation. The catch point is the point of release on the clutch where the car starts to react (move, shutter, etc). Once at the friction point, you should hold your foot there until the car gains some speed before letting the clutch go completely.


The gas is very important in this picture. Gas should be applied before reaching the friction point so the reaction of the car at the friction point is more efficient.

Don’t worry so much about giving it a lot of gas or too little at the moment. As you get better, you will naturally find the right balance of gas. For now, just focus on climbing the hill with little to no rolling.

You can check out more about Hill Starts at this site for a different opinion.

Quick. Catch. Hold……Success!

 

Stick Shift Driving Lesson: Down Shifting

by 1 Comment


Key Points

    • If the gas is too responsive, it’s time to up shift
    • If the gas is hardly responding, it’s time to down shift
    • Downshift if the RPM drops below 2000 while driving or slowing down
    • Take your time. There is usually a lot of time to downshift
    • Come off the clutch much slower when down shifting



Introduction to Down Shifting

Down shifting is a little different than shifting up in gear. Downshifting is useful with sudden slow downs and speed ups in day to day traffic. The main difference between down shifting and up shifting is the engine power.

Down shifting goes from low engine power to higher engine power, meaning more response from the engine. More response means the car is going to react more abruptly. The best way to avoid the abrupt reaction is to smooth the transition into the lower gear. Come off the clutch slower and softer than an up shift. That will solve that problem and make down shifting better.

When to Down Shift

If you’re slowing down for any reason, it’s a good idea to consider down shifting. If traffic ahead is slowing down, you’re coming up to a sharp turn, or you’re approaching an exit from the highway, it’s a good idea to consider down shifting.

It’s a good idea to experiment with different gears at different speeds. The more experimenting you do, the better and quicker you can grasp the concept of down shifting.