How to Drive a Stick Shift

Learning how to drive a stick shift is much more involved than learning an automatic transmission. Driving a stick shift takes more concentration and movement. It can be quite a challenge until you learn the rhythm that a standard transmission demands. With a little patience and practice, though, you'll find that driving with a stick shift becomes second nature.

Until you've built some confidence, it's best to practice in an open area without other cars around. That way you won't stall out and annoy other drivers. Office parks and schools have open parking lots that are usually empty on the weekends, or you can look for a quiet residential street.

Starting a Stick Shift

• Put your foot on the brake and make sure the vehicle is in neutral. In most cars, neutral is in the center and the shifter will have some side-to-side and forward-backward movement.
• Leave your right foot on the brake and push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor with your left foot. Start the vehicle.

Finding the Gears
Most stick shift vehicles have the gears arranged in an H pattern for the shifter. The top left of the H is first gear, straight down is second, the top right is third and the bottom right is fourth. Reverse may be off to the left or the right of the H. It is usually marked on the shifter handle. To find reverse, move the gear shift lever into neutral, then push it all the way to the left or right, then up or down. The location depends on the year, make and model of the vehicle.

Driving
Put the vehicle in first gear, making sure your foot is on the brake and the clutch. Let the clutch up slowly and push the gas pedal. If you let the clutch out too fast, the vehicle will buck and possibly stall. If you let it out too slow, you may over rev the engine. After a few practice starts, you will learn how fast to let the clutch out and how far to push the gas for your particular vehicle.

At this point, you will be moving forward. Push the gas pedal to increase speed. When you get to the shift point, which depends on the year, make and model of the vehicle), push the clutch in and let your foot off the gas, all at the same time. Shift the car into second, then quickly press the gas pedal to bring the vehicle back up to speed. Go through third and fourth gears the same way. Don't try to switch gears with your foot on the gas or you'll damage the transmission.

Coming to a Stop
When coming to a stop, press the clutch pedal in and press the brake pedal. Downshift to the next gear and let the clutch out, or just keep the clutch and the brake pressed and come to a stop. Start again in first gear.