A Manual for Manuals

Written by u/burgher89

So… you bought a car with a manual transmission… now what?  We’re going to cover a couple topics here, from how a manual transmission works, some things to do when you’re first getting used to rowing your own gears, frequently asked questions, and some bad habits to avoid for both beginners and veterans.  Hopefully this will be a useful tool for everyone.  I myself have been driving manual cars exclusively for 16 years now, but I am always willing to learn and admit that I don’t know everything, so where I can I’ve added sources from people who know more than me.

Table of Contents

How a Manual Transmission Works: Pg 2

How to Drive a Manual Vehicle: Pg 3-5

Common Bad Habits: Pg 6

FAQ: Pg 7-8

How a Manual Transmission Works

        I firmly believe that understanding what is happening in the “guts” of the car helps with understanding not just how to drive it, but WHY you should or shouldn’t do certain things with a manual vehicle.  So before we even begin with driving, let’s talk about what is actually happening in a manual vehicle.  I’m going to simplify as much as possible, we’re just looking for a basic understanding here.

        A manual transmission is one of the more simple ways to transfer the power of the engine to the driven wheels of the car.  The movement of the pistons in the engine spins the crankshaft which in turn spins the flywheel (see assembly here).  The flywheel and clutch plate both have high friction surfaces that, when the clutch pedal is fully out, are pressed against each other by means of a pressure plate so that they are effectively welded together. The clutch plate is connected to the input shaft which turns the gears, the gears turn the drive shaft, and the drive shaft turns the wheels.  When you push the clutch pedal in, the pressure plate releases, pulling the clutch plate away from the flywheel and breaking the connection from the engine to the wheels of the car.  

        When you set off from a standstill in a manual car, you are letting the flywheel and clutch plate come into contact with each other by means of letting out the clutch pedal, while at the same time adding power from the engine by means of the gas pedal.  As the clutch plate contacts the flywheel they will begin to grip each other and the movement of the flywheel will make the clutch plate spin. The more you let the clutch pedal out, the more they will grip.  This connection, with power from the engine, spins the clutch plate, which spins the gear, which turns the driveshaft, which begins to move the wheels of the car.  Pulling the clutch pedal out too quickly without enough gas will stall the car as the load (weight of the car) becomes too much for the engine to overcome.  Pulling the clutch pedal out too slowly with too much gas will cause the flywheel to spin at too fast of a speed compared to the clutch plate.  If you’ve ever experienced a burning smell from your clutch after a start, this is what has happened.  Essentially what you’re doing when you start from a standstill is balancing the load of the car with the power of the engine so that the engine can overcome this load.

        When you shift gears, you push the clutch pedal in, which breaks the connection between engine and wheels, allowing you to select a new gear, then you let the clutch pedal out which reconnects the engine to the wheels.  If you are shifting up, the higher gear selected will require less engine speed (RPMs) to drive the car at the same road speed (MPH/KPH) than the lower gear.  When shifting down the opposite is true, and the lower gear will require more engine speed for the same road speed. (Here is a somewhat dry but informative YouTube video)

How to Drive a Manual Vehicle

        I’ve always felt that this should come with a The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy style DON’T PANIC to set people at ease.  If you’re just getting started, it will be unusual, awkward, and probably frustrating, but with practice you will build muscle memory and it will become just as automatic as… driving an automatic.  In a manual vehicle you have a gas pedal and brake pedal just like you do in an automatic vehicle.  You also have a clutch pedal which is used for setting off from a standstill, and allowing you to shift gears while moving.  Instead of the usual gear selector with park, reverse, neutral, and drive, you have a shifter with an H-pattern and usually a knob indicating where you should move the shifter for each gear (several common H-pattern layouts).  Most modern cars have either 5 or 6 forward gears, and a reverse gear.  Neutral is the space in the middle of the H (the line running perpendicular to the gear slots), and in modern consumer vehicles, when in neutral, the shifter will move to the center of this line when you let go of it (between 3rd and 4th gear on most vehicles).

*Before you even get behind the wheel, the “OH SHIT!” button for a manual vehicle is pushing the clutch pedal and the brake pedal at the same time*

        To start moving from a stop:  I recommend beginning on flat ground, preferably with someone who knows how to drive a manual in the passenger seat.  To start the engine, push the clutch pedal all the way in and press the brake, then turn the key or hit the start button (some vehicles require the car to be in neutral to start the engine).  Once the engine is started you may pull the clutch pedal out IF the car is in neutral.  To begin moving push the clutch pedal all the way in and move the shifter to first gear.  Then start to pull the clutch pedal out, adding gas at the same time.  The car will begin to move, and how quickly you start is based on how quickly you let the clutch out and how much gas you add:  let the clutch out more slowly with less gas for a slower start, let the clutch out quickly with more gas for a faster start.  I’ve seen some advice on Reddit and elsewhere to rev up BEFORE starting to let the clutch out, and while this will certainly work (google: launching car), I don’t recommend it for the long term health of your clutch plate and flywheel.  Regardless of how quickly you start, it should be smooth.  I recommend starting slower when learning how to drive a manual, speed will come with more practice.  This also brings us to my first tip for brand new manual drivers:

        The “bite point” exercise:  As you let the clutch pedal out, there is a point where the clutch plate and flywheel start to grip each other, often called the bite point or friction point.  In order to find it, start your engine with the car on flat ground, push the clutch pedal in and put it in neutral, no gas, no brakes.  Now, with the clutch pedal still in, shift into first gear and VERY slowly let the clutch pedal out without pressing the gas.  At a certain point, the car will begin to move forward.  THAT is the bite point.  When starting from a stop, that is the point where you need to begin adding gas.  Repeat this exercise until that point is in your muscle memory.  This will make you able to get moving from a standstill more easily, all you’ll need to do is pull the clutch up to that point and begin adding gas as you continue to let the clutch out.  Having that point burned into your muscle memory will also come in handy for other things, including: Hill starts… few things strike fear into the heart of newbies like hill starts.  If you’ve done the bite point exercise enough times, hill starts will be much easier.  Pull the clutch pedal out to the bite point quickly, give it juuuust a little more gas than usual, then keep adding gas as you continue to pull the clutch pedal out.  A lot of modern cars have a hill start assist which holds the brake for a second to keep the car from rolling backwards, allowing for an easier start.  You can do the same thing with the handbrake if your vehicle doesn’t have a hill start assist.  Engage the handbrake, and start easing off the clutch pedal and onto the gas, then when the car feels like it’s pushing against the handbrake, disengage the handbrake.  Personally, I recommend just practicing on gentle hills if you can, then as you get better increase the steepness.

        Upshifting:  You’ll notice that when you start in first gear, the RPMs will climb pretty quickly.  You’ll eventually need to shift into a higher gear.  On flat ground driving normally, I usually shift at somewhere between 2500 and 3000 RPMs.  To shift up: 1) Let the gas pedal out. 2) Push the clutch pedal in. 3) Select the next highest gear. 4) Begin to let the clutch out. 5) As the clutch gets to the bite point, begin to get back on the gas, and let the clutch pedal all the way out as you continue to smoothly apply the gas.  If you’re going uphill you’ll need to shift at a little higher RPMs, and if you’re going downhill you can shift at a little lower RPMs.  Your cruising engine speed should generally be between 2000 and 3000 RPMs, but leaning more towards 3000 to prevent lugging if you need to accelerate, so shift up to whatever gear gets you in that range for the road speed you want. (Turbocharged vehicles should be kept at a little higher RPMs for cruising, lugging is bad for naturally aspirated engines, but TERRIBLE for turbocharged engines.)

        Stopping:  A modern car with modern brakes is more than capable of stopping in neutral with just the brakes.  For brand new manual drivers I recommend when you’re slowing down to leave the car in whatever gear it’s in when you start slowing down, then shifting into neutral as you come to a stop.  The higher the gear you’re in the earlier you’ll have to shift into neutral.  You’ll feel the engine vibrate (lugging) if you leave it in gear too long.  I only recommend doing it this way until you’re comfortable starting from a stop, upshifting, and driving around a little bit on the road without stalling.  After you can do those things, start practicing:

        Downshifting:  The basic process for downshifting is essentially the same as it is for upshifting.  Off gas, clutch in, select gear, clutch out… BUT, if you remember from the How a Manual Transmission Works section, the lower gear is going to require more engine speed (RPMs) than the higher gear.  If you downshift at a relatively low engine speed (generally <2000 RPMs) you can do it pretty quickly and smoothly just by shifting down and letting the clutch pedal out.  If your engine speed is above that though, you’re going to need to get the flywheel moving closer to the speed of the clutch plate in order to downshift smoothly.  You can do this by shifting and letting the clutch pedal out slowly (clutch braking), but that will cause wear on the clutch plate and flywheel, and if done too quickly will send a shock through the drivetrain which isn’t particularly good for any of those parts (doesn’t feel great for driver or passengers either).  The best way to smoothly downshift is to Rev Match, which means matching the engine speed to what the speed of the clutch plate will be in the new lower gear, so that the flywheel and clutch plate are moving at as close to the same speed as possible when they come back into contact.  Most gears are approximately a 500 RPM difference from each other (1-2 and 2-3 tend to be a little bigger of a gap) so the process is this:  Off gas, clutch pedal in, select next lowest gear, blip gas pedal enough to raise engine speed approximately 500 RPMs, clutch pedal out.  You can make this process easier on yourself by paying attention to what your car’s engine speed is while in different gears at different speeds.  For instance, I know in my car that at 45 MPH in 4th gear my engine speed is around 2700 RPMs, and in 3rd gear at the same MPH, my engine speed is approximately 3200 RPMs.  So if I want to downshift from 4th to 3rd at 45 MPH, I know I need to blip the gas so my engine speed hits approximately 3200 RPMs before I let the clutch pedal out.  To make it easier, I recommend downshifting at the same road speeds for specific gears every time while you’re learning this technique (I used these numbers when I was learning, and still find myself using them today: 70 MPH for 6-5, 60 MPH for 5-4, 45 MPH for 4-3, 30 MPH or under for 3-2… don’t downshift into 1st while still moving except in rare circumstances, like uphill at <5 MPH).

        Do I need to downshift?  That sounds like a lot of work.:  Technically, no.  You can just cruise to stops at neutral, but it’s not hard to do with practice, and I recommend it for several reasons: 1)  You have much more control over your car when it’s in gear, and if you should need to accelerate again before coming to a full stop (light turns green, you’re clear at a yield sign, etc.) you will already be in the right gear to be able to do so.  2)  You get the benefits of engine braking, meaning that the engine will help to slow the car when you downshift, which will help your brake pads and rotors last longer.  3)  It’s more economical.  In neutral, the engine has to use gas to keep itself moving (idling).  When a manual car is in gear and moving, with no input on the gas pedal, it doesn’t use any gas!  The drivetrain keeps the engine moving, so there’s no need for the engine to consume any fuel.  How cool is that?!  You could cruise downhill forever without using a drop of fuel if you never hit the gas.

        Other general advice for newbies:  1) SLOW DOWN!  I don’t mean drive slower, drive whatever speed is appropriate, safe, and comfortable for the road and conditions.  I mean slow down what you’re doing in the car.  I see many newer manual drivers trying to rush everything they’re doing, especially shifting.  This goes back to that whole DON’T PANIC thing.  Make it smooth first, then, as you get more comfortable, it will get faster naturally.  Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.  People on the road are generally pretty oblivious for better or worse, and USUALLY aren’t nearly as worried about how fast your starts are as you are.  You can also get a magnet for learners if you’re really self conscious about your driving, might help keep the jerks at bay.  2) I caution against learning how to drive manual on performance vehicles.  Beginner mistakes are going to happen, that’s just a given, and it’s better to make them with 120HP at your disposal rather than 350HP.  I know, I know, STIs and Mustangs are fun, truly they are… but it’s better to get your stalling, clutch burning, and jerky starts out of the way on a more ummm… civilized vehicle.  Borrow a friend’s economy car if you know someone and they’re willing to let you wear their clutch a little bit (most manual drivers are pretty happy creating new converts), otherwise there are several places in most cities where you can actually take stick shift lessons and learn on a car that you’re not responsible for repairing!  3) You’re probably going to need to sit a little closer to the wheel than you do in an automatic.

Common Bad Habits

And Why You Should Break Them

Riding the clutch: Riding the clutch means keeping some, even slight, pressure on the clutch pedal when you’re not actually using it.  This will wear not just the clutch plate, but many other parts in the clutch assembly.  When you’re not actively using the clutch, it’s best to move your foot to the dead pedal to the left of the clutch pedal instead of resting on the clutch pedal.  On modern cars this pedal is oriented on the same plane as the clutch pedal, which makes it easy to switch between the two quickly.  https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/99627/what-is-riding-the-clutch 

Resting your hand on the shifter:  Whether or not it’s bad for the car, it’s DEFINITELY bad for your control of the car.  It’s always safest to have both hands on the wheel.  Watch any racing driver and you’ll see them touch the shifter just long enough to make a clean shift, then their hand is back on the wheel.  Sure, you don’t need to be slamming gears like they do, take your time, but once the shift is done get back on the wheel.  Yeah, it might look cool and you’ll feel more like Vin Diesel if you’re always on the shifter, but Fast and Furious tends to get everything about driving aggressively wrong for the sake of looking cool.

Leaving your car in gear at lights:  It seems easier, right?  Just leave it in first with the clutch pedal down, then when the light changes you can just start going straight away… but it’s bad for the car.  When you push the clutch in you’re loading the pressure plate, and while it’s meant for this, you still want to be as nice to your car’s components as you can be.  Leaving it loaded means you’re going to wear it out faster, and you do not want to deal with the aftermath of one of the pressure plate fingers breaking off and moving through your transmission at a relative speed of several thousand RPMs.  Practice starting from having the car in neutral and shifting into first, I promise with time you’ll be able to get off the line faster than almost anyone in an automatic.  

Lugging the engine:  Lugging is what occurs when you’re in too high of a gear, meaning too low of RPMs, for the load on the engine (or starting from a stop and pulling the clutch out too much without enough gas).  Not only is this inefficient, but it increases the temperature within the engine which can lead to many problems down the road if done consistently.  If you need to accelerate after slowing down, downshift.  Flooring it at low RPMs is not a nice thing to do to your car.  This is especially important in cars with turbocharged engines!  (I won’t floor my WRX unless I’m doing at least 3500 RPMs.)  https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/videos/a30431/lugging-bad-for-engine/ 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make my shift from 1-2 smoother?:  This is the hardest shift to get right, and there’s a good reason for that.  1-2 is by far the largest difference in gear ratios (ratio of number of teeth on the driven gear to number of teeth on the cog on the input shaft which drives the gear), which means that it’s also the largest difference in engine speed between these two gears.  Just grabbing some numbers from Google, the gear ratio on a 2021 Crosstrek 6MT for 1st is 3.818:1, while 2nd is 1.947:1, and 3rd is 1.296:1.  The ratio difference from 1-2 is nearly triple the difference from 2-3!  What this means when driving is that you need to slow down your 1-2 shift.  Let the engine speed fall a little bit more before you let the clutch out and get back on the gas.  You can also take 1st out to a little higher RPMs, and let the clutch out just a little slower than you do for shifts between higher gears.  This is especially important  wth newer cars that may have rev hang to help with emissions, which keep the engine speed up for a second rather than letting it drop as soon as you take your foot off the gas.  (If you have a lightweight flywheel, you can pretty much ignore everything I just said… you might need to shift FASTER to be smoother.)

I’m getting pretty good at rev matching my downshifts, except for 3-2.  What can I do to make that smoother?:  As with gear ratios from 1-2 above, the gear ratio from 3-2 is a bigger jump than it is from 4-3, 5-4, or 6-5.  Try giving that downshift more gas than you do with the others.  Every car is different, but in mine 3-2 is around a 750 RPM difference, while 4-3 and so on are a 500 RPM difference.

How do I start on a hill?:  See The “bite point” exercise above.

I put a few hundred miles on my brand new car and the clutch seems a little lighter now/the bite point feels different, is that normal?:  Yes, this is perfectly normal and to be expected.  Brand new clutches have a break in period.  Those high friction surfaces of the clutch plate and flywheel will need to be worn in a little bit.  Between practice and break in, clutches tend to get more forgiving as they’re used.

Can you shift without the clutch?:  Yes, it is possible, but you need to get your engine speed almost EXACTLY matched to the speed of the clutch plate for the gear you’re shifting into… and it’s really bad for parts in your transmission.  It’s not something I recommend doing unless absolutely necessary.  The only time I did it with any consistency was when I hurt my back, and using the clutch felt like someone was shoving a knife into the upper part of my sciatic nerve.  I would get off the gas, pull it out of gear (this is easy to do without the clutch), allow the RPMs to fall to close to what they would need to be for the next gear, then push the shifter toward the next gear and it would slide into place without using the clutch once the engine and clutch plate speeds matched.

My car is lurching/shaking when I set off, how do I stop that?:  You’re either letting the clutch out too quickly, not giving it enough gas, or likely a combination of the two.  Go back and repeat the bite point exercise and you’ll get better with practice.

Is my clutch slipping?:  Probably not, but if your RPMs go up when you’re in gear and on the gas but the car doesn’t accelerate along with them… then yeah, it’s slipping.  Time to get to the mechanic… and the bank.

My *insert relation here* told me to do it this way, but everyone here is saying the opposite, who is right?:  Not to put too much faith in internet strangers, but probably us.  We have the power of the combined knowledge of the internet on our side.  There are a lot of old school methods/ideas that aren’t relevant with today’s cars, but have stuck around regardless.  Also, experience is no guarantee of knowledge… doing something wrong for 40+ years is still doing it wrong.

How long will it take me to learn how to drive a manual car?:  Everyone learns at different speeds, but the more you do it the faster it will come.  It helps to have someone who knows what they’re doing, and how to best teach you specifically, in the passenger seat… spouses and parents aren’t always the best option for that.  As per my experience, I was back road worthy in a week or so, and traffic worthy in another couple weeks after that.  Get out and practice on un-trafficked roads as much as you can.

I’ve stalled a lot/burned my clutch a few times, am I ruining my car?  Not likely, unless you keep doing those things over time and never improve.  Manual transmissions aren’t made of glass, they can take some punishment and wear.  My brother and I learned on an Outback that we drove from <20,000 miles to >115,000 miles that still had the original clutch when I traded it in.