Does anyone know an easy way to learn standard shift?

Answer 1

Learning to drive a manual transmission takes some patience and practice. See if this helps:

First, find a flat wide road or parking lot where there's a minimum of traffic, obstacles and distractions, etc. Turn off radio, and roll down a window or two so that you can hear the engine, and possibly be able to smell a burning clutch. Next, start the car in neutral with clutch depressed, let the car idle and begin by not touching the throttle, just hover your right foot over the brake.

Select first gear, and with your left foot depressing the clutch pedal, very slowly release the clutch pedal; the car will move forward. As you release the clutch you will notice the engine will pull the car forward, and, if your car has a tachometer, you will see the engine speed begin to drop. At that point depress the clutch pedal back in and repeat this process until you get a feel for exactly the point of travel in the clutch pedal where the engine begins to transfer power to the wheels.

As you're learning to do this, you might stall the car a couple of times; just restart and keep practicing, but if you notice a burning smell, stop the car and let the clutch cool down before you try again.

Practice the take-off from a start without adding throttle until you're comfortable, then try take-offs from a stop by now using the throttle in combination with the clutch. You'll find that once the clutch begins to grip and transfer power, that in a see-saw motion you can apply more throttle; As the clutch is being engaged, with left foot moving up, the throttle should be depressed with the right foot moving down in a smooth kind-of rocking motion.

Once you've gotten the take-off mastered, it's just a matter of upshifting as you gain speed; use the same motion as with the take-off, only shift from 1st to 2nd, and so on up through the gears. Keep in mind that you want a smooth transition of power from one gear to the next so that there is no damaging driveline shock OR clutch slip.

Downshifting is similar, and is where a manual has an advantage over an automatic, because you can use the engine as a brake which saves brake wear. This is a particularly important technique for mountainous driving. To downshift, lift off throttle, disengage clutch, shift into one gear lower, engage clutch, apply throttle.

In downshifting, be aware that you're trying to match the ground speed and engine speed up as the clutch is engaging so that you get a smooth, but quick, transition of power transfered to the wheels as you switch gears. If you have a tachometer in your car this will be easier because you can not only hear and feel what is happening, but see this displayed, too.

Whenever starting on a hill, you'll need to apply the handbrake to hold the car as you take-off; just hold the handbrake with pin depressed so you can release the brake evenly as you take off. Also, you might try a heel-and-toe technique where you depress both brake pedal and throttle simultaniously by holding both with right foot and use a sort of rocking motion to apply more throttle while releasing brake. This will take some more practice to master without frying your clutch.

When parking, whether your car is facing up or downhill, always put the car in Reverse and set the parking/hand brake, because reverse is usually a lower ratio gear than first. This way, if the brake doesn't hold, the engine will usually hold a car in place.

Finally; The worst thing you can do to an engine is to stress or lug it (the car will "buck" or shutter when this happens), try not to stress it to the point that the engine stops. It is easy to ruin an engine by over-stressing or over-reving, too, but damage by over-reving usually only happens at high RPM near red-line. So when driving, it's better for the engine speed to be too high than to be too low.

Hope you find this helpful.

Answer 2

If you already know how to drive all you need to learn is how to use the clutch. I assume you are over 18 years of age, know that you should not shift or change gears without first pressing the clutch down, and use common sense when in the car.

Two rules to remember:

1) If the car starts to stall give it either MORE gas or press down on the clutch. 98% of the time this will stop you from stalling. If it doesn't, so what. Just be sure you are not in a dangerous spot to stall. I've been driving a stick since 1991 and I still stall sometimes BUT I would NEVER again get an automatic.

2) There is "sweet spot" you find when using just the gas pedal and clutch. Once you learn where that "sweet spot" is you will have mastered a standard shift.

To find the sweet spot, turn on the car and hold it (meaning don't let it slide backwards at all) on a slight hill (like an angled driveway) using nothing more than just your gas and clutch (DO NOT USE YOUR BRAKE UNLESS you are about to slide or drive into danger or an accident). If the car starts to stall press down gently on either pedal (be careful not to ram down on the gas or you might drive into the house) JUST until you feel the car regain stability. Do this for about 15 minutes and then try to drive the car.

If you were paying attention you taught your leg muscles how far to push down on the clutch and gas to maintain the car's position.

PS - this is also why I do NOT slide down when I am stopped on a hill. That is not a must if you are driving a stick shift, its just something that happens to those who don't know how to properly drive their stick shift.

Oops, until you learn how to shift gears from just paying attention to how the car feels, a friend recommended this trick to me: don't shift to a higher gear until the RPMs are around 2.5/1000.

Answer 3

find an open place that is flat ground- start with giving it a little extra gas and very slowly letting out the clutch. if it starts to bog down push clutch back in"quikly" and do it again. learn where it starts to move and get used to that first. every car or truck is a little different. after you get used to the clutch drive around the area for and hour or so getting used to shifting. remember the left foot is for the clutch only. right foot is gas and brake only. the rest is just practice - good luck

Answer 4

practice is the only way.. i learned when my parents took me to the used car lot bought a car with a standard shift and turned to me and said.."see you at home." I putted around the parking lots for a while, getting a "feel" for when the clutch lets go and grabs and made it home quite easily.
dont be afraid of it.. just do it. try a safe empty parking lot or something like it.

Answer 5

The more you want to learn the easier it is. I went and traded in my automatic for a $30,000 car with a manual transmission. I either had to learn or never leave the house. Plus, you make yourself get better so you don't look stupid stalling out.

Answer 6

One tip someone gave me, that no one had ever told me before, and it's going to sound really stupid because you'd think it woud be common sence but, when you shift, you need to take your foot off the gas. I know. DUH Right??!!! But, I was 14 when I learned and after I realized that's why it was stalling or I would just burn out, I could drive more civilized.

Answer 7

The only easy way is to do it.

Have someone who's familiar with driving a stickshift teach you.

And, if you can, learn on a toyota - they have very forgiving clutches.

Answer 8

practice is the only way when I was a kid we had a circle drive I learned by driving to one end then backing back around So good luck and keep practicing.

Answer 9

The way I learned was to drive it, stall out- drive it, stall out- drive it, stall out etc. Practice, practice, practice. I learned it all in one day, over a period of about six hours.

Answer 10

No easy way other than doing it.