Driving stick shift into a parking lot.?

Question

ok if im on the road still and want to make a right turn into a parking lot what do i do and i was in second gear and it looks like you have to go slower than 13mph.do i have to downshift to 1st or could i stay in second but the speed is 7mph or less.

the right turn has a little ramp going into the parking lot

Answer 1

Try to get on some level ground. Put your seatbelt on once you get in. It might get a tad bit jerky during this.
Identify the pedals. In a manual car there are three. The one on the far left is the clutch, the next one over is the brake, and then the throttle is on the far right. Everyone knows what the brake pedal and the throttle does, but what about the clutch? In an effort not to get too technical we are just going to say that the clutch disconnects the spinning engine from the spinning wheels and allows you to switch gears without grinding the dog teeth of each separate gear. (If you are truly interested in how transmissions work then don't pay to much attention to that definition, there is much more involved) Basically, before you switch gears, the clutch must be compressed.
Put your left foot on the clutch (the left pedal, next to the brake pedal). This isn't exactly required depending if the car is in gear or not, but it is good practice.
Move the gear selector to neutral. It is the middle position that feels free when moved from side to side.
Turn the car on making sure to keep your foot on the clutch.
Once the engine is started you can remove your foot from the clutch (as long as it is in neutral, which it should be)
Place your left foot on the clutch again and move the gear selector to 1st. It should be the upper left position, and there should be some kind of visual help on top of the gear selector knob.
Gently press the accelerator until your tachometer reaches about 2000 RPM or just the number 2.
Slowly let out the clutch until you hear a change in engine RPM, the push it back in. Repeat this several times until you can instantly recognize the sound. This is the friction point.
In order to get moving, apply throttle and then let out the clutch slowly until you begin to move forward. If you release the clutch too quickly the car will stall. If the engine sounds like it is going to stall then hold the clutch where it is or even push it back slightly.
Once the car gets a little speed, about 10mph, you can release the clutch completely.
Once your rpms reach about 3000 to 4000, it is time to shift into 2nd gear. Push in the clutch pedal and guide the shift lever straight down from 1st gear into the bottom left position. Push in the gas very slightly and release the clutch pedal. Once in gear and on the gas you can completely remove your foot from the clutch pedal.
When you have to stop, make sure that the car is not in gear before you stop or it will stall. You can feel the car is about to stall because it will start shaking and vibrating. Depress the clutch and return the shifter to the "neutral" position in the center, and release the clutch.

Tips
Before beginning to shift gears make sure you know the gear arrangement. Many times this is posted on the top of the shifter. Generally from the center, 1st is up and left, 2nd down and left, 3rd up center, 4th down center and 5th up right. If your car has a 6th gear it will be down and right. Reverse will either be where 6th gear would be in a 5-speed or to the far left or right, depending on the vehicle.
Make sure you push the clutch all the way in before shifting to the next gear.
Practice, practice, practice. That is the only way you will get better.
It is much easier to control the clutch pedal by using your entire leg and flexing at the knee rather than flexing at the ankle like you do when applying the gas or brakes.
Make sure you learn to drive your manual car on a hill. Hill starts are only slightly more difficult than a normal start. Make sure that when starting on a hill, the handbrake is applied before moving off. Use the normal procedure for starting, however as it is on a hill, more power will be needed to prevent the car from stalling. A slight increase in engine revs accounting for how steep the hill is will allow you to drive without stalling.
Remember not to release the handbrake before the 'biting' or 'friction' point has been reached or you will roll down the hill and possibly into the car behind.

Warnings
Use caution when downshifting. Make sure you don't overev the engine. A manual car can save brakes by allowing you to use the engine to slow down the car but it can cause much more damage if you exceed the redline on your tachometer.
Stop completely before going out of reverse into another gear.
The brake pedal doesn't have to be in when the clutch is. Let the backpressure of the engine slow the car down. Otherwise you are going to go through brakes very quick.
Watch the tachometer carefully. A manual car requires much more responsibility than an automatic. Overev the engine and the engine is likely trash and the car might be too. Blow an engine and oil will spill out. Oil slicks up the road which will probably cause you to spin and crash.
Learn the sounds of your engine. You should know when to change gears without looking at the tachometer.
While burnouts are fun, if you do them a lot then not only will you be replacing tires very often, you might find yourself with a transmission rebuild. Burnouts are horrible on the rear end.

Answer 2

Well... there's a couple of things that promote the downshift scenario. So... here's how I would do it.

As I approach the turn i allow the vehicle to slow in 2nd gear and just prior to the turn I will depress the clutch and put the vehicle in 1st gear but would keep the clutch in. Then if I need to stop for traffic (pedestrian or exiting car) all I have to do is step on the brake. As I make the turn I will 'feel' how the vehicle reacts and if it slows down more than I want then let out the clutch (remember I'm already in 1st gear) and drive on.

The trick here is by down shifting into first early and coasting with clutch in you can make any decision you need (stop or clutch out and accellerate) plus you can use both hands to turn the steering wheel. This method gives you complete control through out the maneuver.

One thing many drivers of standards forget is to keep the transmission in gear while you are moving. By doing so you can then go when you need to go my letting out the clutch. In your example, if you left the car in second, it would probably choke out just about the time you make the turn and then in the mist of turning you have to work the clutch and the stick shift (whew!). Also if you needed to accelerate you can alway let out the clutch and goose the gas to move on.

Tis ALMOST always better to have the car in a gear than to be in neutral. The trick is to learn how to anticipate what gear you will need next and go ahead and put it there. This only comes with experience.

Good luck and I hope this helps!

Answer 3

Your in second gear going 7mph? Great way to ruin an engine.

Answer 4

1st gear is usually only used when you first take off.. So I'd leave it in 2nd unless you start jerking lolll then switch..

Answer 5

You don't have to go the speed limit-shift it into first gear!!!

Answer 6

Either or is ok, just depends on how slow you turn. You may have to downshift, or you may not. Depends on how you drive.

Answer 7

In most vehicles you could do it in second gear.

Answer 8

i would also say 2nd gear