Learn stickshift - don't get embarrassed

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2006-12-07

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There's a story going around the Internet that when the producers of the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale, shipped the James Bond Aston Martin to the Bahamas for filming they were taken aback to find the new Bond actor, Daniel Craig, couldn't drive stickshift.

Not that that matters much in the movie world, but it would be surprising that a Brit couldn't drive a stick, since the vast majority of cars driven in the British Isles have manual shift. At any rate, Craig has apparently denied the story and says he actually does drive manual.

Perhaps a Brit who doesn't drive a stickshift shouldn't be surprising. In the world at large, automatic transmissions are taking over. The newer ones are more efficient, cheaper and more accommodating to a population now more into mobile phones than driving skills.

Notwithstanding the technological shift in automobile transmissions, there is still a case to be made for the good old-fashioned manual shift. A part of this case is that it really isn't all that difficult to learn manual or "stickshift." And if you really learn it well, there are benefits, not just in terms of cost, but in control over the relationship between engine and wheels.

That last point is an important one. Very many drivers have a poor understanding of this power relationship and it causes problems - especially in adverse driving conditions such as icy surfaces or negotiating difficult terrain.

By way of example: a recent contributor to an online forum on BMWs stated " Usually the only time I will downshift into first (gear) is on slippery snow covered roads. Otherwise second is the lowest I downshift to." Yikes! That's the very opposite of how gears should be used on slippery roads, in either automatic or manual.

A primer on driving manual

The key to successful manual shift driving is to tune in to the sound and feel of the engine and transmission and relate these to what's happening to the wheels. This is also true of automatic transmissions of course, since they allow some choice over gears, but it's harder with automatic, and manual forces the issue. With manual, you have to relate to engine and gears.

In fact, some professional driving instructors argue that every beginner should start out on manual to ensure they learn the essentials right from the start.

It's at the start of the learning process that the problems begin for many new drivers. The stereotypical advice they get is to start off by "easing off the clutch while at the same time squeezing down on the accelerator pedal."

This is a recipe for trouble. Simply easing off one pedal and squeezing on the other without an understanding of the process is difficult enough, but then the car begins to move and new stuff begins to happen - - - just at the crucial moment when the clutch and gas pedals are at the most critical point in their relationship!

It's all too much, and the consequences often strain the relationship between the owner of the car and the student driver. After all, it's at that critical point, referred to as the "friction point" that stress on the owner/instructor also reaches a peak.

How to get around this problem? That's easy. Simplify the task.

It may surprise the vast majority of manual shift drivers that it's possible to get a car moving without touching the gas pedal at all. And most drivers would likely be astounded to be told that they should be able to do this in first, second, and even third gear!

Of course the surface should be level, but if the clutch pedal is managed properly this task is not only possible but not really that difficult. The key to success is to engage the clutch very gradually, especially in third gear.

At idling speed, the engine has only enough power to move the car very slowly at first. The driver has to hold the clutch pedal at the friction point until the car is moving fast enough for first gear.

Naturally, this varies from vehicle to vehicle and depends on gear ratios and engine power. On a typical economy car the minimum speed for first gear might be around walking speed ( 3 - 4 mph or about 6 km/h). The third gear minimum speed might be around 15 - 20 km/h.

A good hint for any would-be instructor is to have the learner slowly bring up the clutch pedal to the friction point, listen for the engine sound to change, then push the pedal down again without moving the car. After a few tries at this, try moving the car, just a little, and then pushing the pedal down again.

In fact, why not make that the first lesson. This helps develop muscle control and gives the learner a chance to internalize the information before moving on to other learning.

Is this approach hard on the clutch and the engine? Not really, although doing it in third gear can be a bit hard on the engine. Clutches are designed to take this kind of wear, and it gives the beginner an understanding and feel for the clutch that saves an awful lot of wear and tear on both driver and machine in later lessons.

It also helps to ensure that there will be later lessons rather than the frustration and anger that often accompanies first attempts.

The most crucial concept for any manual shift driver to grasp is that every time the clutch pedal comes up to the friction point there has to be a feeling-out process, however brief. For the experts it may only be milliseconds. For the beginner, it should mean that an accidental selection of third gear instead of first while starting off at a traffic light should not result in a stalled engine but rather a slight delay while the shift to first is made.

Once this concept of friction point and engine response becomes internalized the rest of learning manual shift is easy.

The repeated rough engagements that can so quickly wipe out a clutch won't occur. From then on it will all be about driving tactics and gear selection.

But that's another story.

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