4 Ways To Drive Smoothly With A Manual Transmission

The pedal on the left is the clutch, the pedal in the center is the brake, and the pedal on the right is the accelerator or gas pedal.

Don’t stomp or slam on the clutch or you could damage the pedal. Be careful not to press the clutch to the floor after you try to move the gear shift or you could stall the engine and cause the vehicle to jolt and shake.

Practice shifting gears in an empty parking lot or a quiet road so you can get used to releasing the clutch and transitioning smoothly.

Don’t rest the full weight of your foot on the clutch or you could accidentally engage it if you suddenly stop and the engine will be put in the neutral gear.

Do not engage the clutch until you’re ready to change gears or you could cause the car to lurch and make for an uncomfortable ride.

The clutch must be engaged in order for you to move the gear shift into neutral.

Shifting at the correct time will also keep your engine running well and will make it last longer.

Every engine is a little bit different. Practice changing gears to make the transition smoother.

Keep your foot near the clutch in case you need to change gears again.

If you need to suddenly brake, you must release all of the pressure from the accelerator pedal to press the brake with your right foot.

Don’t slam on the accelerator or the vehicle will launch forward and feel uncomfortable to anyone inside of it.

Avoid releasing all of the pressure from the accelerator at once or the car will jolt forward and will feel unpleasant to the passengers.

Pay attention to road signs that will tell you when a speed bump or turn is coming up.

Shift the vehicle into second gear when the traffic gets up to about 15 miles (24 km) per hour. Be sure to keep at least 1 car length in front of you in case you need to stop suddenly.

Don’t keep the clutch held partway down. That’s called “riding the clutch” and can damage and wear out your clutch.

Don’t skip gears. For instance, don’t shift from 4th gear straight to 2nd or it can cause the gears to grind and the vehicle to shake uncomfortably.