there’s driving stick and there’s driving stick well…
March 14th, 2006Q: When taught to drive stick I was told that, to save wear and tear on the clutch, I should put it in neutral about 100 feet from my complete stop before fully applying the brake. Is this true? Also when should I shift from one gear to the next? Have any other tips for someone who wants to drive a manual?
A: Whoever taught you taught you wrong.
You should stay in gear as long as possible, applying the brake as you would in an automatic until engine speeds falls to where the fuel comes back on (youll feel the burp/hiccup). The speed and distance varies depending on what gear you’re in when you see the red light/stop sign ahead.
Doing so saves wear on the brakes and saves gas too (in a fuel injected car the engine uses no gas at all when you are rolling in gear until the fuel comes back on somewhere above 1000 rpm. Rolling with the clutch depressed or the car in neutral uses as much gas as you would sitting at a stoplight. Rolling with the clutch depressed wears the throw out bearing on the clutch and that or rolling in neutral can cause premature wear of both the fluid and the transmission). If you’re concerned about clutch wear keep your foot away from the pedal unless you’re actually switching gears and get the car going with as little gas/engine speed as possible.
As far as when to shift – that’s more of a feel thing – you press the gas as you would in an auto then shift when acceleration lets up in that gear. The goal is to shift when the next gear has something to offer, not before so its often better to shift a little too late than a little too early (Lugging an engine is more damaging than reving it a little higher).
Anyone can keep a manual from stalling – the real satisfaction is the challenge of executing every shift smoothly. The best drivers shift up and down with such smoothness that your coffee and your sleeping passenger’s head is less unsettled than it would be if you were in an automatic.