by Lane Kenny
“I grew up driving tractors, so I knew what it was like to drive a clutch,” said Shawn Kenny when asked how he learned to drive a manual. Driving a manual is becoming seemingly increasingly forgotten in today’s society. Many of the younger generation have no idea how to drive a manual. They have been spoiled by the switch to automatic transmissions, and many people are not learning the art of driving. While manual driving is no longer as important as driving, it can be an incredible skill with some essential benefits.
To drive a manual car, press the clutch to the floor with your left foot and then turn on the ignition key. Then, press the brake pedal with your right foot and place the shifter into first gear. Then, you slowly place less pressure on the clutch as you press the accelerator. To shift into the next gear, you must build speed until you need to change into the second gear. To do this, you have to take your right foot off the accelerator while at the same time pressing the clutch with your left foot. Move the gear shifter into the next position and release the clutch as you again press the accelerator. Repeat this process as you build up speed.
While this may seem easy, it can be challenging and it takes time to get the hang of it. One standard error that people make, Kenny says, is that “they let the clutch out too fast, and the car dies. You must time it so that when you let the clutch out and feel it start to die, you must give it more gas. Giving it more gas and letting out the clutch must be feathered into each other.”
Now, one may think that again, with all the automatic cars today, why would one ever want to learn how to drive a manual? To that, Kenny says, “If you rent a car in Europe, where manuals are more popular, you have a lot more choices for driving. Also, knowing how to drive a manual means you can drive any car you want. Also, no automatic transmission is trying to make those shifting movements, so it’s more reliable. You get more fuel efficiency, and it’s more fun. You decide when to shift and downshift. You can accelerate faster and dump the clutch. You control the car.”