if so please give me some pointers because i will be upgrading my license to allow me to drive manual transmission and that means going to learn how to drive them and then i take my test.
ok i have done one lesson thus far and i am still a bit confused about starting from a still position. the instructor said i must slowly ease up off the clutch until i feel the vehicle getting shaky then apply gas but is that the only way? can’t i just ease up off the clutch while slowly pressing on the gas pedal?
next question is when driving and say i want to slow down must i put my foot on the clutch and the brakes at the same time? or can i just press the brakes until i reach desired speed?
Wow, Comodo driving forum. The clutch is all about feel, when you feel your clutch engaging you then apply the “appropriate” amount of throttle (gas). When slowing down you don’t need to press the clutch until you are approaching stopping, IE not at 20mph. This is all relative, different from vehicle to vehicle and driver to driver. That being said, you need to practice in a manual transmission vehicle a bit before you jump into the test. Good luck.
Same as Watasha for the clutch once you have done a few starts you will know, clutch pedal release, gas press, release handbrake quite easy really.
Second question you can change down through the gears as well as up quite easy in modern cars, you should not depress the clutch fully until you are nearly stopped otherwise you are coasting a fail if you are taking a HGV test.
Say the clutch pedal fully depressed goes about 5 inches down, when you release the peddle and slowly bring it up you will engage the clutch at a certain point which is when transmission is delivered to the wheels. This is the Biting point.
It can be anywhere on the pedal travel but is normally towards the top (most release). My advise would be to spend a good amount of time just starting, moving a short bit then stoping. If you have been driving an auto for a while the actual driving bit is no problem, just practise and get a feel for how the clutch works.
The only manual Trans I drive are the big commercial trucks (they use a double-clutch system).
The best way I can suggest to learn clutch use is to get into a bumper-to-bumper traffic crawl near a construction site. (You will learn real quick how to use it). ;D
Just another question regarding that is say I have the clutch fully depressed and then as soon as I start releasing the pedal slowly I also apply I very small amount of gas will that be a problem?
Instructor of mine taught the subject in following way:
Press gas until crankshaft reaches rpm which would sufficient to start the movement of vehicle without shutting down the engine.
(rpm are selected experimentally, e.g. on that first passenger car i drove rpm=2000 approx, but on that truck without tachometer i selected rpm by engine’s noise and vibrations and further experience, of course).
Start releasing the clutch pedal (do not touch gas as it is held in a correct position, see above). When vehicle starts movement, keep off a little bit the releasing of clutch (do not “throw” clutch) and then release it.
So, you control whole process with clutch keeping gas in relatively fixed position (control by rpm). Best way to learn after you learnt to start movement of vehicle on flat landing is to practice to start movement of vehicle uphill. The steeper slope the better you will learn.
SS26 is right, you want to be setting the gas before bringing up the clutch (unless you are driving a diesel engine).
Also bring the clutch up in one smooth movement. Any jerkyness will make the car shudder. Other than that it is easy you will ■■■■■ it in no time. And like someone mentioned , bumbper to bumper traffic crawling is the best clutch workout lol.
As the others have said, this is what you want to be doing, if you dont give it a bit of gas the engine will probably stall (you can do it from low revs ~800rpm but one step at a time).
It`s about balance, allowing the clutch pedal to come up to the biting point with your left foot while slightly depressing the accelerator with your right.
Once you get used to it everything becomes natural, you`ll be able to wheelspin away and burn rubber ;D
Also you will notice cars have different feel, pressure needed, release point etc. I recently wen`t from a Ford to a Lexus and the difference is noticeable!
Just one other thing, remember that as you are coming to a stop (braking) that you must depress the clutch to disengage drive to the wheels then handbrake/neutral/clutch pedal up. You can sit there with your foot on the brake and the clutch fully depressed but examiners take a dim view on this!
Very funny discussion for us europeans: a very small minority of us acquires a specific automatic car driving license, and in France, it does not allow you to drive a manual car if you don’t get a new license.
I guess the trouble for me would be to drive an automatic car: i must surely would bump the car in front of me at the first street light…
You guys are the best. You practically answered my last question spot on. Now for the driving lessons. I start in two weeks, wish me luck and hope I don’t crash.
So I have started my main driving lessons and well it has been madness but overall I am getting the hang of things. Lol! in one of my lessons I stalled in the middle of a fourway intersection and vehicles were honking like crazy. I am still trying to work on making a smooth shift from 2nd gear to 3rd gear. I notice many times I either take a long time to make the transition or I blunder and accidentally put the car in neutral.
The clutch is all about feel, when you feel your clutch engaging you then apply the “appropriate” amount of throttle (gas). When slowing down you don’t need to press the clutch until you are approaching stopping, IE not at 20mph. This is all relative, different from vehicle to vehicle and driver to driver. That being said, you need to practice in a manual transmission vehicle a bit before you jump into the test. Good luck.