Though it may be hard for the young folks in the audience to believe, the automatic transmission found on most modern cars has only been the standard for a short amount of time. Even as recent as 15-20 years ago it was pretty common for first time drivers to learn to drive slowly and painfully on an old hand-me-down or second, third or fourth-hand car with a manual transmission. With the stress of learning to drive safely compounded with the stress of trying not to stall out at every stop sign, it is no wonder that automatic transmissions have become more and more popular over the years.
In 2020, only 13% of new car models offered were even available with a stick shift option, with an even smaller fraction of those sold actually having a manual transmission. It makes sense to want that automatic especially in a commuter car (who wants to have to finesse a manual through rush hour traffic every day?), but it seems a shame to let the manual transmission go without a fight.
The Manual Transmission Was There From the Beginning, Or Was It?
Often when we think of old-timey cars we may picture the iconic “Tin Lizzy” Model T Ford with its upright carriage-like structure. And despite the fact that she only had two forward gears that you changed using foot pedals instead of our modern center stick shifts, she did have them—which was not always the case with every car.
The earliest automobiles on the scene were simple affairs, with no variable speed transmission. They were driven by a belt attached to the engine, which was usually located in the rear of the vehicle. When your car’s maximum speed was positively minimal by today’s standards, having multiple gears was less of an issue.
Louis-Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor, however, decided that they could do better. They are the French inventors and car enthusiasts who were credited with coming up with the first manual transmission—which had three gears—back in 1894. Though their original design used a chain drive, Louis Renault (a name familiar in the car community) changed the chain to a drive shaft and the rest is history. Their innovations laid the groundwork for the manual transmission technology that we still use well over a century later.
Why a Manual Transmission? The Connection by the True Car Enthusiast
It may be interesting to see the manual transmission’s place in history, but why should we be concerned with making sure that it is not only a relic of the past? One could cite such facts like a manual is often cheaper to buy and maintain or that they use less gas, but that’s not really why you buy a standard transmission.
You get a standard transmission because it is fun! There is no better way to get a meaningful connection to your car than to be aware of its every shift change, to be able to rev up the engine just the way you want to, and to hear it roar before you burn some rubber. With an automatic transmission, there is some baby-sitting computer telling your car what to do, making sure your rev counter doesn’t get to high, and making sure you don’t do anything stupid. But when you have a performance vehicle—or just one that you like to pretend is a performance vehicle—sometimes you want to have a little fun. And the best way to have some fun is with a manual transmission.
Okay, You’ve Convinced Me—But How Do You Drive A Stick Shift?
Since you’ve come this far—and it’s best to lay it all out on the table—it’s important to know that driving a manual transmission isn’t that hard, but there is a bit of a learning curve. You weren’t the confident driver that you are today your first time driving, and let me tell you you will stall your car out when you are learning to drive a stick shift. But you will get better. And you will be glad that you learned.
Let’s get down to basics. In modern standard transmission cars there are three pedals. From left to right they are the clutch, the brake and then the gas. Unlike driving a car with an automatic transmission, both of your feet are invited to this party. In addition to the third pedal, there will be a stickshift—assuming you are in the US—on your right side.
The way that a car with a standard transmission works is that you manually have to change the gears. When you press down the clutch pedal—with your left foot this time—it disengages the power from the drive shaft to the transmission. This allows you to change the gear the car is in so that you can get either more torque to get you going or more fuel efficiency once you are up at higher speeds.
Let’s Meet Your Clutch: Your Newest Best Friend and Worst Enemy
Lets start from when your car is off. Push the clutch pedal down to the floor before you turn on the ignition. While pressing the brake and the clutch remove the parking brake—always use the parking brake in a manual transmission car, or you may be chasing it if it falls out of gear—and move the shifter from neutral to first gear. There is usually a helpful diagram on top of your gear shift to help you out here. You probably should have looked at that before you started the car.
Anyway, once you have moved the shifter to first gear with the clutch pedal held down fully, remove your foot from the brake and carefully release the clutch while gently pressing the gas pedal with your other foot. When the gear engages as you release the clutch you will feel it. Get used to that feeling, because that feel will soon become second nature. When the clutch is fully released (assuming you didn’t mess it up) your car should be moving in first gear.
So Your Car is Moving, Now What? Or, Welcome to Second Gear
After you are moving it does become easier to change gears. You will press the clutch as before, shift as before, but this time into second and then third gear and beyond. Your terrain and traffic patterns will guide your need to shift. Tall hills require lower gears—both for the torque to get you up them and so you don’t have to ride your brakes on the way down.
A good rule of thumb is to use first gear while moving up to 10 miles an hour, second from 3-25, third from 15-45, fourth from 30-65 and fifth from 45 miles an hour and up. As you can see there are pretty high levels of overlap of MPH between those gears, so you can use your best judgement. As you become more comfortable driving a manual, you will be more comfortable knowing what gear you want or need to be in because you will be able to read your car better.
Objects In Motion Must Come To A Stop: Braking with a Manual
Speaking of braking, the method to brake with a manual is a little bit different as well. If you just hit the brakes, your car will eventually stall out while stopping. This isn’t a horrible problem per se, but can be both annoying and embarrassing. So, when you are ready to slow down you first have to press the brakes as usual, but as you come close to being fully stopped—think 10 miles an hour—press the clutch in and pull the stick shift out of gear and into neutral. From here, while keeping the clutch pressed, you can put your car back into first gear and prepare to get moving again when the light turns green.
With these simple steps, both of your feet, and your wits you can be in control of any car that you come across. At the beginning you will stall out. You will flub a gear change and you absolutely will sweat for a while every time you have to start on a hill (your car rolls backwards from a stop when your foot is on the clutch, you know); but once you get the hang of it you will be unstoppable. And like riding a bike, once you learn, you will never forget.
