In the United States today, the share of cars with a manual transmission is less than 10%, so for a US motorist driving a vehicle on a “mechanic” can cause certain difficulties. In the post-Soviet space, the share of cars with is much higher, however, riding our “mechanics” is also difficult for our drivers. In this article we will tell you how to drive a car with mechanical gearbox   gears and familiarize yourself with the basic rules for operating manual transmission.

Features of mechanical gearbox

Manual transmission (manual gearbox) involves manual gear shifting by the driver. Most vehicles equipped with "mechanics" have 4-5 gears (depending on the manufacturer) and one speed for reversing. How to understand where each program is located and why they are all needed? And how to drive a car with a manual gearbox?

Clutch pedal	By clicking on this pedal, the device in your manual transmission provides the driver with the ability to shift speed to the desired gear. On the "mechanics" switching speeds is possible exclusively with the clutch pedal depressed to the stop.
Neutral speed	When the gearbox is in neutral, the torque from the motor is no longer supplied to the drive wheels. The car will not go if you press the gas pedal on the “neutral” switch on - so you will only hear an increase in the number of revolutions. With neutral gear, the driver can turn on any speed. Of course, this also applies to reverse gear.
First speed	Designed to start moving. In the first and second gears, it’s good to move in a traffic jam or uphill with a dense traffic flow.
Reverse	A little different from the rest of the gears in the "mechanics". This driving mode allows you to accelerate much faster than the first speed, however, if the car rides in reverse for a very long time, the shift mechanism may fail in the manual transmission. Therefore, the movement in reverse gear must be limited - as a rule, it is used for parking a car, so reverse speed is not a means of basic movement.
Gas pedal	Allows the driver to use the maximum engine torque in any mode. Carrying out acceleration on a vehicle with "mechanics", the driver can literally feel every speed.

Driving rules

Most drivers who have started their journey of driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission simply cannot “switch” to manual transmission. What to say about novice motorists? But after a person tries to ride with both types of boxes, he will have no doubt that driving a car on a “mechanic” is much more pleasant.

In turn, reseeding from "mechanics" to automatic transmission, you can feel great ease in controlling the machine, but driving itself may seem boring without shifting gears. We suggest you familiarize yourself and take advantage of the basic rules for driving a car with a manual transmission. Anyone can understand how to drive a car. Below is a driving instruction for dummies.

How to start a car and start driving

So, we start driving a car with a manual transmission:

  Clutch Squeeze Before Shifting

1. Adjust the seat position so that you can easily squeeze the clutch pedal, which is on the left, next to the brake.
2. Then set the manual transmission lever to neutral, having squeezed the clutch in advance. This is done before starting the engine. Attention! Switching modes without depressing the clutch pedal is unacceptable! By doing this regularly, you subject the manual transmission to a car failure.
3. Now you need to start the engine by turning the key on the starter.
4. It is advisable to warm the engine to operating temperature. If you start driving in the winter, then the first two or three minutes, while the engine is warming up, you do not need to release the clutch pedal. So, the frozen transmission fluid in the box warms up faster.
5. If you start the car with the speed on, then expect it to first twitch, but not start. Do not do this in the parking lot or if there are other vehicles in front and behind you, otherwise it will lead to a small but traffic accident.
6. In order for the vehicle to start moving, you need to raise the left leg from the clutch, and press the gas with the right. This is done at a time when the engine speed is reduced. You need to learn how to balance the clutch and gas pedals. You may need to train a few dozen times before you find the "middle ground." To prevent the car from stalling while releasing the clutch, the engine should have enough revolutions - to add them, press the "gas". But do not be too zealous, because it is too early for you, as a novice driver, to master a sharp start.

Remember! When the engine is on, the vehicle will not go in two cases: if the manual transmission is in neutral and when the clutch is fully depressed.

How to brake

Proper braking on a manual gearbox means driving at speed until the stop is complete. Even in a driving school they teach that coasting (in neutral mode) when driving a car must be completely excluded from everyday driving. Especially in winter time   years on snow or on wet asphalt.

Engine braking.   If you need to slow down the engine and stop in severe weather conditions (in ice or rain), you need to perform the following steps:

• release the gas pedal;
• slowly press the brake pedal: forget about a sharp brake when driving on ice - the car is skidded;
• before completely stopping, quickly squeeze the clutch, otherwise the motor will stall;
• now you can engage neutral gear and release the pedals.

Braking in dry weather.   If the driver needs to brake sharply when driving on dry asphalt, you must perform the following steps:

• first fully release the gas pedal;
• then press the clutch pedal to the floor;
• then press the brake until the car stops;
• when the car is standing, turn on the “neutral” and remove the legs from the pedals;
• do not forget to put the vehicle on the “handbrake” (parking brake).

Smooth braking. In order to slow down, slow down, you need:

• release the gas pedal;
• without touching the clutch pedal, depress the brake briefly. This must be done very smoothly and carefully: imagine that you are communicating with the fair sex and are afraid to blur out too much. So with the car - you need to slow down gently;
• when the speed is reset, squeeze the clutch and engage the necessary gear.

Gear Shift Rules

To correctly switch the manual transmission modes, you must not forget that you should press on the gas smoothly. Otherwise, the vehicle will jerk forward with a slip. Such driving will not only cause increased wear of rubber, but also increase the load on the motor, which is not necessary. Driving in first gear can continue up to 20 km / h, then gently squeeze the clutch, shift the manual transmission lever to second speed and add gas.

Switching to the second, you need to drive for a while, so that the driver feels confident and comfortable when driving. You must learn to feel the dimensions of the car on the sides and control the situation on the road with the help of side mirrors. Repeat the movement in second gear several times to hone the skill of starting a car and switching manual transmission modes. If you are already doing this on the “machine”, then it's time to turn on the third speed.

The principle of switching to third speed is identical to second gear, the difference is that, when accelerating, you need to develop a speed of 40-50 km / h. The fourth and fifth gears are shifted exactly the same way, only here you need to take more acceleration. Be guided by the tachometer, if it is in the car. It is best to switch speeds at 2,500 - 3,000 rpm.

Consider a few rules:

• when switching to third, fourth and fifth gears, the clutch must be released faster than when starting to move and when switching from the first speed to the second;
• if the driving speed is high, then the braking distance will be longer;
• including fourth gear mode, the car must be dispersed to at least 60 km / h;
• including fifth gear, the speed of the car should be about 90 km / h.

Of course, for each car there is an instruction for switching manual transmission modes. The above data are averaged.

Video from Mikhail Nesterov "Braking on a car with a manual transmission"

Did you find this material useful? How do you drive your car? Share this with our users!

According to statistics, in the United States, cars with a manual transmission account for only 7%, in Japan - 5%, while in Russia there are almost as many vehicles with manual transmissions as automatic transmissions. That is why I want to talk about how to drive properly in order to get only positive impressions and pleasure from trips.

As the name implies, a manual requires the participation of the driver in gear changes. That is why some drivers love manual transmission, while others hate it. Drivers who are accustomed to keep everything under control, feel the car, anticipate how the iron horse will behave in a given situation, idolize cars on mechanics. But in order for the car to truly become your continuation, to obey your every order, you need to know a few subtleties.

The most difficult thing for many beginners is to start moving, because you need to keep a balance so that the start is smooth and at the same time on the first try. So, how to get started on the mechanics?

1. Comfortably sit on the driver's seat. Shift neutral;
2. Depress the clutch pedal and start the engine;
3. Squeeze the clutch again and engage the first speed;
4. When releasing the clutch, watch the revs, as soon as they begin to fall, smoothly press the gas;
5. Release the clutch, the car should go. But keep in mind that if you do it too abruptly or, on the contrary, hesitate, the car may stall. Do not despair, not everyone can do it right away.

The clutch is squeezed with the left foot, gas and brake - with the right!

At the very beginning of a driver’s career, many begin to panic that they have to move on a mechanic uphill, because in this situation the car strives to roll back. Of course, when there is more experience, any peak will be easily subjugated to you, but for now, use our tips.

1. Stopping on a hill, hold the brake;
2. Squeeze the clutch to the maximum, engage first gear, smoothly release (hold the brake). Having released the grip halfway, remove the foot from the second pedal.
3. Take your foot off the clutch pedal and let the gas run. It is difficult, but we believe that you will succeed!

We turn

It is important for beginners to know how to properly enter a turn on the mechanics. When planning to perform this maneuver, slow down so much that you do not have to change it when cornering. Too high a speed threatens an ejection to the side of the road and a skid, but you should not turn on the brake either.

Shift gears

Owners of cars with automatic transmission do not need to think about how and when to change speed, those who control the mechanics should think about it constantly. Although, in fairness, we note that over time this process comes to automatism, the driver does not even think about when and at what speed to switch.

To increased

With the raising of the arrow on the speedometer, there is a need to increase the transmission. What threatens riding at the wrong speed, we will talk some other time, but believe me, the consequences of such negligence are sad.

At the first speed, you start moving and you can accelerate the car to 20 km / h. After you need to switch to the second, its speed range is considered to be 20-40 km / h. The third one is allowed to go 40-60 km / h. The fourth gear should be included when you plan to develop a speed of 60-90 km / h. Well, the fifth speed allows you to go with a speed above 90 km / h.

How to switch to overdrive?

1. Loosen the throttle, squeeze grip sharply;
2. Switch the accelerator lever to neutral gear, and then immediately to the desired one - second, third, fourth;
3. Gently release the clutch and step on the gas.

Jumping from the first to the third, from the second to the fourth, from the third to the fifth is not recommended, as this threatens to accelerate the wear of the transmission parts. The gearshift should be phased.

To lower

Anyone who is not familiar with the principle of gear shifting in mechanics might think that lowering is similar to increasing. But no, there are significant differences.
  If necessary, reduce the transmission, the driver must:

1. Slow down the car to the desired speed by removing your foot from the gas pedal;
2. Squeeze the clutch and engage the required gear, bypassing the neutral;
3. Release clutch and smoothly add gas.

It is allowed to immediately switch to several gears below, jumping over one or two. However, the selected one must correspond to the speed mode.

Brake

Now you know how to start driving on a car with a manual transmission, shift gears and enter a turn, it is time to learn how to brake mechanically.
  To stop the car, take the following measures:

1. Slowly remove your foot from the gas pedal;
2. Before the stop, squeeze the clutch. This is necessary so that the machine does not stall;
3. turn neutral and release pedals.

It is preferable to brake the engine to avoid blocking the wheels. Engine braking in mechanics consists of the following steps:

1. Take your foot off the gas pedal;
2. Squeeze grip;
3. Downshift;
4. Press the clutch again.

In terms of efficiency, engine braking is not inferior to traditional!

New drivers experience a lot of stress when they see a red traffic light, because this means that you have to stop. In driving schools, when they learn to stop mechanically at a traffic light, they say that you need to move around the city with the gear engaged to be ready for any maneuver.

After stopping the car, taking out the key from the ignition switch, make sure that the gear is engaged and the hand brake is applied, otherwise the car may spontaneously roll even on a slight slope. It will not be superfluous to turn the wheels a little in the direction of the curb, which in case of a sudden start of movement will not allow the car to leave on the road. Compliance with these simple recommendations during parking

The video is perfect for those who first time got behind the wheel or prepare for an exam with an instructor. It will help to feel self-confidence, prepare for possible difficulties on the road, give an initial understanding of the rules. traffic.

Driving Basics for First Time Drivers

This video demonstrates the basics for quick learning   driving a beginners car. First, the first necessary steps are considered when boarding a car, the author tells how to properly tune in to control a car, talks about what you need to examine first of all. Then, the basics of working with the gearbox, its initial position, the main principles of gear shifting are analyzed.

Further, the author of the video tutorial on driving a car for beginners talks about what to do in order to start the movement, how to squeeze the clutch correctly, what to look for before starting the movement, how to start the car. Learning to drive a car continues with a description of how to behave properly while driving, that it is important to pay attention to the positions of the arms and legs, how to work with pedals and gearbox while driving.

This video tutorial on driving a car demonstrates the behavior of the driver while driving, describes the benefits and driving parameters for each gear, shows how to properly stop the car. In conclusion, the author of the video repeats what are the first steps necessary for the car to go.

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“You can do it if you believe you can!”
~ Napoleon Hill

  Well, then, the decision has been made! Now just go!

We will INDEPENDENTLY, FREE   and QUIETLY to drive, while receiving enormous pleasure. And how much time it will take is up to you!

It is clear that there are no driving skills yet, but this is not the main thing now. We, too, did not immediately learn to walk. We fell and stuffed cones, cried and rejoiced at every new step. And now we calmly and freely walk, run and jump.

Our main enemy today is fear.

Perhaps, nothing affects the results in any activity, as an emotional attitude. Ultimately, emotions, and again emotions, determine a person’s energy potential. Including driving. From what mood you sit behind the wheel, 80-90% of the result depends.

We know, but we will repeat again and again that:

• Classes can produce great results.
• Classes can produce mediocre results.
• Classes may not produce any results.

Tune in to success and joy – get great results,

Tune in to failure and disbelief in yourself - get nothing ...

This is the universal principle of success in ANY endeavor. Here is the logical chain that will lead you to success as quickly as possible

A positive outlook on life \u003d\u003e Belief in yourself \u003d\u003e Success!

You can achieve everything you wish!

First and foremost, watch and listen to the 30-minute webinar “How to Get Rid of Fear while Driving”

Record of the webinar “How to get rid of fear while driving”

And now, when we are determined only to win, we begin to act

So let's go!

-))) That's right, it's too early. Before you get behind the wheel, you need to carry out a number of theoretically-psychologically-practical actions. Your first practical driving will probably take place on a special platform where there is no one who could interfere or who should be wary in the form of passing and scurrying ubiquitous cars and pedestrians.

So to be afraid here on the site, well, completely unnecessary. It is better to concentrate on mastering basic skills. Any champion, both at the beginning of his career, and constantly develops and improves, brings to automatism precisely the basic elements, the technical implementation of which can be brought into art. It is from these elements that the most beautiful patterns of craftsmanship are woven afterwards.

Just look at the performance of the gymnasts. An incredible number of combinations of compounds of elements gives a colorful enchanting performance. In our case, you can watch the racers of Formula 1 or the graceful performance of “trial dances” by drivers in huge cars.

So a lot of text! We set the first specific task: In the first lesson, it is necessary to understand and work out the basic basic elements and driving skills. This is the foundation, nowhere without it. The task is set, we begin to act!

1. Define the time   study trip. If you are still studying in a driving school, everything is simple here. We determined your free time, compared it with the driving schedule in your driving school, chose a car and an instructor (listen to the reviews of fellow students, they will not advise anything bad) and SIGN UP FOR YOUR FIRST DRIVING!   For example: TOMORROW!!!   So, you have to hurry up and find out and repeat by tomorrow and repeat and repeat a few more points.

1. Without straining refresh the rules of the road. We leaf through, see pictures, signs, markings, and so on, so on, so on ... This is needed more in order to calm down again.
2. It is clear that most of the first lesson takes place on the site and you are unlikely to break anything, but according to the rules of the SDA, YOU ARE ALREADY A DRIVER and must know and follow the rules of the road.
3. Again, we do not exclude the possibility that you have a natural feeling of a car and having driven around the site for a while, your instructor will give a command in the first lesson - GOING TO THE CITY!
4. You must be prepared for such a turn of events!

2. We skip the previous step with a record in a driving school,   if you graduated from a driving school a long time ago, there was no practice for a long time and you forgot it so much (and often, as is the case with us, you didn’t know at all). But now your car is already standing in the yard, and the fear of driving is so strong that it is grinding your teeth.

AUTO! YOUR FRIEND OR FRIEND! Let some people think that this is just a piece of iron, but I and many drivers have a different opinion. Almost every car has its own character, its own temperament, you can even say the soul. And you will gradually learn and get used to each other, and after some time, surely, there will come such a moment when you begin to understand each other from the floor of the “word”.

And then true pleasure will come even not from driving, but from communication with the car. And you should make friends with her, because while driving you are in one bundle. Do you already know what and where is your girlfriend? Get to know her better. Look at the pictures and photos of the car. Examine its dashboard. Wah, how many buttons!

You can read some feedback and find out something unusual and interesting about this car. Have you looked, read? Have a rest? Fine! And now we are comfortable in the chair, we close our eyes and turn on our main weapon and our great friend and assistant - our imagination.

3. Introducing your car. We see her standing, waiting for us, and affably opens her doors, inviting inside. You sit in the driver's seat. You might be a little uncomfortable at first. Feel it

Confidently grope and raise the lever at the bottom of the seat and move the slide. Yeah, now the legs normally get all the pedals. We twist the handle on the side of the seat and raise or lower the back, so that the back is fully adjacent to it, so that you are a whole, and it is convenient and comfortable to operate the machine. If necessary, twist the mirrors a bit, making the rear view clear and meaningful. THERE IS NOW COMFORTABLE, COMFORTABLE AND, MOST IMPORTANT, CORRECT!

Read, watch an article

  (this is a link)

Each lesson will begin with this, if you are not the only driver by car. With this you will begin tomorrow.

Well, now we will start the engine.

Of course, in our imagination. We read, watch and repeat

  (this is a link)

Have you read, watched? We close our eyes ... The seat is set up, the mirrors are adjusted.

We start the car!

We immediately get used to it and don’t forget that you should start the car with the clutch pedal pressed to the floor (of course, if you have a manual gearbox) and the car starts up easier and you feel calmer if you suddenly left the car at speed so as not to jerk into the next car. So, maybe the handbrake is raised, or maybe not, and the muffled car is in gear.

The first thing we do is duplicate the hand brake (if raised) by pressing the brake pedal with the right foot (we learn to do this every time to get automatic, we sat down, pressed the brake pedal, stopped while driving - pressed the brake pedal) Well, now we’ll squeeze the clutch . We check that there is a neutral gear. The neutral vehicle will not go anywhere. Once again, watch a video on how to start the engine

We repeat, - the right foot on the brake, - the clutch to the floor, "neutral", - turn on the ignition, - if the injector, wait a few seconds for the pump to automatically pump gasoline -key all the way clockwise - start.

The car started up quietly. Check for the third time, Handbrake, neutral! And only then release the clutch pedal and brake. Let it work a little, but for now we will study the dashboard, which we have already seen in the picture on the Internet. And we will listen to the instructor who will tell you what is drawn here and what arrows that show.

You see a speedometer that shows speed, a tachometer that shows the number of engine revolutions, but it’s easier and more understandable, it’s difficult for the engine or vice versa to be comfortable. We see the gasoline level and the engine temperature scale. These are the main devices, maybe there are additional devices in your car (you looked at the picture of the instrument panel in the book) If not, look and listen

Now turn off the engine.Well, of course, again in the imagination .-))Let's perform a series of exercises with the engine turned off, what is gas to burn in vain?

Before embarking on a practical ride, we will practice working with controls with the engine off. So we get an idea and will be able to work out the basic ways to control a car, master and coordinate movements.

Once again about the correct fit and mirrors

Once again we will control our landing. To enjoy driving you should be comfortable and comfortable. Therefore, first of all, move or push the seat back so that it is convenient for you to press the pedals. Now straighten and put your hands on the steering wheel, they should be slightly bent and relaxed. Adjust the position of the hands by raising or lowering the seatback.

  Adjust the side mirrors and the rear-view mirror in the passenger compartment so that you can see everything that is happening behind you and on the sides of your car. Watch a short video about mirrors

Customized? Conveniently? It is seen? Fine! The car is on the parking brake! On the handbrake! Let's practice a little with the gearbox (again, if we have a “mechanic”). Let's repeat everything. So, you got into the car, you are comfortable and convenient. We checked the handbrake, everything is fine, the handbrake lever is at the top, and not only does it work. In real life, and in imagination, do not forget about seat belts. I repeat. No need to start the engine. Now turn on our imaginative perception. Now let's go!

Clutch and gear shift

We’ll quickly repeat where we have the first program, and where the second and fourth, you probably already watched such drawings and you know it perfectly.

And you know that when shifting gears, you must definitely squeeze the clutch. So do it! Just squeeze the clutch to the floor, turn on the first gear. And imagine that we are starting to move.

Doesn't it seem? Then we read and watch the video, about the clutch, about the pedals and about how to smoothly move off. We repeat.

  (this is a link)

The car went and began to gain momentum. Hooray! We are going. We go! This is what the power of imagination does. We are already going. So, what is next?

Let's fix the smooth starting. And at the same time smooth braking. Let's move on - stop. Touch - stop. As if we were in a normal normal Moscow traffic jam.

Watch the video how to move slowly, slowly (this is the link)

Hmm ... real cork turns out. Noooo, whoa .., noooo, whoa, and so on throughout the MKAD. HOORAY!! The column went! What about us?

And then acceleration (smoothly add gas), then we discard (we remove our foot from the gas) and quickly squeeze the clutch - turn on the second gear, release the clutch as smoothly as before. Then again acceleration, we dump gas (we remove a foot from gas) - the clutch is on the floor, we turn on the “third” and smoothly release the clutch and “pick up” gas (gently press the gas).

Gear shift training.

And now we’ll drive off the imaginary traffic jam MKADA to the training level ground, where there is no one and you can calmly practice gear shifting, otherwise there are too many cars in the imagination. Distract us. And again again 1-2-3-4,   and now vice versa 4-3-2-1 . Once again 1-2-3-4, 4-3-2-1 . It's like a gamma on a piano. Each repetition is getting better and better. The foot on the Clutch Pedals runs smoothly without jerking, lingering a little at the point of gripping. Calm and confident 1-2-3-4 - come on 5 and vice versa. Everything turns out fine. How else! Ride back and forth in a straight line, work out the work of the arms and legs in the head when shifting gears.

Reversing

Going straight ahead is awesome. Now let's try moving back. Squeeze the clutch. Move the lever to the position corresponding to the reverse gear, look in the mirrors, if everything is uncomfortable, turn around and imagine that now you need to move in reverse (remember the clutch and gas pedals).

And now I will "lisp" as with little ones. Question to you. When you drive forward and want the car to turn right. Where do you turn the steering wheel? Correctly! To the right and twist what a stupid question. And when we go ahead and want the car to go left? Correctly! To the left and turn!

So there you go! When moving over EVERYTHING EXACTLY ALSO !!! Surprisingly easy to remember! When reversing, we turn the steering wheel in the same way as when driving forward. That is, if you need the “back” of the car to go to the right, then turn the steering wheel to the right, if you want the “back” of the car to move to the left - turn the left wheel. Everything is simple.

Proper taxiing.

Now let's work a little with the wheel. Hands hold in the upper sector. The steering angle depends on the angle of rotation, if it is small, then the steering angle is small. Turn the steering wheel to the right to the left the steering wheel to get used to and feel. This is what the power of imagination does. We practically feel it. We feel how much effort you need to make to turn the steering wheel a certain angle. Ride in your mind in a circle, first turn the steering wheel in one direction, and then in the other. Then twist the eights. Wow! Almost like "waking up"!

Back to reality;

What do we need to learn tomorrow at 1 driving lesson?

1. Quickly and conveniently located in the car, adjusting the seats and mirrors "for themselves"
2. Learn how to start the car correctly

3. It is considered normal if the engine starts to run for about one second after starting the starter. Do not forget about seat belts and turn on the dipped headlights!   Before moving away, be sure to look forward, on the sides and back, and use not only rear-view mirrors, but also not be lazy to look back (if you start reversing). This will help you make sure that there are no obstacles to traffic (cars, pedestrians, animals, etc.).

   Neglect of this rule often causes serious accidents. Then again, “start the movement”, i.e. grip on the floor and engage first gear. Keeping the clutch pedal depressed, remove the machine from the parking brake and place your right hand on the steering wheel. After this, check again that there are no obstacles or obstacles to starting the movement. If everything is in order - smoothly begin to release the clutch pedal, paying attention to the engine. As soon as you notice that its speed begins to decline - it means that the clutch begins to “grab”.

   Now you should briefly hold the clutch pedal in this position, and at the same time add gas. If you did everything correctly, the car will start moving, and you should completely (smoothly!) Release the clutch pedal, increasing the pressure on the gas pedal. After you started moving and drove a little, stop: do not get carried away yet, because while our goal is to move, and we have reached it. To do this, release the gas pedal and, depressing the brake pedal, reduce the vehicle speed.

   After that, fully squeeze the clutch and move the gear lever to the neutral position. Having released the clutch pedal, depress the brake pedal to a complete stop .. BRAVO !!! Come on, go on. Mentally, more than once we will “go through” all the tasks several times presenting all the details and all your actions

   Dismantled ?! Do you remember? Repeat? Hone? YES!!!Now set an alarm in the morning and calmly go to sleep. Well, now it’s certainly pointless to worry. The morning is wiser than the evening.

   The feat is scheduled for tomorrow! It remains to repeat all this in real life!

   
   

If you have to master the nuances of driving a car equipped with a mechanical or manual gearbox, you should not fall into despair in advance, because the difficulties associated with a number of its features are often exaggerated. The main point confusing novice drivers is the presence of three pedals (instead of two) and a gear lever. Certainly, coordination and coordination of movements will be required. But on your side there will be a moral advantage over those drivers who can only drive a car with an automated version of the box. The choice of the vehicle itself will also be a definite plus, because in some cases, to afford the model you like with an automatic transmission, you will have to pay a tidy sum, and the same car, only with mechanics, is cheaper. Therefore, you do not need to feel defeated in advance - it is better to be patient and persistent in order to overcome some difficulties on the way to the goal.

What is a manual gearbox?

First, let's find out what a gearbox is, short for a gearbox, or, as it is often called, a transmission. As you know, it performs two main tasks:

• distribution or, otherwise, transmission of torque from the motor (engine) of the vehicle directly to its wheels;
• change in traction volume depending on the conditions of movement of the vehicle.

Modern cars are equipped with several types of gearboxes, for example: mechanical (manual), automatic, robotic and variator (stepless). The most popular vehicles with mechanical (manual transmission) and automatic (automatic transmission) gearboxes.

There are a number of differences between these options, since in a car with automatic transmission, the electronic gear system completely controls the gearshift, in other words, a computer, and in a car with manual transmission this happens only with the direct participation of the driver.

Manual (mechanical) gearbox has existed for more than a hundred years and, of course, during its long history, it has gone through many changes and improvements. Its design is still simple, reliable, allows you to drive a car manually in all driving modes, and also, with a known skill of the driver, it is quite economical in terms of fuel consumption.

The basics necessary for driving a car with manual transmission

That's about what secrets will help a beginner quickly and easily understand the intricacies of driving a car with a manual transmission, and we will talk. First you need to clearly understand several important points:

1. The left pedal (clutch) is squeezed strictly by the left foot, and the right leg is responsible for the remaining two (brake and gas).
2. The speeds should be switched, making a sequential transition from the first to the second, then to the third and so on. You can’t, for example, switch directly from the second to the fifth, if you want to keep the car engine in good condition for as long as possible.
3. The clutch is squeezed every time the gear changes.

These are the basics, without the knowledge of which it is impossible to learn how to drive a car. But also important is the development of a smooth start to the movement of a car, without jerking and a stalling motor. To do this, you will have to work out, since the first time it turns out not all. It is important to bring arm and leg movements to automatism. In theory, in order to move smoothly, you need to perform a series of manipulations in the following order:

• turn on the ignition (start the car engine);
• squeeze grip;
• move the lever to the first gear position (speed);
• gently press the gas and at the same time, also without any jerking, release the clutch.

If your practical actions coincide with the theory, then the car will slowly move off. If not, it doesn’t matter: Just be patient and try again. And again, until you get the result.

Special attention deserves the moment when it’s worth switching speeds, because it’s impossible to ride only one all the time. To do this, you need to know that in the first gear it is allowed to travel at a speed of up to 15 km / h, in the second - up to 30 km / h, in the third - up to 50 km / h, in the fourth - up to 80 km / h, in the fifth speed limits only your sense of self-preservation. For a start, a speedometer will serve as a good clue, and then you can orientate only by the sound of the engine.

Proper braking in different road conditions

If you need to brake on a dry road surface, you do not need to switch from high gears to low gears for this. It is better to lower the speed to minimum for the same gear in which the movement was carried out.

In ice and rain the situation is somewhat different. Since the road surface is slippery, the stable position of the car is of particular importance. You should completely concentrate on the road, and to increase the stability of a car equipped with a manual, switch to a lower gear, thereby reducing speed. This will allow you to control the angle of a possible drift and react in time in case of an emergency.

Remember the fact that for braking on a slippery road, you first need to slow down, then release the clutch, shift to low gear and only after all these steps have been done, squeeze the clutch again. This method is called "engine braking", it will not allow the wheels to lock, but the car will slow down gradually. Here, careful observance of the distance between your and the next car ahead, and, of course, high-speed mode, plays an important role.

Smooth cornering also contributes to safety when driving in a car equipped with a manual or manual gearbox, since this method can prevent the vehicle from skidding on slippery roads. In the case when your car stalled in the snow or on ice, it is worth resorting to the so-called “swinging” method. To do this, accompany the forward movement by engaging the first gear, and when moving backward, engage, respectively, the rear.

The easiest way to control the car, of course, with automatic transmission. And yet, if you just have to take a “young driver” course and get a license, it is better to learn how to ride a car equipped with a mechanical (manual) gearbox. Why? The answer is obvious: learning to deal with a more complex management option, you can feel confident in any situation. By the way, in many foreign countries, a driver who has been trained and passed a driving test with a manual transmission is strictly forbidden to drive a car with a manual transmission. Conclusion: there are no easy ways, especially when it comes to the art of driving any vehicle.