Teaching — and learning — the art of manual gearbox driving no simple task
With a stick shift, patience is the key, no matter which seat you’re sitting in
There has been a steady, notable decline in the number of young people bothering to get a driver’s licence. That’s a fact bolstered by insurance surveys as well as manufacturers’ own studies. And while there has also been a large drop in the availability of manual transmissions for several decades, I have anecdotally noticed one thing: many of the kids who do have and want their licences also want to learn to drive a stick shift.
Like most things in life, being able to do it doesn’t necessarily make you able to teach it, and this is very much a two part equation: learning to drive a manual, and teaching to drive a manual. I believe anyone can learn the skill, with enough practice, but I’ve heard too many horror stories to believe that anyone who knows how can also teach it.
FOR THE STUDENT
There are some great graphics you can find online that show exactly how a clutch works. It’s not about making sure someone could pass a mechanic’s exam, it’s about envisioning what is actually taking place as you depress a clutch and select a gear.
Seating position is always important, but it now becomes critical. Your left foot has to be able to fully engage the clutch without reaching. You also can’t be sitting so close to the pedal that you’re tempted to ride the clutch. Take the time to get into the right seating position.
The type of vehicle you learn on matters. Stiff clutches are difficult for those mastering the skill, and slushy shift patterns lead to panic when you can’t find a gear. The 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback we were using for this piece is great for teaching, with its light clutch and precise shifter; a rumbling muscle car can simply be overwhelming. A note on that Honda: the company reckons about 10 per cent of its sales go to manual transmissions, which is more than double the industry average. And for anyone who thinks learning is of little use, figure that if you rent a car in most European countries, it will nearly always have a stick.
No radio, and throw out the phone. Even if you’ve been driving for years, learning a manual requires concentration and focus. I like a window open so you can hear, as well as feel, the engine. After a while, that tactile connection with the car is second nature.
You need a closed course, or as close to one as you can get. I learned going around and round a cul-de-sac, but a near empty parking lot will do.
Be cool. Seriously. Take a deep breath, acknowledge that this is going to take some time, and accept that everybody — everybody — stalls. Really. Everybody.
FOR THE TEACHER
Remember what you’re asking learners to do: start using their left foot in synchronicity with their right hand, while still maintaining the throttle and brake, steering and being in command of all that is going on around them. You’re adding a lot of things to the existing act of driving that so many of us do reflexively.
Isolate those movements at the start. Have the student first work through the gear pattern on the stick shift. Start the engine. Keep their right foot off the throttle. Tell them to press in the clutch and put the car in first. Slowly release the clutch so they can feel the car start to move forward. At a few kilometres per hour, have them put the clutch back in and shift to second. Again, no throttle. As the transmission reaches for its base rpm, the speed will pick up. You can work through all the gears this way, at low speeds that don’t require the fuel pedal but also won’t stall. Let your student get a feel for the clutch and shift movement without worrying about the throttle.
When a student is ready to venture out onto a (quiet) roadway, remind them where their hazard lights are. In the event of a freakout, better they warn the cars around them. Explain repeatedly: when in doubt, clutch down, or in. Everybody is terrified of stalling. Tell them with the clutch in, this likely won’t happen.
When you’ve successfully taught someone to drive a stick, remind them to tap the brakes even if they’re gearing down to warn those behind them that they are braking.
The first thing my most recent student said to me was, “I’m so busy, I could never be eating or have my phone on.” She’s right. We may be chasing the manuals to extinction but it’s at the same time that texting drivers are killing people. Too bad, that.