It takes practice, but it soon becomes second nature. With time, you'll know when your car needs an upshift, or a downshift, when tackling corners and going around bends in the road. Once the car is nearly stopped, push the clutch pedal in again while continuing to brake, choose first gear, and keep the clutch pushed in until you're ready to launch the car again. To stop the car, push the clutch in with your left foot at the same time that you're releasing your right foot from the accelerator, move the shifter to neutral position, release the clutch, and apply only the brake pedal with your right foot to bring the car to a stop. That's because as you're first learning, you might not get out of first gear before you want to stop and try starting from a stop – it's really the trickiest part of the manual shifting experience. Since you're a beginner, we're going to discuss stopping the car before we talk about shifting up through the gears, passing slower traffic, or taking corners. Just relax, take a deep breath, and give it another attempt. (Christian Wardlaw)īut you haven't killed the car, or done something irreversibly wrong. Once you're stopped, you can slot the gearbox into first gear - with the clutch still engaged - and get ready to accelerate.

When coming to a stop, you'll want to apply the brakes and push in on the clutch pedal. Each car is a little different, however, so don't be afraid to take your time and learn where your car is happiest, in terms of clutch engagement and engine rpm. In my Miata, that sweet spot is usually 2,500 rpm in terms of engine revs and approximately mid-way along the clutch's range of travel. It is called clutch engagement, and you'll feel it. There is a sweet spot during this process where the transmission reconnects with the engine and the car's wheels start turning. When you're ready to get the car moving, you'll need to move your right foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and start revving the engine at the same time that you slowly release the clutch pedal. If you release the clutch before then, especially if you do so rapidly, and the brake is not applied, the car could unexpectedly leap forward. Keep the clutch and the brake pushed in until you are ready to drive. Once the engine is running, push the clutch in, select first or reverse gear, place your right foot on the brake pedal, and release the parking brake.

It's a great way to gain a little extra familiarity with the transmission. You can do this when the car is stopped and not running - or when the clutch pedal is fully engaged. Take a second to get a feel for the gearbox, and the spacing between the gears.

Perfect shift fast cars