There are a lot of things you have to do right when driving a manual car.
With an automatic, there are so many fewer steps, but a lot of people prefer the control they have in a standard car. Understanding the way a standard transmission works helps, but there are also a number of things you want to make sure you don’t do.
5: Don’t Floor the Gas Pedal
Speeding isn’t the problem here. You don’t want to floor the gas pedal when your engine is at a low RPM because it’s bad for your engine. Shift to a lower gear to avoid long-term problems.
You always want to make sure that you’re progressing up the gears correctly to avoid any strain on the engine.
4: Don’t Leave Your Car in Gear at a Stoplight
You want to put your car in neutral when you’re at a stoplight. Why? Because it could cause premature wear on the clutch in certain conditions by putting the throw out bearing in contact against the diaphragm spring. This causes pressure that just isn’t necessary, and any way to avoid general wear on the clutch is a good thing, right?
When you’re in neutral at a stoplight, be sure to use the handbrake to keep the car from moving.
3: Don’t Rest Your Foot on the Clutch
“Stop riding the clutch!”
I feel like dads everywhere have said this when teaching someone to drive a stick shift, but it’s really important that you always—and I mean always—keep this in mind.
Doing this partially engages the clutch and creates friction, causing more of that premature wear that we’re trying to avoid here. It can also cause slippage which lowers your cars fuel efficacy.
This is what the dead pedal is for, friends.
2: Don’t Neglect the Clutch When Shifting Gears
The whole point of a clutch is to disengage the transmission from the engine. So make sure you use it! Shifting without using the clutch can damage the engine and the transmission system.
You also want to make sure that you engage the clutch when you brake. You want all your gear engagement to happen as smoothly as possible.
1: Don’t Rest Your Hand on the Gear Shift
When you do this, you’re applying pressure to the selector fork against the rotating collar. That pressure, applied prematurely, can cause premature wear.
Doing these things in your standard car can damage the transmission system, and you don’t want to do that.
The goal is to take care of your car so that it lasts as long as possible, and that means understanding how everything works so that you can properly work your car.
If you want to learn more about standard transmission, check out our post about it here!
Sources:
http://says.com/my/tech/things-you-should-never-ever-do-to-your-manual-car
https://carfromjapan.com/article/car-maintenance/10-things-you-should-never-do-if-you-are-using-a-manual-car/
https://autoportal.com/articles/5-things-you-should-never-do-in-a-manual-car-5902.html