- 01/26/2015
- 2 Min Read
- By: Glen Cordle
The Best Way to Teach Someone How to Drive Stick
Driving a car with a manual transmission adds a level of enjoyment to the driving experience, I typically prefer a manual (sometimes called stick shift or standard, depending on your location) Over the years I've had a number of opportunities to teach others how to use them, and thought it might be good to share some insight.
The first step for a new manual driver is for them to get to know the car, the pedals, what they do, proper shift order, etc. But the first step for teaching this skill is to know the student. This is typically a scary and intimidating event for them, stacked with fears of failing and turning the car into a fiery ball of wreckage. Thus, it's important to be calm and let your calm demeanor rub off on them. Make sure they know that learning a skill like this is a process, nobody gets it perfect the first few times, and that they'll get better and better with practice. It's easy for a student to be hard on themselves if they don't pick it up right away, so relieve any anxiety or stress before you even start and leave emotion and judgement at the door.
Find a lot without light poles
Pick a location and time that's safe and ample. It's common knowledge for sure, but it needs to be said. Find an empty, flat and level parking lot, a big one, without light poles if possible. Leave yourself plenty of time, some might pick it up and be road worthy after a few attempts, others may need an hour or two of coaching and practice. It's also good to do the training in a car that is in good working order.
LuK Clutch Kit for VW Vehicles
Do a demonstration
Get in the driver's seat and have them watch you start and stop, change up gears and change down, park, turning the car off and on, perform some emergency stops, use reverse - and the entire time you should narrate exactly what you're doing with your feet, hands and eyes. Show and tell them what a good cruising RPM would be, and general shift points using the tachometer and the sound of the engine. It's also good to demonstrate what it will feel like when the car stalls out in 1st. Some of you are cringing because of the added wear on the clutch, but a controlled stall (i.e. without a lot of throttle input) will be much better than the student using too much throttle their first few times and burning the clutch to the ground. In the event that this happens, a replacement clutch kit will likely be required. If you're lucky, the flywheel can be resurfaced if it's a single-mass variant.
Seat time
When they are ready, park the car, turn it off and switch places. Have them start the car, (in neutral of course) disengage the emergency/parking brake, and narrate what they should be doing. First gear, second gear, stopping, starting. Using the parking brake when starting on a hill. Narrate and give pointers for awhile and then just sit back, at this point you're there in case they have questions or in case you need to reach over to pull it out of gear to save them from driving off a cliff. Did I mention not to teach in a parking lot next to a cliff?
The diesel trick
One technique that can work very well depending on the car is one I used when teaching my sister in-law. The car was a MK4 VW Jetta TDI, which means a good amount of torque even at idle. On level ground with her behind the wheel, I instructed her to leave her right foot off the accelerator and just slowly and evenly release the clutch with the car in 1st gear. This engine has enough torque at idle that it easily got the car moving and into 1st gear, typically the hardest part beginners face. Then as confidence and feel for the release point rises they can add in light throttle and find that sweet spot.
Before turning them loose on the roads, have them perform a few emergency stops (two feet down, clutch and brake) and what to do with their left foot at stoplights or in traffic (meaning, don't rest your foot on the clutch, wait with the clutch depressed, or anything like that) Finally, let them go off on their own to practice.
About the Author: Glen Cordle
Glen is a mechanical designer from Minneapolis Minnesota. An old-school motorhead at heart, he respects anything that's had passion poured into it. A jack of all trades, master of some.
