What To Avoid When Driving a Stick Shift Car

To properly view this site, javascript must be enabled and Flash version 9 or higher must be installed.
Get the latest Flash player

View Comments (Add Comment)

  • pwdocs Flag

    Cool Car!
    Great video. Would love to drive that beautiful Ferrari.

  • elukeano Flag

    How to drive a manual transmission
    Nice video except I'm tired of hearing her introduce herself all the time....

  • minearchy Flag

    How I Learned
    I learned to drive stick by practicing on a small hill. It was a narrower window to keep the engine engaged without killing it, rolling back, or revving it. Now I can barely drive automatic, I kick for the clutch and grab for the gear shift when I turn corners or stop.

Jumi Kim
Co-founder, President, CEO, Capital Dream Cars
www.capitaldreamcars.com  
703-785-9357

Jumi is a founding member, president and CEO of Capital Dream Cars— Washington, DC’s premier exotic car rental company as featured in The Washington Post, Goss’ Garage, and SpeedTV.com. The business was inspired by a hobby and a need. Apart from owning her own exotic cars, Jumi would travel to Formula One races with friends and family—to Montreal twice for the Canadian Grand Prix and to Indianapolis for the United States Grand Prix—but when she looked to rent a Ferrari locally, her search came up dry. So, after much pioneering determination, she and two business partners launched Capital Dream Cars in March 2006 to fulfill the “dream car” dreams of Capital Area car enthusiasts like them. Growing up, Jumi always enjoyed driving, but it wasn’t until she learned to drive stick about 15 years ago and bought her first stick vehicle—a little green Acura Integra GS-R that still takes up a spot in her garage (and still runs great at nearly 200k miles!)—that she understood driving on a whole different level, not just as a way of getting from here to there. And perhaps it was her own small way of rebelling against the gender stereotype that girls can’t drive, let alone drive stick. Although she doesn’t presume to be a great technical driver, she enjoys driving fun cars and sharing her enthusiasm with others, which is, after all, what car enthusiasm is all about.

What To Avoid When Driving a Stick Shift Car

This video will talk about what to avoid when driving a stick shift car.

This series: 727,344 views

Print

Transcripts

Jumi Kim: Hi, I am Jumi of Capital Dream Cars and I have been showing you how to drive the manual transmission car. Now, I am going to go over some major safety issues and what to avoid when driving stick shift.

Don't look at your feet. Keep your eyes on the road. Don't keep your right hand on the gear shifter all the time; instead keep both hands at the recommended 10-2, 9-3 or 8-4 positions on the steering wheel when you are not shifting.

Don't keep your left foot on the clutch all the time. Do keep your left foot on the dead panel on the foot well next to the clutch during times when you are not shifting.

Don't forget, the car is in gear when turning on the engine or else the engine will stall. Do keep your feet on the clutch and brake until you can pop the gear out into neutral.

And lastly don't use your clutch and accelerator to balance in a static position as it will wear down your clutch unnecessarily. Instead, keep your foot on the brake pedal as long as possible and press on the clutch only when necessary.

Now, that we have discussed the major safety issues and what to avoid when driving stick, let's move on to our final overview of how to drive a manual transmission car.

Other Videos

  • The Importance of Airbags In this video, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Executive Director Stephanie Tombrello describes car safety basics for the whole family. Using footage of dummies in car crashes, she describes the risks of not buckling up on every ride. She explains how to select the appropriate safety seat for a child and how to prevent injuries from air bags. The final segments include a one-minute car safety check and additional safety tips for the whole family.
  • How to Get on a Motorcycle This video will show how to get on a motorcycle.
  • Car Service - How to do an Oil Change Andy Davidson, Master Technician from Curry's Auto Service, demonstrates how to change your oil at home.
  • Auto Maintenance - Safety, Reliability, and Longevity In this video series, John Nielsen, director of AAA’s Approved Auto Repair Network and Auto Buying Services, helps you make sense of car care. The series explains the differences between repair and maintenance and do-it-yourself repair and professional auto repair services. Tips address choosing an auto mechanic and following factory and maintenance schedules. Increasing your vehicle’s safety, reliability and longevity through proper maintenance also is discussed. For more AAA Automotive information, visit www.AAA.com/Auto.
  • Car Detailing - Exterior Mike Daiuto of ProClean shows you how to detail your car like a pro at home.
  • 1 of 2 Ford Spark Plug Thread Repair - Using Auto Specialty Tool Calvan Tools CAL38900, Ford spark plug insert installer is designed to aid in repairing Ford modular cylinder heads on 4.6,5.4 and 6.8 engines. Ford recommends replacing the cylinder head which can run thousands of dollars, this repair saves money, down time and is done over the fender. Product and more info available at DenLorsTools.com.