When do i shift gears while driving

Gear Changing. Smooth gear changing is the first of three key foundation skills you need to learn, the others being steering and clutch control. Gears can be changed up or down. This has nothing to do with the direction you move the gear lever, it simply means that you change to a higher gear 4 or 5 or a lower gear 1 or 2.

The basic rule is that you change up through the gears as the speed of the car increases and down when you need more power from the engine. For example, you would change down to a lower gear when climbing a hill or pulling away at low speed. First gear provides the most pulling power but the least potential for speed, whilst fifth gear which provides the least pulling power allows the greatest range of speed.

The following table indicates typical speed and revs for changing gears up or down. As the car increases speed, change up through the gears. When you want to slow down, use the foot brake. Selective gear changing means you sometimes miss out gears, for example, by changing from fifth or fourth gear to second gear.

Neither do you have to. Instead, put your brake down, clutch down and come to a standstill, before putting the car into 1st gear. The same applies when changing up. Skipping too many gears at once is inadvisable, though, as you will either not have enough power to warrant the action, or your huge amount of revs will offset any benefit you might have got. Learn which gear your car is comfortable in for different speeds.

Your ability to discern this through feel alone will improve over time, although may be able to memorise the relevant gears for particular speeds and conditions fairly quickly. On your practical test, your examiner will want to see that you can select the right gear for your speed and variables in the road and conditions.

They will also want you to prove your ability to change gears smoothly and avoid riding the clutch. There are only subtle differences between 5- and 6-gear cars. Whichever you learn in, therefore, should prepare you well for the average vehicle that you may drive after passing your test. For instance, it is quite common to go from gear 4 directly into 6th, rather than changing from 4th to 5th to 6th.

The benefit of a 6th gear is that the vehicle can often feel more comfortable when travelling at 70mph than those limited to 5 forward gears.

Keep up to date with the latest driving news, and how it will impact you, on the PassMeFast blog. Katie grew up in the middle of nowhere, so knows the true value of getting behind the wheel. From the rules of the road to handy hints and tips, she'll give you the lowdown on all things driving. Always on the move, when she's not in the car, you'll probably find Katie darting around the squash courts or out running in the rainy British countryside. Very useful thank you but I have a question, say i am in gear number 4 and i have to stop so suddenly.

Can i put my car in neutral and put it in gear number 3 when i start moving? When moving off, you should always be in first gear. Starting in a higher gear can cause your clutch to wear down. Hi very good page. Thanks in advance. After getting familiar with the different manual maneuvers, practice in an empty parking lot until you are completely confident to take it on the road.

Clutch Pedal — Manuals have 3 pedals unlike automatics, which only have two. The clutch pedal is the furthest one on the left. You use it when shifting up or down from one gear to the next, including neutral.

When the clutch is fully depressed, it is disengaged. When the clutch pedal is released, it is engaged and ready to resume the transmission of power. Use your left foot to operate the clutch and your right foot for the gas and brake, just like you would in an automatic. Older cars may have a steering column or dash-mounted shift stick.

Locate your stick shift and study it. Manual cars have up to 6 gears. The gear guide is normally located on the head of the stick shift. Use the emergency brake when stopping on hills and whenever you park to prevent the vehicle from rolling. Before turning the car on, locate the clutch.

The clutch must be pressed down when shifting gears! Practice pressing and releasing the clutch pedal with your left foot. You will begin to feel in your foot when the clutch is engaged or disengaged.

After you get a feel for the clutch, depress it fully and move the shifter into 1 st gear. If the car were on, you would begin to move forward. To shift into lower gears, you are basically doing the same thing.