MANUAL TRANSMISSION LESSONS (STICK SHIFT)

Why Drive Stick Shift?
In case of an Emergency
In an emergency, being able to drive a stick shift may be more valuable than what you can imagine. Learning how to drive with a manual transmission is a valuable skill to have, even in a world filled with automatics. Manual transmissions are still popular in sports cars and off-road vehicles such as tractors or jeeps. Parents looking for a dependable first car for their children may find a bargain-priced five-speed economy car from the 1980s or 1990s. Knowing how to drive with a manual transmission is also useful when driving other people’s vehicles. It pays to learn all of the different driving systems in case of emergencies, so don’t hesitate to let us help you!

Saving Money!
While driving automatic transmission vehicles may sound the comfortable and luxurious method, manual transmission vehicles will save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars on every car or truck you buy for the rest of your life.

Employment Opportunities
Increase your employment opportunities. Many company vehicles have standard transmissions, so it’s always a plus to learn manual transmission lessons!

Buying a Sports car
Feel the rush of shifting through the gears of the sports car of your dreams.

Gain Control
Enjoy the safety and control that can only be achieved with a manual transmission.

Newport Driving School offers manual transmission lessons training based on driver’s requests. A standard shift vehicle is available at our facility. The first way to learn the details of a manual transmission is through an approved Driver Education course. Many high schools offer classes with both simulator and real road practice, although some do not emphasize manual transmission techniques.

A Few Tips on Manual Transmission Driving
Learning to drive a manual transmission is usually a matter of trial-and-error until the driver learns the natural rhythm of a standard shift car. For this reason, it may be best to practice with an older but mechanically-sound vehicle, not an expensive sports car. Finding third gear while simultaneously releasing the clutch and depressing the accelerator is not easy for many drivers, so one should expect some grinding of the clutch and stutter stopping. Eventually most drivers do learn the intricacies of manual transmission, even if they prefer the relative ease of an automatic.

Shift patterns
A car or truck’s shift pattern is usually indicated by a small diagram on top of the shift knob. For most five-speed transmissions it looks like this:

Another common five-speed shift pattern (often found in BMWs and Volkswagens) is: