Why Drive a Manual Car? (2024)

FAQs

Why Drive a Manual Car? ›

One of the biggest benefits of driving a manual car is more engagement with the driving experience. When you drive a manual transmission vehicle, you need to make more decisions about driving based on road conditions, speed, road incline, and more.

Overall, driving a stick shift is more advantageous because of its better control. One can better control their speed and revs (engine revolutions per minute, RPM) due to the ability to change which gear the car is in manually.

Practice the motions you'll need to use — pressing the clutch with your left foot, pressing the gas or brake with your right. These movements also will become part of your muscle memory.

Stick Shift Drivers Have More Control

Humans can use taller gears in inclement weather (reducing wheelspin), downshift early for an approaching hill (saving wear on the brakes), and put the vehicle in a lower gear before attempting to maneuver around a slower vehicle (increasing safety during passing).

Benefits of Manual Car Control

By manually shifting gears, drivers have the ability to fine-tune acceleration, improve engine braking, and have a better sense of the car's power band.

While some drivers regard this as unnecessary, others relish the added control that a stick shift provides. A manual transmission also keeps you more involved while driving, which can help to avoid getting distracted on the road. Other benefits of driving a stick shift car are less clear-cut.

Easier to Maintain – With fewer moving parts, a stick shift has the advantage of being easy to maintain. Manual transmissions require less servicing to remain functional and don't need the same type of oil as an automatic transmission.

Get the car moving from a stop

This is often the trickiest part to get the hang of when learning how to drive a manual car. Push the clutch in and hold it while shifting the car into first gear. Press lightly on the gas and let the clutch out smoothly and gradually.

Driving a manual car is a life skill everyone should know how to do, yet many don't. Sure, automatic cars are the norm these days. But, you may find yourself needing to drive a manual car or truck every once in a while.

More difficult to learn — Learning manual can often take more time because you're required to do the gear changes yourself. Heavy traffic driving — Driving in heavy traffic conditions can be difficult due to constant stopping/starting and manual gear changes.

Why is driving a manual more fun? ›

It's Way More Fun

With a manual transmission, you're the one shifting into a higher gear—exactly when you want to—instead of relying on your car to do it for you. “It unlocks an entirely new world of driving,” says Fix, who likens the releasing of the clutch and the pushing of the gas pedal to a dance.

The ride is bumpy, and shifting gears adds a layer of unpredictability from the passenger side where, as a passenger, you feel on edge for the majority of the ride. The entire experience is thrilling, titillating, but driving stick also feels inherently masculine, which may add to its appeal — for both men and women.

Pros: Lower purchase price. Many drivers like the feeling of being in control. Fuel efficient.

And just 18 percent of American drivers can drive a stick, according to U.S. News and World Report. This relative scarcity has collectors and enthusiasts salivating. They are pushing up the values of late-model sports cars with a clutch pedal and, in the process, creating a new class of collectible cars.

Feeling Confident and Not Needing To Think About Gear Changes - 2 - 4 Weeks If you practice about 5 - 8 hours per week, you should start to feel like driving stick shift is 2nd nature after about two to four weeks. By this point, you should feel as comfortable in a manual car as you feel in an automatic car.

Designed to help you better understand your vehicle, becoming familiar with the manual will help you as you prepare to drive your vehicle. From the recommended service schedule to the dashboard layout, your owner's manual has a wealth of valuable information.

Skilled drivers like the fact that a manual car gives them options to handle unusual conditions such as avoiding a collision or riding a slippery road.

Only around 18% of American drivers can handle a manual transmission, according to U.S. News and World Report. You know: the clutch pedal and the stick shift—three on the tree, four on the floor or, I don't know, five to drive maybe. Different gears, manually engaged.

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. The gears determine the amount of power available from the engine.