Manual Cars are considered as more traditional ones as compared to the contemporary automatic cars. You don’t need to do much in terms of controlling the speed and shifting of gears in an automatic car. But when it comes to the manual cars, it requires you to be a little more active and utilize the manual functionality of cars in the most appropriate way to make your drive easy and safe. People who drive manual cars tend to commit few mistakes which have their own minor and major pitfalls. The lack of understanding for correct gear changing, clutch control, brake usage and balancing the car are few problems that manual car drivers at times face especially when they are new to driving a manual car. Here, we will discuss five bad habits in manual driving and feed you with few important tips to overcome those mistakes. Though you can buy any vehicle but this is necessary to understand how they could perform better.
Resting a Hand on Gear Constantly while Driving
This is probably the most common bad habit of all, while driving a manual car, drivers tend to put one hand constantly on the gear lever. This is completely wrong as your both hands should be on steering wheel for better control not only in an emergency situation but in general as well. You can always use your other hand to change gears when needed and then get it back to the steering. Resting one hand all the time on the gear lever often leads to poor lane changing and bad turns which disturb the flow of traffic and can cause serious accidents. Selling damaged cars is not easy so better be careful while driving.
Bad Control while Moving Up a Slope and Going Downhill
This is a common problem faced by the manual car drivers while driving upwards and downhill on a sloped track. The driver being used to the footbrake use it when they drive upwards on a sloped track. This is a serious mistake and can lead to rolling back of your vehicle causing dangerous accidents. What you need to do while driving on a slope is to use handbrake with the clutch in the similar way you use foot brake in combination with the clutch. Handbrake helps in controlling the car better than the footbrake when you move upwards. The clutch and handbrake should be used in a very schematic way and it demands lot of practice. On the other hand, when you move downhill, it is highly suggested to put the car in the same gear that you used to move up on the slope. You must not rest your feet constantly on footbrake when coming down as it can lead to brakes getting heated.
Not using Neutral Gear when the Vehicle is in Stationary State
Many people forget to turn the gear to neutral when they stop the car when they stop on a traffic signal or when they park their vehicle somewhere. Now, if they start the car engine while being in gear, the car will feel a jerk and may collide at front with other vehicle or a wall. It is highly suggested to apply handbrake and select neutral when you stop the car to avoid the rolling back of the car and any uncontrollable movement of the vehicle upon starting the engine.
Too Much Throttle at Lower RMPs
This is a common practice of many manual car drivers that they tend to shift up to high gears quickly and then throttle at high gears. It is a very bad practice as the early shifting of gears and increasing throttle don’t go well together. At higher gears when the engine is working at lower RPMs, you cannot throttle too much as it will lead to engine knocking. Keeping your car performance better will also increase car value and in future it could be beneficial if you plan to sale it.
Pointless Placing of Foot on Clutch Pedal
Clutch handling is a difficult practice for manual driving learners. Other than that some experienced drivers also don’t use the clutch properly. It is a common mistake among the manual car drivers to place the foot consistently on the clutch even when it’s not in use. It is either habitual or happens due to an extra careful approach of the driver. The clutch should be released when not in use and the foot should be lifted from it. It enhances the life of clutch plates and saves them from premature damage.
Safe Driving must be the first priority of every driver whether the car is automatic or manual. The difference of transmission in cars surely changes the mindset of the drivers to an extent but the basic fundamentals of safe driving remain the same. You must drive the way that best suits you but you need to follow certain regulations of car safety and in general, while driving the car. A careful but confident approach helps you in driving smoothly and preserves your manual vehicle from getting damaged unnecessarily.
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