Motoring With Tawanda Matanhire: Concluding On Driving Manual Cars

By Tawanda Matanhire

It is indeed a good thing to get a driver’s licence which is a pre-requisite before driving on the country’s roads as well as in any country across the globe.

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Some actually take driving as a profession and this cannot be possible without this document.

It is a good thing to be able to drive let alone with much confidence as situations which need drivers could be on your face anytime anywhere.

This week I conclude my article on driving manual cars hoping that aspiring drivers were following the last two articles and have learnt something to embark on their driving journey which will surely is lifelong.

From our last article when a vehicle is in motion controlling it becomes important at all times. The clutch pedal plays its role as it ensures there is change of gears for movement.

Press the clutch to the floor and move the gearstick into first gear. It should be the upper-left position, and there should be some kind of visual layout of the gear pattern on top of the gearstick.

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Gear patterns can vary, so take some time beforehand to study your car’s gear layout. You may want to practice shifting through the various gears with the engine switched off (and the clutch engaged).

Slowly lift your foot up from the clutch pedal. Continue until you hear the engine speed begin to drop, then push it back in. Repeat this several times until you can instantly recognize the sound. This is called the friction point.

When you are shifting gears to start or keep moving, this is the point at which you need to have the accelerator depressed enough to provide power.

Let up on the clutch while pushing down on the accelerator. In order to get moving, lift your left foot up from the clutch pedal until the Revolutions Per Minute (RPMs) drop slightly on the dashboard display.

RPMs are a measure of how many times the engine’s crankshaft makes one full rotation every minute, and along with it, how many times each piston goes up and down in its cylinder. The normal RPM range for cars on highways is generally between 1500 RPM and 2000 RPM.

At the same instant, apply light pressure to the accelerator with your right foot. Balance the light downward pressure on the accelerator with slowly releasing pressure on the clutch pedal. You will probably have to do this several times to find the right combination of up and down pressure.

Another way of doing it, is to release the clutch until the point the engine revs down a little, and then applying pressure on the accelerator as the clutch engages.

At this point the car will start moving. It is best to have enough engine revolutions to prevent stalling as the clutch pedal is let up. This process may be a little difficult at first.

You should expect to stall at least a few times when you are first starting out. If you release the clutch too quickly the engine will stall. If the engine sounds like it is going to stall, hold the clutch where it is or push it down a bit further. If you do stall, depress the clutch fully, apply the handbrake, put the car in neutral, switch the engine off and restart the car as normal.

Please do not panic, it is a learning process that you will soon get accustomed to.

Avod throttling the engine while the clutch is between fully up and fully depressed. This will wear out the clutch parts prematurely, resulting in slippage or smoking of the clutch parts at the transmission. This is called riding the clutch and should be avoided.

From this point one needs to see the road and the steering wheel becomes handy. Always make sure you have clear visuals and if there is any hindrance attend to it first before moving the vehicle.

Once you grasp this process, you are good to go. I wish you happy driving during this festive season and it is always wise not to speed as this often leads to unnecessary loss of lives. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE at all costs.

This is my last article for the year and I pray that I find you well in 2023.
Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.

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