Question about driving a car with manual transmission...slowing down then returning to the speed i was at?????

Question

Ok, im learning how to drive a manual, currently. I get how to shift and when to shifr when i am going forward to reach a certain speed. But, what do I do when i am behind someone whos is turning say in their driveway to their house causing me to slowdown? say i am in 4th gear at the time, can i just hit the brakes and slow down letting him turn without downshifting? and then just speed back up to where i was after the person turns without doing anything with the gears?

See i tried downshifting while slowing down but that just caused loud grinding sounds and i just knew i wasnt doing it right. I dont get it. I know when i come to a complete stop i just slow down enough to push in the clutch and put it in neutral while holding the brake, but i dont understand what to do to just slow down but not stop and then return back to the speed i was at.

Please help!!!

Answer 1

When you shift UP through the gears you have to shift up through each gear - 1st, then 2nd, then 3rd, etc....building up your speed as you go and shift when you are at approximately 2,000 - 3,000 rpm (or go by the labor sound of your engine). When merging onto higher speed roads, you will probably use a higher rpm  in each gear (3000-4000 rpm)to build up your speed at a faster rate.

When you need to do an emergency stop, let's say for a deer or a child running out into the roadway, first you brake and then you shift down, from, say 4th or 5th gear right down to 2nd or 1st if you have to stop. You should normally brake to about 1,000 rpm, shift down to the next lowest gear, brake to 1,000 rpm again, down to next lowest gear etc. NORMALLY......BUT

In an emergency or a quick stop, brake first, slow right down first, then push in your clutch, and then shift down a few gears at once, depending on your current speed. In any case, be in a low enough gear so that you can move again without "lugging". You can shift from 5th gear right down to 1st gear if you have to stop. You wouldn't have to shift down through each gear if you had to make a quick stop.

When you push in your clutch, you are actually disconnecting your transmission from your drive wheel, which means you are really in a NEUTRAL position, which might cause your car to roll forward faster. Using the gears to slow down under normal conditions allows the transmission to slow down the car instead of wearing out your brakes.

I hope that helps........email me if you have any other questions.

Answer 2

put in the clutch and let off the gas, use the brake pedal, too to help slow down ...  if they are turning into their driveway, then you want to keep the clutch in, move the gear shift to third, still keep the clutch in, then move the gear shift to second ...  when you are free to speed up again, just start letting the clutch out and applying gas as you do in order to accelerate as you normally would ...  if the engine spins loudly (goes "varooooom") then you are either applying too much gas or going too fast to be in second - either let off the gas a little as you continue to let the clutch out or push the clutch back in and move the gear-shift to third ...  if you are learning to "down-shift" then you will go into the next lower gear (using the clutch) and slowly let the clutch back out ...  you will be at the top of the gear so the engine will be loud and sound like you are revving it ...  do not use the gas, just let the engine slow you down until the rpms are low enough to shift down into the next gear ...

it would be easiest to get someone who can drive stick shift well to explain what they are doing as you let them drive, then to have them talk you through it as you drive ...

Answer 3

sounds like you were downshifting  to low a gear or your foot was not fully down on clutch.what you have to do is match the speed you are travelling at with the right gear.so say your travelling at 40mph and you hit the brakes to slow down to 20mph you should be looking to shift into 2 gear.all it is is practice and you will get the hang of the gear ratios.good luck with the driving

Answer 4

In the situation you describe there are two ways you can go...you can gradually shift down gears from 4th down to 1st but that is a bit of a waste of time...the best way is to just brake normally in the gear you are in....put the clutch in before you come to a complete stop to stop the engine stalling.....a good driver looks ahead and can anticipate these things....and starts to brake a lot earlier, so that as the turning car moves out of the way you can select say second gear and move off without actually stopping....although obviously there will be times when you have to stop...

There is a system called double de clutching when going down the gears, the idea is say you are in 4th, put the clutch in, go into neutral, rev the engine so that the engine is going faster and then put the car into the lower gear and gradually release the clutch, this takes practice, but makes for a lot smoother change and none of the clunking.......as I said, you need a lot more anticipation then when driving an automatic..

Answer 5

Manual shifting means that the driver does 'manually' what an automatic transmission does automatically...Yes, a vehicle can be slowed or stopped while leaving the trans in a high gear, like 3rd, 4th or 5th...But that puts a tremendous amount of strain on the brakes and they will wear out very quickly...Try to get in the habit of downshifting to the next lower gear as you slow down thru a gear's speed range - i.e. in 4th gear, as you slow down to 40 mph, downshift to 3rd gear; down through 25 mph, downshift to 2nd...Don't shift to 1st until you come to a complete stop...Thus you are simulating the same procedures used in an automatic trans...It will help you slow down as well as put your vehicle in the proper gear should you have to accelerate from a slower speed.

Remember, decelerating is just the opposite of accelerating...Downshift as you slow down - don't skip any gears...Keep practicing until you can do it without conscious thought.

All the best.