In order to start driving a car, the driver must learn a few simple steps: start the engine, shift gears, select the correct engine speed, depending on the traffic situation. These are simple actions on which all car driving is based.
Over time, driving experience is gained, for some it accumulates on an automatic transmission. But, I must say, a manual gearbox is fundamentally different from an automatic machine in driving style, since the responsibility of the driver also includes such a duty as the choice of gear. How to change gears will be discussed in this article.
First of all, you need to find out at what speed to change gears. For different engines - in different ways. If the engine is traction and has maximum torque “on the bottoms”, then in this range, namely, up to 2000 revolutions, it is worth changing gear to higher. There are many recommendations and instructions on how to change gears, but none of them affects all situations. Why? The answer is simple - because there can be so many of these situations that you don’t tell everyone in a day.
Before shifting gears, the car needs to be accelerated, because the higher the gear, the lower the gear ratio, which means it is more difficult for the engine to rotate the wheels. If this is not done, then the next gear will not be able to accelerate, and the sound of the engine will make it clear that he is at least uncomfortable. Of course, driving experience comes with practice, but theory is equally important. This means that if the driver does not even know how to properly shift gears, then he will not be able to put such knowledge into practice.
All acceleration should be done smoothly, without overloads for the engine and jerks for the clutch. When shifting gears, the clutch pedal must be released smoothly, while not allowing gas relapses.
Many may find that proper gear shifting is only necessary for a more comfortable ride. Indeed, knowing how to change gears positively affects the smoothness of the car, but this is far from all. Proper gear shifting allows you to select the optimal engine operating conditions, which means it will reduce fuel consumption as much as possible. If the gear is shifted earlier than necessary, then some of the gasoline simply will not burn, but will be thrown into the exhaust pipe, but later, on the contrary, it will burn too much during acceleration.
If we talk about how to shift gears, then it is worth recalling such a concept as a lower gear. There are times when the engine power is not enough, for example, to call for a lift, then it may stall. To prevent this, you need to shift the gear one or two lower, depending on the situation. Long driving in a gear that is not suitable for the situation can lead to overheating of the engine, as well as to rapid wear of the piston group and clutch disc.
From the above it follows that if the driver wants to comfortably reach his destination, while saving on fuel, as well as spare his "iron horse", he needs to switch gears correctly. In principle, this is not difficult, the main thing is practice.