Manual Transmission Shifting 101

The list of new cars being made with manual transmissions seems to grow smaller each year.  So maybe you never even cared about acquiring the skillset of gracefully driving a stick shift, manual transmission…four (4) on the floor…whichever you prefer.  For those more mechanically or athletically inclined, it was probably a brave parent or sibling that coached you from the passenger seat through that learning curve…anxiously awaiting some alcoholic beverage at home…once the ordeal was over.

The Heel-and-toe (H/T) manipulation technique of gear shifting…is the technical name as it’s called today.  It’s a standard practice in motorsports that minimizes disruption of the driveline, and therefore the chassis, while braking aggressively into a turn. Even a brief upset of a drive wheel’s speed at the cornering and/or braking limit can cause a major deviation from the quickest line and, in the worst case, trigger a spin. For maximum speed, every driver input must be glass smooth, especially gear changes.

Everyday street drivers can take a lesson from professional race car drivers by mimicking their moves.  It takes considerable practice to refine one’s H/T technique until it’s polished enough for prime time driving.  But driving a stick is an acquired skill and acquired taste that, when mastered…never leaves your personal bag of tricks, even if it gets shelved for a time.

Here’s the Heel-and-toe technique in 6 (six) easy steps:

STEP #1:

Place the ball of your right foot right on the center of the brake pedal to initiate hard braking…while both hands on the steering wheel…at the 10 and 2 position…or 9 and 3 o’clock…depending on your school of thought.

On the edge of your seat?…anticipating Steps #2-#6? Here are some color coded/highlighted drawings to break things down for the true analytics.

Read More