ACCELERATOR
It’s also referred to as a gas pedal or throttle, operated by the right foot. It controls the amount of gas/fuel and air being fed into the engine and in turn, controls the speed of the car. When you push the accelerator down slowly, the air and fuel enter into the engine and gradually increase the car speed. Drivers can choose to speed up by further pressing the accelerator.

BRAKE PEDAL
It’s installed in the centre of the clutch and accelerator. The accelerator and brake pedals are never used together. The right foot controls the brake pedal just like an accelerator. The brakes in a car bring it to a stop by absorbing energy from a moving system to inhibit motion. Maximum pressure should be applied to the brake pedal to slow down the car quickly.

CLUTCH
It’s one of the foot controls in a manual car that functions using the left foot. It disengages the engine from the gearbox, making gear shift smooth for the drivers. Consider the clutch as two plates that connect the engine with the gearbox, when pressed together.

EIGHT EASY STEPS TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE A MANUAL CAR
Now that you are familiar with the ABC of manual cars, learning to drive a manual car will be easier theoretically. Here are the eight steps to drive a manual car:

Get in the vehicle and fasten your seatbelt
Start the car
Press the clutch (left pedal) down
Shift the gear stick into first
Then press down the accelerator with your right foot to increase engine’s speed slightly
Slowly lift your left foot from the clutch until your car starts to vibrate gently. The vibration is actually the vehicle’s “bite point”, meaning the clutch plates come together at this point.
Remove the handbrake to let the car move steadily
Increase the speed by slowly raising your foot off the clutch and pressing on the accelerator pedal

UNDERSTANDING THE FUNCTION OF THE GEARS IN MANUAL CARS

The manual gearbox in a car has six to seven gears. To better understand driving with a manual gearbox, let’s find out about each gear marked on the car’s stick.

1st Gear provides the most pulling power for the car to start moving but the least potential to pick up speed.
Speed Range in 1st gear is: 0 to 20 km/h
2nd Gear is used to increase speed on ordinary roads after 1st gear. 2nd gear can be applied while applying brakes on slow speed curves or while making right or left turns at intersections.
Speed Range in 2nd gear is:: 10 to 30 km/h
3rd Gear increases the speed further from 2nd gear. 3rd gear can be applied when driving in town or downhill and to overtake another vehicle.
Speed Range in 3rd gear is: 20 to 50 km/h.
4th Gear helps increase the speed from 3rd gear. 4th gear can be applied when driving on highways or on any smooth broad road.
Speed Range in 4th gear is: 30 to 60 km/h
5th Gear provides the least pulling power but allows the car to pick up to a great range of speed. Apply this gear when driving on Expressways.
Speed Range in 5th gear is: 60 km/h or more
6th Gear helps reduce fuel consumption by letting the engine run a little more than tickover during motorway cruising.
R Gear, which is the 7th gear in most of the manual cars can be applied to reverse the car.

POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE YOU DRIVE A MANUAL CAR
First of all learn to change car gear manually
Clutch is the left pedal, Brake is the middle pedal and Accelerator is the right pedal
To avoid stalling don’t take off your foot from the clutch too quickly and don’t be too light on revs
If you do stall, turn off the engine, shift gear stick to neutral and try again.

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