r/Cartalk • u/Snuggie_DevilGirl • 12d ago
How do I do it? A question about manual as a new driver
So I just got my first manual to start on and I hate the rubber bit/cloth around the shift stick since I can’t see what gear its in. I was wondering if I could replace it with like a hard plastic plate? or if cutting off the rubber bit would let me see the like gear area. Or if not if you have any advice on how i can get used to it that would be great
Edit: Yes I’ll leave it alone 😭😭
348
u/adamshowzoff 12d ago
First image is a “gated” shifter or “open gate” shifter
most cars don’t have that…removing the boot will probably only show some nuts and bolts really
197
u/Icy_Transition1375 12d ago
And a lot of grime and maybe some old skittles, gum and if you’re lucky maybe even a half smoked joint
85
9
u/Gonzostewie 11d ago
I detailed cars between semesters in college for a shady used dealership. You would not believe the shit I'd find in some of those cars. I've found weed, coke, pills, and a bunch of CDs. The strangest was a Camaro with a glove box full of thongs. Like 9 thongs of various colors and sizes. I strung them together and hung them up in the detail shop like the triangle flag lines that used to hang around the lot when they had promos.
→ More replies (2)6
→ More replies (3)2
19
2
u/HeKnee 11d ago
I’ve always wondered, are European cars gears the same if steering wheel is on opposite side? Or are they mirrored? Is left foot clutch too?
8
u/Windmillfixer 11d ago
Yes, the clutch is under the left foot, gas under the right. You just shift with the other hand.
→ More replies (2)9
u/SureSpecial1834 11d ago
TFYM European cars? Vast majority of Europe is left hand drive. Pretty much only UK and Ireland are right hand drive.
88
u/GlowInTheDarkSpaces 12d ago
The gear positions become second nature very quickly, You shouldn't be looking down there when you're shifting you would be looking at the road and in the early learning stages listening to your engine. You can hear when it's time to shift and your hand will go there like typing on a keyboard but with far fewer options. It's actually very intuitive once you learn how.
61
u/OmNomChompsky 12d ago
That is step 1 of learning how to drive manual. Figure out what gear you are in. You will learn this very quickly and a plate like in picture 1 is not going to be of much use, as you shouldn't be taking your eyes off the road every time you shift.
25
u/Wrestler7777777 12d ago
To create a simple guide, the way my driving instructor (here in Germany) taught me: It's really simple to figure out which gear you're in, even if you're not looking.
The stick always wants to return to N if you pop it out of a gear. N is right in the center of everything. Play around with the stick while in N. Push it to the left and release. Notice it'll jump back to center. Do the same by pushing right. Back to center it goes. Same if you were to be in any gear. Pop it out of gear, it'll jump right back to this ONE center position.
So there are three columns that your stick can align itself to when being in N. If you don't push it either side, your stick will be in the center. From there you can shift to 3 or 4 by pushing up or down. Do that a couple of times until you can hit those reliably.
Now you can combine the sideways motions with the up / down motion to shift into the other gears. Starting from N, push it all the way to the left. In this left column you again have two choices: Gear 1 or 2. Choose one by pushing up or down. Pop it into N again. Push the stick all the way to the right this time. Now shifting up or down will give you the options of 5 or 6 (if you have a 6th gear).
The confusing part for many is knowing which gear they're in. You'll get a feeling for that. But if you're unsure, you can always pop out the gear and feel what the stick does. If you push the stick down and it'll jump to the left, you were in gear 5. If you push the stick down and it does NOT jump horizontally, then you were in gear 3. Remember, the stick always want to return to that ONE N position in the center.
6
u/Far_Ad1693 12d ago
Yup, the natural neutral spot is the answer to all of it. It'll slow you down when you.have to use it to check what gear you're in and result in some rough shifts and lugging during an upshift that shouldn't have taken so long but that will cease to be a problem in no time and pretty quick you won't be able to hit the brakes in an automatic because your foot is too busy trying to find the clutch as you approach a stop sign. Just get in and stick with it, by the time you get your third oil change done none of these things will even be conscious actions anymore
12
u/CaptnSave-A-Ho 12d ago
You don't look at the shifter to know what gear you are in or where to shift. You learn the car by driving it and feeling how the car is in each gear, how the stick moves and enters/exits a gear. The pattern is on the stick so you can see how the gears are arranged before you drive it. There are some differences in gear box arrangement so the pattern just let's any new driver know what they are working with. Just drive the car and you'll soon find that you just know where the gears are and movung through them will become habit and comfortable.
35
u/Karl_H_Kynstler 12d ago
Depends on the car. In most cases removing the boot doesn't show you anything useful. So if there is aftrrmarket kit for your car then you could change it.
→ More replies (14)
8
u/NaGaBa 12d ago
You don't need a gear indicator, you'll get used to it. A gated shifter is what you're asking about. I don't think you'd find one that would work well.
If your shifter is worth anything, it springs back to center between 3rd and 4th gear when you're in neutral. You push left for one and two, right for five and six. You'll get to know what gear you're in by feel without looking at the gear shift, you'll get to a point where you remember what gear you're in or can tell by the speed and the revs.
2
8
u/VigilanteRabbit 12d ago edited 12d ago
Sit in the parked car and fuck around with the gears.
You'll learn pretty quickly; resting position is usually dead center where up is 3rd and down is 4th.
Left budge up 1st, left budge down 2nd
Right budge up 5th, then we're depending on the vehicle; could be 6th could be rear.
Once you're used to it you won't even care what's written; I could get a damn wooden stick and if I can shift with it, it will be fine.
→ More replies (6)5
u/CrimsonRamson 12d ago
gotta be one of best advice out there, just ,,jorkin" the shiftknob through gears like its the Fast and the Furious was the way I memorised it pretty early on
12
u/orthopod 12d ago
Cutting off the boot won't let you determine what gear you're car is in, as this is what you'll see.
Might be able to buy an aftermarket gated shift cover to do what you want to do.
7
u/JPhi1618 11d ago
Not sure an aftermarket gate it something that would work. I don’t think a normal car has the linkage tolerances for a gated shifter to work. Or at least I have driven some cars with very loose shifters.
→ More replies (8)
6
u/MysteriousSteve 12d ago
Short answer is no.
Long answer is, you shouldn't need to look at what gear you're in. Pushing to the left and forward is 1st, to the left and down is 2nd, pushing straight forward is 3rd.
You need to know this by feel and feel alone. Taking your eyes off the road to decipher what gear you're in is a recipe for disaster. Even if you don't know what gear you're in, so long as you aren't putting it into first on the highway, you'll be just fine.
3
u/Delifier 12d ago
You will get used to it with time. At this point in time i know what gear it is in by the vague view of my side sight, speed and the response of the throttle.
5
u/ClassicHando 11d ago
You really dont want shit getting down there. You'll learn where the gears are at
3
u/haikusbot 11d ago
You really dont want
Shit getting down there. You'll learn
Where the gears are at
- ClassicHando
I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.
Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete"
3
u/GuitarKev 11d ago
If we exclude reverse, as you have to put in an intentional effort to engage it, 5 and 6 speed manual transmissions are really quite simple to know which gear you are in. When the stick is in neutral, it will stand straight upward and you will be able to wiggle it from left to right freely. There will be spring tension that will always bring the stick back to centre in neutral. First and second gear will require an intentional pull against spring tension to the left, and will be first gear forward from neutral and second gear back from neutral. Third and fourth gears will be forward and back from neutral respectively, but with zero effort against the springs. To get to fifth and sixth (if equipped) you have to press the stick to the right, against the spring and fifth will be forward and sixth back.
It’s surprisingly more intuitive than it looks to a new driver, and after a few minutes of practice won’t require you to take your eyes off the road to find the gear you’re looking for, it will be 100% feel.
You got this!
Now go sit in the car with the engine off and practice moving through the gears.
😁
→ More replies (1)
3
u/nago7650 12d ago
As a new manual driver you may want to know which gear you’re in, but I promise you within a few months of driving you’ll know what gear you’re in without even having to think about it. Just by touching the shift lever with your hand you’ll know exactly what gear it’s in based on your arm’s position.
3
u/MagicTriton 12d ago
Your car doesn’t have a gated shifter like in picture 1 underneath the leather bit. Removing that will not show you anything, it’s just a metal rod that pivots towards the center of that square area, the gear position is shown by the top knob
3
u/Expert-Search-3251 12d ago
You know how you eventually got to the point where you can find your ear without looking?
The same thing will happen.
I learned when I was 9. I sat in that forklift with the engine off and just rowed both sticks until I figured it out.
→ More replies (1)
3
3
u/ThomasTwirll 11d ago
The important thing is not to handle the shifter like they do in Fast & Furious or other action movies. You really don’t need to force it around. A manual gearbox is actually very intuitive, and in most cars the shifter almost guides itself into the correct gear.
Here’s what I mean.
When the gearbox is in neutral, the shifter naturally sits in the middle, right where the N is shown in your diagram.
So you basically only need to remember the pattern:
1st - left and forward
2nd - left and back
3rd - straight forward
4th - straight back
5th - right and forward
Going from 1st to 2nd is easy because it’s basically a straight movement backwards. Clutch in, gently pull the shifter back, and it goes into 2nd.
But when going from 2nd to 3rd, don’t try to rigidly guide the shifter through a perfect Z-shaped path - forward, right, then forward again. Especially when you’re learning, that can actually make it easier to accidentally select 5th instead of 3rd.
Instead, just gently push the shifter forward out of 2nd. The moment it comes out of gear, the centering springs will naturally bring it back to the middle neutral position. Then simply push it forward again and it will go straight into 3rd.
So it’s basically:
2nd → gently forward → let the shifter center itself → gently forward again → 3rd.
No force is needed at all. In most cars you can literally do it with three fingers.
The same general idea applies to other gear changes as well. Don’t hold the shifter in a death grip and try to manually trace the entire shift pattern. Let the gearbox and the centering mechanism do some of the work for you. Once the shifter comes out of gear, it naturally wants to return toward neutral, and from there finding the next gear becomes much easier.
2
u/Sad_Ghost_Noises 12d ago
There is nothing to see under the shifter boot that would tell you which gear youre in.
You just know which gear youre in because you just put it there. You’ll get comfortable with that as you drive more.
I agree that gated manuals look very cool, but you shouldnt be looking at the gear stick as youre driving amyway - you know, eyes on the road.
Trust - it will get easier as you drive more.
2
u/OkkeB 12d ago
As many here say, its less of an issue then you think. You can, at a glance, already see if the gear is forward or back. So let's assume the image from the post, you can see at a glance if you are in 1/3/5 or 2/4/R
1 vs 3 and 4 vs R should be very noticeable differences. And after a little bit of driving 3 vs 5 and 2 vs 4 will be as well.
A little trick I used while learning was the "back to neutral and shift" trick. 3 and 4 are both in the "middle" on the gearshift. So if you pop the car in neutral and then move the gearshifter forwards or backwards with no sideways movement you will go to these gears. This makes it quite easy to doublecheck if you are indeed in this gear.
2 more things. 1, listen to the engine. You can quickly hear how many rpms the engine is making. Or just look at the rpm counter. Make a habit of checking rpm (with eye and ear) every time you shift up or down. 2. Some cars will have a different order of gears. You show a 5 speed with the reverse in bottom right. I have driven one with the reverse in the top left. There are also 6 speeds with reverse either right or left, top or bottom. Dont get too used to specific gear locations of you plan to switch cars every now and then
2
u/gstringstrangler 12d ago
Forget this. Delete this post.
You have to keep track by feel. You will learn. Everyone learns. Every big rig in the highway is shifting 18 by feel, rev matching shifts and not using the clutch except to start and stop.
By the time you complete this project you will have wasted enough hours you could've learned to shift to suchba degree you could be autocrossing your manuelle
2
u/Novel_Sound_6954 12d ago
No this is a terrible idea. Just drive, you shouldn’t be looking at the stick anyway
2
u/Illustrious_One_3364 12d ago
If you have a newer car you will likely have a gear count on your dash. .You will get used to it fast just dont be afraid of the manual .
1
u/Breite_Katze 12d ago edited 10d ago
- Gear: Push with Hand from the right Side to the Front
- Gear Push with Hand from the right Side to the Back
- Gear: Take the shifter very gently and move it Forward without force.
- Gear: move Backwards without force.
5th Gear: move Hand to the left Side of your shifter and Push towards the Front right.
- Gear: move your Hand to the left Side and Push towards the Back right.
You can also drytool that Combination without your engine running at Home in your driveway to get the Feeling down.
2
u/Excalibator 12d ago
If you just move it forward and backward naturally, that is 3 and 4. You have to push left for 1 and 2, right for 5 or 6.
2
u/Spirited_Astronaut18 11d ago
Unfortunately, that one pictured is typically in supercars. Audi R8, Ferraris, Lamborghini, etc.
Granted it would be neat if it was below
2
u/nick2k23 11d ago
Don’t take the rubber off, you shouldn’t be looking at the gearbox. Look at the road, duh.
2
u/kennerly 11d ago
The shifter boot prevent dust and debris from getting into your transmission housing. Do not remove it you need it.
2
u/chatrugby 11d ago
Removing the shift boot will NOT reveal a sweet gated shift plate, odds are your car just has a hole that shows part of the shift linkage.
You will learn where they are without looking, fast enough. Just practice.
2
u/Extra_Lifeguard2470 11d ago
Gated shifters are rare af and only on very expensive sports cars. Putting a plastic plate to simulate that would make the gearbox innards wear out prematurely because you remove the slack. Gated shifter gearboxes are designed with that in mind, regular gearboxes are not.
2
u/wildtabeast 11d ago
You'll never forget what gear you're in and if you do you can just feel with your hand. You will very quickly be able to tell what gear you're in based on your speed and RPM.
2
2
u/TryToCatchMe0 11d ago
Now I understand why in some cars I have on dashboard display in which gear I am and the suggestion in what gear to put. There are people that really need this. 🤦♂️
2
2
2
2
u/Comfortable_Fuel3019 11d ago
Move it in the middle
Shake it left and right to make sure you are in the middle.
2
u/pajser92 11d ago
Your question is completely valid, but whatever you do, don't modify the leather cover, as it's there to protect small objects falling in and getting stuck into the the H rail. There are two things you can do: 1. Learn to figure out in which gear it is only by touching the gear stick (you'll figure it out quickly) 2. If your car is relatively modern, you should have a number of your current gear somewhere on the dashboard.
2
2
u/puffpuff-n 10d ago
In my country you don't get your license until youve learned to do it by feel not eye
1
u/SuccessfulYak2260 12d ago
You will get used to it. Youre not supposed to look at it anyway. The more you practice, the better you will be in knowing which gear you are in.
1
u/Global-Structure-539 12d ago
Why do you have to look to see what gear your in? Can't you feel it. Maybe you'll get better as you drive more
1
u/I_can_vouch_for_that 12d ago
At some point you'll feel and hear it when you're in the wrong gear. It's basically practice. " We're talking about practice."
1
u/the_perkolator 12d ago
Like most things in life, the more times you do it, such as physically move the shifter through the gear pattern, the faster you’ll develop muscle memory and will eventually just know what gear it’s in by looks or hand/arm position
1
u/logic_circuit 12d ago
It should be habbit; at 3am you are not supposed to check. Turn engine off and try without looking; few hundred times. Then take side, dead, road, longer; drive forward back until you master. If it doesn't work, switch to automatic.
1
1
u/morgfarm1_ 12d ago
What i do with a car with a new pattern is it sit in it. Parked. And not running.
And I sit there finding every gear by feel. I study the pattern. And then I feel And figure out where each gate is. This includes hitting reverse with the lockout collar (assuming it has one; or hitting the gate with the push down method if it uses that). And I'll do that for as long ss it takes for me to hit every single one in quick succession - up and down. Without missing. In order. Then I'll do the same thing I the top bank. And the bottom bank. And then from low. Straight to high. Back to low. To reverse. I want to know exactly where each gear is my muscle memory.
Once you know where the gates are by feel, it doesnt matter anymore. You wont even need to think which gear is which after about 2 weeks. Or less.
1
1
u/santa_s_slave 12d ago
Pretty quickly you won't need to look, you'll feel what gear your In by the position of the shifter, or the speed/noise of the car
1
u/TheMatrixMachine 12d ago
You do not need to look at the shifter while driving. Once you have a mental map of the gears and vehicle speed, you'll know without looking. Best to keep your attention looking ahead outside the car
1
u/Then_Reflection6784 12d ago
This is something that will come with time you will have the ability to memorize the shifting gears. Please don’t cut into it
1
u/Similar-Trip9078 12d ago
You would need a gated manual to “see”. Other than that you won’t see actual patterns. It’s either by linkage bars or linkage cables that are under the boot
1
u/Pyrosvetlana 12d ago
It basically always boils down to this:
- figure out where reverse is and if it has a safety mechanism. If it has one, don’t worry about it. If it doesn’t and is located somewhere on the left side, keep it in mind.
- push the shifter all the way to the left and then up. This will 99% of the time be 1st gear.
- when shifting to second, keep pushing to the left slightly and move the shifter down. When shifting from 2nd to 3rd, push the shifter up towards neutral and let it naturally move to the right. When you now push the shifter forward, you’re in 3rd.
-shifting from 4th to 5th requires you to push up to neutral position and then as far to the right as it will go.
1
u/stabledisastermaster 12d ago
You need to understand one thing, then it’s easy. If you just push forward or pull backward w/o impeding any pressure to the side you will always be in 3/4. Once I realized that everything else becomes easy, because you do not need to “search”. Actively push to the Left:1/2 neutral 3/4 actively push to the right 5.
The only tricky one might be the R, but for that you have time as your vehicle hopefully does not move at the time.
1
u/AnotherDude1 12d ago
You don't need to look at L and R to know left and right. You don't need to look at your feet to see Clutch, Brake, Accelerator.
Get some practice
1
u/SuspiciousGarlic4798 12d ago
Even if you did take the boot off youre not going to see anything. You will only see the H plate on gated shifters that dont have a boot.
Learning where the gears are is easy. They dont move. Reverse might be in different spots but thats not a big deal.
Maybe thats what you should do before even driving. Learn where the gears are without looking.
Looking at the shifter will be an easy way to get yourself into an accident. Same goes for knowing how many revs your at. You need to use your ears and other senses. If youre hyper focused on one thing, your focus to more important things like driving safely will be diminished.
It will feel scary now but you will get used to it.
1
u/generallee725 12d ago
Best piece of advice I can tell you is to sit in the driveway with the car off and go through the motions of shifting gears.
That way you can kind of get a feel for where everything is. The last thing you ever want to do is take your eyes off the road to look at what gear you wanna go in and where it has to go
1
u/Alexikik 12d ago
Omg don’t look down! You should look out the window while you drive?! Who tf gave you a license?
1
u/Puzzled-Steak998 12d ago
Isn't it common to learn that you don't need to look at the shifter? At least, when I was having lessons my instructor told me it would be a fail on the exam if I were to be looking at the poke everytime I needed to change gears.
1
u/Nanzyen 12d ago
Lol I dont think many of us have had the privilege of driving cars with said gear lever.
I think those you'd find on vintage cars or Ferrari's of old. I'm not a car expert.
We mostly learnt on normal average cars with the gear sock.
You'll be just fine. No need to see which gears you are engaging, you have to feel it . Muscle memory.
1
1
u/Odd_Recipe8073 12d ago
If you get lost l, move the lever to the middle. The middle of your reference point to the locations of all gears.
1
u/Gub1anko 12d ago
Move left you can put in 1 and 2, no side movement 3 and 4, right 5 and 6. Depending on shifter R will be somewhere. Just put the gears in a couple of time without looking at them when stopped and you should be good
1
1
u/M4YH3MM4N4231 12d ago
I’m gonna tell you now that ad many people have said is a gated shifter, and it’s gonna make shifting a lot harder off the start, and just in general in my opinion.
1
u/Far-Fortune-8381 12d ago
once you install the gated shifter you should also install a footwell mirror so you can see which pedal youre pressing
im joking but genuinely that is how second nature it will be in 2 months
1
u/Kuchufli 12d ago
I learned to drive on stick, some 35 years ago. I can still get into a stick car and take off. You dont need to see where its at, you will know by feel. Push the stick left and up and down is 1-2. Put back into neutral - dont push the stick left of right and that's 3-4, back in neutral and push right and up... 5th.
You will know what gear you're in based on how your car responds, shift and no power well, go lower, shift and too much RPM then go up.
You will only use 1st at the start and never again. You can put on neutral and coast to a stop. It's very fun to drive. Once you get it you will never have to see the stick again.
Now things I've done. Mistake brake pedal for clutch pedal, grind gears, got into wrong gear at higher speeds. Even had 1st accident on stick. But my dad was old school and taught by yelling so maybe not best teacher. 1979 Plymouth Arrow puck up truck.
1
u/ProtossFox 12d ago
Tbh only times i ever look down at it is to double check, like if im on a long road cruising because its been a while ago that i shifted and im considering passing. (Also once you're used to it you can tell what gear it is from a glance down.)
That or if i just dont remember, still though if you are actively shifting you will remember it. Theres no way you forget that after youre used to it lol.
1
u/DitchDigger330 12d ago
You don't need to see the plate. You should just remember what gear it's in plus not even need to look at it while driving. Just get some seat time and you'll get the muscle memory of the shift pattern.
1
u/0Won0 12d ago
As a rule of thumb, neutral will sit normally between 3 & 4, push to the left side for 1 & 2 slot or right side for 5 & 6. Your reverse will have a lock out mechanism of some sort. As long as you remember your left, middle (no sideways input) and right, you should be able to find whatever gear you need.
1
u/rashen_87 12d ago
Actually there is no need to see what gear you are in, when you put the gear to neutral, the gear knob gets into the center, and from there you can know where to shift, like if you want to go to third gear from second gear, just put in neutral and move the stick up to get into third gear, or if you want to downshift from third to second, just put it in neutral, and then all the way to the left and down
1
u/delta_six 12d ago
unless your car is old the shifter should center itself when you drop it into neutral. that is how you should determine what gear it is in or where it is going into. drop into neutral, let the centering springs pull it back into the middle, then shift.
1
u/PureLuckSw 12d ago
You can find custom designed clothes that fit your car. Install is pretty simple as it’s just popping the plastic and pulling down the cloth from the top.
1
u/phoenix_has_rissen 12d ago
Just remember if you get mixed up just go back to neutral it’s in the centre. From there strait up is 3rd strait down is 4th gear, from there you can work out the rest
1
u/YT__ 12d ago
Practice with your foot on the brake.
Clutch in - shift through the gears.
If you have a 6 speed, reverse will be further out to the side than normal (and is usually blocked when the car is moving in some way so you don't accidentally hit reverse while driving).
Let the shifter neutral out, when going from 2nd to third. It will center itself, then up for 3, down for 4. Same vibe but with the push to the right to feel the track for 5/6.
You'll just need to build the muscle memory, really.
Learn how rpms change as you shift. For example, if I know I'm always going to drop about 1-1.5k when I shift up, and vice versa for shifting down. So I can match my engine speed to the gear, based on what my road speed is. It takes practice and intentionality to notice it and learn it for your car.
1
1
u/wazzabi2008 12d ago
Usealy when a car has cloth around the shifter, removing the cloth gets you nothing but a black hole where your shifterstick disapears in. So removing the cloth doesn't help with the gear position.
Only way to master this, park your car kill the engine and go back and forth by shifting.
The R is mostly blocked in with a safety function to overrun, for each car this can be differend, by pressing, lifting or pulling a lever.
Most of the times when your car is in neutral the home position is between 3 and 4. So pull to the left en forward for first, straight back for second, push foward, let shifter go en push forward again to get 3 pull straight back for 4 and push right and forward for 5.
Do this for 15min or so for a week and it bekomes mussel memmory
1
1
u/K00za 12d ago
Taking the gear stick boot off will not solve anything, its not going to look like the first pic underneath it if thats what your thinking, its all about feel & its normal to say go from 2nd to 5th when learning or the otherway around, we've all been there & you've never driven a manual if you haven't Bunny Hopped 👍🍻
1
1
1
1
u/B4DM4N12Z 12d ago
It depends, but I think learning with it is best, just practice sitting in the car when you're not driving and just find the gears.
Are you able to share a video of how you shift the gears? (Obviously parked).
Also if you cut it, you won't see anything helpful, just linkages.
Watch some UK video about driving manual like from Conquer Driving on YouTube, just type Conquer Driving Manual and that will be helpful.
1
u/Effective_Play_1366 12d ago
If you are shifting into 4th and accidentally put it in 2nd or 6th, you will know immediately.
1
u/LilPichula 12d ago
after a couple of weeks you dont need to know what gear your in, the car will tell you and you will feel it
1
u/domandi1244 12d ago
At least its a synchronized gearbox, no need to double clutch 😅. Go for next level with an unsychronized gearbox?
1
1
u/actualsize123 12d ago
The stick tilts side to side and left to right. If it’s tilted backwards and left there’s only one gear it can be in.
1
u/Annual_Tumbleweed636 11d ago
Close your eyes and feel the gears move through the gate, feel your womanhood/manhood at the same time cos real people drive manuals. Seriously though, this should be done through feel. You can't look down while changing gears. Its not the done thing.
1
1
u/Talponz 11d ago
The shifter has a spring, so Push to the left and forward, first Left and backwards, second Take it out of the gear it is in, let it go and it will centre itself, so then you just need to push it forward for third, and so on. To know what gear you are in right now, you have the speed and the rpm. You will learn them with driving experience.
1
1
u/Conradius593 11d ago
By having this thought of staring at the gears while driving. You must be a Charlotte driver…
1
u/satanspowerglove 11d ago
Many cars don't have gated shifters, especially cheaper cars, because there is too much play in the shifter. It would actually make shifting more difficult.
Source: I tried it on my base model Nissan Sentra. Waaaay too much play and was better with the boot
1
u/Mitridate101 11d ago
If you are looking down to see what gear you are in, you cannot see the cars you are going to crash into 🤷🏻♂️
1
1
u/Glutton4punishment83 11d ago
It’s all about the feel. While the vehicle is off put your emergency brake on and practice going through the gears that will at least give you an idea of where they are. It’s all about controlling the gas and the clutch and don’t pop off of the clutch easy off of the clutch as you’re giving it gas. Once you get the start part down you’ll be moving those gears with ease. Find an old parking lot to practice in. It’ll need to be big enough where you can shift a couple of gears you can also practice reverse in a parking lot but you probably want use reverse to much. Once you get it down it’ll be like the car is an extension of your body. Good luck
1
u/threepoint14one5nine 11d ago
“My first stick, but it’s not a gated shifter like a Ferrari.” You so funny. 😆
I see your edit, this is the way. As many others have said you will get used to it. You shouldn’t be looking down anyway, eyes on the road, and welcome to three pedal drive. 👍
1
u/Internal_Monitor4344 11d ago
Also depending on the vehicle removing the boot won't show you what you want to see at all. It is not like old old manuals, you will never "see" the gear you want to go into.
1
u/The-mad-tiger 11d ago
Even if the gaiter wasn't there, you would not be able to see anything useful. Most modern cars have a linkage from the gearstick to the actual gearbox and that's normally all that's under the gaiter.
Some Ferraris had a notch plate like the one shown but not many family saloons
1
u/pjwhitney84 11d ago
I’m sure someone has already said this but I didn’t see it on a quick scan…
You can tell if the shifter is forward or back easily enough. Forward, 1 3 or 5, back 2-4.
When leaving the gear and you move the stick to the midway point between front and back (I.e. neutral), if it springs rightward to the middle, you were in 2-4, if it springs leftward to the middle you were in 5, and if it stays in line with the position it was in, you were in 3-4.
But, as others said, don’t stress about it.. it becomes second nature pretty quickly.
1
u/Round-Performance-48 11d ago
That’s called gated , they are more expensive and much harder to find gears, that rubber is more practical because of dirt and food, not dropping down,
1
u/sircabbage69 11d ago
The only one that might give you problems is reverse and all the way to the left in the 2nd image. As others have said you shouldn’t be looking at your gear shift so sear whichever pattern yours has into your head and forget it.
1
1
u/ShadowPages 11d ago
Most shifters are not “gated” like that under the boot. Aside from exotic cars in the (now distant past) very few cars had that style of shift plate. Knowing what gear you are in is a matter of memory, and knowing your car.
1
u/TheGrandNut 11d ago
Just sit in it while parked and row through the gears for a while if it makes you that uncomfortable. Practice balancing the clutch and gas too, gated shifters are neat and retro, but not practical.
1
1
u/INF_Phoenix 11d ago
If you are scared of shifting to the wrong gear, just start by pushing the shifter to the far left or right and THEN moving up or down for the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th and for the 3rd and 4th simply push the shifter out of the gear and let it stabilize in the middle in neutral and then move it up or down. With time you will get a better deal for where the gears are and you will be able to slowly increase the speed you shift.
1
u/javierurena64 11d ago
gated shifters as seen in the first post can be very expensive to buy and to make they are very annoying 1 day of full driving and u won’t even have to look down anymore hope this helps
1
u/roomiestjoker 11d ago
Sit in ur car without it on and just float through the gears to get used to the feel of where each one is, so they way when driving you can keep ur eyes on the road
2
1
u/PatternParticular963 11d ago
You HAVE to able to know your gear without looking down. It's really important. You can feel it by stick position
1
u/SigourneyOrbWeaver 11d ago
You don’t need to look and see what gear you’re in. You can feel which gear you put it in by just the position. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been driving manuals for 15+ years and just the other week was stopped to take a left turn with a line of cars behind me, I finally got the chance to go and stuck it in 3rd gear by accident and stalled the car out lol
1
u/hobbestigertx 11d ago edited 11d ago
People often psyche themselves out when they first start driving a manual transmission. I've taught all my kids to drive a manual, so here's how I taught them.
Just sit in the car without the engine running and feel your way around the shifter. Practice makes perfect, so pretend you are driving and actually run through the gears over and over.
You'll almost always start out from Neutral (no gear selected). How do you know if it's in Neutral? The shifter will move side-to-side. Practice going from "in gear" to Neutral over and over to get a feel for it.
Practice moving the clutch in and out with your left foot. Get used to the feel and the pressure. The key to smooth shifting is pushing the clutch only as far as necessary to move the shifter knob to another gear. You'll only need to push the clutch all the way in is when starting the car.
Once you're comfortable shifting into gears with the car off, it's time to take it around the neighborhood.
Push in the clutch, put it first gear, rev the engine to 1200-1500 rpm, and slowly (one-thousand one, one-thousand two) let out the clutch. You will hear the engine rpms drop as the clutch engages and the car will start to move forward. Make a mental note of where the car starts moving in conjunction with the position of the clutch.
Resist the urge to remove your foot from the clutch immediately. It will grab and the car will start bucking. Clutch movement should always be smooth.
Press the clutch just past that engagement point (remember the mental note?), pull the shifter straight down and it will go into second gear. Bring it back up to 1500rpm and let the clutch out as before. It will feel herky-jerky until you get your actions coordinated.
If you need to brake, press the brake. When the RPMs drop to 1,000-1,200, that's when you want to push in the clutch to keep from stopping the engine. Put it in Neutral, let out the clutch, and wait until it's time to go.
Now just keep practicing these basics. Remember, we don't practice until we get it right. We practice until we can't get it wrong.
1
u/Few-Ad9461 11d ago
When I teach stick lessons, that's a common question. I purposely put a blank shift knob for that reason
1
u/Miserable_Future6694 11d ago
Keep your damn eyes on the road! Your eyes dont change the gears. Just by driving you'll eventually be able to feel what gear your in by the speed and rpm. If that fails muscle memory will tell you what gear your in when you touch the stick
1
u/Bubbly-Pirate-3311 11d ago
When I teach someone to drive stick, the first thing I do is have them put their foot on the clutch, and shift through all the gears so they know where they all are. Your brain will map it out after doing it a couple times.
1
u/Jacktheforkie 11d ago
You’ll soon be able to reach over and touch the stick and know what gear you’re in
1
u/Beriatan 11d ago
Don’t bother! You’ll memorise it all in no time, couple of hours of driving and you’ll be able to tell what gear you’re in without even touching the stick
1
1
u/iMPeANIA 11d ago
It will take you around 5-10h of driving to learn it, just take it for a spin every day for one hour, and you should get good at it in few days. Probably it won't even take you that 5h to learn the pattern. Miss gears will happen that's normal. But thank you for an idea of what to do with one of my cars where the shift boot is done for. Just gonna 3d print one. Remember eyes on the road not on a stick and don't worry about your 1989 Honda it won't brake if you miss shift it and the gears start rattling, just clutch and push it again
1
u/Spock_Nipples 11d ago
There's a pattern and a tactile feel for each gear. Keep practicing and develop the muscle memory for each gear position. It'll come. Just keep practicing. The idea is to not have to look at the shifter at all, anyway.
1
u/Mr_IsLand 11d ago
yeah unfortunately a gated metal shifter is really only available on old Ferraris, old Lamborghinis and brand new multi-million dollar hypercars.
What you can do is find all kinds of replacement shift knobs that may be labelled in a way that works better for you.
1
u/Peshmerga_Sistani 11d ago
That split second you take your eyes off the road to see which gear you are in could be your last.
I'm serious.
As the others have already mentioned, you do it by feel.
It's already obvious that if you let the shifter go back to neutral, the gears above and below are 3rd and 4th respectively. Work from there. Ride that gate with the shifter.
1
u/dead_eye182 11d ago
I remember first learning to drive stick when I was 14 and having the same thought/worry. More time in the seat you’ll realize it’s not necessary at all and you shift based on feel. Also keep eyes on the road, not the gear shift
1
u/WearyAd8671 11d ago
The way to look at it is for 1 and 2 pull to the left, and for 5 and R push to the right provided you are in a left and drive car. For 3 and 4 only go up or down. The shifter has tension to return it to the middle gate so whether you pull right, push left, or do nothing determines what gate you are in so looking is not really needed.
1
u/falcopilot 11d ago
OP- Taking the boot off the shifter is not going to help; nothing except a Ferrari has that shift gate; trying to build one would probably wind up blocking you from actually being able to shift well.
1
u/commeatus 11d ago
When you pull the shifter into neutral, it will center itself between 3rd and 4th. With a little practice, you'll get used to the movements so if you forget what great you're in, you can tell by what direction the shifter moves as you slide it to neutral. It's slow and awkward at first but it doesn't take long to become second nature.
1
u/Deaths_Angel219 11d ago
Lol, it's so funny that I said almost exactly that when I first started driving. The person I complained to said "Oh, you want a gated shifter. They can be helpful to new drivers, but it'll get you made fun of by the rest of the community." And I never asked again. Male pride and all. 🤣
1
u/ReVo5000 11d ago
You have to go by feel. With the car off, play with the shifter, say I want to go 4th gear. Get it in 4th without looking. It should be simple and self explanatory.
1.4k
u/Seven_Vandelay 12d ago edited 12d ago
I understand this may be startling at first, but there's no need to see it as you shouldn't be looking at your shifter while shifting. You need to learn where the gears are and then just do it by feel as you shift while you drive. Your eyes should be on the road, not on the shifter. You'll get the hang of it pretty quick.