Downshifting

Now that you can get the car moving, it's time to teach you how to slow it down.  The great thing about a manual car is that you can use the transmission along with the brake to slow your car down faster.  Downshifting should only be done if your rpms drop below 2,000 or if your cruising and need extra power to pass someone.  Downshifting is especially useful when going down a hill as the transmission battles the engine, forcing it to slow down.  When downshifting you can use two methods.  In the first  method you blip the throttle to raise the rpms by 1000 then downshift.  This results in a smooth downshift as the lower the gear the higher the rpm so essentially you get the car ready for the lower gear.  In the second method you simply brake until the rpms drop low enough then downshift.  This is used mainly in everyday driving traffic situations.  There you go, you can now downshift

Dream car

I would like to know, what is your dream car? Leave a comment below

Upshifting.

Probably the most fun part of owning a manual is the gear shifting. The thrill you get from splicing through the gears like your from Fast and Furious is just something you can't get with your traditional automatic. Let's get rolling!
So by now you've read my other post on getting started, if not take a look at it. Now in order to go faster you will need to shift into higher gears. First gear is only used to get going so it has a very short range of motion. You will need to shift into second to keep going. When you hear the engine get loud (around 3000rpms)take your foot off the gas, depress the clutch and pull the shifter down into second. Now simultaneously release the clutch while stepping on the gas. You don't have to release the clutch as slow as when you're starting from a stop but make sure to match the speed you release with the pressure you apply on the gas. This will result in a smooth shift.
Deciding when to shift all depends on your driving preference. For better performance shift closer to the redline (the area in the tachometer where the dashes are red). Notice I didn't say shift in the red zone as this is a sure fire way to decrease the life of your engine. For better fuel economy, shift around 2,000-2,500 rpms. For a balance of both shift around 3,000rpms.
Another quick tip is that while you follow the gear diagram on the knokb you oddont have to move three shifter in that exact direction. For example if you're in 2nd and want to go into 3rd you don't have to move over and up. All you have to do is move up and the car will do the rest. Congratulations you can now upshift!

Getting started.

    Okay so this goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) but you need to have or have access to a manual transmission car.  Reading my advice and not being able to practice it will not help you get better.  If you know someone that drives a stick shift take every opportunity you get to be in the car with them.  Watch their feet, hands, the dashboard if you can and listen to the way the car sounds when certain maneuvers are performed.  If this option is not available to you that's fine. Just make sure you have a vacant area to practice in.
    The first thing you'll notice is that there are three pedals and the shifter is missing all letters besides "R" for reverse.  There are the traditional gas and brake pedals, then all the way to the left is the clutch pedal.  This is the most important part of a manual car as no movement can occur without the implementation of the clutch (unless on an incline but we'll get to that later).  Now put the key in the ignition and start the car.  Oops won't start will it?  Try pushing the clutch all the way to the floor and turning the key.  Most modern  manual cars will not start without the clutch depressed to save strain on the starter and as a safety precaution.  If the car is in gear and you started it without the clutch depressed it would lurch forward which can be potentially dangerous if someone is in front of you.  Chances are that your car is modern enough to have this fail safe.  Make sure your parking brake is engaged and take your foot of the clutch quickly.  Feel that terrible jerk and hear your engine cut off?  That my friend is called stalling, you don't want that. The reason that I purposely made you do that was so you knew what it felt like, because the truth is it's gonna happen to you a lot when you first start and I don't want you to freak out when it does.  The car stalled because you let the clutch out too fast, without giving it enough gas.  You told the car to go and didn't give it any power.  Now depress the clutch, turn the key off, then restart the car.
    Now look at your shifter.  The top of the knob outlines the layout of your gears in a weird "H" pattern.  Depending on the make and year of your car reverse will either be in the bottom right corner or the top left.  To put the car into reverse you need to press down on the shifter and move it into reverse.  This prevents you from accidentally shifting into reverse while driving.
    Depress the clutch, put the car in reverse and slowly bring the clutch pedal up until you hear the engine slow and the car starts rolling, then let off the clutch completely while giving it gas. Getting going in reverse is a lot easier than first gear and it makes it easier for you to learn the friction point.  Okay to stop you can either depress the clutch, then step on the brake, step on the brake until the car comes to a slow crawl then shift into neutral and step on the brake until you stop.  Never use the brake to come to complete stop while in gear, this will cause you to stall.
    Step on the clutch, put the car into first and begin letting off slowly until you start rolling then add gas.  The easier way to start is to give it about give it gas until the rpms reach 1500 then release the clutch.  Starting without any gas however will make you a better driver as you will have more clutch control.  Practice going and stop a couple times until you can do it instinctively.  Congratulations, you have just mastered the hardest part of driving a manual: moving from a dead stop.

Before you drive

Alright being that my dad is the Kobe Bryant of cars (specifically Audi's) I was not allowed to set foot in my car without understanding how it works.  The clutch is the mechanism that connects the transmission to the engine which transfers power to the wheels.  When you start the car with the clutch in neutral (absence of gear) the engine is idly spinning.  You'll know if your in neutral if you can wiggle the shifter left and right easily.  Now think of the clutch and engine as having to circular surfaces attached to each.  One spinning (the engine) and one motionless (clutch).  When you put the car in gear and begin let out the clutch, these surfaces come together until the reach the friction point.  The friction point is simply where they meet.  This is the moment that power is transferred to the wheels and the car starts moving.