Drivotrainer: Shifting Skills

Use first gear to start the car rolling. Shift to second. Palm down. Push down through neutral and away from you into second. Second gear is used when the car is in motion up to speeds of 18 to 20 m an hour. Shift to third. Palm down. Pull down to third. Third gear provides smooth performance at regular driving speeds. Shift to neutral. Palm up. Push forward. Check for neutral. Let's do it again. Shift to first. Shift to second. Shift to third. Shift to neutral. For reverse, palm up, lift up through neutral, push up, and away from you. Reverse provides low speed for backing. Never shift to reverse while your car is in motion. Shift back to neutral. Palm up. Pull toward you. Check for neutral. Let's try shifting without the H card. Check for neutral. Shift to first. Shift to second. Shift to third. Shift to neutral. Shift to reverse. Shift to neutral. Try it once more. Check for neutral. Shift to first. Shift to second. Shift to third. Shift to neutral. Shift to reverse. Shift to neutral. Now let's use the clutch pedal. Place the ball of your foot on the clutch and push it down. Start engine. Clutch up slowly about halfway. Hesitate when you feel a slight vibration. This is called the friction point. In a real car, you would notice the engine work a little harder and begin to pull the car forward if it were in gear. Clutch down. Try it again. Up to friction point. Hesitate. Clutch down. This time, let the clutch continue up. Friction point. Hesitate. Now, clutch up slowly all the way. Clutch down. Again, clutch up to friction point. Hesitate. Clutch up slowly and place left foot on the floor. Keeping your foot on the clutch is called riding the clutch, and it can result in damage to the clutch plates. We're ready now to coordinate the movements of the clutch and the accelerator. Move your right foot to the accelerator. Your heel should rest firmly on the floor. Clutch down. Friction point. Accelerator down slightly. Clutch up and accelerate more. Clutch down. Accelerator up completely. Once more. Now friction point. Accelerate slightly. Clutch up and accelerate more. It's like a seessaw. When the left foot comes up, the right foot goes down. And when the right foot comes up, the left foot goes down. Clutch down. Accelerator up. Ignition off. Clutch up. And feet on the floor. You've practiced the different skills individually. Now let's put them together. Check to see handbrake is on. Clutch down. The clutch should always be completely down before starting the engine or shifting gears. Check for neutral. Accelerator down slightly. Ignition on. Start your engine. Foot brake down firmly. Shift to first. Release parking brake. friction point and accelerate slightly. Clutch up and accelerate more. Accelerate to 10 m an hour. Clutch down. Accelerator up at the same time. Shift to second. In second or third, you can let the clutch up a little faster. Accelerate smoothly and clutch up completely. Accelerate to 20 m an hour. Clutch down. Accelerator up. Shift to third. Clutch up and accelerate slowly and smoothly to 25 m an hour. Left foot should rest on floor after shift to third. To stop, move your right foot from accelerator to brake. Press gently. Slow to 10 m an hour. Clutch down. Continue braking. Just before forward motion of car stops, ease off foot brake slightly. After stopping, resume brake pressure. Keep clutch down and firm pressure on brake. Shift to neutral. We will go through the shifting procedure again, but this time you will not see the speedometer on the screen. So check by glancing quickly at your own speedometer. Shift to first. Move right foot from brake to proper position on accelerator. Friction point and accelerate slightly. Clutch up. Accelerate more. Accelerate to 10 m an hour. Clutch down. Accelerator up. Shift to second. Clutch up and accelerate smoothly to 20 m anph. Clutch down. Accelerator up. Shift to third. Clutch up and accelerate smoothly to 25 m an hour. Prepare to stop. Brake lightly to 10 m an hour. Clutch down. Continue to brake. Don't forget to ease off brake just before your car stops. Then resume firm pressure. Shift to neutral. Now follow the actions of the instructor and let's put our shifting skill into practice. Shift to first. Check traffic and signal. Friction point. Accelerate. Clutch down. Accelerator up. Shift. Clutch up and accelerate to 20 mph. Clutch down. Accelerator up. Shift. Accelerate to 25 m an hour. Prepare to stop near that orange marker ahead. Break gently to 10 m an hour. Clutch down. Apply brake as needed. Ease pressure just before car stops. That's fine. A smooth, accurate stop. Now you try it. Did you shift to neutral after you stopped? Prepare to move the car. Did you shift with your palm up? Move the car. Did you hesitate at the friction point? Shift to second. Did you shift with your palm down? Are you developing that seessaw coordination of the clutch and accelerator? Shift to third. Accelerate to 25 m an hour. Is your left foot on the floor? Prepare to stop near that orange marker. Break gently. Did you put your clutch down when your speed slowed to under 10 m an hour? Prepare to park your car. Did you shift to neutral? Now shift to reverse. When parking, leave your car in reverse. Reverse gives the greatest holding force to prevent the car from rolling. Set parking brake. Ignition off. Release clutch and foot brake. Use this procedure each time you park your car. >> [music]