Once you are getting the hang of Moving Off and Stopping you car, you will be ready to increase your speed a bit, and to do so you need to know how to change gear.
Make sure you understand how to Move Off And Stop before you proceed any further.
How To Change Gear Smoothly
You should always put down your clutch pedal fully before changing gear. This will separate the clutch plates and make sure there is little force acting no the gearbox as you change gear.
Once you have changed gear you can bring the clutch pedal up gently, to reengage the clutch and the driving force.
You should hold the gear stick with your left hand, and push it over to the left if selecting first or second gear. If selecting third or fourth gear you should let the gear stick relax in the middle position and simply push up for third gear and down for fourth gear. When selecting fifth gear pull the gear stick over to the right and then push it into fifth gear.
First Gear To Second Gear
- Clutch Down – depress the clutch pedal and at the same time come off the gas.
- Select Second Gear – Palm the gear lever with a little pressure to the left and move the gear lever to second gear. This left pressure should stop the gear lever slipping into forth gear. Replace your hand on the steering wheel.
- Slowly Clutch Up – Slowly and smoothly bring the clutch up.
- More Gas – Gently press the accelerator for more speed, and then take your foot completely off the clutch. Always be gentle on the accelerator as accelerating fiercely wastes fuel.
Second Gear To Third Gear
- Clutch Down – depress the clutch pedal and at the same time come off the gas.
- Select Third Gear – Bring the gear lever into neutral then push the lever gently up into third gear. Make sure the lever relaxes in neutral before putting it into third gear. This will avoid the gear lever going into first or fifth gear accidentally. Replace your hand on the steering wheel.
- Slowly Clutch Up – Slowly and smoothly bring the clutch up.
- More Gas – Gently press the accelerator for more speed, and then take your foot completely off the clutch. Always be gentle on the accelerator as accelerating fiercely wastes fuel.
Third Gear To Fourth Gear
- Clutch Down – depress the clutch pedal and at the same time come off the gas.
- Select Fourth Gear – Move the gear lever straight down into fourth gear. Be gentle and it should go in to fourth gear with little effort. Replace your hand on the steering wheel.
- Slowly Clutch Up – Slowly and smoothly bring the clutch up.
- More Gas – Gently press the accelerator for more speed, and then take your foot completely off the clutch. Always be gentle on the accelerator as accelerating fiercely wastes fuel.
Fourth Gear To Fifth Gear
- Clutch Down – depress the clutch pedal and at the same time come off the gas.
- Select Fifth Gear – Palm the gear lever with a little pressure to the right and move the gear lever into fifth gear. This palming action will ensure the gear lever doesn’t slip into third or first gear accidentally. Replace your hand on the steering wheel.
- Slowly Clutch Up – Slowly and smoothly bring the clutch up.
- More Gas – Gently press the accelerator for more speed, and then take your foot completely off the clutch.
When To Change Gear
You would always use a lower gear, either first or second gear, to move off. First gear has the most power and is the normal gear to get your vehicle moving. If you were setting off down a steep hill, you could use gear two instead.
Once you get moving you use higher gears to increase your speed and for cruising once you have got to the speed limit. As a general rule with most cars you can use the following speed ranges for each gear.
- First gear to get moving up to about 10 mph
- Second gear up to about 20 mph
- Third gear up to about 30 mph
- Fourth gear to stay at 30 mph or to increase speed up to about 40 mph
- Fifth gear when you don’t want to go any faster or for accelerating above 40 mph.
This is a general rule for when to change gear. But if you are going up a hill, you will need to leave the car in each gear for a little longer. Lower gears will give you more power to cope with the extra strain of going uphill. This is also the case if you have extra weight on board, or you are towing a trailer or caravan.
If you are going downhill you may need to change into a lower gear. The lower gear will stop the car from running down the hill too fast. This is because the engine braking is more effective in a lower gear when going downhill.
What Is Engine Braking?
Engine braking is the way the engine helps you keep a slow speed down when you come off the gas. The engine doesn’t have enough fuel to spin quickly so it slows down.
If you come off the gas in a high gear the car would continue to move fairly quickly down a hill. This is because the engine would not be spinning as fast in the first place, so coming off the gas has little impact. In lower gears the engine spins fast even at low speeds.
If you come off the gas in second gear the engine slows down, which in turn slows down the speed of the car. The lower the gear, the less likely the car is going to move faster than you want it to. Engine braking can help you lengthen the life of your brakes on the car.
If you stayed in a higher gear, you would have to keep on the foot brake all the way down certain hills. Using the engine braking in a low gear such as second gear will reduce the amount of braking you will need to use. This will save you money on repairs in the long term.
Block Gear Changing
Block changing is when you miss out certain gears to go straight to the gear that is appropriate for the speed that you are travelling.
For instance, you may want to go from third to fifth if you are on a flat road and you have reached a speed limit of 30 mph. On some cars fifth gear will cope fine at a speed of 30 mph.
You could also block shift down if you are turning onto a side road and coming down from fourth or fifth gear into second gear.
You should always drive in the correct gear for the speed and the gradient of the road. Try to drive in the highest possible gear, without making the engine struggle or run away with you.
If you need to slowdown, slowdown in the gear you are in, and then choose the correct gear to continue moving. Remember the phrase “Use the brakes to slow, and then pick a gear to go.”
Reverse Gear
When reversing you should select reverse gear. It is usually the case that you have to push down the gear lever or pull up a button to be able to select reverse gear. This will stop you selecting reverse gear by accident when traveling forwards.
When you select reverse gear a white light comes on the back of your car which helps people behind you know that you are reversing towards them.
