There are a lot of reasons why some people prefer a manual transmission over an automatic. For larger vehicles, particularly those used for towing or hauling, a standard allows for maximum control while under load, helping to save on wear and tear of the vehicle.
However, many people with small cars, sports vehicles, and even light duty trucks prefer to drive a stick. Choosing a manual transmission because you enjoy it is a great reason, but there are a lot of people who are still holding onto old myths about standards that need to be put to rest.
You Can’t Hurt a Manual Transmission
Unfortunately, many people still believe that a manual transmission is invincible. They believe you can ride the clutch, double shift, and do all kinds of strange combinations of clutching and shifting without any damage to the transmission.
The reality is you have to take care of a manual transmission. This includes learning how to shift correctly, how to stay off the clutch, especially in heavy city driving and traffic, and when and how to shift.
Braking with the Clutch
Another common myth is that if you have a manual transmission you will not have to use your brakes, you can simply gear down and slow the vehicle, saving your brakes.
This is not only very difficult to do, but if you don’t know when to shift into a lower gear, you are putting an incredible strain on the gears and transmission. The small amount of money to replace brakes will not compare to the cost of replacing your manual transmission with a remanufactured tranny or having to have a rebuild.
Smooth Shifting isn’t Important
When you first start driving a manual transmission it is going to be a learning process. It is a great idea to take classes with a driving instructor specifically for driving a stick shift.
Most people try to learn how to drive on a stick on their own, or perhaps with the help of a friend. The habits you learn, including not fully depressing the clutch, shifting without the clutch fully engaged, and not recognizing when to shift are all mistakes that, if not corrected, will lead to damage to the transmission.
Driving a manual transmission is a lot of fun, and people enjoy feeling in control of the car. Learning how to shift correctly, and also how to care for your manual transmission, will help it to have a much longer life.
At Trans Works Transmission LLC, we can rebuild any manual transmission, and we also have remanufactured transmissions in stock for most models of cars and trucks. To see more go to www.trannyman.net. You can follow them on Google+.
