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Elek Jessop
Writing 2010
Professor McKenna
March 1, 2019
Manual transmission vehicles have become less and less popular as years have passed
and are becoming quite rare. Very few people in the U.S. actually know how to drive these
vehicles because they are so rare nowadays. It is, however, a useful skill to know. There are
several things about manual transmission that make it stand out: it has 3 pedals, it has a shifter
knob in the middle of the vehicle, and is also considered more fun and rewarding to drive. That
is why most people who drive them care so deeply about it.
One of the first noticeable differences about manual transmission vehicles is that they
have three pedals instead of two. The extra pedal is responsible for actuating the clutch disk in
the transmission. This causes the engine and transmission to separate from each other and move
independently. This works using a hydraulic system to move a diaphragm spring (appendix 1)
on and off of the clutch friction disk. The spring is pushed by something called a throw-out
bearing (appendix 1) when the pedal is pressed (Vong et al 1). This means that the engine and
transmission are separate entities that will run at different rates, thus the clutch is used to bring
This pedal is very important, it is used to match the speed of the engine with the speed of
the wheels. Most people will struggle with when they first start learning to drive a manual.
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something known as the “clutch bite”. This is when the clutch disk is starting to make contact
with the flywheel of the engine. This will cause the vehicle to slowly start to move. This “bite”
occurs when the pedal is about halfway pressed. The pedal will feel stiff and the car will move
forward slightly. A slight amount of gas should be added to get the engine spinning a little bit
faster as the clutch is slowly depressed. This will allow the engine to keep up with the
movement of the wheels and get the vehicle moving. The important thing to remember is to very
slowly depress the clutch. The most common mistake is releasing the clutch too quickly and
The second difference about a manual transmission vehicle is that it has a shifter in the
middle of it. This is used to put the car in gear. “Gear selection for manual transmissions is
typically implemented using a shift lever mounted to a shifter housing for manipulation by an
driver according to a shift pattern. . . the shift lever. . . moves the transmission operation from
one gear to another,” (Centeno et al 1). It can have anywhere from 5-7 gears plus a reverse gear.
These all have different gear ratios assigned to them. They must all run at different gear ratios to
keep the engine in the optimum power range. That means that it stays around 2500 RPM, but it
also has to change the speed of the car. So it goes faster without straining the engine. These
gears must be rowed through manually, hence the name manual transmission.
After getting the car moving it is important to know how to get it into shift into the other
gears now that the vehicle is moving. When the driver wants to shift into second gear they must
take their foot off of the accelerator and push the clutch in all the way. Then they can pull the
car out of first gear and put it into second. It is crucial that the driver takes their foot off of the
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accelerator so the engine isn’t spinning too fast when the clutch is released. If the engine is
spinning too fast then it will begin to damage the clutch friction disk overall reducing its
lifespan. This can be repeated for all the other gears. Reverse works much the same as first gear
does. It will have a similar clutch bite as first gear does. It will start to move a little bit in which
The gears are located in a convenient order to make shifting easier (Appendix 2). First
gear is located in the top left, meaning the driver pushes the shifter all the way left and then up.
Second gear is located just below it, in the bottom left. The other gears follow this same order
with the odd numbers along the top and the even numbers across the bottom. The only gear that
has a variable position, based on what kind of car it is, is the reverse gear. Most American and
Japanese vehicles have reverse on the right. Most European vehicles, however, have it on the
left.
Statistically, only about 18% of people in the U.S. actually know how to drive manual
transmission vehicles. Because of this only about 5% of modern vehicles are available in a
standard transmission (Minneapolis (WCCO) 1). This lack of manuals is do to the ease and
convenience of automatic transmission vehicles. When automatics first came out they were
considered to be worse vehicles because they were more complex and prone to failure. But now
they are very reliable and efficient. Manuals are lighter and simpler designs which initially
helped with fuel efficiency when automatics first came out. Nowadays, however, automatics
have become more efficient and have surpassed manuals in fuel efficiency.
So why would anyone want to buy a manual transmission vehicle today? Well manuals
are cheaper to produce and maintain, so they are about $2000 cheaper than their automatic
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counterparts. They are overall more reliable since there are less components that could fail.
They also are less likely to get stolen since only 18% of people know how to drive them.
Manuals are also generally considered to be more fun to drive than automatics. It gives the
driver something more to do than just holding the accelerator while they’re driving. It also helps
drivers stay focused on driving. Today drivers have several things available to them that could
easily distract them. So if they have something else to focus on, such as shifting gears, they are
not going to get distracted by using a cell phone or possibly even falling asleep behind the wheel.
There are many people who greatly appreciate the manual transmission, some even
outright refusing to drive automatics to show their undying support of manuals. These people
have formed a group called Save The Manuals. They have made merchandise such as T-shirts
and car stickers to show how much they care about it. There is quite a loyal following behind
manual transmission vehicles, mainly because it is so rare. These people want to bring back the
There are a number of things that make manuals stand out from other cars. They have a
clutch system which is used to actuate the transmission to shift gears. There is also a shifter in
the middle of the car which, as its name implies, is used to shift the gears in the transmission.
There is also a general consensus among the community that they are more fun to drive and
generally leave with a better experience. They are also cheaper and easier to maintain because of