What's the difference between stick shift and an automatic car?

With an automatic all you have to do if you want to drive is to slip it into D [for Drive]. Similarly in case of reverse, R. Parking - P, Neutral - N. Those are the basic positions with an automatic. You just have 2 pedals.. The left fer brake and the right to accelerate. To drive you hold the brake down and shift it into D let go of the brake gradually and the car will start to move. Then press the gas and your off... same with reverse...

In teh case of a stick shift... or manual shift you have gears [usually 1-5 plus R fer reverse]. You also have 3 pedals... the left most is the clutch, the middle is the brake and the last one to the right is the gas. Its common to use your left leg for the clutch and your right leg for both gas and brake [you wont be using both together] To drive you hold the clutch down and shift to 1st gear. ease the clutch till you feel the car start to move. Once that happens press down on the gas and let go of the clutch. To change gears, let go of the gas and press the clutch. Shift to the next gear [Up or down]. let go of the clutch and press the gas again. To stop, Shift down till the vehicle is slow enough and you're in the first gear. Press the clutch with your left foot and slowly pres the brake with your right and you're done!!! :)

Although driving with a manual sound complicated, its not. Plus its way more fun and you save a lot on gas.

Hope that helped. Drive safe!

An automatic,the gears are changed automatically,but you can limit the gears with the shifter.

A manual requires you to shift through each gear individually.

The automatic (most common in all cars now) lets you drive without having to shift gears as you change speed.

A manual (Standard shift) requires you to physically shift the gears as you speed up or slow down and you have an extra pedal to deal with.

While you can select gears limits on an automatic (D1,D2 and D3),the standard allows you to use a gear longer before you have to shift gears and it allows you use the engine for a brake by down shifting to a lower gear as you slow down (saves wear on the brakes).

When driving in snow or on ice,you can leave the transmission in high gear and slip the clutch as you accelerate from a dead stop at an intersection without as much tire slipping.

An automatic starts in low gear and tries to shift gears even if the tires are slipping.

If you need to stop,you need to put the transmission in neutral as you apply the brakes-otherwise the transmission will try to keep the car moving.

A manual transmission all you have to do is depress the clutch then the brake pedal.

Learning to drive a manual transmission is hard at first,but once you get the hang of it,it's not a problem.

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RE:

What's the difference between stick shift and an automatic car?

Im beng serious. Like ya you can tell but Im about to learn how to drive BOTH. What are some differences?

First, I'd like to congratulate you for choosing to drive both. It's an essential knowledge how to drive both transmissions.

Okay, when you enter the vehicle, look at the foot well. How many pedals do you see? If it's 3, then it's manual transmission. Gearsticks are no longer applicable for confirmation of transmission because even modern auto transmissions' gear knobs look like manual transmission gear knobs. Automatic transmission have one wider brake pedal. Be careful though, because some models like the Proton Juara does have pedals' arrangement that looked exactly like the clutch pedal is missing.

Driving manual requires a lot of practice. You need to practice your release point. First few times of stalling is normal if you've never driven with a clutch pedal before, perhaps like a strain.Learn to release the pedal gradually and most importantly, slowly. Do this until you're accustomised to this method of driving. Another thing to keep in mind is mind visual of gear engagement. Do note that on real-road driving, you cannot look at your gear knob as you need to keep your eyes on the road to avoid unwanted accidents. Also, know where the reverse gear is at. Sometimes I also got confused in between Mitsubishi (Right-Down engagement) and Renault (Left-Up engagement) reverse-gearings.

Next, learn about which side will you be driving on. If you're like me in Malaysia, or in UK, Australia, South Africa or Japan, you'll be driving Right-Hand Drive or should we say, on the left-side of the road, and your left hand controls the gearstick. In other countries like Continental Europe, USA or Canada, you'll be driving Left-Hand Drive or the right-side of the road, so your right hand controls the gearstick. Remember this well!

Finally, learn some safety tips about starting you vehicle. Push and hold the clutch (some models also require you to hold the brake pedal as well), check if the gearstick is free/in neutral by shifting the gear left and right and start the engine. NEVER OVER-REV THE ENGINE WHEN STARTING or the vehicle RPM will raised unnecessary, causing fuel consumption level to increase.

Once you can drive manual, to drive an automatic transmission is easy, just it comes without the clutch pedal and gearstick. Remember, only the right foot will do the acceleration and braking. Do not brake and acclerate with right foot and brake with left foot or you'll become confused later. Keep the left foot on the dead pedal or so-called foot rest.

Okay what else you want to learn next? Automated-Manual Transmission? Sequential Shifting? That will be the thing that you'll slowly master as time passes by. Good luck in your driving test anyway. We'll see you on the road. Oh, and one more thing. If you own a new vehicle, do bring it to the service centre for inspection and services periodically.

Stick Car

Stick Shift is Manual, meaning you shift the gears yourself.. you will need to learn how to use your left foot on the clutch and your right hand on the shifter.. feathering the accelerator between shifts..

Automatic transmission does all this for you...

when when your in a stick your shifting the car your self...and automatic the car does that for you once you put it in drive. So basically if your in a stick instead of putting it in drive and going you put it in first then second then third etc...then if your stopping you don't just brake as in an automatic you down shift to first or just put it in neutral and coast. plus there is not park in stick you put it in neutral and pull the E brake....I have had both I prefer stick...more fun and is faster. not to mention with gas prices the way they are sticks are better for gas mileage!

Stickshift