Where to Learn How to Drive a Stick Shift in Wichita, Kansas

 

Knowing how to drive a manual transmission car is a great skill for anyone to have. If you are considering taking stick shift driving tutorials, then it's very important to find a big, open spot in your area. You'll want as much seclusion from people and other vehicles as possible, not only for safety purposes, but so you can focus on practicing everything you need to know about the manual transmission car. Below is a list of parking lots to practice stick shift driving for your next driving lesson, in Wichita, Kansas.

 

Find a Manual Transmission Instructor Nearby

 

Use the map above to find a stick shift instructor near you

 

Where Can I Learn How To Drive A Stick Shift Near Me

White Chapel Memorial Gardens, 1806 N Oliver Ave, Wichita, KS 67208

 

White Chapel Memorial Gardens is located 0.4 mi from Robert D. Love Downtown YMCA - Greater Wichita YMCA via W 3rd St N.

How To Park A Stick Shift Car at White Chapel Memorial Gardens

After getting yourself acquainted with the controls of a standard transmission auto, the next step is knowing how to get a manual transmission car into first gear. If you've only ever driven an automatic transmission vehicle, this will likely be very confusing for you. As a matter of fact, you're probably going to experience a couple of mistakes along the way, perhaps even stall the automobile while trying to maneuver your standard transmission car in the 1st gear. But don't concerned even if that occurs. It's going to be a little shaky at first, but rest assured, stick shift automobiles can take the hurt. Even though you might not expect it, manual transmission autos are quite resistant and resilient. Now, when you take your manual driving sessions, this is how a driving tutor will usually teach you to move to 1st gear. First off, use your right hand to set the gear shifter in "N", get your feet into position - right foot on the brake and left foot on the floor - then turn on the car's engine. If you haven't already done it, make sure to release the emergency brake. Once done, place your right foot on the gas and gradually push down until you achieve 1500 RPMs on the tachometer. When you reach 1500, stop pressing down and just keep your foot steady on the gas pedal. After that, very slowly release the clutch with your left foot, counting down from 7 secs. Don't hurry and take care to raise your foot little by little. If you're able to do it right, the clutch will engage and the wheels on the manual car will start turning. Once you've completely pulled your foot off of the clutch pedal, you can now start pressing down on the gas to pick up speed. Keep going until you hit 2500-3000 RPMs on the tachometer, then you can start decelerating the car. To slow down the manual auto, press the clutch with your left foot all the way to the floor. Then, get your foot off of the gas and start pushing down on the brake. Bonus tip: Always, ALWAYS, push the clutch first before the brake pedal. When you have your right foot pushing the brake all the way to the floor, the vehicle should be at a complete stop. Once the car has stopped, change the shift lever back to "N" position and pull up the parking brake. Lastly, you can take your feet off of the brake and clutch pedals.

East Warren Theatre, 11611 E 13th St N, Wichita, KS 67206

 

East Warren Theatre is located 0.4 mi from Chapel Hill United Methodist Church via N Chapel Hill St.

Learning Upshifting at East Warren Theatre

Alright, you've mastered shifting and driving a standard transmission automotive in 1st gear, and now you should learn how to shift up and down a higher or lower gear. Since you'll just be including a couple of moves with your hands on the gear shifter, you'll likely pick it up faster than putting the car in 1st gear. More than that, you already know how to use your feet with the pedals. You only have to learn upshifting and downshifting. First, you'll want to drive to an area in the parking lot with the most extensive amount of space. You should have around 500-1000 feet at a minimum, to be sure. Start your engine and begin driving the car in first gear, right up until you get to 2500 RPMs or higher. Once you get there, carefully pull up your foot from the accelerator pedal while pushing the clutch until you arrive at a nice and steady 1500 RPMs. You can even let the car coast for a bit while you find your footing with these new procedures. Once you reach 1500 RPMs, use your right hand to move the shift lever from first gear to second gear. Afterwards, take your left foot off from the clutch pedal. And then, once the clutch catches, begin pressing down on the gas pedal until you reach 2500 RPMs. Now, you will likely hear some sounds from the engine, especially on your first attempts. It might even get a little bit loud, but that's fine; it's completely normal.

Eck Stadium, 4100 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67208

 

Eck Stadium is located 0.4 mi from Wilkins Stadium via Mike Oatman Dr

Learning Downshifting at Eck Stadium

Moving on to downshifting - we simply have to take all that we learned on how to execute upshifting, and do all of that in reverse. Since you're a beginner driver of a standard transmission car, it's optimal to have a long stretch of pavement to practice in so you have the space (and time) to go through each part of the process. For instance, you could be driving your standard transmission automotive on the road in 2nd gear and want to shift down til you come to a complete stop. You can achieve this two ways: the simple way to do it is just shifting and coasting with the manual gearbox in N position until the vehicle halts fully; or you can do yourself a favor and figure out how to shift down from second to first gear and first gear to a full stop. And for the sake of giving beginner-friendly standard transmission driving lessons, we advise you acquaint yourself with downshifting from 2nd gear since you'll mostly need to shift gears by one or two gears on the road anyway. When you have the standard transmission car rolling in second gear, push the clutch all the way to the floor and slowly release the accelerator pedal till you hit about 1500 RPMs. When the auto is at a constant speed of 1500 RPMs, move the driving stick to the lower gear. Afterward, pull your left foot off of the clutch and use your right foot to start pressing down on the brake. You'll probably see the RPMs exceeding 1500, and maybe even hear some noise due to it, but don't panic. This is completely normal since the engine and drivetrain are still out of sync with each other. Then, when you've slowed the manual automobile down to a consistent 1500 RPMs, repeat the clutch work - press the clutch down with your left to disengage and press the brake all the way down to the floor until you bring the vehicle to a stop. When the stick shift vehicle is at a total stop, shift gears into N and pull up your hand brake.

North High School, 1437 N Rochester St, Wichita, KS 67203

 

North High School is located 0.8 mi from La Tienda Del Ahorro Grocer Restaurant Ice Cream via W 14th St N.

Learning Reversing at North High School

We've explored the fundamentals of your stick shift driving class, including switching on the engine and proper clutch work with the pedals on the manual transmission car. Since you're more familiar with the shift lever and moving at low and slightly higher speeds, we'll walk you through the steps on reversing. Look for the lengthiest area you can find in the parking lot, switch on the ignition and drive to one end of it. When you're stopped there, start driving in reverse by shifting gears from 1st to reverse and slowly making your way back to the other end of the pavement. First few steps are moving your gear shifter in N, and then getting your feet correctly on the pedals - left foot on the clutch, right foot on the brake. From there, put your right hand on the driving stick to shift into "R" gear and move your right foot from the brake onto the accelerator pedal. While pressing down on the gas, very slowly remove your left foot from the clutch pedal over a 7-sec period. The moment you've completely released the clutch pedal, start pushing on the gas more to obtain speed. It may get a little bit challenging and you may even take more time than you thought while practicing, but don't stress; drive as slow as you feel comfy with and go faster when you are ready.

Sedgwick County Zoo, 5555 W Zoo Blvd, Wichita, KS 67212

 

Sedgwick County Zoo is located 0.9 mi from Sedgwick County Park Boundless Playground via Horseshoe Lake Dr.

Learning Parking at Sedgwick County Zoo

Once you have learnt how to accelerate and reverse when driving manual automotives, let's move on to learning the ways on how to park - first by back-in parking, then by parallel parking. Back-in parking is basically backing up into a parking space. You can do this first by pulling up your car beside the car in front of the parking space you want, turning on your blinker and making sure there aren't any vehicles or people you might hit. When everything's in the clear, press down on the clutch pedal and move the gear shifter from N position to "R" gear. Until you start backing up into the spot, be sure you keep the clutch pedal pushed all the way to the floor. If you're ready, start moving the car backwards, clutch still on the floor and carefully pressing the brake. Then, carefully take your left foot off of the clutch until the sounds from the engine shifts and the back of your vehicle rises up - AKA the clutch's bite point. Carefully let up on the brake and alternate your feet on the clutch and brake to back your car into the parking slot. You should not be going more than a few miles per hour. Of course, if you are not satisfied with where your stick shift car ends up on your first try, do some adjustments like we spoke about earlier. When you've gotten the hang of back-in parking, let's now walk through the steps of manual transmission car parallel parking. Like always, turn on your signal light. Then, drive up a few feet ahead of the parking space, parallel to the car in front of it. For everybody's safety, make sure the area is clear with a careful glance around your surroundings, backup camera, and rear and side mirrors. Next, you can start parallel parking, starting with both the clutch and brake pushed down to the floor. Get your tires on straight with a couple shifts of the steering wheel. Slowly release the clutch until you get to the bite point. You'll know you've hit it when you hear a change in the engine sounds and feel the back of the manual automobile rise up a little. Get the car rolling by easing off of the brake. Carefully coordinate your feet on the clutch pedal and brake as you slowly move the car into the parking slot. Watch your mirrors closely, and when the auto's back bumper is a few feet from the back of the car near you, turn left on your steering wheel. Then, when your bumper closes in on the edge of the curb, maneuver all the way to the right. Keep the manual car at a slow and steady pace with the brake and clutch until you're in the slot and are stopped totally.

Book Stick Shift Driving Lessons Today

 

To have the best stick shift driving lessons, you need to have commitment and consistency. If you are used to driving an automatic transmission, do not be discouraged, as there is a big learning curve when you learn to drive a stick shift car. Our manual transmission lessons are excellent options for any type of student, new driver or not, regardless of your current experience or skill, as your driving teacher will spend as much time as you need training you in everything you need to know about a manual transmission vehicle. Contact Stick Shift Driving Academy today if you are looking to learn how to drive a stick shift car near you in Wichita, Kansas.

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