Where to Learn How to Drive a Manual Car in Memphis, Tennessee

 

When you've only been used to driving with automatic cars, it can get pretty difficult to switch to a manual car. But, it will be more than worth the effort and cost of manual car driving lessons when you master how to drive a manual transmission car. Of course, aside from that satisfying emotion, there are many other good reasons why standard transmission driving classes should be more popular. Point is, it's a handy and practical skill to have knowledge of how to use a manual automobile in this day and age. And if you're thinking on getting a couple of standard transmission lessons in the area, here is a list of parking lots you can practice driving manual cars in Memphis, Tennessee.

 

Find a Manual Transmission Instructor Nearby

 

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

 

Where Can You Learn To Drive A Manual Car Near Me

Southwest Tennessee Community College - Macon Cove Campus, 5983 Macon Cove, Memphis, TN 38134

 

Southwest Tennessee Community College - Macon Cove Campus is located 0.6 mi from Federal Correctional Institute via Macon Cove.

How To Learn Manual Driving Fast at Southwest Tennessee Community College - Macon Cove Campus

You've familiarized yourself with the gear shift, pedals, steering wheel and their placement inside a manual transmission vehicle; it's time to learn changing into first gear and drive at low speeds. For beginner drivers of manual cars, this can be especially difficult, even more so when you've only ever driven an automatic transmission. To be candid, you're possibly going to get a couple sputters and false starts while you're still learning how to go into 1st gear on a manual car. When this occurs to you, don't stress. You and your car's engine will be more than okay. You might just be a little put off with how shaky it gets, but manual vehicles are created to survive a bit of wear and tear. Honestly, you're probably underestimating how durable they really are. Now, when you're doing manual transmission driving lessons, this is how any driving school or instructor will usually teach you to get a manual vehicle into first gear. Move the shifter knob to neutral position with your right hand, press down on the brake pedal with your right foot and keep your left foot on the floor; once in position, switch the engine on. If you haven't already disengaged, make sure to pull up the hand brake. Then, take your left foot and press down on the clutch pedal until you hit the floor. Then, gently push down on the accelerator pedal with your right foot until the RPMs hit 1500. When you're there, take care to keep your foot steady on the gas. Afterwards, count back from 7 secs as you ease your left foot off of the clutch. Do this very carefully and keep it as consistent as possible. When done correctly, you'll hit the clutch bite point and it will get the stick shift vehicle rolling. After releasing the clutch, push down on the gas to pick up speed with your stick shift vehicle. Keep going until you hit 2500 to a max 3000 RPMs with the engine, then you can start slowing down. To successfully decelerate, practice your clutch work again, starting with pushing the clutch pedal fully. Then, move your right foot to the brake pedal from the gas. The important thing to note here, the clutch ALWAYS comes before the brake. When you've pressed the brake down to the floor, the manual transmission vehicle should come to a stop. When stopped, move the driving stick into neutral position and engage the parking brake. When safely parked, pull up your feet from the clutch and brake pedals.

Elmwood Cemetery, 824 S Dudley St, Memphis, TN 38104

 

Elmwood Cemetery is located 1.4 mi from Methodist University Hospital via S Dudley St.

Learning Upshifting at Elmwood Cemetery

Given that you've now perfected driving a manual transmission vehicle in 1st gear, you should learn and practice upshifting and downshifting next. Now, since it's just a matter of adding some extra motions with your hands on the gear shifter, this will be way more simple than getting a stick shift vehicle in first gear. You already know how to do clutch work with your feet. Add in a couple of movements, and you'll be on track to master shifting up and down to higher and lower gears. Look around the parking lot and find an area with the lengthiest amount of space. For your own safety and convenience, you should have at least 500-1000 feet of pavement in front of you. Utilize what you've learned earlier and start driving your manual transmission car in first gear, stepping on the gas until you hit 2500 RPMs. The moment you get there, put your left foot on the clutch and start pressing down while carefully taking your right foot from the accelerator , slowing down and sustaining 1500 RPMs of speed. You can even coast a bit in neutral position so you can go through the steps one by one, if you like. And then if you're at a nice and steady RPM of 1500, move the driving stick from 1st gear to the next higher gear with your right hand. Once you've shifted into 2nd gear, slowly raise your left foot from the clutch. Then, when the clutch is fully released, start pushing on the gas pedal and keep going until you reach 2500 RPMs. Now, you'll probably hear weird noises coming from the manual transmission vehicle's engine on your first couple of tries. You might even hear it get louder, and that's normal, so don't stress.

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, 335 S Hollywood St, Memphis, TN 38104

 

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is located 0.5 mi from Tobey Park via S Hollywood St

Learning Downshifting at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Now, take everything you've learned in how to upshift, and we're going to apply them in downshifting, but in reverse. Look around the parking lot for a nice, lengthy span of pavement to drive in; you want enough space to downshift carefully, like with learning new techniques on a manual transmission car. You may have your vehicle rolling in second gear and want to shift into lower gears until you get to a complete stop, for example. There's a number of methods you can do this: you could coast with the manual gearbox in neutral position until you stop entirely; better yet, downshift one gear at a time, from second gear to first then 1st gear to a stop. You don't want to shift up or down more than one or two gear, so we recommend practicing to downshift by getting the manual transmission car from second to a lower gear. Switch the vehicle engine on and drive around until you get the car rolling in second gear, then step on the clutch while easing up on the gas with your right foot, until you arrive at 1500 RPMs. When you get to that nice and steady pace, get the gear shifter into 1st gear. Afterward, carefully remove your left foot from the clutch pedal, then press down on the brake with your right. You might notice the engine revving a bit beyond 1500 RPMs, and that's okay. It may even create some weird noise from the engine, but that's normal, and it's just because the drivetrain and engine are not in sync yet. When you've fully pushed the brake pedal and you're back to driving at a consistent 1500 RPMs, repeat the clutch work process. Push the clutch pedal again with your left foot then gradually step on the brake pedal until the car stops fully. When you're completely stopped, move the gear lever to neutral and engage your emergency brake.

Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill & IMAX, 584 S Mendenhall Rd, Memphis, TN 38117

 

Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill & IMAX is located 0.9 mi from Eastgate Shopping Center via S Mendenhall Rd.

Learning Reversing at Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill & IMAX

We've gone through the basics of learning how to drive a stick shift, including turning the ignition on in the stick shift car and practicing to use the pedals properly. And now that you've gotten more confident with using the gear shift and cruising at different speeds, both low and higher, we're going ahead to reversing. Begin this process by turning the engine on, then driving the stick shift car to the far end of the longest stretch of road found in the lot. When you get there, move the driving stick from 1st gear to reverse gear and gradually back up your vehicle all the way to your original starting point. To start off, move the shifter to the N position, then step down on the clutch with your left foot and on the brake pedal with your right foot. Then, get the gear stick from "N" to "R", and get your foot off of the brake and onto the accelerator pedal. With your right foot on the gas, carefully raise your left foot from the clutch, doing it slowly and consistently over a 7-sec period. Then, start gaining speed by stepping on the gas with your right foot. It might be a friction point especially for beginner drivers, and it may take some more time than you thought, but don't fret. It's better for your own safety to just drive as gradually as you want and pick up speed once you're more comfortable.

Greater Imani Church, The Cathedral of Faith, 3824 Austin Peay Hwy, Memphis, TN 38128

 

Greater Imani Church, The Cathedral of Faith is located 1 mi from Methodist North Hospital via TN-14 N.

Learning Parking at Greater Imani Church, The Cathedral of Faith

Parking is already difficult to learn, and the two trickiest types of parking you can and need to learn is 1) driving back up to a parking slot and 2) parking in parallel. That first one describes what's commonly called back-in parking. Begin this by pulling up right next to the vehicle in front of the parking spot, turn on your blinker, and check your mirrors to ensure the coast is clear. Afterward, push the clutch and move the gear shifter into "R". Until you begin backing your vehicle into the parking slot, make sure the clutch pedal stays all the way to the floor. You should start with the clutch and brake pedals pushed down to the floor of the vehicle. Next, when you're ready, carefully let up on the clutch pedal until you feel the rear of the vehicle lift up and you hear the engine make a different noise, which means you've hit the clutch bite point. Once you're there, get your right foot off from the brake pedal and control the movement of the manual car with the brake and clutch. Take good care not to go above a handful MPH while backing into the spot. You might not be satisfied with the manual vehicle's position, and you probably won't get it right either the first time anyway. That's fine, just do some minor adjustments until the car's settled nicely in the middle of the parking spot. And then, let's talk through parallel parking in a stick shift car, step by step. First off, turn on your blinker to signal a right turn. Drive the vehicle forward until you're two to three feet ahead of the space you want to park in, and side by side to the car in front of it. Make certain that you won't run into any people or cars on the road behind you, double-checking your surroundings with your mirrors and backup camera. Push the clutch and brake pedals all the way to the floor, and straighten up the steering wheel to get your tires straightened. When you have an all-clear to start backing up the manual vehicle, ease off on the clutch pedal to release it. Like we said earlier, you know you've hit the bite point when the rear of your car raises a bit and you hear a shift in the engine noise. Once there, slowly get your right foot from the brake pedal to get the wheels rolling. Keep a sure and steady pace by carefully controlling your clutch and brake pedals with your feet. Keep checking your side and rearview mirrors as you back up, and steer your wheels to the left once your rear bumper is a couple of feet from the other vehicle's back bumper. Then, as soon as the rear bumper on your right closes in on the curb, spin your steering wheel all the way to the left. Do some careful clutch work with the brake and clutch to gradually bring the car to a complete stop.

Book Stick Shift Driving Lessons Today

 

Parking lots are an ideal location to learn how to drive a manual vehicle, since they are flat and private places. You may also learn how to drive around other drivers and traffic, in an easier and safer setting. The best way to learn how to drive a stick shift vehicle is through one-on-one training sessions with a professional. You can learn at your own speed and schedule, which makes this option perfect for busy individuals. When you are ready to begin learning the techniques of manual vehicle driving, arrange driving lessons with qualified driving instructors that can help the clutch feel a lot less frightening. Driving a manual car is an intimidating skill, and not many people take that leap. At Stick Shift Academy, we have licensed driving instructors all over the nation that are experts at helping you to overcome that fear, and become a master of the manual transmission vehicle. To learn how to drive stick near you, contact Stick Shift Academy to set up your very first manual vehicle driving lessons in Memphis, Tennessee.

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