{"id":2197432,"date":"2026-10-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2197432"},"modified":"2026-10-14T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T21:00:00","slug":"how-to-drive-stick-top-gears-artful-guide-to-driving-manual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2197432","title":{"rendered":"How to drive stick: Top Gear’s artful guide to driving manual"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FLAT SHIFT<\/h2>\n

Good for: Minimising turbo lag<\/em>
Bad for: Clutch life<\/em><\/h3>\n

Honestly, this is one for the quarter mile and nowhere else. Exactly as the name suggests you leave your right foot hard on the throttle and pull the gear through as fast as possible. I say \u2018pull\u2019 advisedly \u2013 it can work well from first to second and third to fourth, but going across the gate from second to third? Not so easy. Much more jeopardy involved.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re running 0\u201360s it will reduce your times \u2013 especially in a turbocharged car as holding the throttle wide open means the turbo never drops off boost. But re-engaging the clutch when the engine is bouncing off the limiter? Brace yourself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Oh, and never do this on the way down the gearbox \u2013 conrods belong inside the engine.<\/p>\n

HEEL AND TOE<\/h2>\n

Good for: Feeling like a pro<\/em>
Bad for: Your right ankle<\/em><\/h3>\n

A personal favourite this one. There is little more satisfying in a manual than a perfectly blipped downshift.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2018Heel and toe\u2019 is misleading, as unless you have a second ankle it\u2019s going to be more \u2018ball and outside edge\u2019 \u2013 ball behind your big toe for the brake, then twist\/roll your ankle to blip the throttle with the side of your foot before lifting the clutch. Old timers talk about maintaining control and preventing rear wheels locking, but for modern cars (find one with perfectly spaced pedals) it\u2019s all about smoothness and satisfaction.<\/p>\n

Teach yourself to keep the brake pressure smooth throughout, get the rev matching perfect and you\u2019re in driving nirvana.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

DOUBLE DE-CLUTCH<\/h2>\n

Good for: Pretending it\u2019s the 1950s<\/em>
Bad for: Left leg RSI<\/em><\/h3>\n

Do you have an old Alvis in the garage? Perhaps a tendency towards a driving glove and cravat setup?<\/p>\n

Then no need to read further, I suspect you\u2019re already well acquainted with double de- clutching. It\u2019s not about speed or performance, it\u2019s about caring for your old car by being as gentle as possible to the transmission. So in the middle of each gear change, either up or down, you pause in neutral and lift the clutch. Then press it again to go into your next gear.<\/p>\n

Ideally work on your rev matching as you slip seamlessly into gear for maximum brown beer points at your nearest thatched pub.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FLAT SHIFT Good for: Minimising turbo lagBad for: Clutch life Honestly, this is one for the quarter mile and nowhere else. Exactly as the name suggests you leave your right foot hard on the throttle and pull the gear through as fast as possible. I say \u2018pull\u2019 advisedly \u2013 it can work well from first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-2197432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2197432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197432\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2197432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2197432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2197432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}