How to move off quickly in a manual car
How to move off quickly in a manual car is easy once you know a few basic things.
The problem comes from many driving instructors incorrectly teaching how to move off. I know this because I am one of the UK’s leading driving instructor trainers and spend hours of my life teaching instructors themselves how to move off properly!
Let me explain how to move off quickly in a car and you’ll be able to do it easily in no time.
The “secret” to moving off quickly in a car
The secret is simply to use the gas before the clutch. Simple!
It’s incredible how many people think you have to lift the clutch up first and then press the gas. That is totally incorrect.
I have made a whole page about gas then clutch or clutch then gas? made videos on and written articles about it.
You really need to understand that you press the gas BEFORE lifting the clutch. I have already explained this on my other page so please go and check that out.
Just knowing that will get you 90% of the way to moving off more quickly!
Holding the biting point
Another common mistake is trying to lift the clutch pedal slowly instead of holding it at the biting point.
You are not supposed to just lift it slowly – that won’t work and you’ll just crawl away.
As soon as you feel the car starting to move you hold the clutch pedal STILL at that point for several seconds.
Once you feel the pedal go looser under your foot you can lift it all the way.
Now here’s the bit you have to practise: the more gas you press the faster you can lift the clutch and the less time you have to spend holding it.
You can’t just floor the gas pedal and lift the clutch up though. This is where skill and practise come in. You may have to spend hours and hours, sometimes years before you’ll get the perfect combination of gas and clutch.
This is what i call the crossover point: the point at which you have the perfect amount and gas and the perfect lift speed on the clutch.
Professional racing drivers used to spend whole days doing nothing more than finding the perfect crossover point.
So that’s how to move off quickly in a manual car
It really isn’t that hard to do once you get used to it. It’s just that getting used to it can take a while.
Make sure you read my page on gas then clutch and watch my YouTube videos for more hints and tips on driving.
