Editing Manual transmission (section)

== Driving techniques ==
Recently, many automatic transmissions have included more gear ratios than their manual counterparts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Here's what's really killing the manual transmission |url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a6308/whats-really-killing-the-manual-transmisson/ |website=roadandtrack.com |access-date=17 June 2020 |date=10 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Why the 2018 Ford Mustang GT Automatic is So Much Quicker Than the Manual |url=https://www.motortrend.com/news/why-the-2018-ford-mustang-gt-automatic-is-so-much-quicker-than-the-manual/ |website=motortrend.com |date=22 June 2018 |access-date=17 June 2020}}</ref>

In some countries, a driving license issued for vehicles with an automatic transmission is not valid for driving vehicles with a manual transmission, but a license for manual transmissions covers both.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories|title=Driving licence categories - GOV.UK|website=Gov.uk|access-date=6 March 2017}}</ref>

=== Hill starts ===
Starting from a stationary position in a manual transmission vehicle requires extra torque to accelerate the vehicle up the hill, with the potential for the vehicle to roll backward in the time it takes to move the driver's foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal (to increase the engine RPM before engaging the clutch). A traditional method of hill starts in a manual transmission car is to use the [[parking brake]] (also called "handbrake", "[[parking brake|emergency brake]]", or "e-brake") to hold the vehicle stationary. This means that the driver's right foot is not needed to operate the brake pedal, freeing it up to be used on the accelerator pedal instead. Once the required engine RPM is obtained, the driver can engage the clutch, also releasing the parking brake as the clutch engages.

A device called the [[hill-holder]] was introduced on the 1936 Studebaker. Many modern vehicles use an electronically actuated parking brake, which often includes a hill-holder feature whereby the parking brake is automatically released as the driven wheels start to receive power from the engine.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lampton |first=Christopher |url=http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/hill-start-control.htm |title=How Hill-Start Control Works &#124; HowStuffWorks |website=Auto.howstuffworks.com |date=2009-10-05 |access-date=2017-03-06}}</ref>

In many light-duty vehicles, skilled drivers can slip the clutch just barely enough to hold the vehicle from much rollback during the second while the right foot is moving from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal; this method effectively solves the hill-holding problem without any parking brake use and with negligible clutch life reduction, although it requires some skill.

=== Other driving techniques {{anchor|rev_matching|rowing|block_shifting|skip_shifting}} ===
* '''Rev-matching''' is where the driver uses the throttle to match the revs to the road speed so that gear changes are not jerky. This is commonly used by drivers with non-synchromesh gearboxes, or those driving racing vehicles<ref>{{cite web|url=https://flowracers.com/blog/perfect-rev-matching/#:~:text=Rev%20matching%20works%20by%20matching,when%20the%20clutch%20is%20released.&text=This%20means%20that%20the%20car,acceleration%20out%20of%20the%20corner. |title=The 5 Steps To Perfect Rev Matching – The Ultimate Guide |date=29 May 2020 |publisher=FlowRacers.com |access-date=2020-10-01}}</ref>
* '''[[Double-clutching (technique)|Double-clutching]]''' is required on non-synchro gearboxes. To double-clutch while downshifting: depress the clutch pedal and move the gear lever to neutral, release the clutch pedal, "blip" the throttle to speed up the layshaft to increase the rotational speed of the lower gear, depress the clutch pedal again, move the gear lever to the lower gear, then release the clutch pedal.
* '''[[Heel-and-toe shifting]]''' is where the driver uses one foot to modulate the brake and accelerator pedal simultaneously to allow for rev matching under braking.
* '''Rowing''', '''block shifting''' or '''skip shifting'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.drivingtests.co.nz/resources/why-do-trucks-have-a-lot-of-gears/|title=Why do trucks have a lot of gears}}</ref> is the technique of downshifting more than one gear in order to reduce wear and tear on the gearbox. Rev-matching may need to be used to create a smooth shift. Combining this with Heel-and Toe downshifting provides for maximum braking when going from top gear to a much lower gear, and optimal engine RPM for exiting the corner.