Top six tips for driving a manual car

As many as 90 per cent of new Australian passenger cars sold are fitted with an automatic transmission, leaving the remainder of us with three pedals and a gearshift.

With a manual gearbox comes great responsibility. Mechanical sympathy is an important factor in vehicular longevity – and in the case of the manual transmission it falls to the driver to exercise even greater care to keep the gearbox from failing prematurely.

With that in mind, we take a look at the top six things to avoid when driving a car fitted with a manual transmission.

How many times have you heard it? Dozens, we bet. But it's the number one cause of premature wear in a manual transmission. Essentially, you should have the engine as close to idle as possible when releasing the clutch. Having the engine speed match the gearbox (or road speed) as closely as possible reduces the wear placed on the friction surface of the clutch plate, extending its life exponentially.

For the same reasons riding the clutch is a no-no, using the clutch to 'hold' the vehicle in place is also bad for your car. When starting on a hill, use the hill-hold function or the park brake to prevent the vehicle rolling back. If you're stationary, slip the car into neutral and use the foot or park brake to hold the vehicle still. They're called brakes for a reason!

Don't stop at the lights with the vehicle in gear and the clutch depressed. Depressing the clutch pedal forces the throw-out bearing against the diaphragm spring. It's a normal action when changing gears, enabling the engine and gearbox to momentarily separate, but one that does create friction. Over an extended period the friction created between the two will cause the surfaces to wear, and eventually translate to a costly repair bill.

For the same reasons we've outlined above, it's advisable not to rest your foot on the clutch when cruising. Opening the clutch even partially means the clutch plate and pressure plate are not in full contact – the slipping sensation between the pair creates friction and therefore wear. It also limits the smooth transmission of power between the engine and the gearbox. Finally, as in point three, the partial pressure from the depression of the clutch can also prematurely wear the throw-out bearing and diaphragm spring.

The clutch isn't a footrest and the gearshift isn't a handrest. Simply, the pressure of your hand on the gearshift can damage the inner workings of your gearbox. So when you're done changing gears, put your hand back on the steering wheel. Not only is this safer – it keeps both hands on the wheel – it is also a way to reduce the wear created by the (static) selector fork rubbing on the output shaft's (rotating) collar. Remember what we said about friction and wear...?

When changing gears for yourself it's you, and not the car, that knows when best to shift. If you need to accelerate up a hill or to increase speed, then downshift to find a ratio matched to the engine's speed. The reason for this is that 'labouring' the engine can result in the pistons rocking in their bores. This in turn creates undesirable engine wear, and in extreme cases can even cause shock loading of the engine and transmission, which will damage rotating parts and bearings, and even your drive shafts, universal joints or CVs.