{"id":37528,"date":"2019-07-24T06:00:46","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T21:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=37528"},"modified":"2020-08-23T08:46:29","modified_gmt":"2020-08-22T23:46:29","slug":"mt-accelerator-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/en\/entry\/mt-accelerator-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving a Manual Car \u2013 Why Throttle Control Is Just as Important as the Clutch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gently and Slowly on the Throttle<\/h3>\n

Back when I couldn\u2019t drive a manual car at all, I was so focused on clutch operation that I had no room to think about anything else. Then one day, I found a video online titled, “Driving a manual car is all about throttle control<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

When driving a manual, it\u2019s natural to focus on the clutch, but the video explained that “it\u2019s important to ease off the throttle slowly and gently<\/strong>,” which helps you shift up smoothly without any harsh jolts.<\/p>\n

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\n(This photo is of a 911 GT3 Cup car, but I didn\u2019t have any other pedal shots.)<\/span><\/p>\n

I thought, \u201cI get that throttle control is important, but even if I understand it in my head, I just don\u2019t have that kind of finesse yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then recently, when I was driving a BMW 320i to the airport to drop off my husband for a business trip, he pointed out something to me:<\/p>\n

Try paying more attention to your throttle work. Instead of just \u201con\u201d or \u201coff,\u201d try pressing and releasing it more gradually<\/strong>. That way, your shifts will be smoother with less shock. When you usually drive an automatic, you probably don\u2019t think about easing the throttle like that, but it\u2019s really important when driving a manual.<\/p>\n

I gave it a try, focusing on the throttle\u2014but then I lost focus on the clutch, and ended up with some pretty rough shifts\u2026 (-_-)<\/p>\n

Why is it that I can only focus on one thing at a time? (\uffe3\u30fc\uffe3)w<\/p>\n

My husband teased me lightly, but after a few tries, I started to get the hang of it.<\/p>\n

Yeah, that\u2019s it! Keep that in mind, and you\u2019ll be shifting as smoothly as if you were driving an automatic.<\/p>\n

I realized my driving had been very much that of a “manual-driving amateur<\/strong>,” lacking smoothness. Since then, I\u2019ve been consciously working on throttle control, but if I let my guard down, old habits creep back in. So I know I\u2019ll need plenty more practice for a while.<\/p>\n

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Matching Engine Speed When Downshifting<\/h3>\n

Another skill I\u2019ve been practicing recently is “matching engine speed when downshifting<\/strong>.” I\u2019ve secretly wanted to be able to do it instantly and smoothly like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible or Jason Statham in The Transporter. (Though of course, that\u2019s pure movie magic.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, when I drove a Boxster on the Royu Driveway a while back, I loved the way the car growled “vroooom! vroooom!<\/strong>” with the auto-blip feature every time I downshifted, and I thought, \u201cI want to be able to do that myself someday.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when I actually tried, as usual, it didn\u2019t go well at all\u2026 (-_-)<\/p>\n

I even tried practicing matching revs while downshifting on the highway, but instead of blipping the throttle, I ended up just slowing down and gently engaging the clutch.<\/p>\n

Then recently, my husband showed me a video titled, \u201cNo Right to Heel & Toe! Downshifting While Braking Is 100 Years Too Early! Takakka\u2019s Tough Critique Drive [Tips & Practice to Improve Your Driving].\u201d<\/p>\n