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Magic gear changing

Read, and familiarise yourself with the information in this section and then go out and practise the exercises as directed on the Gear Change Project Sheets (download below) to record your progress.

Repeat the exercise after two days, and then again after five days. Be aware of any differences in your performance or driving style.

At this point in their development, some people feel that their driving is getting worse rather than better.

This is simply because you are moving into unfamiliar territory, losing old habits and creating new, better habits. It's OK... Honest!

The important thing is to stick with it; if you find old habits hard to break, cut your practise periods down to ten or fifteen minutes and take your reference materials out with you to read in between practice sessions.

Gears to go!

Some drivers always change through the gears one-by-one (1,2,3,4,5 - 5,4,3,2,1).

This is a habit that has stuck with some older drivers from when they originally learned to drive and was commonly taught well into the late 1990s. However, it is not generally good practice to use the gears in this way when driving modern motor cars.

Over the years, motor car design and engineering has improved. Compared with cars of even thirty years ago, modern vehicles are lighter, more powerful and more aerodynamic.

These changes (and others) mean that the driving method that was essential in older cars is not applicable to modern driving.

Because cars used to be heavy and braking systems were not as efficient as they now are, it was necessary to use the gears (or to be more precise, the engine compression) to help to slow the car down.

The combination of efficient braking systems and lighter vehicles now enables drivers to slow down without the need to change to a lower gear.

Gear changes are made when power is needed to keep the car moving. This means that if you are stopping, you don't need to change gear until after you have stopped. This is the preferred method of the UK Driving Standards Agency and all advanced driving organisations.

Missing out gears

It is not necessary to change gears in sequence.

For example: If you are driving along a major road at 60 mph in 4th or 5th gear, and you intend to turn left into a minor road, you may be able to do so without having to stop, probably using 2nd gear.

As you approach the junction, reduce your speed by deceleration and braking as required until you are going slowly enough to negotiate the junction safely - then change gear.

It is only after you have slowed down to a safe speed by using the brakes, that you need to select a gear that will drive the car comfortably at the lower speed. In most cars the best gear for the job will be 2nd.

The correct action is to move the gear lever into the neutral position and then directly to the second gear position.

You can occasionally skip gears when changing up but this is less common. A typical upward skip might be from 3rd to 5th on an open road. Your trainer will no doubt discuss this with you during your practical course.

Skilled drivers do not 'overlap' brakes and gears. This means that they finish braking and release the brake pedal before pressing the clutch and making the gear change - this leaves the right foot free for the gas pedal when the clutch is engaged.

Observation when changing gear

The fact that you are considering a gear change means that there must be:

• A change in the road or traffic situation ahead

• That you are planning to change speed

• That you need more power to accelerate of climb a hill

Before you take action to deal with the changing situation ahead (or change speed) you must check the situation behind. In other words, every gear change must be preceded with a mirror check. This check may simply be to confirm that things have not changed since your last mirror check (which may have been only seconds before).

Remembering that you are changing gears to go. That is, using the engine power to maintain (initially) or increase speed it is essential to know whether other drivers are trying to overtake you otherwise you could find yourself in trouble!

Looking ahead

Although it may seem obvious that you should not look at the gear lever, many drivers glance down subconsciously.

Make sure that you always look well ahead when making gear changes. This becomes especially important if your gear change techniques are changing as your driving improves.

Initially, your new method of gear changing will not be an 'unconscious action' and so might become a distraction in itself – looking down could turn a minor distraction into a major problem!

Gear change projects

Lack of flexibility and smoothness are often noted as problems with the gear changing of experienced drivers when the are assessed for advanced driver training or tests..

The aim of these exercises is to make all of your gear changes smooth and controlled - your passengers shouldn't notice the fact that you are changing gear at all!

The subjects covered are:

• Taking correct observation before changing gear

• Coordinating the accelerator and clutch while changing gear

• Making selective gear changes

Spend a minimum of one hour, practising gear changing, paying particular attention to the points listed above – following the guidelines set out below.

Keep your sessions short if this helps you to gain success.

Ideally you should choose an out-of-town route. A quiet 'B' class road between 1 and 2 miles long and preferably made up of long straights, would be just about perfect!

Smooth changes

To achieve 'perfect' balance while changing gear you will need to practice several gear changes; this could be several hundred changes, even several thousand!

For some drivers the whole concept of smooth gear changing might be alien.

Your aim is to keep the car balanced during the gear change process. No pitching backwards or forwards and no clutch 'drag' on downward gear changes.

You can recognise clutch drag by the sound of the engine - there should be no change in the engine sound as the clutch is engaged (unless the change is made as you press the gas pedal).

In order to eliminate pitching and dragging it's usually easiest to start with 3rd to 4th and 4th to 3rd.

If your car has a rev-counter, use it to help match the revs to the speed when making downward gear changes

Accelerator and clutch

The engine rev's should always match the road speed for the gear selected. That is, there should be no discernible jerk (vehicle weight-shift) as a direct result of a gear change.

If the engine 'drones' you need to either adjust the speed at which the gear change is made or increase the engine revs by light accelerator pressure as the clutch is engaged.

One of the most common problems at this stage is a rushed gear change. Take your time when making gear changes; if you have any problems slow down your hand and feet movements – make the action slow and deliberate, concentrating on what you can feel through the gas pedal and clutch.

Feel free to make mistakes at this point - but not jerks! Temporary mistakes such as over-revving or slipping the clutch slightly are OK – they will pass as you relax and start to get a feel for the new style of driving..

Now get out there and practise!

Selective gear changing

Earlier in this section you read about the concept of selective gear changing. You now need to practice selective changes.

Driving the getaway car!

Upward selective changes are usually made after accelerating fairly hard in a lower gear, for example after overtaking on a clear open road or when getting away from a bank robbery.