As veteran drivers of manual transmissions say – clutch in, clutch out. Left foot on, left foot out, sounds very simple when you think about it like that. But in actuality, there is a proper method to change gears that may not be muscle memory for you yet and it should be a consideration for you before you decide on your next vehicle being an automatic. We have racing legend Vip Isada, who taught us how to best release clutch pedal when shifting during a recent motorsports workshop of his.
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Firstly, when you want to press on the clutch pedal, you should lift your foot and press down by pushing from your knee instead of the full leg. Secondly, once you’re done shifting, release the clutch pedal by anchoring your foot on the floor, in a similar way to how you would anchor your right foot to toggle between brake and throttle, and then flex your ankle backwards.
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As coach Vip Isada explains, the reason is because lifting your whole leg and flexing your knee everytie you shift requires much more energy than just anchoring your heel and flexing back. The latter conserves your strength during the late stages in a race, or during crawling rush-hour traffic. However, you have to make sure you’re in the proper driving position to this well consistently. Your leg should be on a slight angle even when its resting against the dead pedal or when the clutch is fully pressed. You should give this a go when you’re driving a manual next time. And tell us how it goes!