The key to using a clutch (for someone who is unfamiliar with a manual transmission) is to know how it works and what it does. After that there is much debate about using engine braking, keeping the clutch in at red lights and all that...

I can see little point in changing gear in a road car without using the clutch. It is a useful exercise in case your clutch ever goes out, but such shifts generally take much longer to achieve (especially on the down shift) than they would if you dipped the clutch.

There are mixed opinions on engine braking. Brakes are cheaper to replace than clutches. And brakes light your stop lights, alerting those behind that you are slowing down. But then engine braking adds to that feeling of control; it also ensures you are in a gear for go at all times. I've always gone down the box at the same time as braking. There is no problem with this with a modern gearbox, you simply after to feather your brake pedal pressure.

Unless you are a real racing driver, an auto will always be faster. You just press and go: never a missed shift, never too much revs, never too little... Manual cars post faster 0-60 times but only on a perfect take off. The manual driver achieves perfection but rarely; the auto driver gets it every time.

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JJ Rodger
2013 G350 Bluetec
1999 SL 500
1993 E300 diesel T
1990 190