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What gear is best for uphill driving?
I just bought a manual car after always driving automatics. I’m still getting the hang of switching gears, but hills seem to trip me up every time. What gear should I use for driving uphill?
Macy Fouse · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Switching to a manual car from an automatic can take some getting used to! When you’re driving up an incline, it’s important to know exactly what to do to avoid stalling or rolling back down. In general, you’ll want to try to stay in a lower gear. Here are some other tips for going up a hill successfully:
- Build up momentum as you approach the hill. Gather enough speed so that you could ascend the hill at least halfway—if not all the way—before you need to downshift and sustain that momentum. You should approach the hill while in fourth or fifth gear and accelerate the vehicle at around 80% power—but take any curves into account.
- If your car seems to be fighting to maintain its speed, shift into a lower gear to increase the RPMs. This should add power to your car’s momentum. You may need to continue to downshift through the gears until you find your sweet spot.
- If your vehicle seems to be gaining momentum as it goes uphill, you can downshift to preserve fuel economy. Only do this if the pinnacle of the incline flattens out before it increases again.
- If you come across any tight curves on the hill, you can downshift on sharp turns to maintain momentum and power on the curve.
Manual cars may take a bit more skill to drive, but they tend to come with cheaper
car insurance
premiums. If you want to keep the savings coming, be sure to download the Jerry
app, where you can shop cheap rates and sign up for a new policy all in one place. View full answer
- Gregory R.
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