right hand drive

[targa]

i drove my friends right hand drive car the other day, i live in the states, so these are fairly uncommon. it was an automatic, so i put it into drive and was on my way. but it made me wonder, is the gear arrangment on an manual gearbox in a right hand drive car the same as a left hand drive? or is it the reverse

left hand is like this:
1 3 5
2 4 6/r

or a nother variation for 5, 6 and reverse, but the first four geard are always the same
1 3
2 4

is it the same in a right hand driver car?

[SPHFerrari]

its the same setup as a left hand drive car.

[fa22_raptor]

i drove my friends right hand drive car the other day, i live in the states, so these are fairly uncommon. it was an automatic, so i put it into drive and was on my way. but it made me wonder, is the gear arrangment on an manual gearbox in a right hand drive car the same as a left hand drive? or is it the reverse

left hand is like this:
1 3 5
2 4 6/r

or a nother variation for 5, 6 and reverse, but the first four geard are always the same
1 3
2 4

is it the same in a right hand driver car?

Yes, in Australia we have right hand drivers, and yes, it is the same.

[ScionDriver]

I've often wondered the same thing!! Great question I hope someone mor educated than me can anwser it. Because it seems weird to me (but then again growing up with it I suppose I would think that anything else was weird, right?) But it would seem strange to have first gear be furtherest away from you (In a right hand car if the gearbox is the same as an American car) I probably confused the whole lot of you.

[targa]

Yes, in Australia we have right hand drivers, and yes, it is the same.

that seems like it would be awkward, going from out to in

[fa22_raptor]

I just came back home from driving a manual as a matter of fact! It's not awkward at all I find, probably because I'm used to it now. The trickiest shifts are from 2nd-3rd and 4th-5th, but if you get used to them, there are no dramas.

[targa]

The trickiest shifts are from 2nd-3rd and 4th-5th, but if you get used to them, there are no dramas.

yea i think shifting with my left hand would be the biggest thing i would have to get used to

[fa22_raptor]

yea i think shifting with my left hand would be the biggest thing i would have to get used to

Yeah definitely. It's just a matter of practice and getting used to it. If I went to the USA, I'd definitely find shifting with my right hand strange too!

[drakkie]

Question: i am thinking of buying a Scimitar GTE as my first car in a couple of months.This is right hand drive. Is it hard for a beginner driver to drive this or is it better if you have some experience ?

[henk4]

Question: i am thinking of buying a Scimitar GTE as my first car in a couple of months.This is right hand drive. Is it hard for a beginner driver to drive this or is it better if you have some experience ?

get some experience with left hand driving first. RHD is a sportscar is problematic when driving behind SUV's, Van's and big trucks which are abundant in our region. You won't be able to very well what is ahead of you.

[drakkie]

get some experience with left hand driving first. RHD is a sportscar is problematic when driving behind SUV's, Van's and big trucks which are abundant in our region. You won't be able to very well what is ahead of you.

THANKS !ill get some training with my dads car first

[Matra et Alpine]

I switched from RHD and LHD when I was 18 regularly - like almost daily.
It's not a problem as long as you drive safely and use good observation - which you should be doing anyway In some cases it's actually safer !!!
Secondly the gearchange gates are the same and NO there isn't a problem - unless you think as one quoted of moving the gear in our out along the neutral gate. First is top left. 2nd is bottom left. No problem thinking that way.

The one thing to watch out while you are switching is that you don't open the door or wind down the window when you go to cahnge gear. happens if your mind is engaged on somethign else and the "autopilot" takes over. You'r eyoung enough for that not likley to be an issue. I find I might go to do it one or 2 times when I first pick up the rental at the airport in the US Watch otu for insurance for "other side drive", here in the UK I cant' get insurance AT ALL for my daughter on the LHD Bagheera ! Have to wait till she's 21.

[henk4]

Classic and Sports Car (feb 2005) has an interesting picture of a Wolseley 6/90 which showed a RHD version with the gear shifter between the door and the right side of the front bench. Obviously some UK people were unable to shift gear with their left hands, May be Wolseley was unwilling to install a column shfiter. It would be intereting to find how the connection with this oddly placed shifter and the gearbox was established.

[d-quik]

i cant picture myself shifting with my left hand no matter what the pattern. my left hand is useless

[fa22_raptor]

I used to think that my left hand was totally useless too! Now I know it's good for one thing and one thing only: SHIFTING!