If you skip gears with a manual tranny...

W

White95Max

New member
...does it matter if you go 3rd to fifth, or should you push the gear lever into 4th for a second before putting it in 5th?

IOW, consider the two options I tried to explain above...



1. Accelerate in 3rd gear. Push clutch in, move gear lever out of 3rd, push into 4th (clutch pedal still depressed), then move gear lever to 5th gear position. Let clutch pedal out.



2. Accelerate in 3rd gear. Push clutch in, move gear lever out of 3rd, move gear lever to 5th, let clutch out.



Is one way better for the synchros or anything?
 
IMO it won't matter since you're not "double clutching" anyhow, and nobody double clutches their upshifts these days.



Doing 3-5 isn't really any different from the "skip shift" system built into many new cars. That system forces a 1-4 (IIRC, been a while and I seldom let the 'vette do it ;) ) to save fuel/emissions/whatever.



But whether you should skip the gear or not is really a matter of lugging/bogging the engine if your gears are spaced too "wide" between 3 and 5. It might not be a good idea for this reason but it's not gonna hurt the tranny/synchros any as best I can figure.
 
Hey Accumulator! What 'vette do you have??



Also, does double-clutching on the upshift help? I'd think the fact that the clutch is out and the engine is spinning faster than it will be on the next gear would already help the synchros. Is that not true?



Also, I'd think going 3-4-5 if you aren't gonna use 4 would just be more wear on the 4th gear synchros for no real reason. But I don't know that much about trannies... :)
 
I do 1-3-5 shifts on the freeway in traffic regularly(whenever I drive my manual car in traffic) and have had no ill results. I've done this with a number of cars now that I think about it. Just remember to slow your shift a little so that the RPM's match a little better.;)
 
I've never understood the point of this?





You loose accleration and power, you put more stress on the block at those low RPM, etc.





Someone care to explain?
 
Well, lazy mainly. I wouldn't think it would stress the block or anything else as opposed to revving to higher RPM's. Probably saves some gas too. My Integra is no race car by any means when driven like this but it moves along nicely if shifted at 3500 or so.
 
My father always shifts from 2nd gear to 4th.. he thinks it is more fuel efficient.



But to go to 2nd to 4th and get ideal revs, he shifts @ 4000+ rpm compared to his usual ~2500 shift to 3rd. In the end I think it is about equal.
 
Sean, I do it because often I accelerate to the speed limit in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. If I'm already at the speed limit (40mph, 45, 55), what's the need for 4th? I might as well just go into 5th since I'm going to end up there anyway. If I'm going on a freeway ramp, then I use all 5 gears.

Same thing with a 30mph zone. I often accelerate to 30mph in 2nd, and then just go into 4th. My car needs the higher revs to move at anything other than a snail's pace, so I stay in 2nd until I'm at 30. Then shift into 4th because I won't be accelerating much or any at this point.
 
If I am correct, I read Accumulator had a Mallett Vette :drool:.







On topic: Guess I wonder since my car has no torque and power is in the upper RPM. I like shifting and prefer to down/up shift every gear :nixweiss
 
I do it sometimes when I want to accelerate really fast for the fun of it, but don't want to go so fast. I'll be in 2nd or 3rd at 50-60 and not planning to go any faster, so I'll just shift to 5th. I don't think it will do any harm. Make sure you don't bog the engine down though
 
I do this too. Most situations are when I find myself poking along in traffic in 3rd gear @ 30-40 mph from slowing down and then needing to resume speed (red light ahead that turns green, someone turning left who find the gap in traffic, etc.). Basicaly, fast enough that the car does not lug in 5th and no need for brisk acceleration.
 
Skipping gears doesn’t pose any problem. However if you’re running in a higher gear at low speed, i.e. running 500RPM uphill barely holding idle, you’re putting unnecessary stress on not only the engine, but also the transmission. It’s fuel inefficient as well.



I have a 6-speed . . . frequently I’ll accelerate through 3rd, skip to 6th, and relax. I love having the short gear ratios, but sometimes I feel like I’m rowing through the gears from light to light.
 
IIRC, Accumulator sold his 'Vette some time ago. Maxy, if you aren't feeling any clashing on engagement, there's nothing bad going on with the synchros, etc.; putting it into 4th between isn't going to do anything at all...if you want to help the synchros, you can double clutch (which was the pre-synchro method), but as Accumulator noted, no one does that on upshift. Somewhere I have a book that talks about all this stuff, but since no one reads books anymore...

As far as lugging...has that ever been proven to be bad? I remember Pat Bedard writing a column in C/D years ago arguing that there was no evidence/science that lugging was bad...but then he was never the same after that Indy 500 crash....
 
Knockwurst said:
However if you’re running in a higher gear at low speed, i.e. running 500RPM uphill barely holding idle, you’re putting unnecessary stress on not only the engine, but also the transmission. It’s fuel inefficient as well.
Click to expand...



I'll always keep my car at above 2000RPM when going up a hill...usually above 3000. I don't have much torque, so I need to be in a pretty low gear for most hills.
 
Pual, try not to press your clutch paddle and shift. If you master it(I did it many moon ago). Its fun, the trick its dont like your rpm go below 2700rpm. I do this on Peterbilt rig and my uncle Dodge ram25000 cummin :D
 
White95Max said:
Come again?
Click to expand...



He is talking about clutchless shifting.. it is good thing to learn (could save your life someday if your clutch ever fails).. Many truck drivers don't use the clutch.. makes for a more comfortable trip if you don't have to push in the clutch all the time.. especially w/ all the gears on a semi.
 
I read the post again and realized what he meant.

My uncle drives a gravel truck and he's told me before that he doesn't use the clutch on his truck. I think it's a 15spd...or is it 18? Whatever it is, it's a lot of gears to be pushing the clutch in for all the time. I can't blame him for preferring to shift w/o the clutch!
 
MAN! I thought I was the only person to do this. I must wonder about this everyday when I drive. I have a 6 speed though so I am not sure if that makes a difference. If you get car and driver the article on my car will tell you that you are constanly revving shifting and always moving in this car. I don't really see how it could hurt if you are keeping the revs within a respectable range.



-Shaun
 
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