Do you short-shift your manual transmission vehicle?

[D60]

When I've had daily driver compact trucks with 5 speeds I regularly skipped 4th. Just accelerate a tad more in 3rd then go to 5th. Worked great for me..

 

[OM605]

I always skip 1st if going slightly downhill in my diesel. I can start in 2nd by just releasing the clutch without touching the go pedal if i'm not in a hurry. No shudder, no stalling, good torque even at idle rpm. I often skip 4th and double clutch from 3rd into 5th.

 

[SuperSalad]

Not usually no. Only time I don't go in order is like @OM605 if I'm starting downhill or rolling, or under circumstances when it makes sense to do it due to abnormal speed changes.

 

[twouvakind]

Volkswagen endorses it, or at least their programming does.

PXL_20240321_162140412.jpg

• twouvakind
• Mar 28, 2024

 

[MCompact]

The M42 1.8 liter I4 in my Club Sport needs to be wound to at least 4500 rpm to make serious power. Couple that with a Getrag gearbox where 5th gear is 1:1, and skip shifting is rarely an option. At most I might skip 4th if I've really pulled high rpm in 3rd.

 

[Pablo]

2019 Tacoma with 4.88 diffs I can go 1-3-6 if really want

But usually 1-2-3-5 or 1-2-3 -(4 if uphill)-6

5 and 6 both OD. 5 is perfect for our 35 mph roads, 6 for above that

I can start in 2 but not worth possible wear

 

[Revving2Redline]

Some will get it, most won't, I suspect....

 

[Revving2Redline]

Thanks for all the feedback! Just for fun, here's the section from my owners manual:

View attachment 206716

Probably get more wear from the junky transmission fluid. Change over to a Redline or Amsoil and let the good times roll!

 

[ProbeGT]

Sometimes, in my two Vibes with the close ratio Toyota C60 transmissions. Depending on mood and traffic. I may skip 3 or 4 or 5 or any combination therof. When accelerating hard, I often shift 1-2-6, because 2nd gear gets me past 60 mph into ticket danger territory.

Also, the Toyota C60 6-sp transmission has a weak 3rd gear synchro so that gear gets skipped most often. I don't really want to to that job again.

In my Jaguar 5-sp (Getrag 221), the gears are spread far apart and the car is heavy, so I normally don't skip gears.

 

[14Accent]

Probably get more wear from the junky transmission fluid. Change over to a Redline or Amsoil and let the good times roll!

Don't worry, the transmission is getting HPL come spring time. I've got a laundry list of repairs and maintenance that needs to get done.

 

[lbhsbz]

That’s interesting, but I can’t really understand how and why it would be the case.

I tend to shift early because it’s easier on gas, keeps the engine quieter and less stressed, and if I went too high in most any gear, I’m doing illegal speeds in my 135i, which isnt even that powerful by todays standards.

I do skip 1st in my Dodge Cummins. Many folks recommend it. It’s low enough that it is a waste of a clutch event unless heavily loaded.

Only thing I can think of is that it causes a higher than usual speed differential that the syncro has to sync....which would cause more wear and possibly overheating of the syncro ring.

Kinda like how it's hard to downshift into first unless you're just about stopped....the syncros are not to be used like a clutch.

 

[demarpaint]

It depends on conditions, but I will shift 1,3,5 with my 5 speed M/T when I can.

 

[D1sc]

Unless it’s a 2-4-6.( rolling stop) It’s 1st 3rd-5th-6. It’s a 4 banger so I try not to let rpm drop below 1400 for the turbo and timing chain,but I have a stage 3 clutch and a short throw shifter upgrade.

 

[Gus_Mahn]

I skip shift all the time. I had a T-56 equipped CTS-V and under some conditions (light throttle 12-17 mph in 1st) it would force 1-4. I disabled the skip shift because it wouldn’t 1-3 when I wanted it.

 

[Crashbox]

With my 2017 Accord EX-L V-6/6MT I often skip gears going downhill, on occasion I'll skip two depending on the grade. Sometimes I'll skip a gear if accelerating briskly but not wanting to drive aggressively (which I never do at my age!). Driving my '95 Civic... almost never skip.

 

[wolverine86]

I occasionally skip first gear on my Saturn. I almost always go sequentially through all the others, though. As discussed on another thread here on BITOG, very rarely do I downshift while driving a manual shift vehicle (except if it lugs when, say, going up a hill).

Interesting about the owner's manual that cautioned against skip shifting. Maybe that has something to do with excessive wear on synchronizers?