Ya and I don't down shift my jeep much. I can roll around a corner in 4th gear and it will accelerate without downshifting.
Do you short-shift your manual transmission vehicle?
- Thread starter 14Accent
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when i had manual cars i always drove them without using the clutch pedal. you only need it to start or stop. much easier to do with an Unsynchronized transmission in a big rig. you only need to find and know your point of entry and exit by watching your rpm and not forcing anything. with a sychronized transmission, it requires more finesse.
Yes, mostly on downshifting. Say from 4th to 2nd. Let the exhaust pop. Wringing the engine out in second and then shifting into fifth at cruising speed isn't much fun.
If I'm driving spiritedly I'll go from 4th to 6th, but if I'm saving on fuel (laughable on a Tacoma I know...) then I use all the gears. 5th and 6th are overdrive gears on this truck.
I listen to the engine on the Beemer. It's voice tells me when to shift and if I am in the correct gear. Crawling around down usually 2nd or 3rd. Once I get rolling, I aim for a target on the rev counter. If feeling aggressive it's open season!
In our 1987 VW Cabriolet with the JK motor and a Golf trans I routinely skip 4th unless I am merging on an interstate.
Funny question as it relates my experience.
I did it rarely in extreme acceleration scenarios.
Skipping a gear or two whilst engine braking down a mountain doesn't count.
I had 2 separate friends who thought it was OK to skip 1st on flat land. I had to mention it to them.
I did it rarely in extreme acceleration scenarios.
Skipping a gear or two whilst engine braking down a mountain doesn't count.
I had 2 separate friends who thought it was OK to skip 1st on flat land. I had to mention it to them.
JHZR2
Staff member
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.
GM forced skip-shifting for a while in some cars to miss the 90s "gas guzzler fee" (anyone remember CAGS?). My only manual car has enough torque to go from a dead stop in 4th gear without any throttle input, so 1-3-5 or 2-4-5 isn't uncommon, depending on the road and traffic.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2024
I have the same one, just a year newer. I tuned it out, but with the heads, cam and 4.10s I can start off in any of the first 4 gears.
Same
Is it a bit harder on the synchros if you shift fast between gears on the same shaft? Like 1 to 3 to 5?
I guess in general if you are shifting fast, skipping a gear makes the synchros do more work to get the splines to mesh.
I don't think it matters if you skip gears doing a slow shift where the gears and and shafts would slow to a synchronized speed anyways?
I guess in general if you are shifting fast, skipping a gear makes the synchros do more work to get the splines to mesh.
I don't think it matters if you skip gears doing a slow shift where the gears and and shafts would slow to a synchronized speed anyways?
We need to define terms, here.
Short-shifting - shifting at lower RPM than needed for the intended acceleration/power.
Skipping gears - just what it means.
You're talking about skipping gears.
Short-shifting, shifting before the engine has had a chance to develop much RPM, and putting it in a higher gear than it should be, results in "lugging" the engine. Low RPM, high throttle opening, is lugging. This can cause pre-ignition other negative effects.
Don't short shift. Don't lug.
Short-shifting - shifting at lower RPM than needed for the intended acceleration/power.
Skipping gears - just what it means.
You're talking about skipping gears.
Short-shifting, shifting before the engine has had a chance to develop much RPM, and putting it in a higher gear than it should be, results in "lugging" the engine. Low RPM, high throttle opening, is lugging. This can cause pre-ignition other negative effects.
Don't short shift. Don't lug.
If the gear selector moves into the "slot" with any crunchy noises or grinding, the synchros lined up, IMO. The transmission doesn't care (or know - on older models ??) if you're skipping gears.
Out of gear @2100 and into the next gear @1200?
It really messes up the LTFTs but I get the best gas mileage that way.
