Manual transmissions and shifting to 1st gear fr N

[antonmnster]

I used the gear of a synchro that wasn't always the first to wear out to stop the input shaft. If I needed to get going I'd hit the clutch and go for a tall gear like 3rd or 4th to stop the input shaft, then go to first.

Miss having a manual.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Audios
Originally Posted By: ammolab
In neutral with the clutch engaged you have gears moving on the input shaft of the transmission. Shifting into second will halt movement and allow the easier push into first gear.

First and second are large heavy gears with a lot of rotational inertia. Their syncros have the hardest jobs. Second gear syncro always goes "weak" first on my high mileage cars or gets reluctant on cold mornings when the tranny lube is thick.


This


I don't know if its the "weight" of the gears, but the ratios between 1st and 2nd are often wider so 2nd has to shed more speed off the input shaft than other gears. First gear synchro is almost always the one that has to halt the input shaft when pushing in the clutch and shifting from netural at a traffic light so that's why it takes extra abuse (unless you're one of those evil people that burns up your throwout bearing and pilot bushing by sitting in gear with the clutch held down at traffic lights ). But well-designed transmissions also have either larger synchros or multiple synchro rings on first and second gears to offset the stresses.

 

[whizbyu]

It is a VW Passat 2.0 TDI that used to be automatic but now has a 5 speed manual transmission that came from Europe.