First-->Second Gear "Grey area"
 

What do you guys do if you're say, rolling up to a red like and you're going TOO slow for second gear... but too fast for first... and you HAVE to get moving because the light just turned green?

I heard its like "blashphemy" to shift to first gear.. but I'm too slow for second (lugging) and I really dont want to stop in the middle of traffic..

so what do you do in that aweful "grey" area of First-->Second

If its around 20 then first gear it is. If its around 30 stomp second. My peak torque hits at low 2nd.

8-10mph rolling up to the light. ill just go into second

8-10MPH is about 6Km/hr... hmm I dont really bogg there either.. but I mean like creeping at like 5MPH, can I just slowly push it into first? theres SOME resistance, but not much

Blip the throttle and pop it into 1st real quick, although depending on the situation and whether or not i need to accelerate quickly, I may just use second and not worry about speeding up as quick

^^

If i am going 10 mph or slower I usually just rev match into first and then go, I have been doing this since I got the car and haven't had any problems with it, and that is 70K later

I just rev match and drop down to first rather than bog.

"8-10MPH is about 6Km/hr.." wrong 8-10mph is 13-16 kmh, big difference

if im going slower than 7-8mph in second ill rev match to 1st.

otherwise if i was shifting into second, a little burn of the clutch isnt bad as long as ur quick and now revving it. heck, once in a while ill just start from second from a dig.

You mean the other way around. 1mph is 1.6kmh, so 10mph is 16kmh

Hmm, most of you are neutral stoppers are you? I downshift unless im really lazy, if I go below 20 I automatically downshift to first. I've done it so much that you can't feel a thing either, silky smooth like an auto.

then again, shifting into first gear isn't always that easy

http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/e...s/IMG_0092.jpg

7-13 mph is a pita in these cars. 2nd is too long and 1st is too short/touchy. Wish 1st was longer. I've gone into 1st at around 7mph many times with no problem, just gotta do a little rev matching. Worst part is trying to drive around the parking deck at school because I need to go from 5-10 mph a lot which is tough to do in these cars.

Nope, I like to always be in gear unless I am at a long ass light! I think its a good habit to be!

I'll almost always downshift to 1st if I'm crawling at a low speed. I don't like bogging down the engine, its really not good for it to chug along at such a low RPM. Lights dim, oil pressure drops, ect.

I roll around in 1st a lot, but if I shift up to 2nd and I get slowed to like 5mph, I stay.
Car doesn't seem to mind. It's mostly just a rattle from my heat shield.

Ew neutral stoppers. I'll heel tow to 3rd as I'm coming to the light then heel toe to 2nd and if it turns and I'm too slow for 2nd just rev match first and go. Or just push the the 2nd gear bog its not going to hurt anything but the rod bearings and cylinder walls.

Yea ive worried about driving too slow in gear before, like when ur stopping and forget its still in like 4th gear :lol: (which i've only done like once) is it really that bad for your engine?

also i HATE reverse, because alot of the driveways around here are on an incline, so the whole car rattles as it corrects itself to not die out.. you either gotta burn the clutch or fucking GO when in reverse or it shudders...

thoughts?

Yeah lugging is when you have a high engine load and low oil pressure. Its bad. Your clutch and drivetrain dont really give a shit but everything that see the increased forces without increased oil pressure hate life a little bit.

Reverse, slip the clutch, thats what its designed for.

Yea, if I stop at a light really quick I just downshift to 2nd really quick and ignore 1st by putting it in neutral and get on the brakes hard. Otherwise I normally drop to 1st when 2nd starts to bog. Gotten pretty good at it but then again I learned to drive in an older F-150 truck with a sloppy shift pattern and the clutch was always at the very top of the pedal.

I always downshift and I don't like my rpms to get much under 2k when in gear. I have noticed that I think my feet at too big for this car lol. I can't ever seem to get the right spot on the pedal. I'm always messing around to find the "sweet" spot.

I only downshift to 1st in traffic for a light, otherwise I throw it in neutral and coast till I have to stop due to the person infront of me. Is it bad to skip 1st gear like that? I've always wondered.

No, its normally advised to not down shift into first when you are coasting to a light. Coast down till you run out of 2nd and then pop it into neutral is the typical recommendation.

reverse always works for me

need to learn how to rev match. what you gonna do when the dumb 17yr old bitch not paying attention doing her makeup and texting is headed for you? rev your motor? :lol::lol:

Rev matching is hard lol

not really

I gotta say I really love having a 6 speed now, I don't have this "grey area" anymore. Much easier to drive.

Do you just wait for your RPMs to drop when you downshift then?
You probably only make it to like 3rd before you have to slam on the brakes for a red light, lol, unless you start really far back.

I just drive it

if i am already in second, and im going to slow for it. i follow these simple steps

step 1, drink beer
step 2, put clutch in
step 3, finish your beer
step 4 give it some gas while at same time putting it into 1st
step 5, open a new bottle of beer and take a sip
step 6, slowly let the clutch out
step 7, get summ head while you finish your bottle.
step 8, give it some more gas and when the hill flattens out, put it into 2nd again, and proceed as normal.


Must be 21 or older to do this how to

I shift when it gets to be around 1.5k-1.75k RPMs, unless I see we're stopped in a line I'll just go to 1.5k then throw it in neutral and coast.
When the traffic gets going again I drive in 1st until we stop again, sometimes being some distance, is it bad for 1st gear to drive a distance in it since its mostly a transition gear?

no just annoying as fuck lmao

it was already said before on page 1. just Heel n toe downshift while your decelerating to the light. you wont have a gray area ever. you'll always be in gear and ready to just push the peddle. but you'll have to do it japan style. the stock peddles are too spaced apart compared to other cars where you normally just use the ball and outer edge of your foot.

Not when you have boats for feet like I do :)

If I try a true "heel and toe" I end up with my toes snagged on something just above the loud pedal:cussing:

If I am wearing shoes with a nice flexable sole, the ball of the foot and tip of my little toe works like a charm:twothumbs

Rev match them downshifts people, your synchros and clutch will thank you:)