Do you think it hurts the tranny/engine shifting directly from 2 to 5th or 6th all the time?

 

Why do you think they have a 3rd and fourth gear? Why would you do that?

 

I agree, sounds like you don't like to shift... maybe you should have gotten and auto. I second the question before, what is your reasoning for doing this?

YD

 

What's the problem? As long as the speed and RPM's are appropriate for the gear it seems alright to me.

 

here's my reasoning. While shifting through the gears, you'd save wear and tear shifting from 2nd to the higher gears(5-6) directly while at the same time pick up some mpgs. I could shift really fast into the higher gears but why if I can just go to them directly. I love shifting but I'm trying to see how many mpg I can pick up by doing this.

Oh and what are the appropriate rpms for 5th-6th? it seems even on the highway, I'm at 3k, 2krpms on the street. engine seems happy.

 

I skip gears all the time and have done it in many vehicles for years. I usually only skip one gear at a time not 2 or 3.
Might start in 2nd ,shift to 4th then 6th.
OR use the Odd numbers..............mix and match......have fun... be creative

You wont hurt the trans or motor, use some common sense and all will be fine.

 

You won't hurt anything unless you are lugging the engine but you are ruining the fun. If you are lugging the engine the gas mileage is actually going to be worse. Even if you pick up a couple of tenths better mpg you are ruining the fun. Did you ever consider a Prius?

 

I sometime go from 3rd to 5th. Once I'm up to speed, I hit cruise mode.

 

A Prius? Sir, that is a slap in the face . I love my JCW and always have my foot in it. But, I'd like to see what the best MPG would be if I stayed off it. And i'm kinda scared I'll get a ticket :( which I can't afford another one.

 

I skip from 1st to 3rd frequently but other than that, I think it's fun to shift. In most engines I'd be afraid to run the engine too slow and low oil pressure might cause premature engine damage. However, I thought I read somewhere that the oil pump is electric?

 

Having fun with spirited driving and mpg consciousness isn't mutually exclusive. As someone stated above, as long as RPM's match, it doesn't hurt the tranny. It's alot easier to skip 1 gear instead of 2 or 3 though. Basically go 2k above the speed of the higher gear and skip. Just as the rpms are dropping, you'll catch it at the higher gear. Just for example, I'm gonna use simplified numbers;

2nd gear revving 4500 rpms going 40 mph;
Slip into neutral and the rpms start to drop;
As the rpms drop towards 2500 rpms, you slip into 4th.
4th gear at 2500 rpms also equates 40 mph

Obviously my math is flawed but my example is just to show the sequence of events. So if you're in 2nd gear doing something higher like 6k rpms, I'm sure you could rev match to 5th gear at the same speed. Forgot to mention that the series of events that I listed are happening pretty fast.

 

People have been skipping gears ever since they started puting more then 3 gears in cars. It won't hurt a thing as long as you keep up the RPM's and don't lug the engine or slip the clutch.
Ronnie

 

Do it all the time. Match RPMs=less wear. 1-3-6 gets better mileage than 1-2-3-4-5-6

 

5th is too short a gear in many situations, at the very least it's pretty easy to go from 4 to 6.

 

Correct, been doing it in my 05 GTO since new. Same clutch since new 77,000 mile daily driver. I try to get good mileage cause the Goat does not get very good mileage. (Don't like tickets either.)

Pat

 

correct again. See my previous post.

Pat

 

+1. Do it all the time.

 

I go from redline in second right into 5th all the time.

 

if i recall correctly, you need to shift in sequence in order the syncro's to line up correctly. shifting out of sequence can cause transmission problems.

down shifting is not a problem though, only shifting up

 

I do it sometimes when I'm driving around in town and I'm already up to third gear speed out of first gear. I doubt that it saves much gas, though, as you have to take whatever gear you're in up to a higher rpm in order to make the shift smoother.

 

tomah: The synchros are there just to minimize mismatched gears. It won't go out of alignment from skipping gears. I forgot to mention that synchros wear out even with normal use. That is what they're for. It's acceptable wear and tear.

revray: I'm with you on the gas efficiency part. The increased rpm you'd need to rev match at the higher gear is more inefficient than just shifting to one higher gear. The only time I skip gears is during highway ramps and after sudden accelerations.

People are saying that gear skipping is bad only because most don't rev match. This leads to grinding or money shifts which is no-no.

 

What do you think it will hurt, it's feelings?

It doesn't hurt anything, go right ahead on. I'd be more concerned that you were shifting from 6th to 2nd. Again, it doesn't hurt anything if your speed is appropriate......

 

Give the guy a break. I do the same thing when there is a low speed limit...I like the feel of accelerating through 2nd but at that point I've reached the speed limit so I shift to 5th or 6th depending on the need to hold my speed. How in the world can that be "ruining the fun" and "missing the point"

 

Shifting up isn't a problem if you give the engine an opportunity to slow down to the right rpm before you plunk it in whatever higher gear you're aiming for.

That's the beauty of a manual transmission. You choose what gear you want to use whenever you want (even to the motor's demise).

It's safe for the car, good for mpg's, but may dull the fun. One could argue that sitting in traffic already dulls the fun.

 

It's interesting to hear you guys say not to lug the engine. It's damn near impossible to lug the turbo engine. You basically need to keep it a little above 1k rpms and you are fine. You will also only get worse economy if your foot is into it more when at low rpm. If you are just barely accelerating, then you pull up the revs very quick.

5th is my least used gear, I typically just skip from 4th to 6th. Sometimes I'll go 1-2-4-6. Shouldn't harm anything.