samimi

I've been driving a 1988 911 Cabriolet as a daily driver to work which includes a lot of stop and go.

The drive involves quite a few stop signs which I don't always make full stops at. Oftentimes, I do not engage the first gear (which isn't easy when the car is rolling) but rather leave it in second gear which for the first part keeps the engine lugging at low RPM.

Should I rather stop the car and put it in first gear? Is lugging the engine considered worse than shifting gears constantly? I guess this would similarly apply to downshifting in other gears when the RPM is low.

Thanks for any advice.
Farshin

DKMartin

Yes, it is worse....stop the car and go in 1st gear.

Ed Bighi

If you want to put in first while it is moving slowly, here is what you do. While the car is in motion, slowly I hope, place the shifter in neutral, let out the clutch, give it a good rev once, then step on the clutch and put it in first. It will go right in. This will in fact do the job of the synchronizer, thereby not putting undue stress on it. I have been doing this within reason for years with no trouble. You will eventually come to know what the limits are. I have to do this sometimes during autocrosses due to the ridiculously tight courses that are becoming de rigueur nowadays. The ones that require either a 914 or a 1.5 gear. When in doubt, rev it higher or don't do it. But moving slowly in traffic should not present a problem. This should be done in any car if one needs first gear while in motion. I sometimes have to do this for second gear since my synchroizers are so worn. Practice makes perfect.
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madvex

[quote]Originally posted by Ed Bighi:
<strong> This should be done in any car if one needs first gear while in motion. I sometimes have to do this for second gear since my synchroizers are so worn. Practice makes perfect.
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

The 1st gear synchro on my '85 is totally beat and 2nd gear is very worn. I often have a hell of a time getting the car into 1st and often MUST start in 2nd gear and lug the engine. I hate doing it, but until I get a rebuild on the tranny I thought I was forced to start in 2nd now and then. This is the first I have heard of revving the motor in neutral functioning the same as synching 1st. Does this always work? Please advise! If so, perhaps my rebuild can wait another 6 mos.

Thanks!
-Vex

Stephen Masraum

It's how you shift a car with no syncros (old cars and race cars)
It should work, but will take some practice to do it well.

A Quiet Boom

Also a way to change gears without the clutch! But I don't recommend it unless you've been doing it forever on something cheaper than a 911, to upshift pull out of the lower gear and move towards the higher gear let the revs fall until the shifter slides into gear (may need to rev and fall back down) to downshift pull out of the higher gear and rev up into the lower gear. Works great if you break a clutch cable a few miles from home.