first gear
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
first gear
Gearing on the TT is pretty long so I find myself want to go down into first gear. Do you MT drivers go down to first or just kind of bog in second?
I am guessing this has been discussed before but didn’t find anything.
TIA
Jeff
I am guessing this has been discussed before but didn’t find anything.
TIA
Jeff
#2
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I generally don't go lower than 2nd gear driving mountain roads, even on slower/tight corners; 1st gear is generally too short to justify a downshift to that gear. Besides, I'm never racing anyone and there isn't a stopwatch running, so I find staying in 2nd gear a no-harm, no-foul situation.
#3
Instructor
Thread Starter
I generally don't go lower than 2nd gear driving mountain roads, even on slower/tight corners; 1st gear is generally too short to justify a downshift to that gear. Besides, I'm never racing anyone and there isn't a stopwatch running, so I find staying in 2nd gear a no-harm, no-foul situation.
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#8
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
It's a turn to a narrow neighborhood road that has a posted 25 MPH speed limit. The turn is very off camber (a downhill main road turning right +90 degrees uphill to the neighborhood road that continues turning right and continues uphill), and a speed of ~10 MPH through the turn is maxing it out. That turn speed to the uphill road would bog the engine if attempted in 2nd gear.
#10
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
There are plenty of situations here in the Atlanta area where I have to slow down to crawl to set up the proper approach angle to avoid scraping the front lip on my 996 Turbo. I don't want to come to a complete stop to manage the turn, so I heel-toe downshift to 1st and take the turn on a very careful and easy roll of a few MPH.
#11
Just like the guys on fast and furious they're are in the wrong gear all of the time too, so how slow do you drive around this particular corner? You can drive in a parking lot in 2nd. I think your being dangerous if you need to get to 1st.
#12
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Are you asking me? If you are and you are referencing the turn into my neighborhood, I take it at ~10 MPH.
Yes you can. And you can drive around in a parking lot in 1st too. I also drive in 1st enroute to higher levels in multi-level parking garages, where there are narrow turns and short uphill segments.
Slower is dangerous?
Yes you can. And you can drive around in a parking lot in 1st too. I also drive in 1st enroute to higher levels in multi-level parking garages, where there are narrow turns and short uphill segments.
Slower is dangerous?
#15
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I'll give you another example: On a moderately uphill road approaching a stoplight that is red. I slow down to stop, but the light turns green as I reach (for example) 5-10 MPH. There are cars behind me. Do you think I want to brake to a stop (horns of the cars behind me used to remind me that the light is green, not red), only to force myself into a dead-stop launch on a significant hill, when I can heel-toe downshift to 1st and keep rolling??