Fahrer

Downshifting to be in the right gear for the next curve or event is a good thing but it should be done with minimal stress on the drivetrain ( rev matching etc.). It should not be done just to slow down the car. As stated previously, brakes are much better than they used to be. Also... remember that brakes are much cheaper than transmissions and clutches!

tpenta

When you are exiting the highway at 75 mph and the turn is 35 mph, it is very likely that you will go from 6'th to 4th or 3rd along with braking to take the turn nicely. I'm not sure how else you'd do that in that particular scenario without skipping gears, but I'm not sure what specific scenario is being discussed here.

As long as the RPM stays reasonable, I'm not sure what the big deal is in skipping. You use whatever gear is required for the given speed and situation.

As for mistakenly going to 1st instead of 3rd, I just don't see how that's possible, unless you are relatively new to a manual.

Enjoy,

-T

LlBr

Speaking of skipping. There's up-shifting-skipping too.

When traffic is relaxed, from a stop light I often go from first to third. The engine has so much torque (both TT and NA) there's no need to use 2nd (IMHO, of course).

simsgw

You're right completely. When Cindy falls asleep on my arm on the way home from dinner, I'll often just reach across with my left hand to shift. (We're out in the country by then.) This is somewhat awkward, so the less often I shift, the better. I used to start off from stop signs in second in our NSX and then move it to fourth, basically using only two gears those last few miles. We loved our NSX, but I have to say it had less torque than does our new Carrera.

After only six weeks, I haven't got the experience with this engine and clutch to feel comfortable doing that start in second yet, but just tonight she fell asleep again and I began shifting lefthanded from first to third and then fifth. No question in my mind that this engine would be happy rolling off at ten mph in third if I asked for that.

Still don't want to start in second yet, until I'm sure I can do that without undue slipping of the clutch.

Incidentally, I skip gears regularly as several drivers have said, but I believe that always using the brakes to slow is excessive. I admit my habits date from times when you had to worry about overheating the brakes, but even when the brakes are this good, it is more graceful to slow by downshifting unless you're suddenly dropping your speed the equivalent of three or four gears. This does require learning how to drive a manual properly, but very many things do. I have never found it affected the clutch life either. It depends on the car and the clutch design of course, but with sports cars we usually get ninety thousand on a clutch. Sometimes more, but never much less.

If you know how to shift, the only serious wear on a clutch comes the first few hundred milliseconds when accelerating from a rest. Unless of course you like trying to match magazine times for standing start acceleration runs. That can do in a clutch quickly.

Gary

Macster

I skip gears downshifting all the time, going from 5th to 2nd or 4th to 1st, but only downshifting when engine rpms at near idle speed like when I coast/roll up to make a slow sharp turn or bring the car to a complete stop.

If it looks like I'll have to not only stop but wait -- for a light say -- I'll just shift from a higher gear into neutral as I roll car to a stop then take foot off of clutch pedal and let car sit still with transmission in neutral.

I never downshift to use a lower gear for engine braking except in the very rare case when I encounter a very steep downgrade and want some additional engine braking as I make my way down a steep road. But these are very rare events. My 02 Boxster's clutch wouldn't have lasted 227K miles doing that.

Sometimes I downshift to select a lower gear cause I need more acceleration but I rev match (not heal/toe though).

Occasionally -- in either my Boxster or my Turbo -- I'll skip shift going up gears, going from 1st to 3rd to 5th or even 6th (in the Turbo) when road condition and traffic permits it.

Sincerely,

Macster.

COLO997

This all leads to a disadvantage of PDK--skipping gears can't be done!

edgybob

What about "skipping" first? Any way that a 2nd gear start (generally slightly rolling) hurts the engine? The vette had so much trq 1st gear was pretty much useless in normal driving. The prosche doesn't seem as happy about it.

stevepow

That's the disadvantage with AT in general; lack of direct control of the transmission. PDK is clever, but lacks the nuances of a manual shift. I don't miss that for normal driving, but in some cases more subtle control seems like an advantage.

I see that the then BMW 5 Series (F10) has an 8-speed AT that can skip gears, although I doubt it is driver controllable other than through the gas pedal.

aggie57

Personally I do it all the time (skipping gears that is!). Both going up and down. I just figure that using the right gear for the situation is more important than worrying about the number or where it is in the pattern.

Hella-Buggin'

I usually skip 5th on the way up. I find 5th more of a freeway passing gear more than anything else. 4th gets me to highway speeds getting on the freeway and then I just pop to 6th from there to cruise.

I also skip on the way down to wherever the right gear for the job is.

I do usually use gears to slow down though. I live in an extremely hilly area and it's murder on the rotors. I guess it's more like I use the gears to hold the cars speed in check than for breaking but I'll often find myself popping into second for that last little bit of reduction around 35 mph.
Maybe that's just an antiquated style that I should avoid in the future?