Do you drive in 1st gear?

Fcukface

So I see alot of people driving in first gear, by this I mean they will drive around a car park in just 1st gear, if they are driving a 100m-150m stretch of road they will do the stretch in 1st gear, I have been in the car with people who will even shift down to first gar while the car is still moving and then back up to 2nd once their speed gets up.

I personally dont, I think its bad for the car and the incorrect way to drive. When I start off in first, once my foot comes off the clutch it goes straight back on to shift up to second. If im stoped on a hill and going down it i will start off in second. For me, first gear is just to get the car rolling, its not for driving in.

biko

I would only stay in first if I'm crawling, for instance in bumper to bumper traffic. As soon as the revs goes up I shift to second.

Alanstrainor

Only if i'm crawling in traffic or something similar. I've been driving an auto for quite a while recently which makes life so much easier in those situations.

mooman

I'm with Fcukface on this, I can't remember ever using first other than taking off from a stop. Even crawling in heavy traffic I tend to use 2nd to take off in (out of laziness)

swingking

I tend to use 2 nd gear in traffic. Hate when people rev in 1st gear

Matt Simis

Ive started to use 1st for very slow traffic as my first gear is very "long". Its all down to gearing, Lambos for instance (so Im told) have insane gearing, ie 80mph in 2nd is "correct".

Also my syncros are a bit worn, shifting from 1st-2nd (and possibly up and down a crap load more times in bad traffic) feels rough on the box. Thankfully rare Im in any sort of traffic to warrant any of this though.

Max Power1

IMO 1st gear is used at most for 10 seconds or so until the car is going, then its straight into second.

Alun

Surely it'll all depend on gearing, engine power and torque characteristics, and will be different for all cars. I've had cars where I've hardly had to use 1st gear at all, and others where 2nd is so highly geared that you use 1st quite often.

W.Shakes-Beer

only use first to get the car moving. In traffic i tend to just bring the clutch to biting point in neutral and roll that car forward.

seamus

I usually only drive in first when I've my mobile in one hand and a smoke in the other, so I can't change gear.

GTE

For me when Im in heavy traffic I just let the clutch out slowly in first and idle along, once traffic gets moving a bit more I put it into second and idle about. I never have to use the accelerator when I hit bad traffic say on the N4 at the M50 coming into Palmerstown. The engine just pulls me along.

Having said that starting in second doesnt really work too well in my car. Once im moving I generally never go back down to first unless I really really need to.

Its not something I put much thought into.

I agree with Aluns post 100%. Im sure there are cars out there where you do have to use a bit of accelerator to get going and others you dont and some you can start in 2nd and some you cant all down to the combination of engine, gearbox, weight.

corktina

a bit of a non-thread this isnt it?

Max Power1

corktina wrote: »

a bit of a non-thread this isnt it?

yeah, it never really got out of first gear



/gets coat

Big Nasty

Worse is people who change into 2nd after about half a meter of movement and those who don't change down a gear on a hill until the car is about to stall.

Alanstrainor

This thread is a bit weird really. Gears are there to be used, that's not to say you have to be red lining on each gear before a change. But i mean, i'm not afraid of first gear, if it's needed it's needed, if 2nd is needed i'll change up. End of really.