Piano Guidance
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Should you ever downshift into first?

Despite this, we wouldn't recommend regular downshifts into first due to the strain it can put on the components within the transmission. So next time you feel that first gear is necessary to launch out of a corner, make sure you think about the required pedal inputs to perform a smooth shift.

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Although it's a rare gear change, there are some situations where first gear is preferable for maximum acceleration while on the move, although the transition can be challenging Changing gear can become an automotive art form when practiced and fully understood, forming a smooth relationship between ratios, engine speeds and differing shaft speed. Although first gear is generally only engineered to get a car off the line, hairpins and sharp corners can necessitate a change down from a higher ratio to the first cog. If you have tried this before, you may have noticed just how difficult it can be to slot back into first gear, sometimes requiring a mechanically-unsympathetic shove. The most common situation that this occurs is when drivers are slowing down for a traffic light and pre-empt a downchange into first to get going again. The problem is that the difference in ratios between second and first is large. So considering the job of a synchromesh is to bridge this gap, the synchromesh for first gear has to work a lot harder than in the rest of the transmission. A synchromesh is almost like a small clutch that sits on the output shaft between gears, slowing or increasing the required gear’s relative speed to perform a perfect meshing of teeth within the transmission. So when trying to downshift to first, the relative speed difference between the output shaft and input shaft will be large compared to the other less-aggressive ratios.

A quick run-through of how synchromeshes work

Let’s take a 2016 Honda Civic’s transmission for example. The ratio for first gear is 3.6:1, meaning that for every 3.6 full rotations of the crankshaft, the gear rotates once. Second gear has a ratio of 2.1:1, third is 1.4:1, fourth 1:1, fifth 0.8:1 and sixth 0.7:1. As you can see, the difference in gear ratio gets smaller and smaller as you go up the gears, meaning the transition between each of them gets easier for the synchromeshes to perform. The stiffness encountered when changing from second to first gear can also be experienced when committing the blasphemy of selecting second gear from fourth, skipping third gear. The difference in the speed of the input and output shafts of the transmission will be large, forcing the required synchromesh to work harder. This MX-5 sprint run shows how first gear can be used for maximum acceleration out of tight corners

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How do you change gear smoothly?

What's the secret to changing down gear smoothly? Maintain light pressure on the accelerator pedal as you press the clutch down, change gear and then clutch up gently (or the car will jerk). Using the accelerator will raise your engine speed to match your road speed, ultimately giving you a jerk free gear change.

driving-school-beckenham.co.uk - How to change down gear smoothly - World Driving

How to change down gear smoothly

Have you ever felt a little bump when you change down gears or the car jerks? In the video below we look at how to get rid of that bump and have super smooth gear changes that your passengers will especially appreciate. How to change down gear smoothly is something that takes time to master whilst learning to drive. When changing down gears you'll either apply a little pressure on the accelerator pedal or foot brake depending on the situation. You would normally slow down before changing down to the desired gear (for example before a turn or roundabout) or you could change down gear before overtaking and need more acceleration.

This page is aimed at drivers who already have some experience.

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