Two questions regarding gear changes

The_Nipper_One

1.) Rolling into first.
This is a technique I tried out tonight, and it did improve my overall time in navigating a blind junction, but is it permissible in a test and/or dangerous in any way?

(for those unfamiliar, this involves approaching a blind junction at a reasonable speed for 1st gear near your stopping point, but instead of stopping the car to observe, you depress the clutch and select 1st gear so that if the junction is clear you can simply raise the clutch to continue in 1st without stopping. If the way is not clear, you can break and be ready to go with 1st already selected.)

2.) 3rd to 1st, 4th to 2nd, etc.
Something I notice when slowing for a corner is that I can usually be fairly close to it before I need to slow down (when the speed limit is below say 50km/h). This is presenting me with a slight problem however with lowing gears.

Suppose I am in 4th gear approaching a corner at 50km/h, what I notice if I begin slowing at distance which allows me to comfortably switch to, and engage, 3rd then 2nd gear in good time for the corner, is that I tend to reach the corner in less time than I think is safe to do so.

Switching from 4th to second in the above example seems to work much better for me, as it allows me to reach the corner faster, and still maintain full controll of the car. Is this OK? Or are there some safety issues I should be aware of.

Similarly, I find stopping in 3rd gear at stop signs far more efficient than dropping to second beforehand.

Alanstrainor

3rd to 1st is not something I would use.

4th to 2nd on the other hand would be fine.

As for using 1st to creep up to a corner, I see no issue.

The_Nipper_One

Alanstrainor wrote: »

3rd to 1st is not something I would use.

Something I should make clearer is that I would be stopping fully in 3rd before switching to 1st. Basically I aproach the stop marker in 3rd, slow untill the revs reach about 1k, and then clutch in and stop in 3rd before switching to 1st.

Are you saying this would not be advisable?

Alanstrainor

The_Nipper_One wrote: »

Something I should make clearer is that I would be stopping fully in 3rd before switching to 1st. Basically I aproach the stop marker in 3rd, slow untill the revs reach about 1k, and then clutch in and stop in 3rd before switching to 1st.

Are you saying this would not be advisable?

Once you have stopped you can use what ever gear you like.

But going from 3rd to 1st while going around a corner would not be advisable.

Stopping in what ever gear you want is fine.

The_Nipper_One

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Once you have stopped you can use what ever gear you like.

But going from 3rd to 1st while going around a corner would not be advisable.

Stopping in what ever gear you want is fine.

Great

Thanks for the speedy answers.

TheChizler

The_Nipper_One wrote: »

1.) Rolling into first.
This is a technique I tried out tonight, and it did improve my overall time in navigating a blind junction, but is it permissible in a test and/or dangerous in any way?

(for those unfamiliar, this involves approaching a blind junction at a reasonable speed for 1st gear near your stopping point, but instead of stopping the car to observe, you depress the clutch and select 1st gear so that if the junction is clear you can simply raise the clutch to continue in 1st without stopping. If the way is not clear, you can break and be ready to go with 1st already selected.)

2.) 3rd to 1st, 4th to 2nd, etc.
Something I notice when slowing for a corner is that I can usually be fairly close to it before I need to slow down (when the speed limit is below say 50km/h). This is presenting me with a slight problem however with lowing gears.

Suppose I am in 4th gear approaching a corner at 50km/h, what I notice if I begin slowing at distance which allows me to comfortably switch to, and engage, 3rd then 2nd gear in good time for the corner, is that I tend to reach the corner in less time than I think is safe to do so.

Switching from 4th to second in the above example seems to work much better for me, as it allows me to reach the corner faster, and still maintain full controll of the car. Is this OK? Or are there some safety issues I should be aware of.

Similarly, I find stopping in 3rd gear at stop signs far more efficient than dropping to second beforehand.

Skipping gears is fine as long as you don't mangle the transmission, but don't be afraid to slow down further before the corner, gives you more time to do everything. And also no problem stopping in 3rd at stop signs. You can stop in 5th for all the tester cares, just make sure you don't coast along.

To address the first point, you shouldn't ever touch the clutch unless you're changing gear or stopping, so coasting at a junction just to see if the coast is clear (:D) is a big no no (unless you're going VEEEERY slowly, essentially stopped like). Don't worry about stopping completely at blind junctions, even without stop signs, as long as the tester can see that you're being cautious and not wasting time it's fine.

Do you have an instructor you can demonstrate these methods to? It can be hard to get a good idea of the speeds involved through text.

Edit: Just to clarify, for the first point I was imagining you coasting around a blind corner at say walking pace, that's what I mean by a no no.

The_Nipper_One

TheChizler wrote: »

Edit: Just to clarify, for the first point I was imagining you coasting around a blind corner at say walking pace, that's what I mean by a no no.

I think this might be a little different from what I'm thinking.
In what I'm trying to describe above I'd be rolling up to the first place I can observe the junction with my foot on the clutch and gear in 1st. If there are cars coming then I'll stop, if not I'd let off the clutch and continue in first around the corner, having never stopped.

Here's the process as described by another site:

How to do the Rolling First Gear Change:

1. On approach to the junction reduce your speed down to a sensible speed for first gear.
2. Press the clutch when necessary and select the first gear.
3. Keep the clutch on the floor, this is why it is called a rolling first gear change.

You are still moving slowly towards your junction with your clutch on the floor and first gear selected. If you can go then you only need to raise the clutch and drive on. If you have to stop then you already have the first gear selected ready for moving off as soon as possible.

TheChizler

The_Nipper_One wrote: »

I think this might be a little different from what I'm thinking.
In what I'm trying to describe above I'd be rolling up to the first place I can observe the junction with my foot on the clutch and gear in 1st. If there are cars coming then I'll stop, if not I'd let off the clutch and continue in first around the corner, having never stopped.

Here's the process as described by another site:

Ah fair enough that sounds grand, that's a lot slower than what I had in mind. Also if Alanstrainor says it's ok it's probably ok!

2ndcoming

With your rolling to first thing, it sounds grand when you're beginning, but you should try the same thing but only dropping to 2nd. As your driving improves you will find that if the car is still moving at all there's plenty of range in 2nd to get you going again, and it also means you will be well away from the junction before you have to change up to 3rd, avoiding any dangerous 'kangaroo' over-rev from unclutching in first (dangerous in the instance of say, joining a busy road and the engine cutting out in front of a car coming behind you).

Generally 1st gear is not a driving gear, and should only be selected when you're stopped completely, so the same applies to your 3rd to 1st question. 5th to 3rd or 4th to 2nd are fine though.

mickdw

There should be no need for coasting in 1st, in fact, it can be difficult to select 1st while rolling in many cars.
Can you not approach the turn slowly in 2nd gear (still driving in gear), if you see the way clear, make the turn, if not, you will be stopping, then selecting 1st.
If the issue is that you really need to dart across the junction for safety, Not knowing the junction, it is hard to comment but carrying a little momentum in 2nd while still being in a position to stop if required would still most likely be best.

The_Nipper_One

Thanks everyone.

I'll see just how slow I can go in 2nd the next time I'm in the car, I see you what you're saying about 1st not being a driving gear aswell, and if I was forced to stop I can always just slip into first like I've been doing up to now.

N17er

mickdw wrote: »

There should be no need for coasting in 1st, in fact, it can be difficult to select 1st while rolling in many cars.
Can you not approach the turn slowly in 2nd gear (still driving in gear), if you see the way clear, make the turn, if not, you will be stopping, then selecting 1st.
If the issue is that you really need to dart across the junction for safety, Not knowing the junction, it is hard to comment but carrying a little momentum in 2nd while still being in a position to stop if required would still most likely be best.

This is good advice. I would say that 1st gear is only to get a vehicle rolling from a stop, you should never need to 'shift down' into 1st with the intention to keep driving.

Del2005

The_Nipper_One wrote: »

I think this might be a little different from what I'm thinking.
In what I'm trying to describe above I'd be rolling up to the first place I can observe the junction with my foot on the clutch and gear in 1st. If there are cars coming then I'll stop, if not I'd let off the clutch and continue in first around the corner, having never stopped.

Here's the process as described by another site:

How to do the Rolling First Gear Change:
On approach to the junction reduce your speed down to a sensible speed for first gear.
Press the clutch when necessary and select the first gear.
Keep the clutch on the floor, this is why it is called a rolling first gear change.
You are still moving slowly towards your junction with your clutch on the floor and first gear selected. If you can go then you only need to raise the clutch and drive on. If you have to stop then you already have the first gear selected ready for moving off as soon as possible.

That's coasting and not allowed in the test. Unless your car has a tiny engine it should pull away from most junctions in 2nd if you don't stop, if it shudders/struggles you can slip the clutch. The car can't be moving with the clutch fully depressed for longer than a gear change.

ADIDriving

1. In certain situations this is perfect. Be careful not to spend too much time with your foot on the clutch.
2. It is ok to skip gears on the way down.
3. It is ok to stop in any gear.