Whats the point of first gear?

The_B_Man

I know this might make me look stupid, but I'm gonna ask anyway.

My instructor told me to simply get out of 1st as quick as possible, because its useless. Other people have told me they start their cars in 2nd, or even 3rd gear!!

So whats the point in first gear? Is it just for new drivers to get them started? Or is there another reason to use first when not moving from a complete stop?

Thanks.

wadefuq

Agreed to a certian extent, but try starting in second on a steep hill and come back to us :eek:

Flowergirl4

During your test also have to go into first gear for a moment at a stop sign to ensure you come to a COMPLETE stop. But yes basically start car in first gear release clutch and straight into 2nd. Also you might use first gear when getting into a tough parking spot

Littlehorny

wadefuq wrote: »

Agreed to a certian extent, but try starting in second on a steep hill and come back to us :eek:

+1
Wait til your trying to take off halfway up a ramp in a muti-storey carpark and you'll be glad the car has this low gear.

Mycroft H

Hill Starts, towing, starting off with 5 passengers and luggage, taking off quick from a stop.

The_Nipper_One

I'd imagine 1st gear is easier on the engine and clutch in the long run as well.

Mister Jingles

Whoever told you they take of in third gear must have some very strange reason for doing so.

Faith+1

Mister Jingles wrote: »

Whoever told you they take of in third gear must have some very strange reason for doing so.

Unless it's an unladen truck which is grand to start off in third.

CJhaughey

Keep doing 2nd gear starts and you'll soon find that a new clutch will be necessary.

K.Flyer

^^^^^ +1
Car makers have the gearbox designed to assist the engine (and the clutch) to work effecientley together in getting and keeping the car moving under various conditions.
Do you honestly think with all the money and research that goes into car design and manufacturing that 1st gear is just there for show.
Bad advice from your instructer IMO.

Mars Bar

Flowergirl4 wrote: »

During your test also have to go into first gear for a moment at a stop sign to ensure you come to a COMPLETE stop. But yes basically start car in first gear release clutch and straight into 2nd. Also you might use first gear when getting into a tough parking spot

I went down to first gear to come to a stop the last day and my Dad said not to do that coz it could blow the gear box or something. He said to stop in second and take off in first.

Mycroft H

Mars Bar wrote: »

I went down to first gear to come to a stop the last day and my Dad said not to do that coz it could blow the gear box or something. He said to stop in second and take off in first.

Try see how slow you can go in second. You can *almost* roll to a stop, which is enough for most junctions/roundabouts.

Solair

If you've a powerful engine you'll probably do things like start in second gear without a problem but, in the long term it's very bad for an engine.

When a younger relative of mine was learning to drive he completely wrecked his mothers car by doing that.

Constantly driving / starting in too low a gear. It resulted in cracking one of the main shafts in the engine of a relatively new Opel Astra!!

Cost a bloody fortune to fix!

Basically, treat your engine with respect ! They're quite expensive bits of kit to replace !!

J_R

Hi,

If you have a few hundred Euro to spare it is very easy to prove/disprove a few posters above.

Whilst in 2rd or 3rd gear, use clutch control to hold the car stationary on a hill, does not have to be very steep. . Very quickly you will get a funny smell . The higher the gear the quicker the smell arrives, continue for a very short period and you will need a new clutch.

Normally you do not drive for any distance in 1st gear, but you must use it to get the car initially moving . That is unless taking off downhill when you can use 2rd even 3rd gear with no problem.

As for stopping, its gears to go, brakes to slow - and stop.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

i have been told to slow down fors stops in what ever gear im in , not change down unless its struggling .

first gear is for power from a standstill , hills,

and for very slow driving in tricky areas like car parks , packed / small lanes roads , and clutch control situations.

K.Flyer

Does nobody use their gearbox for assisting braking anymore?

Jhcx

K.Flyer wrote: »

Does nobody use their gearbox for assisting braking anymore?

Ya i would but only lately since i learned my brakes arent the best

It has its uses. for example you want roll the car while multi-tasking. putting it into first and releasing the clutch has the car rolling at a slow pace so that if your eyes are off the road for split seconds you wont kill anyone hopefully :pac: . Also while yes i do have an awful habit of taking off in second its nearly cause me crashes while crossing roads and taking off at junctions. 1. The car takes a little longer to take off, 2 requires more acceleration 3. it just has the car choking. so ya first is just that spilt second handier for those moments. otherwise its completely useless like others have said.

Del2005

K.Flyer wrote: »

Does nobody use their gearbox for assisting braking anymore?

Not since cars have been fitted with hydraulic servo assisted disc brakes. Changing down to assist the brakes was only necessary when cars had drum brakes with wires.

miss no stars

K.Flyer wrote: »

Does nobody use their gearbox for assisting braking anymore?

I do; I live on a very steep hill and, as well as that, the gear box is designed for a larger engine so for proper control of the car I have to be in a lower gear than other cars would be. But that's a fairly unique situation. (and yes, I've checked with as many people as I can - what I'm doing is correct).

Also, I was under the impression that in slippery (snow & ice) conditions it's far better to use engine braking combined with very gentle braking than to just use the brakes.

biko

It's not like 1st is there for fun. I've driven many years and yes, sometime take off in 2nd (usually if I am facing down on a hill) but you should pretty much always take off in 1st and let car get up to speed a bit before changing into 2nd.

My instructor told me to simply get out of 1st as quick as possible, because its useless.

Tbh, that's a strange thing to say for an instructor.

Cienciano

I was asking my instructor about it. You only use it when moving off from a stopped position.
But can anyone clear this one up: Can you change gear in a corner? Say for instance you're doing a right hand turn, but it's a really wide arc to turn. I was told not to change gear till you completed the turn. But surely if you're stopped at a roundabout going all the way around (3rd exit) or on a junction like http://goo.gl/maps/durKO (heading north, going right) you should change to second?
I've done my EDT, getting a pre test with someone else so I can cross check these things!

miss no stars

Cienciano wrote: »

I was asking my instructor about it. You only use it when moving off from a stopped position.

I've sometimes needed to go into first where I was turning into a road that was VERY narrow from another very narrow road. My instructor actually picked me up on it after attempting (and just about getting away with it, note, getting away with it) to take the corner in second, as I really should have been in first. I've also used it in car parks, very slow moving traffic, moderately slow traffic on a hill etc., etc.

Cienciano wrote: »

But can anyone clear this one up: Can you change gear in a corner? Say for instance you're doing a right hand turn, but it's a really wide arc to turn. I was told not to change gear till you completed the turn. But surely if you're stopped at a roundabout going all the way around (3rd exit) or on a junction like http://goo.gl/maps/durKO (heading north, going right) you should change to second?
I've done my EDT, getting a pre test with someone else so I can cross check these things!

Someone else might be better able to advise but tbh, I've always managed to get into second before starting to actually turn on a roundabout. Maybe just get quicker on the gears?

Cienciano

miss no stars wrote: »

Someone else might be better able to advise but tbh, I've always managed to get into second before starting to actually turn on a roundabout. Maybe just get quicker on the gears?

Yeah, I've been driving a lot lately and can get much quicker into gears. It was a while back when I was doing the EDTs.

I was just looking at an instructors video online, he's doing the Tallaght route. He does mention staying in first while leaving the driving test car park.

wil

Jhcx wrote: »

Ya i would but only lately since i learned my brakes arent the best

It has its uses. for example you want roll the car while multi-tasking. putting it into first and releasing the clutch has the car rolling at a slow pace so that if your eyes are off the road for split seconds you wont kill anyone hopefully :pac: . Also while yes i do have an awful habit of taking off in second its nearly cause me crashes while crossing roads and taking off at junctions. 1. The car takes a little longer to take off, 2 requires more acceleration 3. it just has the car choking. so ya first is just that spilt second handier for those moments. otherwise its completely useless like others have said.

Scary on so many levels.
All this talk of taking off in second helps explain why so many Irish drivers are very slow to move off from lights junctions etc.
To describe first gear as useless is complete nonsense.
Always taking off in second is a bad habit likely to lead to worn clutch, poor acceleration and risk of stalling.
Moving off from stationary requires the most energy to get the tonne of metal moving, hence the use of first, then smoothly and quickly move up gears.
Experience will tell you when moving off in second is fine, but it wouldnt be recommended when acceleration is critical, such as joining a roundabout or a main road.
An instructor telling you to blindly take off in second every time doesnt strike me as a good instructor.

Being able to drive smoothly and slowly in first is a good measure of your clutch/ acceleration control and essential for parking etc.

CiniO

First useless? In normal car?

My car, at 15km/h revs at about 1000rpm on second gear.
That literally means, that for driving with any speed less than 15km/h I need 1st gear. And I do use it. I always start from first, and I often reduce to first when deccelerating f.e. before the junction (if I need to decelerate to below 15km/h).

First might be less usefull in trucks or buses, but that's another story.

In normal car, 1st is normal gear as any other, and shouldn't be avoided.

ScrubsfanChris

With the traffic jams we have in this country, 1st gear seems like a must sometimes.
Also doing a hill start in any car I have driven is close to impossible.

The_B_Man wrote: »

My instructor told me to simply get out of 1st as quick as possible, because its useless.

Thats a dumb thing to say IMO
Example: Years ago when I was learning to drive (with an instructor) I was turning left at a junction onto a steep hill, as I rounded the corner, went to grab second to early and the car cut out.

shanered

There is many instructors who give bad advise, I had one who told me to not use my side mirrors and only use my rear mirror, also he kept going on that he knows all the testers...
did my test, failed of course, and told my tester that my instructor had only said an hour earlier during my lesson that is was fine, the tester asked who he was, and then said he never heard of him.
He was an absolute cowboy. I was pretty annoyed after tbh.

CiniO

Generally in the old days, many cars had 1st gear not synchronised, which literally meant that to reduce to 1st you had to stop. It wasn't possible (at least not for average driver) to put the first gear when car was moving.

Since than things have changed, all modern cars now have 1st gear synchronised, and most have 2nd gear with much lower ratio that it used to be in old cars.

Probably that's the reason why many especially older people (unfortunately including instructors) thing that 1st is only for literally make the car moving, and then after you start you shouldn't use 1st. That's wrong.

Most modern cars are designed to use 1st gear at speeds below 20km/h and 2nd gear is not really appropriate for those speeds.

So using 1st gear when taking off, when travelling slowly in traffic jam or to recude to first when slowing down before the junction is 100% correct.

What's incorrect is forcing a car to travel in 2nd gear with too low revs.

challengemaster

1st is also fantastic for going slowly down very steep hills.

endacl

The_B_Man wrote: »

So whats the point in first gear?

Judging by some of the unofficial rubber road markings around the place, its for donuts.

The screech of tortured rubber. The mating call of the modded generation...