What Would Happen If You Change Gear To Reverse While Driving

Innov · 30-11-2021 10:03pm #1

According to this https://www.motorhowto.com/change-gear-to-reverse-while-driving

Essentially, nothing will happen because it is impossible to change gears to reverse while you are driving. This holds true for both manual and automatic transmissions. However, for older cars, what would happen is that the engine would stall and would act like it’s in neutral, which can be dangerous.

Curious if anyone has tried this with their own car and has any personal experience?

colm_mcm · 30-11-2021 10:05pm

The description of what would happen isn’t accurate. Your car certainly won’t act like it’s in neutral.

Innov · 30-11-2021 10:07pm

Even in the newer cars where there is protection built-in?

zg3409 · 01-12-2021 10:44am

I attempted to go from first gear in reverse to second gear in reverse while reversing fast in an industrial estate on a quiet Saturday morning. The car did not have a second reverse gear, and did not like my attempt to go from reverse to probably 2nd forward gear. It did not like it and made lots of grinding noise. I have performed the reverse u turn to forward maneuver seen in movies, but only on company cars, the car went from reverse to second gear ok, but car was briefly near stopped in the middle from reverse, sliding u turn, to forward and away.

Rx713B · 01-12-2021 10:44am

Clutch go BOOM

Wanderer78 · 01-12-2021 11:04am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118249577#Comment_118249577

id fcuking kill you if it was my company! interesting experiment though!

Henry Ford III · 01-12-2021 12:07pm

Going from reverse to first or 2nd whilst still reversing is however possible, and is part of the "J turn".

Miscreant · 01-12-2021 2:09pm

Going from a forward gear to reverse without stopping can't be good for the gearbox at all. The same would apply from reverse to a forward gear. Are people routinely doing J turns these days or something? I must have missed that memo. 😋

zg3409 · 01-12-2021 4:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118250730#Comment_118250730

The memo is written in tyre marks on all straight roads in Donegal.

Speedline · 01-12-2021 6:46pm

Reminds me of this. https://youtu.be/kw5u1YOgs5g

Quite a funny channel actually.

Andrewf20 · 01-12-2021 9:51pm

Mythbusters tried it on an old civic and couldnt get it into the reverse gear.

The J Stands for Jay · 04-12-2021 11:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118252005#Comment_118252005

Donegal has nothing on Cork, they don't even bother looking for a straight patch to do it.

wotzgoingon · 05-12-2021 11:34pm

I remember watching some show about a place like disney land or some such that had acts with cars doing stunts and they could go from forward to reverse but they had a special gearbox that enabled them to do it. A standard car you wouldn't be able to but if you did manage to put it into reverse from 2nd or 3rd you would strip the teeth off the reverse shaft/gear and would need to get your gearbox rebuilt. Same would happen if you were doing high speeds on motorway in 5th or 6th and slapped it into first gear.

What Would Happen If You Change Gear To Reverse While Driving

Comments