Skipping Gears

red98teg

Keep on Truckin
So you guys were talking about it in the gas mileage thread, but can someone explain what exactly is bad on the trans about skipping gears? i mean it doesnt seem like its asking anything different of the the trans than not skipping gears. my dad told me to do it to save gas when i was learning to drive a manual, and never mentioned it could cause problems. im not saying my dad is an expert by any means, but 30 years of driving is kinda a lot...
 

JimmyRos.

07 BMW 328Xi
i use every gear. that's the whole point of manually driving a car. i mean you would have to rev even higher to skip a gear meaning you would pour in more gas to get to the next gear. if you dont your car will either bog or jerk like no other.
 

dc2GS-R

Super Moderator
Well synchro's are designed to function between gears. There are no synchro's that connect 2nd gear to 4th gear.

About the gas mileage thing, remember it's not so much about rpm as it is load and throttle position. For example, skipping 3rd may eliminate the higher rpms by gearing down but then you are so low in the rev range in 4th gear that the amount of throttle and load caused by it needed to get acceleration is much higher and it will offset the savings you accomplished by shifting straight from 2nd to 4th. Plus you will generally run 2nd higher just to be able to go into 4th which will need a lot of load to get moving

All in all I would imagine it would probably be around the same or worse gas mileage. Not better. High throttle angles burn more gas than a low position at a slightly higher rpm
 

red98teg

Keep on Truckin
dc2GS-R said:
Well synchro's are designed to function between gears. There are no synchro's that connect 2nd gear to 4th gear.

About the gas mileage thing, remember it's not so much about rpm as it is load and throttle position. For example, skipping 3rd may eliminate the higher rpms by gearing down but then you are so low in the rev range in 4th gear that the amount of throttle and load caused by it needed to get acceleration is much higher and it will offset the savings you accomplished by shifting straight from 2nd to 4th. Plus you will generally run 2nd higher just to be able to go into 4th which will need a lot of load to get moving

All in all I would imagine it would probably be around the same or worse gas mileage. Not better. High throttle angles burn more gas than a low position at a slightly higher rpm
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i figured as much with the gas mileage, but i had no clue about the synchros. that makes a lot more sense. when i shift into third soemtimes and its higher up in the rpm's it grinds just the slightest bit on it way to being fully engaged, and it makes it like there are 2 steps before it is fully engaged, you think its the synchros? if it is how much does that usually run to fix?
 


dc2GS-R

Super Moderator
If you're grinding like that then it's probably the synchro's or you need to adjust your clutch engagement point. If it's synchro's then I would try changing to GM Synchromesh Friction Modified fluid in the tranny, it will usually eliminate all but the worst grinds. The only other option for replacing the synchro's is to get a new tranny
 

heykosal

Angkorian
I guess LS1's were okay because they have big torque and that special skip-shift tranny feature.

I would still do it, I feel like if you execute the shift correctly, you don't put any extra wear on the synchros, and to be honest I saw an increase in MPG.

Say I'm starting in 1st and intend to skip to third, you don't have to rev much higher than 3k in 1st gear, and you won't really bog in 3rd, with light throttle application. As long as you don't mind going annoyingly slow, which also saves gas(instead of driving/accelerating quickly).

And my car used to high RPM grind into second and third gears..I kind of just attributed it to the synchros being easy to beat because when I had bought the car, the tech at the Honda dealer who flushed the tranny out and drove it around said the synchros were okay.
Do you guys think its possible/easy to beat the second and third gear synchros in our cars? Or was there just an unknown problem with my tranny, not detectable without a complete teardown and inspection?
 
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JimmyRos.

07 BMW 328Xi
might as well by an auto if you intend skipping gears. you pretty much only end up using 4 gears. lol.
 

red98teg

Keep on Truckin
i want that camaro....but i mean cheesenip i dont think i need a trans btu myh car seems to think differently i guess only dodges dont need them huh?
 

red98teg

Keep on Truckin
i thought is was the camaro with the LS1 in it that had the gear skipping transmission so that people couldnt get the full use out of the car in day to day driving??? i mean i know its a vette engine but i thought the camaro had that trans...
 
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